Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

It’s a doggy dog world.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Everybody saw this coming.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

“But what about the lurkers?”

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Second rate reporter says what?

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

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86Comments

  1. 1.

    newsouthzach

    I thought they had called it quits 10 years ago.

    Thank God for a distraction from the Troy Davis thing. I’m on the east coast of Aus and was following it at work this morning. Sickening.

    This is not an invitation for more execution commentary, by the way — I’ve personally seen and heard quite enough for now!

  3. 3.

    TheMightyTrowel

    @cleek: 5 years? Call me a cynic, but I always see these sorts of ostentatious band break ups as the first step in an 18 month marketing tactic: get news, release final CD, get extra interviews to publicize CD because band is ‘broken up’ and members are ‘free agents’, publically reconcile and go on tour supporting CD (and forthcoming greatest hits album which the record company decided to release after the break up got so much publicity).

  7. 7.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    They don’t need the money. Stipe and Mills keep cribs here but they are all over and Peter lives in Seattle. They have contributed greatly to Athens and they’ll always be a part of it one way or another. There is nothing for them to “reconcile” .

  9. 9.

    Comrade Javamanphil

    @cleek: I think they are awesome. Ben and Jerry’s can’t keep the flavor in stock as it is. A bunch of uptight scolds with no sense of humor providing further free marketing is just icing on the cake. (Or cream in the churn I suppose.)

  10. 10.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    @TheMightyTrowel: Uh, the retrospective is already done but you just jam on:

    MIKE

    “During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, ‘what next’? Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

    “We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this–there’s no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart. The time just feels right.”

  11. 11.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    “R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1996 for a reported $80 million, the largest recording contract in history at that point.”

    They also retain control over their work.

  12. 12.

    soonergrunt

    REM was still together? They haven’t been musically relevant since the Clinton administration. Great music back in the day.

  17. 17.

    cleek

    @Mino:
    Today’s secret ingredient is… crack!

    that’d be a good one.

    “Mmmm. I really like what Mario Batali has done with his soup. The rich, smoky flavor of the crack really comes through! Makes me want to … break something! Aahhh!”

  18. 18.

    schlemizel - was Alwhite

    I’m a cooking junkie but the charm of Iron Chef wore off pretty fast for me. I thought the Japanese take was entertaining because of the ‘exotic’ nature of seeing food through a different culture. More camp than cooking.

    I am sort of hooked on “Chopped” now because of the bizarre ingredients. But that is wearing down too as every week there has to be one cancer survivor/single parent/bereaved relative/set-upon outsider contestant and one inflamed asshole contestant. I’d rather they focused on the food & the preparation than on manufactured drama.

  19. 19.

    Bean Tooth

    Watching the video of one of the best songs of arguably REM’s best album and I was struck that each time the camera went to the crowd, not a single person was singing. Were they wondering what this hot new REM track was?

    Also, get off my lawn.

  22. 22.

    jon

    I finally saw REM on the Monster tour, it was a great stadium show, I like the old stuff better, not a huge fan of what I didn’t bother to seek out in the new stuff, and I look forward to Stipe and Natalie Merchant working together or whatever solo stuff emerges before the inevitable reunions and half-band tours and such.

    I think that covered every–Oh yeah: the A side of Reckoning is the best half of a record album ever.

    Thanks for all the great music, gentlemen.

  24. 24.

    jibeaux

    I didn’t know REM was still together.

    And, for heaven’s sakes, that’s not even a proper petulant foot-stampin’ boycott — one flavor? Lemme let you in on a little secret o’ capitalism, humorless moms, if you buy Chubby Hubby instead of Schweddy Balls, you are not punishing Ben & Jerry’s.

    I assume these women are the same reason the fantastic website/juggernaut ravelry.com (tagline: where my stitches at?) has in its FAQ a little pre-emptive response to objections over the tagline “where my stitches at.”

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Linda Featheringill:

    No time to watch it now (already late leaving for work) but that looks really interesting. In fact, the whole catalogue looks fascinating. I’ve bookmarked the site and will be returning to it frequently, I imagine. Thanks so much for the link and the recommendation.

  31. 31.

    cleek

    re/ REM side projects…

    Peter Buck has been doing side projects pretty much forever.

    he’s been part of Robyn Hitchcock’s latest backing band: The Venus Three, with Bill Rieflin (REM, Ministry, KFMDM, RevCo, etc.) and Scott McCaughey (Minus Five). they put on a great show, and it’s the best chance you’re likely to get to see Peter Buck outside of a giant stadium show. or, it was until yesterday.

    Robyn & Peter, playing “8 Miles High”

  33. 33.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    The first time I saw REM was at Leigon Field at UGA in 85 and, when I heard them, I thought it was the Byrds!

  34. 34.

    Foxhunter

    @cleek: Cleek, I’m so glad to have your musical IQ here so I don’t have to rely on wikipedia or obscure underground blogazines to keep me current on these matters. I knew Peter was busy with sides, but did not know the name.

    Thanks for the pic!

  36. 36.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    @Foxhunter: I was a regular at the Globe in those days. He and his family come to the White Tiger a good bit. It was “Thrasher” groceries when you were here most likely.

  37. 37.

    jon

    I know Ernie and Bert couldn’t possibly have had a sexual orientation, but after watching this I wonder how the Sesame Street public relations flacks are going to be able to say the same thing about muppets in the future.

  40. 40.

    piratedan

    @Raven (formerly stuckinred): I was fortunate to catch them when they were still a bar band playing the mid atlantic university bar scene in the early 80’s (along with groups like the B-52’s, Pylon, the db’s and Arrogance) and sometimes I think that Radio Free Europe is still their best song.

  42. 42.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    @Foxhunter: That Pearl Jam show was when Vetter dove in the crowd! I hadn’t seen that since Nugent did it in 1970 at Kickapoo Creek.

    The theater is really nice, the owner of the Tiger is running the diner on the roof. We’ve been amazed at the crowds up there in the mid-day heat. The theater seems smaller even though the capacity is the same. The area between the bars is closer to the stage and there are no seats. There are two balconies and the views of the stage are great. It is really pretty, funky looking but modern facilities. If you ever used the bathrooms you know what I mean. No smoking really help too.

  43. 43.

    Mino

    @jeffreyw: Thanks for the link. That’s the same woman with the fall show on Cooking Channel, right?
    I’ve been living on cold soups this summer with the temps we’ve been logging. Guess it’s about time to think about hot ones.

  46. 46.

    p.a.

    I’ll never forget the first time I heard ‘Boxcars’ on the radio. I was a huge fan up to ‘Shiny Happy People’, after that, lost interest. Which is more a comment on me than on REM. I’m certainly in tune with the group’s politics, but more important to me is that they were truly a band concerned with treating their fans well. Not a lot of ‘Big-Timing’ that I know of from those guys.

  47. 47.

    Foxhunter

    @Raven (formerly stuckinred): The Vedder stage dives are always a hit. Here’s a little snippet I found online about that show (in 92, not 90…my bad memory):

    04/16/92 – Legion Field, University of Georgia: Athens, GA
    attendance: 4,000
    support act: Follow For Now
    set: Oceans, Even Flow, Wash, Porch, Rockin’ in the Free World, Alive (setlist incomplete)
    notes: This show was nearly canceled due to Ed’s voice problems. Ed tells the crowd they will have to help him with the singing because his voice is shot. The show opens with a long version of ‘Oceans.’ However, he performs like a maniac, hurling himself in the crowd and walking across people’s hands to the back soundboard (Legion Field is an outdoor venue) during ‘Porch’, surfing back to the stage. The set closes with ‘Alive’ with members of Follow For Now (a local Athens band similar to Living Colour) joining PJ, An epic performance with the crowd in a frenzy for the entire show.

    I’ll have to check out the White Tiger next time I’m in Athens! And the redone Georgia Theater, which did have some of the worst heads around. Forgot about that.

  48. 48.

    Foxhunter

    @Raven (formerly stuckinred): I saw that a couple of grads re-opened ‘Allens’ in a different location, but it will never be the same (at least when I was living there). When a $4.00 sub from Steverino’s would not do for lunch, we’d hoof it over to Normaltown for the burgers. That place had character.

  49. 49.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    @Foxhunter:
    Yea, I had no idea who they were but I knew rock and roll when it slapped me. 92 huh, that’s about the beginning of the end for me. I started my doc program and was bartending at Loco’s.

    Ask for me at the Tiger, I keep a jar of treats for the doggies on the counter and bug them daily.

  50. 50.

    Linnaeus

    Looks like the morning DJ on the indie station here is going to be playing R.E.M. throughout his shift. It’s “So. Central Rain” right now.

  51. 51.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    @Foxhunter: It’s over by the Y on Hawthorne. There is a new place called the Normal Bar that the trendy folks go to. I used to love the Flyers at Allens and even John Barry.

  55. 55.

    Foxhunter

    @Raven (formerly stuckinred): I didn’t play in that league. I was involved in too many other intramurals to participate. Plus, I was an avid golfer at the time, so most of my free time was at the course.

    We did have a group that participated, though. A few of them were on the rugby squad, too.

  60. 60.

    schlemizel - was Alwhite

    look, I really tried to avoid it but we have nearly 60 posts & nobody has said the obvious yet –
    Is the the end of the band as we know it?

  63. 63.

    cleek

    @p.a.:
    yeah, i dropped them after the “Shiny Happy People” album (Out Of Time), too. that album was when i realized that REM and i had diverged – to their great dismay, i’m sure.

  66. 66.

    Ash Can

    OK, that was weird. I posted a comment yesterday morning that got caught in the mod filter, and was unable to post anything else after that. Now that said comment has finally been released, I can post again. Has anyone else had that happen? I’ve always been able to post subsequent comments with one stuck in the spam filter.

    I guess FYWP is saying FY back.

  67. 67.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Grumpy Code Monkey: For my money, Collapse Into Now was ultimately better. But between those two albums, I don’t see how anyone can reasonably say that the band was total crap for the last decade or so.

  68. 68.

    cleek

    @Ash Can:

    Has anyone else had that happen?

    yep. a couple of times.

    on my FYWP blog, there are multiple levels of filters. the keyword filter that usually catches people on “sewcializm” just sends people to moderation. but there’s a level above that (Akismet) which will block your IP address if you annoy it.

    i just assume BJ has something similar.

  69. 69.

    burnspbesq

    Two of the minor players in the Galleon insider-trading case were sentenced yesterday. Zvi Goffer got ten years, while Winifred Jiau, who was tried before a different judge, got four and a half plus a $3.2 million forfeiture order.

    According to Bloomberg, Jiau apologized to her golden retriever for her misdeeds.

  70. 70.

    Ash Can

    @cleek: Hmm. Then I bet it was a word I used in my originally filtered post. In trying to echo a quote from Idiocracy, I used the not-nice word for gays that the original quote used. That might have been what banished me.

  71. 71.

    burnspbesq

    @rachel:

    It’s real. It’s also a crock of shit. I know a little bit about the laws regarding 501(c)(3) orgs, and the notion that Harvard is engaging in prohibited political activity by paying Warren a salary for teaching (and she is continuing to teach while running for the Senate) is completely ridiculous.

  73. 73.

    burnspbesq

    @amk:

    Schadenfreudelicious. I especially like the part about Assange being unable to repay the advance when he tried to back out of the project because he had signed it over to his lawyers. A somewhat unusual consequence of failing to use a condom.

  74. 74.

    oldpunk23

    I saw REM playing in a bar in Athens the night I moved there. Thought they sucked. Then I saw them a couple more times in town, and borrowed a copy of “Chronic Town”. Loved them ever until they hit it big, just didn’t care for much they did after “Green”. Really down-to-earth guys, I used to see Pete Buck at the 40 Watt Club and met Bill Berry once when my girlfriend was taking an Anthropology class with his wife. Doesn’t seem like it was 25 years ago…

  75. 75.

    Judas Escargot

    @amk:

    teh hypocritical irony – assange pissed off that his bio was released without his approval.

    (Insert loud Bill-Hicks-style cackle here).

  76. 76.

    schlemizel - was Alwhite

    @Ash Can:

    Yes – I did the same thing, probably using the same word (phag) but was able to post again after that.

    But that word list must be a real mine field since I have seen people use various slurs here on occasion and – I assume anyway – not get quarantined.

    Might be an interesting experiment to see what words get the ax

  77. 77.

    Onkel Fritze

    For the record: ‘Collapse into Now’, Accelerate’ and ‘Around the Sun’ were all great albums, and anybody who claims they were irrelevant can just suck on my Schweddy Balls.

  79. 79.

    burnspbesq

    @Onkel Fritze:

    anybody who claims they were irrelevant can just suck on my Schweddy Balls.

    I think I’ll stick to New York Super Fudge Chunk if it’s all the same to you.

  83. 83.

    Death Panel Truck

    Couldn’t care less. Arrogant assholes who regarded the Beatles as elevator music, oblivious to the obvious irony. Without John, Paul, George and Ringo, the members of REM would have spent their lives flipping burgers.

  84. 84.

    HW3

    Every time I hear about REM I always think of this song by fIREHOSE by Mike Watt : “For the Singer of REM” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA21dyNY3V4

    It seems to match my feelings that REM always took themselves way too seriously, but unfortunately everyone else did as well. I’m sure REM will be getting back together for a tour before you know it.

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