Horror Aficionados discussion
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Robert R McCammon
Jon Recluse wrote: "I was completely calm when I called R.E.M. a bar mitvah band in front of their lead singer.What's to be nervous about? That guy's about as masculine as Bea Arthur.
Mod
What's to be nervous about? That guy's about as masculine as Bea Arthur."
That's what I thought.
The person who was with me acted like I urinated on Charles Bronson or something......
Guy looked like a roll-on deodorant
Jon Recluse wrote: "Ron wrote: "Jon Recluse wrote: "I was completely calm when I called R.E.M. a bar mitvah band in front of their lead singer.What's to be nervous about? That guy's about as masculine as Bea Arthur...."
The same friend who was with me when I met Sykes accidentally did something similar to a much more imposing individual. He went to an album signing for the band 'Living Color' and was talking to their very large bassist, whom I believe was named Muzz Amil (sp?). He had seen them on BET the night before and the sound quality was poor. He meant to say "I saw you on BET last night, but their sound was bad." What he said was, "I saw you guys on BET last night and you sounded like (censored)."
Mod
I hate when a band puts on a half assed performance.
Jon Recluse wrote: "I was completely calm when I called R.E.M. a bar mitvah band in front of their lead singer.I had no idea who he was.
Did he ever become famous?"
Yes, yes he did. I love R.E.M.
As masculine as Bea Arthur? Hello! She could wallop us all into next year. She looked and sounded like a drunk sailor on leave.
Mod
The bigger they are, the louder the noise they make on impact.
Jon Recluse wrote: "Well, if they did, they needed to know.I hate when a band puts on a half assed performance."
You misunderstand the problem. The band was fine, BET's production was at fault.
Mod
That's one of the things you check when your rep is on the line.
Y'know?
Jon Recluse wrote: "I understand perfectly.That's one of the things you check when your rep is on the line.
Y'know?"
Unnnnnnh...Yeah, actually, I do. The band has no control over that end of it. When they are putting on a live show on a variety show they bring their own gear techs, but the production end is handled by the networks.
Mod
You know the networks don't care about quality.
So why do it?
You make a video, MTV will show it until someone opens fire.
Jon Recluse wrote: "I was completely calm when I called R.E.M. a bar mitvah band in front of their lead singer.I had no idea who he was.
Did he ever become famous?"
LOL...funny as hell, Jon...and I'm a fan of them, saw them live YEARS ago and they were good...too bad they broke up...
Mod
'Cause that's the last place i heard "Losing my Religon".......
Jon Recluse wrote: "There ya go.You know the networks don't care about quality.
So why do it?
You make a video, MTV will show it until someone opens fire."
I'm not going to double-guess as to why an all-black rock band might want to take the opportunity to appear on BET.
Mod
You know the networks don't care about quality.
So why do it?
You make a video, MTV will show it until someone opens fire."
I'm not going to double-guess as to ..."
That's a point.
I take it that nobody had factored in their crossover appeal at the time?
They were very good.
I don't watch music, myself.
Seems rather silly.
And, Lord knows, the fellas in AC/DC ain't that photogenic, but Angus Young sure can play.
Michael Stipe might not be the greatest looking guy, but I think he is a great song writer. And these days? That's saying something. I'm so jealous. I would've loved to meet someone from Deep Purple, REM or In Living Color. I still head bang to Cult of Personality once in a while. : )
Charlene, I'm with you on Michael Stipe. I have been listening to that band since their early days and Michael Stipe is a phenomenal songwriter and can evoke a mood and memory like no other songwriter I've ever experienced. Who cares what he looks like? I'm not sleeping with him, lol.
The one thing I didn't like about them as a band is that they never released in print the lyrics to their songs. There are a few where I can't quite make out the words, you know?I'd be like the people in that commercial where Elton John's Rocket Man is playing and people are singing along making up their own nonsense words? LOL
I have to say, I've been to a lot of concerts (well, maybe not as many as Ron up there), and when my husband and I saw REM it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended.
Mod
Charlene, I bet their concert is fantastic. I'm not a big fan of concerts because of crowds, but I regret never seeing them before they broke up. Stipe does like to mumble. "Belong," "Half a World Away," and "Nightswimming" are just a few of my favorite R.E.M. songs.Not sure if I've ever heard an R.E.M. song turned into Muzak, but I have heard other good songs played in elevators. Not sure the route a song takes to make it to Muzak...
Mod
If the suicide rate climbs, it's Muzak....
I think only crazy people hear Muzak. Hmmm, food for thought.
Jon Recluse wrote: "They test them in mental institutions.If the suicide rate climbs, it's Muzak...."
I once heard a Muzak version of Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of Your Mind".
Mod
If the suicide rate climbs, it's Muzak...."
I once heard a Muzak version of Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of You..."
I hear Ozzy Osbourne in my head pretty regularly.....
Mod
He's completely incoherent, conversationally.
The only time I ever enjoyed that song was when I saw these guys do it live once:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anKEih...
The banjo player is playing with Robert Earl Keene now.
Tressa wrote: "Charlene, I'm with you on Michael Stipe. I have been listening to that band since their early days and Michael Stipe is a phenomenal songwriter and can evoke a mood and memory like no other songwri..."Well, he's batting for the same team, Tressa...in case you didn't know! :P
What does him being gay have to do with me liking his music?
Tressa wrote: "Charlene, I bet their concert is fantastic. I'm not a big fan of concerts because of crowds, but I regret never seeing them before they broke up. Stipe does like to mumble. "Belong," "Half a World ..."Belong is an unbelievable song from my favorite REM CD. The song I really like from that one though is the last one Me in Honey that he sings with the chick from the B-52s. I love Nightswimming as well as Don't Go Back to Rockville and Driver 8.
Ron wrote: "Jon Recluse wrote: "They test them in mental institutions.If the suicide rate climbs, it's Muzak...."
I once heard a Muzak version of Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of You..."
Ted Nugent was the first concert that I ever saw. Stanglehold from Live Gonzos was recorded in my hometown. He wasn't as crazy then...but a few years later I saw him again with the Damn Yankees and he shot a flaming arrow over the crowd into a big cutout of Saddam Hussein. It was cool (this was during Desert Storm, I think) but a little crazy.
I loved "Belong" before I was a mom, and love it even more now. "Me in Honey" sounds like such a happy song, but it's not; but it's a favorite too. "Nightswimming" is absolutely gorgeous.
Mod
Ferrets?
The harmonies in Belong are ..so beautiful. Those guys really had something going on and I'm sad that they called it quits, but I'm also happy we don't have to watch them decline.
I don't get the ferret thing. I used to have a ferret though, and she was awesome.
Mod
Lawn gnomes?
Mod
Charlene wrote: "The harmonies in Belong are ..so beautiful. Those guys really had something going on and I'm sad that they called it quits, but I'm also happy we don't have to watch them decline."I agree. I love Automatic for the People. Listened to that album over and over again. I'll always have their albums, even if they're no longer together.
I like Green and Document...their best albums...
I think Out of Time was their best album. : )
It's hard for me to pick between Green, Out of Time, or Automatic for the People, but I think Out of Time pulls ahead by a nose. I also love Monster, although after that album, I didn't listen to newer R.E.M. albums. Didn't Berry leave right after that?
I loved Monster as well. It was nice to get a little bit of harder rock out of them. That was the concert tour that I saw which opened with What's the Frequency Kenneth. I do also love Green and Automatic as well. Yeah, I think it was a bit after Monster that he had that aneurysm.
Wow, we've really gone off the beaten path with the REM talk...saw them live during the Monster tour, and great show...but doesn't even come close to last October when I saw Duran Duran in Atlanta...friggin' amazing!
I pulled up this thread because I was wondering if any of you has seen Mr. McCammon's newest post. If not, you can find it here:http://www.robertmccammon.com/2012/08...
He almost sounds depressed.
Hunter (McCammon's web guy) popped in over at Amazon to post a link to this. When I asked him what the fans could do, he mentioned perhaps making some Facebook posts linking back to McCammon's page. He mentioned that some people still aren't aware that McCammon is back and publishing again. I'm going to give it a shot, even though I barely know how to work FB.
I just thought I would share this with you all. I think it sucks that McCammon is having to deal with this publisher crap AGAIN. I've read all of the Corbett books and I think they're top notch, fun and full of interesting little facts.
Why should such a great writer have to be so conflicted? It's really heartbreaking. I will definitely link it to my FB wall. I have no idea just how much money a writer makes—a writer between someone of King's fortune and one just starting out. I wish he had King's money so he could tell the New York publishers to fuck off and just be satisfied that he does hit the mark quite often. I am no class warfarist and bully for anyone who makes boodles of money, but to know that the author of Fifty Shades of Grey is rolling in the dough after a year and McCammon has been putting out excellent books for decades and still struggles in his career makes me sick.
Horror Aficionados
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I had no idea who he was.
Did he ever become famous?