Thursday, October 31, 1985
Daily Nebraskan
Page 7
The Daily Nebraskan's Entertainment Revue
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Courtesy of IRS Records
REM
uccess hurts R.E.M.'s latest work
By Paul Morin
Staff Reporter
Bill Berry is the unusually honest,
always congenial and sometimes strange
drummer for the band R.E.M., playing
at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Music Hall in
Omaha.
Caught during a short rest in his
hometown of Athens, Georgia, Berry
found some time to talk about the band
and its latest album, "Fables of the
Reconstruction."
"Success has caught up to us," Berry
said.
Most of the earlier R.E.M. records
were repeatedly tested live to discover
weak and strong points. A heavy road
schedule prevented them from testing
the latest album.
"We need the personal feedback
that we get live," Berry said.
That feedback never existed for any
of the songs on "Fables." R.E.M. went
into the studio with rough drafts, so to
speak.
Critics and fans alike have com
plained that the most recent album
lacks the coarse, exposed sound of pre
vious albums. Berry didn't beat around
the bush on that one.
"If we lost the raw edge, it's because
we went in with reservations," he said.
"Naturally some of the recklessness
might be lost."
However, Berry was ambivalent about
the album.
"Listening to it, some of the things
sounded good and some of them sounded
bad," he said. But it doesn't look as if
the band's method of writing can change.
"We're going to have to write songs
in hotel rooms," he safd, because their
schedule is so busy.
R.E.M. was born April 5, 1980, in
Athens. The four members, vocalist
Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Bucck,
bass guitarist Mike Mills and Berry
began by playing for friends in the
basement of a church where they lived.
Berry said R.E.M. started out as an
experiment the four wanted to have
fun.
They all attended the University of
Georgia at the time and their increas
ing success regionally affected their
school work.
"Our studies suffered," Berry said.
"It was at the point where we either
shit or get off the pot."
They gambled, releasing a demo
tape that was nearly successful. Their
first effort drew a single review, but a
rave one, in the influential "New York
Rocker" magazine.
In 1981 the band released "Radio
Free Europe" as a single. Its success
gave the band the impetus to return to
the studio to record the extended play
record "Chronic Town." That EP reached
an audience 30,000 strong and paved
the way for the band's 1982 album
"Murmer."
From then on R.E.M. wasn't just a
band from Athens, Georgia. It was a
band from America that happened to
call Athens home. The popularity of
R.E.M.'s later releases "Rekoning" and
"Fables" verified their status.
Berry said he's amazed about the
band's unusual success, when other
bands of comparable or superior talent
haven't progressed at its rapid pace.
"It's (R.E.M.'s success) open for dis
cussion. It's ridiculous," he said.
"Why do we sell more records?" he
asked. "I don't know." .
Berry said he feels some other bands
aren't receiving enough attention.
He cited the example of the dB's.
Three weeks after signing a record con
tract, the label that the band had
signed with folded, leaving the "been-around-too-long"
dB's high and dry.
Last year the dB's opened for R.E.M. at
the Music Hall.
"Maybe we were in the right place at
the right time," Berry said, "but we
certainly weren't first."
The band's success has raised a
standard complaint.
"We've been accused of commercial
sell-out, which is ridiculous," Berry
said. The band has some values that
they stand by.
"We play the way we want. If those
are the hits, that's great," Berry said.
"You know, there's a lot of fans out
there who enjoy the way we do things
enjoy the anti-hype."
R.E.M. received a negative reaction
from the crowd at last year's show in
Omaha. Lead singer Stipe and some of
his political insights nearly were booed
off the stage.
"Crowd reaction varies," Berry said.
"Michael Stipe's not going to pander to
the crowd. He's got an aloof attitude,
but that's part of his stage appearance."
When asked about his feelings toward
the band's video, Berry said, "The only
reason it's popular is because my car is
in it. I've got the coolest car in Georgia."
The video features Berry's 1960 lavender
Ford Galaxy. "It's my pride and joy," he
said.
Later Berry mentioned his taste for
the writing of Flannery O'Connor, and I
was reminded of a line from her story
"Wiseblood": "Nobody with a good
car needs to be justified. "
The band recently returned from a
European tour, including stops in
France, Scotland, Norway ("Norway's
really cool," Berry said), Belgium and
Ireland, home of Berry's favorite beer.
Berry said he drinks Budweiser ai
home but his favorite beer is Guiness
Stout from Ireland. He stressed that it
should be on tap. "You like milk
shakes?" he asked. Yes. "You like
beer?" Yes, yes. "Well, imagine those
two together."
Berry shared another insight into his
personality when he described his
shopping habits.
He does his shopping at Salvation
Army stores and thrift shops. When
asked if he ever bought anything new,
he said, "I never wear underwear, so
that's out, but I buy socks new."
His sock-buying process is strange in
itself. He buys a few pairs at each city
the band stops in, then wears them
until they get "dirty."
"Then I throw them into a garbage
sack I carry around, and tie the sack
real tight so I don't offend anyone," he
said.
General admission tickets for R.E.M.'s
Tuesday concert are $12.75.
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Chesterfield, Bottomsley and
Potts, 234 N. 13th St. The Tug
boats, today. No cover charge. Cold
Spring, Friday and Saturday. Cover
charge is $2.
Drumstick, 547 N. 48th St. Boys
With Toys and Brian Hammer, today.
Cover charge is $3. The Lunchcats, Fri
day and Saturday. Cover charge is $3.
Green Frog, 1010 P St. Justice,
today through Saturday. No cover charge.
J. J.'s Lounge, North 84th Street
and Cornhusker Halloween Cos
tume Party, today. Cherrywood, Friday
through Sunday. No cover charge.
McGufly's, 1042 P St. Jazz
Underground, today. Blue Grass Cru
sade, Friday. The Avenue Four and The
Jazz Underground, Saturday. No cover
charge.
Misty Italiano, 6232 Havelock
Ave. Fat City, Friday and Saturday.
No cover charge.
Mountains, 311 St. 11th St.
RVs, Friday and Saturday. Cover charge
is $1.
Pla-Mor Ballroom, 6600 W O St.
Orville Von Seggern, Saturday 8:30
p.m. to 1 2:30 a.m. Ernie Kucera, Sunday
6 to 10 p.m.
Speakeasy, 3233'2 S. 13th St.
Brandy, today through Saturday. No
cover charge.
Please see WEEKEND on 8
