U Talkin’ U2 To Me? - R U Talkin' R.E.M. RE: ME? - Accelerate with Dave Holmes

Episode Date: August 1, 2018

TV personality, writer and co-host of Homophilia, Dave Holmes joins Adam Scott Aukerman as they discuss R.E.M.’s fourteenth studio album, Accelerate. Dave talks about how he got involved with MTV’s first Wanna Be a VJ contest, interviewing Michael Stipe, and his Top 10 R.E.M. songs. Plus, the Scotts open up the ol’ mailbag and debut an episode of “I’m Sorry.”

🎵 From Chronic to Collapse, Town and IndyNow respectively that is, this is Are is Are You Talking R.E.M. ReMe, the comprehensive and encyclopedic compendium of all things R.E.M. This is good rock and roll. Music? Music? Music?

Is that a question mark, Scott? Music? You know what's weird about question marks? What's that? They look like the little tiny fisherman's hooks, and it's like, where's the worm? Exactly. Every time I see a question mark, I'm like, where's the worm? I don't know where I'm supposed to put the worm, and then it's like, oh, it's not a

question mark. What's ironic, too, is when you say, where's the worm, it has a question mark at the end of that, and it just starts the cycle. It also has a question book, which is a total mind food. How dare you make fun of me? What? When I'm so nice to you. What? And you know what I'm talking about.

You sure do. Or I sure do. Welcome to the show. It's been a couple of weeks. We've been on hiatus. It's been like, it's been, you know what it's been? It's been. It's been like summertime, like kicking back, throwing on my shades.

Oh. Just chilling out. Throwing your shades onto your window? Trying to beat the heat? Pull the shades down. Just turn off all the lights. Put aluminum foil up on the windows. Go to sleep on the couch. Just fine.

Order your family to go to a hotel. Drink some mouth wash. Find just any household products that can get you high. And go for it. And don't sleep. That's what I mean. That's summertime for you.

Well, we're not on for a couple of weeks because we were doing the U2 show, which was a great time. But we're back at it with REM kind of winding down their discography. Coming up a little later, we will have Dave Holmes from MTV will be joining us. As I was saying a few minutes ago Dave I watched introduce

several R.E.M. videos we taped for a good hour and a half and we realized we didn't press record so we had to start over again so that's why he said this a couple of minutes ago

word for word go back through what we are doing luckily Chef Kevin over here is doing a transcript the entire time okay great

yeah so we're just reading from it thank you but yes what about Dave? Never mind. Okay, cool. He'll be coming up and we'll be talking about the band's Accelerate. They're 2008, I believe.

I don't have any of the information in front of me. 2008. 2008 return to form, some call it. We'll be going through track by track along with all of the B-sides. If you don't like this album, I'm going to fucking lose it. We'll be going through track by track along with all of the B-sides. If you don't like this album, it's going to fucking, I'm going to fucking lose it. Which album out of all of them would you be most concerned about

if I did not like? This one. This one out of every single R.E.M. record, this would be the one where I would be crazy if I didn't like it. It's the one I would be touchiest about. You're touchy about this?

Oh boy, this is good. I love, you're like a poker player telling me that you have nothing like i know now how to get how to really needle you during no but i'm just saying this one as an rem fan writing the ups and downs and viscerally feeling all of them watching them stumble for a good few years. Stumble, isn't that a, that's an R.E.M. reference. Yeah, it's an R.E.M. song. No, but then them coming back with this record was great.

Okay. Do you want to give me a hint as to whether you liked it or not? No, I don't. I don't want to give you any kind of a hint because we have lots to get to before we introduce Dave, including listener mail. Ah.

Are you ready for this? Sure. You don't seem excited about listener mail. No, I do. I'm just eyeing the mail and it looks like they sent some stuff. Yeah, we got a lot of swag. All right.

Okay, so let me go through some of the stuff. This dude named Purdy? Is that right? Purdy. Jack Purdy. If you need to find him on Twitter, he says Jack Nicolaus, N-I-C-O-L-A-U-S. If you need to find me on Twitter, he says. How very nice.

Yeah. Twitter, he says. How very nice. He wrote a really nice letter to us and he says that his dad and him co-started and own, no, his dad co-started and owns a brewery

in Atlanta called Wild Heaven Beer. Oh, like near Wild Heaven? Yeah, named after near Wild Heaven. That's cool. And one of the specialty beers they made once was called Swan Swan Hummingbird. So to entice us to go down there and record a live version

of the show, he's given us two free drink tickets apiece. We should 100% do that. Where is it? In Atlanta. Oh. Atlanta, Georgia?

Yeah, are you no longer in? Yeah, forget it. It's gone down to zero percent. Atlanta's so fun. Atlanta's beautiful. Opine on Atlanta for a while while I open up the next piece of mail. Atlanta! Oh, nope, it's open.

Okay, this is from Zach Fromer. Zach says that, and I don't think he would mind me reading this, he can identify with Adam's story about talking to Mike Mills at the video shoot because he met Mike Mills at a bar in Atlanta in 2001. On his 21st birthday, he dreamed of talking to one of the guys for so long so he could tell them his connection to REM. And his connection is, first of all, he built up the courage. He practiced the story. This always ends well he walked right up to him saying that REM had played in his dad's bar 20 years prior and back then REM was too alternative for the

regulars so the customers asked my dad to tell REM to stop playing so they could listen to rock and roll records instead and his dad asked REM leave, and then reportedly there was some sort of dispute over money. His dad refused to pay them. Oh, my God. And he was, after that exchange, he was expecting Mike

and he would become instantly lifelong friends. Jesus. He says, looking back, Mike was painfully gracious and he's an idiot. So, very funny thanks for

sending that this is a very nice piece of mail from I believe Alyssa Smith who sent a very touching letter which is really great I'll let you read it I don't want to encapsulate

I love that people send actual letters it's great yeah she says she's fallen asleep to I'll let you read it. I don't want to encapsulate it. I love that people send actual letters. Actual letters. It's great. She says she's fallen asleep to our show every night for two years. Hmm. Okay. No matter what she's doing, she plays it during the five-minute sleep timer, and it gets her to sleep. I love that. Yeah, every single night.

So I'll let you read that one. Okay. Here's a guy, Alex Bean, I believe. I love that. Yeah, every single night. So I'll let you read that one. Here's a guy, Alex Bean, I believe. Mr. Bean. We should just call him Mr. Bean. Oh, Mr. Bean. Mr. Bean writes to us, and it's a very funny letter from Toronto, Canada.

He sends us this... You ever get these things, Adam? You ever get these... They would sell them in CD stores. Yeah. And they look like a CD. And then you read it carefully. It's illustrated book and interview disc.

Yeah. And they have to put a sticker on it saying, this interview CD does not contain music because so many people bought it and complained. And it's just some like junket interview that they put. Yeah. I think I fell for it once. Yeah. I never fell for it because I'm smart. He writes us a really, really nice letter and he has his alternate Man on the Moon soundtrack, his alternate track listing.

Fans of alternate track listings, this will be of interest to them. Number one, Man on the Moon. Okay. Number two, Tony Thrown Out. track listings will this will be of interest to them number one man on the moon okay number two tony thrown out remember the dialogue of tony being thrown out of yeah okay number three the heart of rock and roll yeah number four heart and soul number five bad is bad number six i want a new drug number seven walking on a thin line number eight finally found a home number nine if this is it number 10 you crack me up number 11 honky tonk blues number 12 andy gets fired Seven, Walking on a Thin Line. Number eight, Finally Found a Home. Number nine, If This Is It. Number 10, You Crack Me Up.

Number 11, Honky Tonk Blues. Number 12, Andy Gets Fired. Number 13, Man on the Moon Orchestral. And number 14, How Does It Feel to Be in an R.E.M. It Feels Good. Should we play How Does It Feel to Be in? Maybe our guests would want to hear that. That's a perfect album. That's a perfect album.

He says, longer runtime, less talking from movie, and more sports. That's incredible. Thanks, Alex. He's at Alex B-I-E-N band. That was a recent episode, too. He had time to write a letter. Yeah, it's very nice. Do we have that song? Shevin over there is... This is a song that

means a huge amount to me because I wrote it when I came out of a very bad, very dark period. How does it feel when you're in R.E.L.? Feels good. How does it feel when you're in R.E.L.? Feels good. Feels good

How does it feel when you're in R.E.L.? Feels good Feels good To be an REL. How does it feel when you're an REL? Feels good. I'm fucking stoked. Good stuff. I still want to know if he or she, it's a dude, right?

I believe it's a man. He actually played those instruments. I believe he played all the instruments. Who is it again? It's a guy named Paris the Thought or something like that. What is it? Oh, my God. He's the coolest.

Yeah, it's great. if only that we had any could retain any of this information from week to week but apparently it's impossible to do this all right let me move on to the next uh letter we have this is from ben toter i think um he sent us a book the Rolling Stone files the REM introduction the ultimate compendium of interviews, articles, facts and opinions he says he found it interesting this book claims to be a compendium

there's really only one REM compendium he knows of and that is the Are You Talking REM ReMe podcast he does say the book covers band member names, which is good. But let me read a little bit of the back of this book. It says, unmatched in depth and information, this compendium covers everything.

This is the thinnest book. This is how big they were. I would imagine this is like 96. They could just take a bunch of articles from Rolling Stone and put them out in a book. Slap them out in a book and have some guy draw the cover. Who drew the cover? Doug Freeborn. Cool.

Let's see. 95. 95. That's how big they were after Automatic for the People. Let's put out a book of a bunch of bullshit that we put out. By the way, we have that information jordan cooper aka troubles afoot is the person from um how does it feel to be an rem uh okay terence cowley i believe i'm reading that correctly uh he sent us his uh article he wrote about REM and their discography for his college magazine.

Awesome. He sent us two copies of it. Let's check it out. I'll read that shit. We're going to read that. Here you go. Enjoy that. Alyssa's letter that I just read is lovely, and she's the fucking coolest.

Yes. Alyssa Smith, I believe. It doesn't say. It says it on the envelope, I believe. Oh, yeah. Alyssa Smith, I believe. It doesn't say. It says it on the envelope, I believe. Oh, yeah. Alyssa Smith. Thank you. Really nice.

We got another package from Kevin Krieg over at New West Records who sent us the Arthur Buck thing. Oh, cool. He says thank you for talking about the Arthur Buck release, which is in stores now. So good, by the way so good and he invites us to their show

here at the Terragram Ballroom on September 11th yeah which plus ones in case Naomi and Kulab want to go

so that's exciting yeah and then sent us a whole bunch sent us a couple of t-shirts they're fine see

Larry Mullen yeah this is how you do it you give us the real fucking deal you take a box sent us a couple of t-shirts. They're fine. See? Larry Mullen. Yeah. This is how you do it. You give us the real fucking deal. You take a box made out of cardboard, preferably. Yeah, please, cardboard. Fill it to the rim.

To the fucking rim. With t-shirts, bro. Yeah, this is how you do it. Arthur Buck t-shirts. It is not difficult. It's not hard, Larry. Wow, this is a college newspaper? Yeah. This is great.

What a cool article. I'm going to read the shit out of this. And then this is the last thing. See, look, it's in like out of time. I don't care. Okay. This is the last thing. I think this is the thing

that you'll like the most. Even though we loved Alyssa's letter and we loved all the other letters in this article. Okay, okay. And the Peterbuck t-shirts. But I think you'll be most excited about this.

This comes from Bertus E. Downs IV. No, he sent us something? Oh, yes he did. Many thanks, all your friends in Athens at REMHQ. Sent us a nice care package, including hoodies, T-shirts filled to the fucking rim with T-shirts, bro! And records and CDs.

Is the letter actually from Bertis Downs? Yeah. Can I see it? No. I'm going to burn it. No. Did he write it like handwritten?

Yeah, handwritten. Holy shit. Handwritten. Here you go. That's amazing. So. This is, oh my God,

and there's like some vinyl in here. There's vinyl, there's old CDs, there's a cover CD, REM cover CD from local Athens bands. Some vintage tees, it looks like.

This is for the documentary? Oh, yeah, the REM TV documentary that I've been watching five minutes at a time. Every time it covers a new album, I'll watch some of it. And by the way, I'll play some of it. Holy shit, it's Bertis Downs' Letterhead. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. So, Adam, letterhead. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah.

So, Adam, there you go. Wow. That's what you were saying. You wouldn't show me before we started recording. exactly. Cause I wanted,

I wanted your genuine reaction. Yeah. Um, and how does it feel to be an REM? Yeah. It feels good, right? This is great.

Thank you, uh, Burdus and everyone at the office. Which are you taking and what am I, and what am. It feels good, right? Yeah. This is great. Thank you, August and everyone at the office. Which are you taking and what am I getting? I want to frame this. Oh, great. Can I have Bono's picture then since you've taken that? That he drew it?

The penis picture? The penis picture? Yes. Well, how about I get them both framed? There we go. How about that? Copies of both. Yeah.

There we go. I'll just do an approximate drawing of the Bono when I give you that. Wait, you're going to do a reenactment of the Bono drawing? Holy shit. An REM backstage pass. Look at that. A photo pass. I believe, oh, a photo pass.

I believe that's like around up-ish. Crazy up-ish. And a sweatshirt. Yeah. The Little America sweatshirt. Yeah. Pretty amazing. Crazy upish. And a sweatshirt. Yeah. The Little America sweatshirt. Yeah. Pretty amazing. Little America tour. Yeah. What was the Little America tour? I don't even

know what that is. That's Fables. Fables. No. No, no. Well, the bicycle is Fables, I think. But Little America's on Reckoning, isn't it? Oh, okay. But so pretty it's probably a recreation of it. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, what size is it it's probably a recreation of it. Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, what size is it? Large. I'll take it. It's really cool. No, actually, that will fit you better probably, right? I don't care. Okay, great. Well, thanks for sending us stuff, everyone.

Always appreciate it. And I think since we ask people to send us stuff, that's why listener mail takes up the first 20 minutes now of the show. We appreciate it and uh always always uh appreciate you sending us some stuff and um i'm semi wasting time while i plug in something um because i want to play something here and'm going to turn up the volume because I want to play this. Oh, no, I need to get on the Wi-Fi, don't I? This is a tour program from the Monster Tour, and I fucking wanted this so bad,

but I didn't have enough money to buy it. Because these, you remember these tour programs at the merch stand were, like, weirdly expensive? Oh, yeah, they're always, like, 50 bucks or something. Yeah, well, yeah, in today's dollars. Back then, they were, like. Oh, yeah. They're always like... 50 bucks or something. Yeah. Well, yeah. In today's dollars. Back then, they were like 48.

Yeah. But I wanted this. So now you have it, buddy. Congrats. Only 23 years later. And cherish it, you know? Do you think you would have been happier? Here's a good question. Do you think if you had

gotten that 23 years ago, you would have been happy and fulfilled a good question do you think if you had gotten that 23 years ago yeah you would have been happy and fulfilled and you wouldn't have had a lifelong quest for uh whatever it is you search for in your career to where you would not be a successful actor anymore yes but also i think i would have been so stressed out about spending $48 on this that I would never have recovered. You would be destitute. Yes. You know what? We've got to take a break before we get to our guest.

When we come back, we're going to have Dave Holmes from MTV. This is very exciting. He has been in the same room as Michael Stipe and that's very exciting. He's interviewed him. He's interviewed him. We're going to talk all about MTV. We're going to talk about his top 10 REM songs. And then a little later, after he leaves, we're going to be going through the album

Accelerate. We will be right back with more Are You Talking? REM Remy after this. M. Remy after this. Adam, it's been... About a while. But comedian Michael Ian Black, he's a good buddy of ours, isn't he? I mean, I consider him to be a work friend.

He is finally back here on Earwolf, this time with a brand new podcast, and it's called Obscure. Yeah, in Obscure, Michael tackles a great work of literature he's never read, and you probably haven't either. He's reading one of the most well-respected books ever written, Jude the Obscure. Have you ever read that? No. I don't even know what it is, but it's very well-respected. It sure is. No, they made it into a movie a couple of times no thanks i'll see a film all right um he's reading jude the obscure

out loud and he's commenting on it as he goes even though he didn't really want to this book has been on his bookshelf for years we We have books like this, don't we? I finally threw out the complete works of Plato. I was like, I bought it when I was 18. You did not. I did. It sat on my shelf for years. I was like, I'm never going to read this.

Just threw it out. Same with me with a copy of John Grisham's The Client. Were you trying to get that part? Oh, man, I'm never. I don't think you're going to get it. Yeah, Renfro got it. If they reboot it, though. Oh, baby. I see you kind of as a client.

Could you give me some of your client things? Like, excuse me, could you send them in? Hey, here's some money down on the, here's some money for your services, please. I'm hired. Perfect. There you go. Really good stuff. Michael is reading Jude the Obscure for you, and he has a lot of thoughts to share along the way.

He's a great guy. We love him. Join Michael Ian Black. Michael and I were a couple in Wet Hot. That's right. Yeah. Where you were replacing a more famous actor. Oh, well, I don't know what you're talking about there.

Join him and some of his famous and non-famous friends. I would fit in the latter, and you would fit in the former, I would imagine. As he—oh, also experts. As he discovers Jude's world and a few things about his own. Is this a terrible idea? Yeah. Probably, but it's a terrible idea he wants to do with you. Subscribe to Obscure now in Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever the fuck you listen. um chef kevin uh thinks he has let me join the wi-fi but i i can tell okay okay it's just about just about joining i want to play this for our for our guest because i was watching the REM by MTV documentary, and I'll be damned by God

if our next guest doesn't pop up in it, and hopefully I've queued it up at the exact right moment. But let's see, and I believe I contacted him about this. Let's see if it comes up. There will never be a fourth member of REO. The thing that really drove the decision to stay together, which only took a couple of okay so this is this is some dude talking it's like if you teach a kid to swim by throwing him in the pool well this is what bill did to us he taught us how to make a new a new type of record by

pulling the drums out from under us everything from then on after boat left the band was like quicksand you know None of us had any idea where the solid ground was. Has it changed the dynamic with the three remaining members? You betcha, Dave. Yeah. We did have a... That was... Oh, that was it.

That was... Wow. You betcha, Dave. Yeah. He was a video jockey upon the music television. video jockey upon the music television. Since then, he has become a wonderful broadcaster in his own right. He has a podcast here at Earwolf called Homophilia. And amongst other things, I'll let him fill you in on every little nook and cranny of

his career. But let's welcome Dave Holmes. Hello, Dave. Hey, you guys. Hey, Dave. How are you guys. Hey, Dave. How are you? Thanks for being on the show. I got one question to start off.

Okay. What's up, bro? Hi. Uh, nothing. Hey, bro. Hey, bro. What's up, bro? Bro.

Bro, what's up? Why are you doing that? Bro. Bro. Bro. Wow. Bro. Wow. Bro! Wow.

Bro! Bro! Bro! Bro! Bro! I can't do it anymore. I can't listen to it anymore. And I'm so sorry.

I can't listen to it anymore. There are just two comments that I've just been holding inside. Yes. First of all, the cover of this tour documentary is worth the $48. Yeah. Describe the cover. What is it? Well, it's maybe crumpled up tinfoil.

It's close-ups of poppies or a shag carpet. Poppies, the things that opium comes from, from what I've heard. No, that's definitely a carpet. But it's got that like – it's not quite one of those like stereographs. Right. But it's shiny. It's very middle, like, it's not quite one of those, like, stereographs. Right. But it's shiny. It's very middle of the 90s. It's brash.

Yeah. Colorful. Yeah. Those block, that font was huge. With the little diamonds, like it's. This is the comic you were holding on to? No, the one that I was holding on to was the Rolling Stone compendium. Yes, the compendium.

Gives Bill Barry twice as many eyebrows as he actually has in real life. He's got – I mean, it's a drawing of all four members. But, man, they really exaggerate. I mean, and Bill Barry is a – has got some eyebrows on him. I mean, you know. He's got an eyebrow on him. He's got – Yes, these are like look thin and manicured.

Yeah. And there's nothing in the middle. No, it's very kind to him. Very, very kind. He's a very handsome guy. He is. He is one of very few, in fact, maybe the only one who can make the one eyebrow work. That's true.

Have you ever tried? No, I haven't. It's fun to grow out your eyebrow. Yeah, I figure. I am now in my 40s, and now i'm getting the the andy rooney's kind of off to the side yeah george whipple see very handsome guy what adam is pointing you're pointing at his chest what are you pointing at how handsome bill berry is i don't know what you're pointing you're pointing at a picture of bill berry no but you're literally pointing at his

chest at the part at the part where his v- meets his vest. And you're pointing at it. Like, look at this. And I'm supposed to know you're pointing at how handsome he is. Yes. Sorry. You notice it jumps off the, bro.

Bro. Um, Dave, you were in that documentary. You were talking to Michael Stipe and this, uh, this is around the, uh,

up era, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. And you ask him a question about – I ask him a very obvious question about whether the departure of one of the four members changed anything. Changed anything at all. And he says, you bet you, Dave. Yeah.

He seemed not irritated like he seems in a lot of this. No, he doesn't seem exasperated. He seems like joking around with you like, oh, yeah, I did. Yeah, and I didn't know how to take it at all. No, he's not exasperated with you, but exasperated in the sense that holy shit, yes, it changed everything.

No, but what I'm saying is he does not he doesn't seem like that at all. He seems like joking around with you like, you betcha, Dave. Yeah, which you don't really know how to take a Michael Stipe who may or may not be joking around with you. Right, yeah. You know what I mean?

He's not a person I knew how to... What's going on? Why are you annoyed with... Because I contradicted you? Yeah. You're not allowed to do that. No, you're right. He is joking around with you.

You mean exasperated with the situation and still joking around with you. Yes, yes. You've probably interviewed him a bunch of times over the years. You have to understand, Adam, I try to mend fences with people. I didn't want Dave to think that Michael was exasperated with him. And so I was trying to – He could have been. I understand. He could have been.

I don't know why I'm like – But he doesn't seem like he was at all. Trying to gloss over it. That's the role that i played in my family i was the middle child always trying to peacekeep with people i was trying to make sure that everyone was all right and that's i do that in my life and i'm i and and your work and what i and my work that i try to peacekeep in my work because i'm an off-duty fireman. But what I shouldn't do is I shouldn't discount your feelings and your thoughts. Thank you. In order to do that, and I'm sorry.

Thank you. All right. All right. Is this an episode of I'm Sorry? I think it might be. Hey, everyone. Welcome to I'm Sorry. This is Scott.

And this is Scott. And today we're just apologizing to people. Oh, by the way, we have a special guest, and I'm so sorry I didn't introduce him right away. Dave Holmes is here. So sorry. So sorry. This is Scott. And this is Scott. And today we're just apologizing to people. Oh, by the way, we have a special guest. I'm so sorry I didn't introduce him right away. Dave Holmes is here. So sorry. So sorry. I'm so sorry.

Can I talk now? Yeah, of course you can talk. It's okay. No, but, you know, I really wish you wouldn't talk over us. I'm sorry. It's okay. It's okay. Sorry about Scott kind of nailing you for that talking over us.

Yeah, usually I don't like to do that. So sorry. Sorry for like calling you out there, Scott. Oh, that's okay. I mean, I don't really mind, but I'm sorry

that you had to watch that. I'm sorry if that was the cause of any kind of like... It is a little weird to have a third person in the mix. I'm sorry. Should I go?

I can go. I'm sorry. We don't mean to make you come all the way out here and then ask you to leave immediately, but yes. Okay. Sorry for throwing you out. Sorry come all the way out here and then ask you to leave immediately, but yes. Okay.

Sorry for throwing you in the car. Sorry for throwing you out. All right. See you later. Bye. Please don't say you're sorry. Good ep. Yeah.

Those guys were really apologetic. Yeah. Sorry about that, guys. We don't have time for another ep. So, Dave, this is the first and only time you ever... Let's take you back How long have you been working at MTV at this point? Like five minutes

This must have been 2000 No, it was 1998 1998, oh god So you just started there I started, yeah, I started there in May For listeners who don't know I watched this live as it happened Did you really?

You won a contest to be I didn't actually. You did not win. Yes, you were second place, but I consider it winning. There's another episode of I'm sorry. You won second place in a beauty contest to be an MTV VJ.

That's correct. The winner... Oh, I forgot about that. The winner of which was a guy named Jesse. Yeah, holy shit. Jesse Malin? No. No, no, no.

That's a degeneration. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who owes Malin? No. No, no, no. That's a degeneration. Okay. Who owes his name? Jesse Camp. So he won the contest. Yes, he did. Because he had some sort of rock and roll flair to him. Sure.

And you were just a nice, solid, dependable guy who knew everything about music. I was just there. The type of guy who should have won. Well, maybe. I don't know. Because you then became someone who was hired for many years. What I was was very much the same exact

type as all of the producers at MTV. Right. You know what I mean? And all of the higher up executives were like 10 year older versions of me. Very relatable to them. Yes. And we were all music nerds together. so like i had that week to sort of get to know everybody and it was fairly obvious which way it was going to go

so i just kind of wanted to get myself a job there somehow so was it like whittled down to the two of you yeah no it was well wasn't it it was like american idol and then it was 10 right and then and then there were okay no there were six. They got us down to five. And then six from like a- That's a lot of numbers. You're throwing a lot of numbers at me right now. I'm so confused. There was a top 10 on-

Top 10, top six, top five. What are we- Yes, on Wednesday. No, days? They had the top 10. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it was just a week. So Wednesday, there was a top 10, and we all had to-

Hump day? Interview Chris Kattan. You say had to yes that was our challenge we each had to like do a 30 second interview with him we also had to sit on like

beanbag chairs as NSYNC performed that was the first time they were ever on MTV really wow

and you had to sit in giant pants and like comment on the performance no we were just there they were the guests and so we were there I have to say that part doesn't sound that hard it was you had to sit there- And like comment on the performance. No, we were just there. They were the guests, and so we were there. I have to say, that part doesn't sound that hard.

It was- You had to sit there and watch them? It was- Now, you know what? It was actually quite easy. It was nice. But also being plucked out of nowhere and suddenly being- You must have been freaking out.

I was freaking out. Why do you have to insult him like that? No, I did. Scraped up off the bottom of a shoe and thrown on television. I mean, you were nothing. Yeah. I mean, I had like a regular job that I called in sick. What was your regular job?

I was an advertising guy. Really? What were some of your ads? I didn't write any. Snickers. It's chocolate. No, okay. Let me talk.

Uncle Ben's Wild Rice. How wild can that get? It was pretty intense. Cover Girl Cosmetics. Sure, I've heard of it. For a very brief get? It was pretty intense. Cover Girl Cosmetics. Sure, I've heard of it. For a very brief spell. Salsa Tequila. I mean, I've heard of all three of these things,

so it sounds like you did a great job. I did my job. Congrats. So then this, did you just hear about this contest and your friends were like, you should do this, you're a music nerd.

No, I was like, I should do this and I shouldn't tell anyone. Because I was 26 or 27. I was just at the age when it was a little bit embarrassing to do a thing like that. What year is this? Is this 98? 98, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I remember watching this.

I'm too old to watch this. Sure, yeah. I'm older than you at this point. Yeah. What am I doing watching this? But I remember it. Once the contest really started heating up, were all your friends and coworkers like,

what the fuck are you doing? Yeah, I had to sort of come out. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, it was super weird and it all happened really quickly. So the whole thing was one week? The whole thing was one week. Yeah.

It was like a Wednesday to a – I interviewed on a – or I auditioned on a Monday morning. They called and said I was in the top ten on a Tuesday night. It started Wednesday morning. Then we did this live show and they whittled us from 10 to 5. And then they pulled a name out of like a drum for a sixth, who was just like some rando. A rando who had not been part of the contest at this point? Yeah.

I don't like that. And who was that? They flew her up. I think her name was Nelly. Oh, so she was not in New York, but had – She was not. They flew her in. Oh, so it was a – okay, I like this. Okay. It was Nelly Furtado. It was Nelly Furtado. she was not in New York, but she was not. They flew her in. Oh, so it was a fly.

Okay, I like this. Okay. It was Nelly Furtado. It was Nelly Furtado. This is how we know her. And mixed with Nelly, it's getting hot in here. From my hometown

of St. Louis. Really? Mm-hmm. Nelly, Nelly, Nelly? Nelly, Nelly. Yeah. He has a vocational institute called EI by Nelly,

Experience Institute. No. No, that's true. Andale, andale, andale. They'll teach you how to like align cook or whatever. Is it like a Trump University thing, or is it a real place? It's probably somewhere in between.

See, this is why, though, you were so good at the job is because you can pull facts like that. So you never shut up? Well, no, you pull facts like that that neither of us know, and we learn something. Oh, good, good. It's not like you've been doing heavy research on Nelly and his alternate revenue streams. I did notice on the way over here, he is sharing a bill with Toby Keith at some hellscape of

a music festival. Well, because they had a song together, I believe. They had a duet. No. No, no. He had a duet with a country person. Florida Georgia Line. Oh, right.

Yeah. Or maybe Tim McGraw. Or maybe both. I think it was Tim McGraw is the one I'm thinking of. Okay. Yeah. Or maybe Tim McGraw. Or maybe both.

I think it was Tim McGraw is the one I'm thinking of. Okay. So now, so this sixth person gets flown out. Uh-huh. And then this is on Wednesday or something. I'm not able to keep track of this. Okay. So Thursday, Friday, we were on the live show, which was still MTV Live at the time. Right.

And we had to do challenges. Yeah, that hadn't started yet. So we had to go to the the Virgin Mega store across the street and choose like three albums and say why and all that kind of thing. Which did you choose? Do you remember? Yes. A Tommy Keene album that had just been re-released.

Love Tommy Keene. As a matter of fact, he just passed away and I don't think I really knew really anything about him. And when he passed away, I saw your tweet about how incredible he was and I listened to I believe the song that you put on

on Twitter which must have been the season what is it oh Places That Are Gone Places That Are Gone yeah and I was like

this is an amazing song so I went and bought three of his records because of you oh good yes that makes me happy so you're doing

some good in the world okay so a Tommy Keene record a Tommy Keene record I think the first Ben Folds 5 record, probably. Well, that was around 95, so is when that— Yeah, Ben Folds 5. Oh, Ben Folds 5, yeah. Oh, so the first—

Like Ben Folds solo? No, I think it was the first Ben Folds 5 record, maybe. Could be. And I think because it was Dr. Dre and Ed Lover doing it, I chose Three Feet High and Rising oh cool so they were judging

they were judging I think that part of it okay I don't remember which day that was smart and then there was a live thing

all Tuesday all Saturday afternoon where they like the viewers could call in and yeah and they chose on Saturday they chose on Saturday

and they chose Jesse but then you immediately got a job as like runner-up or that took a while? That took a while, yeah. But wasn't everyone saying, like everyone watching was going like, no, Dave's the guy. He should be the guy. I mean, they didn't say it. Or did you have to wait for Jesse to flame out and then they hired you? No, no, no, no. I got hired as a writer almost immediately.

Oh, great. Just for like weekend specials and stuff like a part-time kind of thing. Were you writing like about Sows of Gold? No. At the time, no. I was writing probably about Willa Ford or some kind of shit. Okay. And then just because I was around and it was summertime was starting up and they started a lot of new programs.

In the summertime, I was there and I tested for a couple of things. Did you go to the spring break or anything like that oh god yeah not that year not that year okay

was that down in Florida Cancun oh wow my years was all Cancun yeah it was I think you were living the life that I was like god I wish I

I wish I was doing that in 1998 when I was watching MTV yeah he's also living the life that you wish you were doing now I would when I was watching MTV. Yeah. He's also living the life that you wish you were doing now, I would imagine. I would imagine. So, Dave, you then, to make sort of a nutshell this, you then were hired as a host and you were there many years.

Yeah. How many years were you? Like four and a half. Four and a half years and you interviewed everybody there. I interviewed a lot of people, yeah. And one of the first big ones for me was Michael Stipe. Michael Stipe. So this is the interview.

How long did it last? I was there for probably a half hour. Okay. They were preparing to play at the Bowery Ballroom. They were doing a small show at the Bowery Ballroom. And I was losing my fucking mind because I loved REM. Yeah. This leads me to what I probably

should have asked you first, which is when did you first hear of REM? I heard of them. Is that really a question that you... It is. When did you first hear of them? I feel like it's just the first time

this kind of thing has come up. See, I can never tell when people are having a laugh, which is why my interview with Michael Stipe. No, when was the first time you heard a bar? I remember I saw their record at a record bar. Do you remember a record bar? No, what is that? It was like a Sam Goody.

Oh, no. We've talked about Goody Got It and Where the Warehouse, but we've never heard of a record bar. I don't remember a record bar at all. Well, maybe it was a Midwest thing. Yeah, could have been. And I was with one of my older brothers who were both in college at the time. It was probably 83.

It was Murmur time. Yeah. And they were like, that's a psychology reference, like REM. Oh, oh. You know, REM sleeper. Oh, I see. I was like, oh, that's interesting. I thought you meant Murmur was.

No. And then I just started reading about them as a band where you never can tell what the lead singer is saying. And I decided I loved them because none of my friends were listening to them. And I didn't really hear – I think I maybe heard Radio Free Europe on the cool radio stations. So your brothers had no interest in the music? Not really. They just wanted to show off that they – Yeah.

And is it really even a psychology reference? I don't know. They were college students. Yeah, I don't know. Your brothers are just trying to hi-hat you here. Yeah.

There's a showboating. And it's bullshit. So do you remember the first record that you bought? Yes. Reckoning. Reckoning. From Columbia House.

Oh, nice. Oh, great. It was one of my 12 for a penny. It was one of your 12. Best deals ever. Yeah. It's the only one I remember. Did you ever pay it off? Of course not. From Columbia House. Oh, nice. Oh, great. It was one of my 12 for a penny. It was one of your 12. Best deals ever. Yeah, it's the only one I remember. Did you ever pay it off? Of course not.

Of course not. No. I had a whole system. That's how I built up my collection. We've probably talked about it. Yeah, I believe we've talked about it. I was Wiggy Wigbert at a fake address. Yes.

I was Travis Bickle, Jerry Lewis. I did all kinds of names. Just with like, just at like a PO or something like that? No, I did it at my friend's house and he did it at mine. And then you couldn't like, they would send bills to my friend's house, but he's like, Wiggy Wigbert doesn't live here. What do you mean? And vice versa.

I would have them sent to my house and then immediately fill out the change of address form to nearby grocery stores where they get incoming mail all the time. Oh, very smart. It was like committing mail fraud in junior high school. Yeah. And what's weird is my parents, who would never let me do anything like that because they're very religious, were fine with that. Yeah.

That was one of the few that they were like, they would laugh about Wiggy Wigbert occasionally. Right. Fine with it. Who knows why? Like if these people are stupid enough to offer 12 CDs for a penny, they deserve it. That is such a two-way grift.

It's not even funny. You know what I mean? Clearly, they knew nobody was going to really fulfill their end of the bargain. Oh, and clearly, it's so expensive when you actually buy the records that the, what, 10% of the people who actually follow through with it are paying for the other 90? What was the thinking behind it?

Was it to just up record sales and a write-off for them? Is that what it was? Yeah, I would imagine they get a lot of the – there's an interesting article about it. Is there really? Yeah, there is. I'll send it to you. Anyway, so Reckoning is the first one you get. You then become an R.E.M. devotee.

Yep. Fan for life. So that is – Well, I mean, fan, you know, up and down fan. Yes, up and down fan. But from 84 till... Alright. This is where it gets...

Okay. Okay. They fuck you at the drive-thru. It's like Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2. Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant. So far, you've named three of their albums. That's right.

Huge fan. Yes. And then, like, the kids who gave me shit for liking bands that they hadn't heard of, heard of them and started liking them. Right. And Document. Right. Yeah.

And so Document and Green, everyone else was listening to. So are you like an – And I took it out on the band you're an Andy Daly really he did that with you too really he hates Joshua Tree

I don't like Joshua Tree either whoa yeah yeah crazy same exact but do you like like Same Reef Baby

and when they the 90s stuff yeah I would work through those issues I think right you still listen to Joshua Tree and you're like that's garbage I don't think it's garbage I just don Right. You still listen to Joshua Tree and you're like, that's garbage.

I don't think it's garbage. I just don't. You don't have the emotional connection to it that if you would listen to it continuously back then. Right, right. I feel like that's my issue with Octoon Baby. Uh-huh. Is I never listened to it when it was happening. Yeah.

I caught up with it. And now, to me, it sounds a little dated. Yeah. And I wasn't there in it while it was happening. I didn't go see the tour. So now we were talking about Octoon Baby last week. I don't really care to hear any of the Octoon Baby songs played in concert anymore. Like, I'm fine if they don't play them.

Whereas I listened to it that night it came out, and I'd never heard music like this before. And it was amazing. Did you wait in line at a record store? like this before and it was amazing. Did you wait in line at a record store? Yeah, at one in Pasadena in the old mall that was on Colorado that's been torn down now. But there was a- I should erect a statue of you holding the Young Toon Baby record. I remember right when I moved to Pasadena right out of high school, I was so lonely

and sad. I would take the bus. It was like 400 degrees. I'd never been in hot weather. I would just take the bus down because it was air conditioned. Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is cold. Okay.

But you're saying you'd never been in hot weather before. You're in Minnesota. Not like Los Angeles. Okay, okay. I mean, it's so hot here. I agree. But I would go to this mall and just walk around all day because of air condition. Yeah, 70.

It's hottest. But I remember I went when Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 came out. I took the bus over, and that was my whole day was taking the bus to get that, and then I got it, and I was like, all right, what am I going to do for the rest of the day? What if it was Use your illusion one or two? You could only buy one and they wouldn't let you. Like somehow you had like a microchip inserted into you somehow that you had to scan. And if you went and tried to buy the other one at a different store,

they would just execute you. Yeah, just a light electric shock. Which one would you choose? Number one. Two. Two? Oh, yeah. Isn't number one better?

Oh, guys. I like two. I don't like either of them. Yeah, neither are good, but maybe two is. November Rain, though, is on one, isn't it? It is. That's probably the best song out of all of them. I have never been on November Rain.

Yeah. Oh, God. It's just the worst of, it's everything that I don't like about rock music. But I have to say, but their previous record. Great. Incredible, I think. See, I'm not, I just was never a fan. Yeah, I get it. it's everything that I don't like about rock music in one song but their previous record great incredible I think but you're not into it

yeah I get it there's like one great album in both of those Use Your Illusion records yeah probably yeah probably but there's so many

there's some shitty songs on there too yeah anyway also he threw a big tantrum in St. Louis at our big new outdoor amphitheater

okay now we're getting to it. And he left the stage after 15 minutes and he was like, the security fucking sucks and whatever. Were you there?

No. Then why do you care? Because they fucking tore the place down. This was, that was like in 88 when they were, yeah,

something like that, maybe 90. Okay. So it was in your illusion era or? I don't, I remember him doing that

all the time in riots. Yeah, it was Use Your Illusion era because the previous era, they were not big enough to do it. I do remember in 91, 92, on the Use Your Illusion tour, they started playing a cover of One, which was a brand new song at that point. And I remember at that point, I was already like soured on Guns N' Roses and was like, oh, fuck. Now do I have to start this song? Oh, no. You thought they were going to ruin it.

Well, just like it makes it less cool when Guns N' Roses. I've never heard that. Can you find it? We'll play it? I bet it's on YouTube. Right. Well, people didn't have, I don't know. People, you were just miming a pole vault.

I don't know, a video camera? Back then you would have had to bring a giant video camera to the concert with you. With the VCR in a backpack. But I bet there's audio of it. In any case, Dave, we've gotten so off track. You then did not like them for Document and then Green. I liked Document. Green, I resented because that was huge.

Yeah. I was like, this is just nuts. That's where I was at. I went to go see them my one and only time for Green, and I was really into them. And then suddenly, shiny, happy people happened, and I did not like them anymore. I never listened to another record.

Wow. So I'm discovering these records as we listen to them. Oh, we do. He'd never really listened to Automatic for the People. Oh, Jesus Christ. Or Out of Time. Never heard those records. I mean, do you feel like you missed out on something?

I'm fine. I feel like everything's cool with me. All right. So I was fully back on board for Out of Time. You were? I mean, 100% back on board. Okay. So you're back on board for Out of Time.

Accepting that they're huge now and you can still enjoy it. At a different time in my life where I'm less defined by the bands that I like. Yeah, right. You know? I can share them. You know what I mean? It doesn't cause me anger or anxiety. And are you in college at this point now?

I'm in college at this point, yeah. You're more emotionally mature. Yeah. Loved Automatic for the People. Did not like Monster. And then I forget. And then there's New Adventures. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Which I liked okay. Liked okay. Okay, so then now you get a job at MTV. Right. Up is coming out. Had you heard it yet?

I think it was maybe the night the album came out. Oh, okay. I don't know if that's possible. And they didn't give you like an advance copy? Yeah, I'm sure they did. I probably listened to it. But you're busy at MTV. You got to listen to a lot of stuff. Yeah, but I sure they did. I probably listened to it. But you're busy at MTV. You got to listen to a lot of stuff.

Yeah, but I mean – Are you able to keep up on music while you're working there? Or is it a job at that point? Well, yes, you totally can because there wasn't that much of it. So did you – Can you – let me just – Can you ever – could you imagine a time in your life when you could listen to as much free music from like new artists that no one's heard of yet for free? For free.

Anytime you wanted to and you were too tired to do it. I know. It's like I can't keep up and I am exhausted by the thought of it. I still buy it all and sometimes I'll look at like the Tommy Keene stuff for instance. I spent a day listening to Tommy Keene, and I would say out of the... I probably bought a hundred songs by him. I listened to 30 of them. I spent all day doing

it, and the other ones are sitting in my collection, and I'll get to them on random someday. And some of them will never be listened to. Yeah. And maybe your favorite song in the entire world is one of those songs. And is not being listened to. And you are missing out on time you could be spending.

I know. It's crazy. I wish someone would tell me what my favorite song is so I would just go listen to it. Oh, I'll tell you. Oh, what is it? Happy Birthday. I've never heard that. Either that or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

I've never heard that at all. That's a good song. Everybody loves it. I like a real jazzy version. Okay, look. Ad-libs. We have to get to how you felt during the interview with Michael Senn. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Scared shitless. Okay. Unbelievably scared to death. Because A, I'm a big fan. B, he's completely inscrutable and you can't, like you just don't know. I don't feel like I know him. Yeah, mysterious. You don't know if it's going to be a disaster.

Yeah, you don't know if it is currently a disaster. And did your reaction to the album have... That's how I felt during my Bono interview last, with his looking at me. Did your reaction to the album have anything to do with it? Not really. Did you like it or not? Yeah, I liked it.

I liked it. But yeah, I don't think I loved it, but I liked it. Okay. Also, like wandering around, this was at the Bowery Ballroom, wandering around like the periphery was Patti Smith, who was going to make an appearance with them on stage.

I'm just in the presence of greatness. Were you a Patti Smith fan growing up? I mean, not a huge fan, but you can acknowledge. I could acknowledge this is an important human being. Also, I was sitting at a desk at an ad agency like six weeks before.

Right. So now, Dave, you're shitting your pants. Michael Stipe comes in. You have a half an hour with him. Yeah. And you're – And also, there's a weird thing. I'm sure you know this.

When you're about to get started, they like mic you up. And then there's, you know, we've got to test everything. And then it's like you're sitting there. And then it's then it's, oh, wait, let me just fix this lighting. And like a small lighting fix will take like 10 minutes. And so you're sitting there. Sitting there and have to chat with someone. Small talk for, yeah. And it's not like if it's just you and a coworker or something, it's already weird enough.

Yeah. But it's like it was me who's still getting used to my entire life being turned upside down. Wait, okay, why would they give the interview of the giant star to the guy that won the contest list like four weeks ago? I don't know. Because you won.

It was maybe three months or something. But you also, like you're the music fan. That's why they give it to you. This is important because you actually know what you're talking about and they want to have it. You're not going to embarrass yourself. And I also, like, I really wanted to make myself useful in any way that I could. Was Tabitha Soren there yet? She had just left.

She just left. Because it seemed like in this documentary I'm watching about REM on MTV, every single interview is with Tabitha Soren. Like, she is their go-to person. Sure. So she leaves and you get in there. Yeah. This was for – I don't remember what exactly the deal was. But there was like a – there was MTV News and then there was just sort of regular MTV.

Regular MTV. Okay. For whatever reason, this was for regular MTV. Not for news. Okay. Got it. Normally their interviews would be – it would be a Kurt Lauder. Have we –

It would be someone with some gravitas. normally their interviews would be, it would be a Kurt Lauder. It would be someone with some gravitas. Have we asked yet, when did you first hear of REM? You did. I did.

Okay, I'm sorry to interrupt. Go ahead. It was in a mall. There was psychology. Okay, okay, okay. Got it, got it, got it. So you had to fill this time while they fixed the light, is what you were about to say. Yeah, no.

And it's just, you know, it's going to kill your flow. That happens on the Bang Bang TV show all the time. The person who is the star of the show is the person that I would end up spending the most time with, weirdly enough, where we would usually do everyone in six hours, and I'm spending the entire six hours small talking with them. Yeah, it's exhausting. It's exhausting, but I felt like to be a good host and to make sure their experience is good,

I would have to chat with them the whole time. And some people are great, and it's cool to get to know them, and some people are just intimidating, and it's very weird to be sitting there and chatting with someone who's not giving you anything. Sometimes I would unlock it, and it would be like, oh, I found the subject that suddenly makes them come alive and it was great. I just spent four hours with Terry Crews today.

Oh, great. Doing a profile. What a joy. It was great. Did you say Tom Crews? Terry Crews. Still, it's good. Still impressive.

But he's a guy who has a lot to say. Does he? That's great. He's a great guy. Love him. Love him. So how was it with Michael Stipe trying to fill that awkward silence? It was weird

because I, and the weirdness was 100% on me. Right. Is he trying to make you comfortable? He was. He was perfectly nice, but I was second guessing every single thing that I was doing and saying. I was like, is he disappointed that they sent the guy who just won the thing or lost the thing?

Go back last week and listen to our interview with Bono and the Edge, and you'll hear some prime examples of that. Honestly, like when I watch clips of you, I'm so impressed with how just normal you seem. Oh, cool. You know, with having to do it ourselves and just like totally switching our personalities. It's difficult. It's difficult. Difficult to do. ourselves and just like totally switching our personalities. It's difficult. It's difficult. Difficult to do.

Because you're so nervous. Yes. And the last thing you want to appear is nervous, especially when you're on camera as well. Yeah. Right. And the level of stardom between us, you know, usually on the Bang Bang TV show, it's wide, but it's not that wide. Uh-huh. You know, between like us and Bono.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a big deal. Yeah. That's a big deal. Yeah. It's a big deal. So how did the interview go? It went okay. It went okay.

However, there was – and thank God they edited it out. There was a song on – Cut it out. Yeah. It's a tough thing to say. I'm just doing Dave Coulier catchphrases. I caught that just a second too late. There's a song called Walk Unafraid.

Yeah. And this was also around the time of Matthew Shepard, I want to say. And I tried to work those topics together. Two things together. Yeah. In my head, I had this wonderful overarching statement about his life and about whatever, about gay rights and all that kind of thing. And I swear to God, it made sense in my head. My mistake was never writing it down and looking at it and saying, is this a question or a thing I should be saying?

And so then after a few moments of small talk awkwardness while lights are being adjusted, like we had a – he did the you betcha, Dave, which I was like, I can't tell if he's making fun of me. I can't tell what his mood is. And then I launched into this fucking fridge poetry of a question I was trying to ask him about important topics that are important to him. And he didn't shut me down rudely, but he was just like, yeah, let's not. He was like, you're conflating a couple things that don't really go together, so let's move on to another thing. And I was like, you know what?

You're absolutely right. Interesting. And we kept going. And I was like, you know what? You're absolutely right. Interesting. And we kept going, and I was mortified. Like, I felt all the blood leave my face. Right, right. But we went on, and it was okay. Interesting. Shake it off.

Did you stay and watch the show that night? I think I did. Yeah. Yeah. And what – I remember watching that show on MTV. Really? Cool. Because they played –

Yeah, because she came out and sang a song with them. I remember that. show on MTV. Really? Cool. Because they played. Yeah, because she came out and sang a song with them. I remember that. You remember it. I do. Congrats to me. Do you, and we need to go to a break in a second, but you bringing up Matthew Shepard sort of leads me into wondering about this. You, Michael Stipe, at the time,

had come out. Had he not? I think so, yeah. And you, if I may say, you, when you were at MTV, you were not publicly out?

I was out, but not. To friends or to? To friends and to coworkers and to family and all that, but like not publicly because there was not a place

to do it. There wasn't like MTV magazine. No. No, and there was no Twitter and there was none of that shit. So how – and this is a perspective that I wanted to ask you about. Michael Stipe probably out before a lot of celebrities were, as I recall. before a lot of celebrities were, as I recall. Was that any kind of influence on you to see someone of that stature?

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I did it pretty early. Right. Like I kind of – I got through it in high school and college. Right. What is weird though is Michael Stipe, Bob Mould, Tommy Keene, like those were like three massive ones for me in high school and they all ended up being gay. Right.

Which is weird. I didn't know about any of them at the time. Right. Do you think – well, are you – do you think that's just coincidence or do you think that there was something in their art that was – Yeah. I think there – yeah. Okay. I think they're, yeah.

Okay. So, Dave, I know that your time is short here on this earth. I am. And you don't want to spend the rest of your life here in the studio with us. But I got to go to the other studio. But you have to go to the other studio. These are really long episodes. Yeah, sorry. We really love to jaw.

But you brought your top 10 R.E.M. songs of all time. Yes, I did. Did you not? Yes, I did. I agonized. You agonized because it's only 10. It's so hard. Yes, I did. Did you not? Yes, I did. I agonized. Because it's only 10. It's so hard. It's only 10.

Adam and I, by the way, may I say that what we're going to do with our top 10s? Yeah. Coming up towards the end of the run here, we're going to do

our top 10 REM songs, but we're going to do it from different eras. Oh. The first five albums, the middle five albums, and the last five albums. Oh, very good.

And I think we should also do a top 10 overall as well. Of what? Of the entire career. Top 10 songs. Just top 10 songs of the entire career? Okay, we will do that as well. And rank all of the albums.

Battle Royale. Yeah, we'll rank all of the albums. We'll do all that. God almighty. So Dave- Yeah, you asked for a top 10 and the music nerd in me just cringed. I mean, it's hard.

It's hard. Yeah, it's very hard. Who was it that said you could do a top 30 easily? Oh, yeah. Who was just a guy? Okay, so Dave. Let's get it going. All right, let's get it going.

They're on my laptop. They're on your laptop, and you have brought your laptop, and it's right here in studio with us Dave Holmes laptop right there it's great right here

it's a Macintosh alright it's one of those dumb ones one of the stupidest computers they're real dumb alright so coming in

we're gonna go we're not going chronologically right we're going I did my best to rank them I did my best to rank them. You ranked them.

Okay, great. I did my best to rank them. Let's come in at number 10. What do we have? Number 10 from Out of Time, Me and Honey. Me and Honey in the top 10. Wow, great. This is the song that Adam could not believe I had never heard before. I also can't believe that you had never heard that before.

Well, believe it. It's a favorite of mine as well. All right, so go ahead and play a little Me and Honey while you... Sure, sure, sure. Yes, sir. Here we go. Here we go. Oh, yeah.

So Kate Pearson elevates anything. You like the B-52s? I do. I do. I'm obsessed with YouTube stuff of them from the 70s. Right. Like their Saturday Night Live. Yeah, so good.

Their first two records. Same. So good. And then they take a little bit of a dive. They do take a little bit of a dive. But those first two are great. Yeah. All right.

When they got huge, were you guys like, okay, they deserve it? Like, did you think they were, their stuff took a dive previous to them getting huge? They took a dive, and then they got better, and then they got huge. Okay, okay. They had a rough patch. I actually liked them until they got better, and then they got huge. Okay, okay. They had a rough patch. I actually liked them until they got huge, weirdly enough. I don't love their third, fourth, fifth record, but Cosmic Thing is where I don't like the production style.

Really? Yeah. It's a whole different band, basically. It was fun. I was in college. It was fun. What do we have at number nine? Number nine from New Adventures in Hi-Fi,

Ebo the Letter. Ebo the Letter. Featuring Patti Smith. Patti Smith. This is a very sexy song. I think if Cesar Romero were to sing this, or Vin Diesel, it'd be great.

Great. That's how you know you have a great song. If Vin Diesel can sing it, and make it sound great, that's just good construction. Now that's a song. Yeah. All right, number eight from Reckoning, Don't Go Back to Rockville. Hey, baby.

Love it. Just love it. Yeah. Feels like summer. Great. It's good hot weather music. Just put up the tinfoil. Get that foil on the windows.

Love it. Get the fuck out. Go to mother-in-law's. Number, I guess, seven. And here's where I become music nerd. Okay. It's from a side project. Oh! This is Michael Stipe with Golden Palominos.

Oh, we played some of this. Alive and Living Now. Yeah, we played some of this early Alive and Living Now. Yeah, we played some of this early on in one of our early... Yeah? I love this fucking song. It's a good running song. I need to get this song. All E-melody.

I don't think you need the records, but the songs are pretty good. Yeah, I bought Alive and Living. Alive and Living, yeah. I bought the two songs he does on this record. Is that what it is? Or so? Something like that, yeah. Something like Living, yeah. I bought the two songs he does on this record. Is that what it is or so? Something like that, yeah.

Something like that, yeah. Yeah. Okay, number six from Automatic for the People, Night Swimming. Yeah. Good Gene song as well. Yeah. A good what? The band Gene.

Oh. Do they have a song called Night Swimming? No, they do a cover of this. It's the first place I ever heard this song is their version. You really checked out. I did. Okay, number five from Murm version. You really checked out. I did. Okay, number five from Murmur, Shaking Through. Amazing.

I mean, just classic. Just classic. It's perfect. All right, very good. Okay. What are we at, number four now? Number four. Oh, my God, we're getting up there.

Uh-huh. From Life's Rich Pageant, These Days. These Days. Triumphant. Incredible. Did we... We just saw the lead singer of the Decembrists play this, right? No, he played I Believe.

He played I Believe. Sorry, he played I Believe. I might have... I might have won two minutes, but that's a... No, I don't. No, okay, that was five. Okay, we got the top three. No, top four. Oh. He played I Believe. Sorry, he played I Believe. I might have, I might have, I might have won two minutes, but that's all right. No, it's not, okay, that was fine. Okay, we got the top three. No, top four. Oh, you said it was four.

Number four. Okay. Did I say this was number four? Yeah, but that's okay. Okay, that's fine. Number four from Out of Time, Near Wild Heaven. Near Wild Heaven. Which isn't starting for some reason.

Interesting. Where are you going? We got a fan mail from, yeah oh you were here i was there uh number three from green you are the everything find something on i did eventually i went back to it yeah i went back to it what do you got the beach ball spinning on this or is it uh oh no no it's just a slow intro oh there's nature sounds this i gotta tell you if you're doing a podcast, bands, stop doing, like,

nature sounds or, like... There's long intros. Yeah, stop. You know, because it really fucks with you if you're doing a top ten on a podcast.

Is this your number two song? This is my number three. Number three. This is one of my favorites. All right, number two with a bullet. Number two with a bullet from Reckoning,

Pretty Persuasion. Fucking incredible. And there is some, there's some, like, bi-curiosity in this song. There's some, like, sort of figuring it incredible. And there is some, there's some like by curiosity in this song. There's him like sort of figuring it out. Right.

I got, yeah. What do you mean? Like, sometimes she's got pretty persuasion and sometimes she's got pretty persuasion.

Interesting. Number one, ladies and gentlemen. Okay. Do you want to guess it? Yes. I'm going to guess Drivery. Interesting. Close. Okay. Okay. I'm gonna guess uh Driver 8

interesting close okay okay I'm gonna guess oh Life and How to Live It oh sorry

what were you gonna guess Life and How to Live It where were you I feel like that's a lie I love this fucking song me too I love it so much I remember it is this is everything i love about

me too i remember i didn't even hear this i would listen to the album it just would pass me by but then i saw that video remember the video it's like illustrations of him like singing and i and i was like what the fuck is? And then I started listening to the song and really kind of getting into it. It's amazing. You wonder what he was saying before you listen to the song? Once I saw the video on MTV or something, it just hit me. Talking to the mic is really weird. That was my top ten, guys.

That's amazing. It's so good. Good top ten. Do you mind handing me the my top 10, guys. That's amazing. It's so good. Good top 10. Do you mind handing me the thing? Actually, no, just turn it. No, that's okay. Now that you turned it off, may as well stop. Dave.

Well, guys, I got to go next door. I'm sorry. Thank you so much. Thank you, Dave. You're recording your own podcast, Homophilia, which tell people about it. It's me and my friend Matt McConkie. We talk to awesome LGBT people about their lives. And that is weekly.

People can hear that weekly. Anything else you want to plug? Yeah, read me on Esquire. Oh, yeah. You do great articles on Esquire. That's great. Dave, always a pleasure to see you. Thank you so much for being here.

Sorry I have to bounce. No problem. We're going to be right back. When we come back, we're going to go through Accelerate track by track and all the B-sides. This is exciting. And Adam has said he doesn't know what he's going to do if I don't like this record. Oh, shit. I can't wait to find out.

Yeah. You're going to have to listen to find out. I am. All right. We're going to be right back with more Are You Talking R.E.M. Remy after this. Welcome back. Are you talking R.E.M. Remy? Dave Holmes is next door recording his own show.

What a great guest. Great guest. It's really fascinating to hear about a life that you dreamed of having. And now you guys are in the same room. Isn't that odd how life takes these twists and turns? Like you look at him and you're like, oh, man, I wish I could do what he's doing. And suddenly you're in the same room. Here we are. Here we are.

Here we are. Just humans being. Just humans being human. So let's get to it. We're talking about Accelerate. Accelerate. In this episode, which is very exciting. And let's do some of the facts. Released on March 31st, 2008.

March 31st of 2008. Adam, do you remember 2008? I remember 2008 very, very well. Why is that? Really? No, I was in Connecticut shooting a movie, The Vicious Kind. And I remember I was able to, we were living, my wife and son and I, my son was just a little tiny baby. So you were married, you'd gotten married.

Yes. Had you gotten married since the last episode that we talked about around the son in 2000? Yes, we had gotten married. You got married in between these. There's a whole four-year gap between albums. Yeah, crazy that they did a four-year gap. And you'd had a son, and your son's a little tiny baby. A little tiny baby.

And we were living in this house way out in the boondocks, and I was able to download a copy of Accelerate like two weeks before it came out. How did that happen? It had leaked online. Oh, okay. Illegal leaker, Adam Scott. Yes. So you don't mind if people do that with your work? Of course not. I demand it. I, of course, bought several different incarnations of the album once it came out. And did you buy one for Naomi? I think I had learned my lesson on that. Did you buy one for your son? Of course.

But I remember being, all the, the hype leading up to it and the, the single that came out like in January, I was like, this is amazing. Like I love that song and was so excited. What do you remember of the hype?

Uh, that the, this album was a return to form. At least that's what they were, that that's kind of the hype uh that the this album was a return to form at least that's what they were that that's kind of the word whoa sorry here it is that was the word but that was the word for around the sun too so you know what i'm not gonna play it yet so go ahead sorry i played that accidentally anyway i wasn't sure what to expect you didn't know what to expect because i do remember reading about around the sun everyone was like like, oh, my God, this is like old R.E.M. Yeah, and it so wasn't.

Right. So let me ask you a question. R.E.M. had prepared for this record by – they were recording in Ireland, I believe. Is that where the Olympia is? Yeah. They were recording with Jackknife Lee in Ireland. Yeah. And while they were recording, Jackknife Lee said,

hey, why don't you do some shows? Because you want to work out these songs live before you record them because they'd been doing a few albums where they had just, like, worked everything out in the studio. Why don't you go do the opposite and work them out live in front of people? And so they did a five-night stint at the Olympia, which became the Live at the Olympia record. But had you heard any of that previous to this?

Yeah, because my friend Chris Bilheimer, who was their graphic designer, gave me a couple – he had sent me a couple CDs with, I think, two or three nights from the Olympia on it, which was really cool. Complete shows, because the record that came out is a compendium of all five nights. All five nights, yeah. Right. But, I mean, I think that those shows in Ireland, why that live album is such a must for fans,

is you hear them figuring out who they are as a band again. Yeah, they introduce themselves to each other. Yeah, they knew that they were like on life support creatively. I'm in R.E.M., are you in R.E.M.? That's the whole album is them introducing themselves to each other. Hello, I'm Michael, I'm in R.E.M. And the audience is upset because they came expecting music. Sure, yeah, they didn't expect, I mean, and they would have been fine with words,

but just those words over and over? So you hear them creatively kind of being reborn a little bit and playing old songs they haven't played live for like 25 years. If you get a chance, and honestly, I don't know why you wouldn't have a chance, but to listen to that record, the Live at Olympia record is really, really great because they suddenly are playing album cuts from the first six years, seven years, for the first time in a long time.

And then even Circus Envy from Monster. Just weird songs. Just weird random cuts that, were they playing in Arena, they would probably say, I don't know if we can play that one because not enough people know it or whatever.

It's a whole record of just that. The entire thing. Like they don't play Losing My Religion. They don't play any hits really. I mean the closest to a hit, they don't even play the hits from the early records. The closest thing maybe to a hit is Gardening at Night or something. You know, that's like the closest

to a single that they actually play. It's pretty amazing. And they play a lot of these Accelerate songs in kind of their infancy. Their nascent forms. Yes. Their zygote form, like little tiny babies.

They're just like, they're just drops of jizz. It's just jizz, like plopping on top of an egg and that's bill hymer that originally that was the album cover for it wasn't it was just all the words were made out of like drops of jizz yeah and it looked really cool i apologize to rem fans who like like to listen to this record or this podcast to hear about the band it's terrible terrible. So anyway, knowing, I knew at that point that they had done that. and that those CDs

that Bill Hymer had sent me sounded really good. So I was hoping. Also, aren't they sort of playing the early songs with a slightly more of a rock?

Yeah, Bill Riefland, their drummer, was a different drummer than Bill Barry. He is? Well, in style,

he's a little more maybe aggressive. It did. Those songs do sound a little different because it's just... It seems to me like there's a touch more distortion sometimes. There's a lot of energy on that record. Yeah, and I think this record is very much Peter Buck's kind of... I think he was like, we've got to make an album and not over record, not over mix,

just make it short songs and let's write it and record it quickly. I think that was sort of the name of the game. Yeah, around the sun, just they say that Peter Dollar Bill told Q

that he personally hated it, hated the fact it wasn't as good as it should have been. They just seemed like they were dicking around in the studio forever with no endgame in sight. Yeah. Now, this is R.E.M.'s shortest record. Yeah, I would imagine. It is 34 minutes, 39 seconds.

That's short for a record back in the 80s even, slightly. I mean, there were a lot of 30-minute records that came out, but not a lot. But 40 minutes is about standard for a record back in the 80s. And then with the advent of the CD, it became like 60 minutes, 65. Everything became so bloated. So this is back to basics. So you were excited by this. You were in Connecticut.

You downloaded it. does adam scott what's your initial reaction when you hear it yeah i mean i had heard a bunch of these songs on the the dublin um concerts but and a couple of them they played on the around the sun tour or no i'm gonna dj i think is the only one they play but now they would play that song and then they would literally step down and start DJing yeah

then like a a rave would start yeah remember that word rave I remember I sort of remember it from a deli owner

you would sometimes get one and all three members of REM and Scott McCoy would come over as well and they would go I'm gonna DJ

no I'm gonna DJ and then a fist I'm going to DJ. No, I'm going to DJ. And then a fist fight would break out. Which was super weird. And whoever won got to DJ that night. And had to stay there all night and DJ. And so I had heard that. But when I first heard the album, I was thrilled because it was even better than I was expecting,

just the way it sounded and the songwriting and all of that. All right. All right. In 2008, I know what I was doing because that is the year that I got married. Oh, you got married in 2008. In 2008, yes. September 13th, 2008. The day of magic. Mm-hmm.

And so I was preparing for that. I also kind of looked through what I was working on at the time. And I had been on – in the first week of January, I believe, I put up the first Between Two Ferns on Funny or Die. Who was the first guest? Michael Cera. Wow, I remember that. I probably watched it while I was in Connecticut working on The Vicious Kind.

And then we were about to do one with Jimmy Kimmel right around this time for his show. And we did one with Jon Hamm a little later in the year.

And that's, I'm sure I was doing some other stuff, but I do remember us just kind of like going, eh, all right, let's put this on. Funny or die?

Sure, yeah. I mean, that landlord thing is good. But what else do they have? And then suddenly millions and millions of people watching it. It exploded. It exploded. Much like the sound of the songs on R.E.M.'s record Accelerate. Wait, was this pre-Hangover?

The first between two? Okay. Yeah, we did. IHangover? Yeah. The first between two? Okay. Yeah, we did. I think the Bradley Cooper one was episode five maybe or six, and that was released to coincide with the Hangover. So you were just starting between two ferns, but what else were you doing career-wise at that point? Well, I had just done a sketch show for Fox that didn't end up going. And so literally was just coming off of that.

Yeah. I don't recall what I went into after that, but it was a sketch show with James Zadomian was in the cast and Paul Rust and Casey Wilson. Oh, my God. And Ian Edwards and Maria Bamford and Natasha Leggero. Wow. This was the cast.

That's an incredible cast. Had some good guest stars, and it was really fun. The writers were Brett Gelman and John Daly and Neil Campbell. So was it just a pilot, or did they make it? It was a pilot, yeah. Was it awesome? Parts of it were really, really great. It was interesting because they wanted a half-hour show for late-night Saturdays to go on before SNL.

And I think we took the money and shot an hour and a half worth of stuff and turned in an hour pilot, I think. And they were like, no, we wanted a half hour. And I was like, yeah, we wanted a half hour. And I was like, yeah, but we shot a bunch of stuff. And this is, so I don't know. It was not what they were looking for. But it was fun. Fun to do.

Fun to do. Apparently Fox still hasn't found what they're looking for. Adam, you are amazing. Okay, so that's what we were doing in 2008. I remember, okay, so here's where I am with the hype. Yeah. I, you know, really liked the Great Beyond. I got that Man on the Moon soundtrack. Liked that song.

Got Reveal and liked Imitation of Life. You know, didn't really listen to the record all the way through, but was like, eh, these are okay. Yeah okay yeah around the sun no memory of yeah well you didn't get it because you heard it sucked didn't get it heard it was terrible did not even don't didn't know any of the songs so at this point i'm just like i don't even know where i stand with rem but for some reason the hype on this really attracted me um i heard back to basics and i was excited by that um rem started doing stuff like um started kind of working with modern sort of like blog music blog stuff and you know they did south by southwest south by south they were on stereo gum pitch for you know they

started like smart yeah it was like almost like oh, we're no longer doing what we used to do. So it piqued my interest. And so this is the first – and I downloaded this one. This is the first record that I bought and listened to since Green. Oh, okay. I thought you would think that was interesting. No, it is. Oh, okay.

It is. No, but I thought you just said you got Reveal back then. Oh, I got Reveal, think that was interesting. No, it is. Oh, okay. It is. No, but I thought you just said you got Reveal back then. Oh, I got Reveal, but I didn't listen to it. Got it. Okay, so this is the first one since Green that you got, and we're like, I'm going to listen to this. I'm going to listen to this. Yeah, all the way through.

Yeah, I hear it. They were on the cover of Spin. What the fuck? Which was, I was like, holy cannoli. This is a real holy cannoli. cannoli mama mia okay so let's go through a track by track this is the first track of this 34 minute album this is living well is the best revenge and it's going to start now. Wake up in a shaken panic, now You set me up like a lamb to slaughter Carp or ass or farmer's daughter

Unbelievable, the gospel according to Hey, I lay right down All who sat and lost apostles Hung by name of bread and nostrils Token on the bones you toss it down I'm not one to sit and spin Cause living well's the best you can Baby, I'm calling you all night

Yeah There it is Three minutes and eleven seconds Of rock Good rock with a capital R if you ask me And then a lowercase o-c-k Uh-huh But the R is capital

The R is capital as fuck. Man. Capital. Yeah, this... Jackknife Lee, their new producer, kicked him in the old behind. Kicked him in the old nutsack.

And said, how's this feel? Just lined him up. That was the first thing he did. Kicked him in the old nut sack and said, how's this feel? Just lined him up, kicked him in the nuts. Booge! Booge! Michael Stipe and Mike Mills are like, Jesus Christ, Peter, is this really what

we have to do? Yes! By the way, they were introduced and told to use Jack Knife Lee by our old friend Fedge yeah what do you think? I love this song

I think it's I had heard it on those Dublin bootlegs but I love the way this is recorded it sounds just tight

and this is good rock and roll music and it's loud. Yeah. Well, especially if you turn the volume up. If you turn it up, it gets really loud. Turn it down!

And you hear Mike Mills' back with the backing vocals. He didn't sing any around the song. I know. It sounds like, it reminds me of Life's Rich Pageant. More than anything in the past. What do you think? There we go. I was wondering if you were ever going to ask me.

Well, I, you know. Getting to it. Finally, he stops talking long enough to ask me. Okay. Are you worried? I mean, a little. Okay, so I heard, I threw this on the old MP3 player when I downloaded it. This is 2008.

2008, yeah, yeah. 10 years ago. And I heard the single. I heard Super. This is 2008. 2008, yeah, yeah. 10 years ago. And I heard the single. I heard Supernatural previous to this. And I think one of the best REM tracks that they had done in the last 20 years. Yes! Yes! What do you think about that?

I would agree, and I'm thrilled that you feel this way. I think the best song on the record. Oh, really? Okay. I actually,

I think this is my favorite song on the record. It's awesome. I'll tell you what my, let me give you my impression of the record then, and I'll tell you what I think now afterwards.

My impression of it then was like, holy shit, REM's back. Yeah. Really like the single, really like that track. Yeah. And it's not the exact style of the early stuff, but it's three-minute pop songs. Sometimes two minutes. Sometimes two minutes with great guitar licks and good backing vocals again and melodies and like everything that i sort of hooks hooks everything um that i kind of was sort of wary about from

their last their previous uh few records um it's great yeah Yeah. I remember when we started this, I was like, oh, I haven't heard anything past green. I go, oh, except for Accelerate, which I really liked. Yeah. So what's your impression now? I'll tell you after when we're done. Okay. Okay, so let's go to track two.

This is Man-Sized Reef. Man-Sized Reef. Adam just mining the bass. But a tearful hand to tug the heart in a man-sized re-out. Drown on the fire. Drown in the air. Kick it out on the dance floor like you just don't care. Give me some. With the palms to the arms. Two minutes and 32 seconds. Two minutes and 32 seconds. Two minutes and 32 seconds of catchy, hooky, rock and roll music.

Good shit. I love this. And this was one that they weren't even thinking of putting on the record. Well, it's interesting. And when you listen to Live at Olympia, Michael Stipe introduces it by saying, this is a song that's not going to thinking of putting on the record. Well, it's interesting. And when you listen to Live at Olympia, Michael Stipe introduces it by saying, this is a song that's not going to make it on the new record. I know.

And it becomes one of the singles. Yeah. And Peter Buck is like, that was a little early to say that. And he goes, okay, maybe it'll make the record. I think it was the reaction at those shows that made them decide to put it because people just loved it. It reminds me of something from like Green or something like that a little bit.

So catchy. Oh, we got to play the very end of the song too. Okay. Let's talk over it a little more though. This is also the end of the Bush years and there's a lot of kind of political stuff on it, but it's embedded in great songs. It's not like on Around the Sun,

the political stuff is a little on the nose and not as interesting. It's a lot like my freckle. A little on the nose. Little and on the nose. Everybody look around Everybody looking like they just don't care Throw it on the fire, caught in the air

Kicking out a dancer like you just don't care Give me some Give me some Give me some Yeah, it's great. Great. This is the single. This is the first song that I heard. Is it the first song you heard from this?

Yeah. Okay, this is Supernatural Super Serious. Everybody here Comes from somewhere This is Supernatural Super Serious. No one saw your face, no one saw your fear If that apparition had just appeared Took you up and away from the space and sheer humiliation Of your teenage station Nobody cares, no one remembers And nobody cares You cried and you cried

You survived, you survived You cried and you cried And you cried and you cried You know a song is good when Adam is airbasing to it. God. I mean, I think that's my favorite on the record. Like, that's great.

It's really good. Three minutes, 23 seconds. Fuck. I mean, it's back to murmur type song length and construction. That feels like Life's Rich Pageant, that nice big open chorus. Oh, I should also say that they had this thing, 99nights.com, where from January 1st to the release of the record, every day they would release little video clips of the making of the album. And they were also releasing these busking videos of them going around and just playing them and Scott McCoy and I think

Bill Paisley. They were just going out and playing like in a car in front of a shop, all this stuff, which was really cool and they've all disappeared. I don't know where those videos went. Yeah, where are those? I don't know. Hey, REMHQs, send us those vids. They, where are those? I don't know. Hey, REMHQs, send us those vids.

They're really cool vids. Always time to watch some vids. This is good. Great song. Their first single. I don't think anything charted, right? I have no idea. But as kind of as they say in the Olympia record, there really aren't B-sides or A-sides anymore.

There's just MP3s. So what are charts anymore? This is track four. This is Hollow Man based upon the Kevin Bacon film. Yes. In Elizabeth's shoe. I've been lost inside my head. I've been lost inside my head Echoes fall off me

I took the prize last night For calm and good at best But saying things I didn't mean I don't believe You sit there You just sit there You listen to this album Follow me and I see. We should just play this whole song. It's so short and good. Two minutes, 39 seconds. We've got to talk over some of it or else we'll be thrown off.

I just missed a drum beat. It was embarrassing, but no one's here to see it except you guys. I don't care. I do a little bit. You do. That was embarrassing, but no one's here to see it except you guys. I don't care. I do a little bit. You do. You really do. I love this song. I love this song.

I think it's great. I mean, it's great because it kind of tricks you into like, oh, is this off of, is this similar to the slow stuff from Up or something like that? And then just kicks into this. It's great. I remember before I heard the album, someone on Vulture, the review of it was like, there's this song, Hollow Man, which might be their best song ever.

And I was like, what the fuck? What is this? I have to hear this. Listen to that guitar. It's great. fuck what is this i have to hear this listen to that guitar it's great i would love it when when the guys at um harry m play our backyard barbecue i would love it if they would do these four songs in order yeah this is the best and i would include houston in this it's the best no you don't like houston i'm not for our backyard barbecue not for the backyard barbecue it's a little dour for

a backyard yeah man i want to party these four songs may be the best opening four of any of their records i think the best certainly since uh maybe maybe pageant yeah maybe even earlier direct uh yeah probably better for than Reckoning. I don't know. Let's listen to the last like 30 seconds of the song. This is it. There you go. We were playing it.

What do you want to hear about it? Because it's so good. Yeah, we were playing. All right, all right. Never mind. People can listen to it themselves. Yeah, exactly. How about that?

All right, this is, never mind. People can listen to get that out of my head. It's a new day today and the coffee is strong. I've finally got some rest. So a man's put to task and challenges. I was taught to hold my head high. Collect what is mine Make the best of what today has Houston is filled with promise

Grado's a beautiful place Galveston sings like the song that I love It's meaning is not in the race Houston. We don't have a problem? Houston, no problem. Hey, Houston! No problems down here, bros!

Uh, Houstonston no problemo um i'm not the hugest fan of houston that said it's two minutes two minutes five seconds yeah if you're if it's a little it's not the party atmosphere the first four songs were for me. It's a little like the stuff from Up, but if you cut four minutes out of it. But it's produced in such a new way. It's a song that... The keyboards remind me of that. An automatic... No, the keyboards, that organ sound, that old broken organ,

that's a brand new sound for them. It's great. I love that song. That was Houston, and it's over already. By the time we, we weren't even finished arguing about it, and it's over.

So who cares? I think it's, it's terrific. I love it. It's, I will preview what I think of this record right now, just because I,

otherwise I won't be able to talk about some of the songs. Yeah. Okay. So in, so I, I have gone for now 10 years going like, I like that record, Accelerate.

I think those first four songs are so good that I think I just in my memory was like, yeah, that whole album is good. And when I returned to it, I was like, what are some of these other songs? I couldn't remember any of them. I think it runs out of gas a little bit. Like, I love six of the songs. I think it runs out of gas a little bit. Uh-huh. Like,

I love six of the songs. Uh-huh. And I think five are okay. I think it runs out of gas right now. Right now? For the title track. Yeah. And then,

I- Until the day is done, I'd like a lot. I love Horse to Water. I love Mr. Richards. Mr. Richards is okay. Mr. Richards. Mr. Richards is-

Well, let's listen. Yeah, yeah. Okay, this is Accelerate, which is just, I don't know. It's okay. Mr. Richards. Well, let's listen. Yeah, yeah. Okay, this is Accelerate, which is just, I don't know. It's okay. Uh-oh. It's my least favorite song. It's the only song on the record that I don't love.

Submarine is my favorite. Oh, that might be my favorite. No time to argue with belief I'm not alone, a thousand others dropping Faster than me, what put me here? Nothing to hold on to, nowhere to be Where is the grip cord, the trap door, the key? Where is the cartoon escape hatch for me? No time to question the choices I've made. I've got to follow another direction.

Was that the chorus? I've got to find another direction. Last thing I remember. Was that the chorus? Yes. Yeah. Well, because he doesn't say accelerate until the second time they go through the chorus. Maybe they will. We'll talk over it.

It was never my favorite. There's nothing to hold on to for me. It feels a little down the middle. It's minor key the entire time. I'm not loving the melody all that much. That said, three minutes and 33 seconds. I don't hate it. I don't hate it.

Everything on the record, I remember bopping out to and going, yeah, this is really good. But in retrospect, some of the songs are better than others, I think. Let's see if they get into a chorus here Nicky says it I've got to fall in another direction accelerate he said it

I spent the whole song wondering if he would sell it say it sell it he said it and he sold it he the whole song wondering if he would sell it. Say it. Sell it? He said it. And he sold it. He really sold it. All right, let's go to track seven. By the way, at this point, the album is about 17 minutes.

Yeah, it's crazy. It's great, which would have been like two songs on up. Yeah. All right, this is Until the Day is Done. This was also a single. And let's hear it. And let's hear it now. You know?

This is the most kind of R.E.M.-y song on the album. And it's very good. The battle's been lost. The war is not won. Pretty typical of like, oh, yeah. The Adderley Republic could better be fun. typical of like oh yeah could be out of automatic for the people it's kind of Houston-y those two songs

but then I think it goes somewhere that Houston doesn't. The predictors die, the countries in ruins Providence bleeds facing the sun Where are we left to carry on? Until the day is done. Until the day is done. Yeah, I like the chorus. I like it better than Houston for some reason. I feel like Houston is like two minutes of just hook.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but I for some reason like the chorus better than this. This is really pretty. Yeah. I like it a lot. But you're right, it does sound kind of like typical R.E.M. This is, I feel like it's four classics and then a couple of fast just to be fast and then a typical REM song that I like. So sort of in the middle, I'm a little like, I don't know.

I don't know. Let's go to Mr. Richards, your position is a messenger pigeon Left behind you in the camp room dawn You thought that you were innocent But the words had never crystallized Into a truth that you hide on Hey, hey Mr. Richards, your decision

Pay attention, pay attention Mr. Richards, you're forgiven For a narrow lack of vision But the fires are still raging on The public's got open arms And these consequences border on The compound that you raised for us Ever since

Hey, hey Mr. Richard it's your decision Pay attention Pay attention So listen your intention Sign the paper

Stamp the ribbon You're mistaken If you think we'll just forget You can flip your chest and rattle Standing in front of your piano But we know what's going on Yes, we know what's going on. We're the children of the choir.

And we know what's going on. Okay, Mr. Richards. We're halfway through at this point. Yeah, I love Mr. Richards it's like the most Beatle-y it's very Beatle-y with the double tracking vocals

yeah feels like a revolver song yeah especially with the with the lyrics that are speaking to a particular person

especially calling them Mr. something it feels very Beatle-y I'm not a huge I'm not huge into it that's weird to me. I mean, I love the Beatles,

like, what are some of their songs? John Lennon was in the Beatles. Were you trying to remember the guys that were in the Beatles? No, that's right.

Yeah, I mean, that would be helpful. I don't know. I like this tempo change. I like when the drums start going twice as fast. Yeah, the tempo change. I like when the drums start going twice as fast.

No. Yeah, the tempo change. No. I love it. Adam loves it. Love it. I'm sort of so-so on it. All right.

Now, you were saying Sing for the Submarine is you do like or you don't like? For a while, it was my favorite REM song. It was your favorite REM song? It's a really weird song that really grows on you. Kind of like my freckle. No, your freckle is little and on the nose. Yeah, but it's grown. Oh, well, it did grow on you.

I think it might be a mole. I got to get it checked out. You know what? We can get it checked out during the show. Oh, yeah. Do you grow on you. I think it might be a mole. I got to get it checked out. Yeah. You know what? We can get it checked out during the show. Oh, yeah. Do you mind? Sure. Yeah.

Come over here. Here. Pull down your pants. Okay. All right. I remember not liking it, but I can't even place it, so let's listen to it. All right. Here we go.

It's four minutes and 50 seconds. It's like twice as long as... Yeah. My math is right. It's very self-referential. A lot of R.E.M. references in this song. Turn out the silent dream It's all here where I keep her It's all in the suffering It's all our last frightening

That we would have had it be I thought you could lose my darling Let's see, you heard references to Feeling Gravity's Pull, Electron Blue. Electron Blue. This was your favorite R.E.M. song of all time. Well, when this album was out and I was getting into it, I was like, this is so weird, and I figured it was the one people wouldn't like. So I was like, this is my favorite. But I do love it. I think it's a cool sounding,

it sounds expensive. Yeah, well, it sort of reminds me of stuff on Around the Sun. Well, it reminds me of Automatic and the craftsmanship of it. The backing vocals I'm just noticing now are really cool. And the wah-wah-wah of the guitar.

And this part sounds expensive. I don't like it, though. I like that it's... Because I think I heard Michael's type say once it's a song about a submarine and it uses fuel for dreams. I mean, dreams for fuel or something super weird. And I had figured out what it means at one point, and I'd forgotten.

So it really meant a lot to you. Yeah. Did you ever go to that submarine-themed restaurant at the Century City Mall? Dive? Yeah, did you ever go to Dive? No. Did you go there? I always –

It was like the DreamWorks restaurant, right? Yes, Spielberg started it. So when I would go to Century City Mall, which is not infrequently but not that often, I would look at Dive and be like, that's Spielberg's restaurant. Maybe I'll check it out someday. And I never did and it was gone. So I never checked it out, but I read an article about it recently. And what I did not know about it was, okay, it was shaped like a submarine

and every 45 minutes they would dive. And this isn't the crazy part though. And the windows, the sort of circular windows would fill up with water and it would, you know, and klaxons would go off or something. So if you were there for 45 minutes, you were always going to get one time of that, right? It sounds like Hankank kingsley's

dumb restaurant he came up with on larry sanders i don't remember the one that rotates oh yeah so but this is the craziest part i was like and i knew that about it yeah but what i didn't know was that the menu is all submarine sandwiches no yeah they were all like we're gonna we're gonna do for submarine sandwiches what California Pizza Kitchen did for the pizza. We're going to make them gourmet. Well, then you have to call it Submarine Sandwich Shop. Now that's a good idea. Submarine Sandwich Shop.

Triple S. What does dive say to you? It says it's like a dive bar or a seedy place it had an exclamation point though I remember seeing those windows on the outside of the mall

when you drive on Santa Monica like who wants to go and eat in a submarine no one whoever wants to go in a submarine but I remember

looking at it and thinking it looked like a money pit for those guys who wants to sing about a submarine well the Beatles did these guys

and these guys the second song about a submarine. Well, the Beatles did. These guys. And these guys. The second song about a submarine ever. Can you name any other song about a submarine? Oh, the submarine chanting. Oh, that's right.

Yeah. We're all in this little submarine. Okay, so you don't like Sing for the Submarine. That's my least favorite. You like Accelerate more than Sing for the Submarine. I do.

Okay. But Accelerate also has nothing that I can really hold on to either. That's why I'm – I actively don't really care for Accelerate and Submarine. Okay. Mr. Richards is fine. Houston is fine. I'm going to DJ I'm not a huge fan of.

But this one, Horse to Water, this is great. This is like the first four songs, I think. I'm going to DJ as like two horses and they're both super catchy. I think you're going to love it. I'm gonna DJ as like Two choruses

And they're both super gaggy I think you're gonna watch We're gonna listen to this with your shadow I'm a bad way with a mouth full of feathers that you know that what comes around goes around I'm not that easy I am not your horse to water I'm on my breath I come around, round, round

Like Mills singing again. Don't talk to my doorstep again I think I like the songs where those guys sing together. Me too. That's maybe just what it is. I love it when they sing. Like when it kind of slows down and it's just Michael Stipe. Like in Submarine. Mike Mills sings a lot in Submarine.

I guess not in the same sort of way. Yeah, right. Yeah, this is awesome. This is awesome. This is great. Love this one. Yeah, this is awesome. This is great. Love this one. Yeah. And just like that, we're almost over. We only have one last two-minute song to listen to.

It's I'm Gonna DJ, who we've been talking about a lot. Adam thinks I'll love it if I hear it one more time. I remember the chorus not being my favorite and being... There's like two super catchy parts. I don't know. I thought they were annoying, but let's hear them again. Maybe I'll love it. That's pretty final. I'm collected vinyl.

I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world. Cause if heaven does exist with a kicking playlist I don't want to miss it at the end of the world Hey, steady, steady, hey, steady, steady I don't want to go until I'm good and ready It's on my mind, it's in my mind It's what I found, it's what I find It's on my mind, it's in my mind, it's what I found, it's what I find

It's on my mind, it's in my mind, it's what I found, oh my, my, my But I'll spin my way right through it, great to see us jacked for it As the monster called the moon, as the circle in the room The music will provide the light, you cannot resist, you cannot resist, you cannot resist And the web logs that get tangled as you build a new angle You know what it is? I don't like Stipe's part of it. I like everything but Stipe's. The, like, I'm collecting vinyl part. I don't like Stipe's part of it. I like everything but Stipe's. The, like, I'm collecting vinyl part? I don't like his, he's the talk singing.

Because it's not really a melody. It's just da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. I'm collecting vinyl! You're right. That sounds just like it. No, it's just a little, like, this is a melody. But that's the only, everything else is kind of like da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Yeah, but it's is a melody but that's the only everything else is kind of like yeah it's still a melody i guess if if you track a melody like sure yeah there's musicality to that

i love the steady steady part the pre-chorus the chorus chorus and then the the chorus chorus I love it and just like that it's over just like that it's over alright well

yeah that's I mean I don't I don't think I don't think it's my favorite but I I love five of the songs

I like another one a lot until the day is done and so out of eleven songs, I really like six. I love five and really like another one, and the rest I'm sort of cold on.

What do we think about the record now in retrospect 10 years on? Well, I just have to say I feel like Houston and Mr. Richards are two near classics that you just need to listen to more. No. Ten years on, I still love it with the passion of a thousand sons. And by sons, I mean people who have fathers. So other people other people's sons no I love this record

I think it's aged really well it's definitely aged really well still sounds very vital yeah I think I liked it more in retrospect here's I think that it's exactly what needed to happen for R.E.M.

Yeah. It got me back interested in them. I loved the first four tracks are so good. Yeah. You could just stop there probably. Yeah. Four. And I think that it's what needed to happen.

That said, listening to it again, I to it you know maybe 10 times in the past week um it's a little slight because it's so short it's so short and it's a not that i'm short first you're complaining about their records being too long yeah and now you're complaining about it being too short i i guess when you stack it up what i'm trying to say is when you stack it up to other records is it too i mean you know murmur and reckoning are kind of samey so it's maybe that's not my issue with it i i just think it's like as a listening experience the more times i listen to it i'm just kind of like love love it at the beginning and then feel like it peters out a little bit. But certainly a good record that I have fond memories of. Yeah.

Did it get you interested enough to get Collapse Into Now? I bought it, but I've never listened to it. Okay. Got it. And could not pick out any of the songs. Got it. Because that one's a little longer, I think. I'm very much looking forward to listening to Collapse Into Now because from what I've heard, it's like this record,

but more varied and more like a typical R.E.M. record in a way, but it has the vitality of this record. I mean, I feel like this record, it almost was like Monster, which is like too much of one sound, but they were smart to include like Houston and Until the Day is Done. I almost, yeah, I don't know. You know what I- Vary it up a bit.

If the first five songs were Living Well is the Best Revenge, Man-Sized Wreath, Supernatural, Hollow Man, and Horse to Water, and then they did five more that were as good as that, it would be one of the best records of all time. Well, yeah, that's the goal with any album. Is make it really good?

Yeah. But I think, for me, it's what you're saying, except Accelerate is the only... The only dud for you. Sort of dud for me. Yeah. Everything else, I like.

I just kind of wish there were five more songs that were just classic verse hook, like Reckoning. That's why it's not as good as Reckoning or Murm murmur to me but just think about what you're saying no there this is an album with five stone cold classics on it that's more than most albums oh yeah right i mean you know but we're talking about the greatest albums of all time yes um all right let's go through some b-sides. You ready? Yeah. Airliner. Instrumental.

Kind of a return to their surf rock stuff. They seem to do like a surf rock B-side every single. Yeah, this is, I think, Peter Bucks. Does he love surf rock? I think he does, yeah. Does he surf? He surf rocks. This is good surf rock and roll music. If they had put this on the record, what would you have thought?

I would have thought, why is this on the record? Just as like a midway break? Yeah. Don't like it? Okay. All right, let's go to... Then they do a couple of beat-happening covers, weirdly enough. Is this Redhead walking? This is Redhead walking, yeah.

What's beat-happening? Beat-happening is a band that Calvin Johnson is in. Oh. There's one B-side for this album that I kind of wish was on the album. Which one? Indian Summer. That's a Beat Happening record, too. It is?

Yeah. I love that song song let's hear it this is another beat happening cover this is indian summer i had no idea this was not an rm song yeah it's so cool but this is four minutes and 50 seconds again of kind of slow yeah well it's one of those ones where you get it and you're like, for a B-side, you're like, oh, I'm so glad I have this.

Yeah, yeah. Maybe I wouldn't think of the same if it was on the record. Ding dong, the witch is dead. In a distant cemetery Boy, tasty wild cherry Long the witch's death. In a distant cemetery. Boy, tasty wild cherry.

Touch girl, apple blossom. Just a ball. Shevin, look up Indian Summer, the original. See if we can hear it contrasted. Beat happening, Indian Summer. We'll come back for Indian Summer. We'll come back for Indianian summer go our separate way so they they pretty much saved everything for the next record then yeah they didn't there's an instrumental in two covers there's no there are no b-sides yeah breakfast in cemetery boy tasting wild cherry. Touch girl.

Which version do you like better on a first listen? Just a boy playing possum. I think I like the REM one. I like this. It's kind of like a magnetic field. Yeah, yeah, I like it. Okay. We have just a couple other tracks to get to

that came out around the same time. The year before, this is from the Instant Karma John Lennon tribute Save Darfur record. Oh, yeah.

This is Number 9 Dream. And this is Bill Barry on drums. It was so long ago So how did Bill Berry end up on drums on this? If I remember correctly, they recorded it right before they went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to accept their thing. Oh, really? Like the day of? I could be wrong about that. But for whatever reason, they were all together and they recorded this. Maybe they got together just to record this.

There's some footage of them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on that MTV documentary it's really good yeah this is okay I like it it's it's not my favorite John Lennon song in the first place

me neither that's a cool part though I do like that I like the chorus it's so weird for this song it just kind of hangs on the

I don't know what I'm trying to say oh and then it goes there okay so that's Number 9 Dream you can go check that It's so weird for this song. It just kind of hangs on the... I don't know what I'm trying to say. Oh, and then it goes there. Okay, so that's Number 9 Dream. You can go check that out if you like. And then this was really... This is another thing that I got wrapped up in the hype for this record is, like I was saying, they would go on to music blogs.

And this is around the time that this came out in 2008, even in the mid-2000s. It was very popular of – it was like you could get a music blog's attention by a band going on and doing a cover of another band. You would automatically get written about, like a modern band. So this is REM doing a song by Editors who had covered Orange Crush. This is them doing an Editors cover of the song Munich. I'm so glad I found this. I'm so glad I did. I'm so glad I found this. I'm so glad I did.

People are fragile things you should know by now Be careful what you put them through People are fragile things you should know by now You'll speak when you're spoken to. Kind of live in studio for whatever blog or whatever they were doing before. Yeah, they were smart doing stuff like this. Yeah, because editors were very popular that particular year. Yeah. Or maybe the year before.

And South by Southwest, and they did Austin City Limits. They did a lot of cool stuff. They did Austin Powers. Yeah. They did Austin Powers. Yeah. They did Austin Powers impressions to each other. In 2008 when it was hot.

And their tour the Accelerate Tour was stripped down. They had less people on stage. Oh really? It was just Scott McCoy and Bill Reifle. I wonder why I didn't go to it.

It was a great show. Where'd they play? It was the Hollywood Bowl with Modest Mouse. It was a great show. Where'd they play? The Hollywood Bowl with Modest Mouse. It was awesome. Interesting. Well, that does it for this era of REM.

Hooray. Hooray. 2008. And they only have one more record left. Crazy. Does that mean we only have one more episode left? I don't know. We'll see.

We'll see what happens. But this was fun. I enjoyed listening to this record again. Yeah. And some stone cold classics on it. Yeah. And oh, by the way, this is, I did have one last thing that I have to read, which is, now, Adam, you have kept the spirit of walking around and putting headphones on people's ears alive by constantly sending friends albums that they should listen to.

And one of our previous guests and friend, Edgar Wright, you sent him this album, the Accelerate album. I did. And so I was talking to him, and he had some things that he had a statement he wanted me to read about. Great. My thoughts on Accelerate. Adam Scott gifted this to me on iTunes, and I have been enjoying it all week.

This is the only post-Bill Berry album I have heard, and it's definitely a return to sounding like a rock band in a great way. Random Thoughts, the best out-of-the-gate opening track since Life's Rich Pageant. Horse to Water is a banger. And is Mr. Richards about Michael Richards' infamous Laugh Factory tirade? I hope so. And is Mr. Richards about Michael Richards' infamous Laugh Factory tirade? I hope so. Also, I realized that I maybe did have new adventures in Hi-Fi on CD. Now he's making corrections about his previous appearance.

And that was the last one I bought. And corrections department, A, I'm sorry about falsely claiming that Michael Cera was a young Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon when he was, in fact, young Chuck Beres in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He conflated those two. B, you guys, meaning you and I, Adam, called Squeeze's singles compilation 45s and under singles going steady, which is conflating the Squeeze best of compilation with the equally excellent Buzzcocks best of compilation. Also, finally, I may start listening to U2 albums. Oh, yeah. I'm going to send him, I was thinking of this today, I'm going to send him a U2 record

tonight. What should I send him? Joshua Tree. No, he probably, no, he's never listened to any of them, right? But Joshua Tree, you know all his songs. No, no, you know them all. Should I send him, I was thinking of sending him songs of experience and just being like, this is them now. And it's- So he's never listened to any of their records.

That's what he says. I mean, I love, okay, knowing him, what would he like? He's huge into Sparks. I feel like- I love Unforgettable Fire but he but who knows if he would like that or not

maybe I mean All That You Can't Leave Behind kind of runs out of gas in the middle of it I mean Andy and you really like Atomic Bomb

Atomic Bomb but even that he'll be he'll know Vertigo too well I feel like Songs of Experience he won't know any of it. Send him Songs of Experience. Yeah, send him Songs of Experience and just go

this is where they're at right now. That would be great. He's been listening to our YouTube episodes. I guess he's all caught up now, he said. He had never heard any of this until he was on. In like a week he listened to all of our episodes. Anyway, thank you Edgar. Great to hear

from you and good to know that you like Accelerate. That's going to do it our episodes. Anyway, thank you, Edgar. Great to hear from you and good to know that you like Accelerate. And that's going to do it for us. I don't know what we're going to do next week. We may talk about, what's their last record? Oh, Collapse, Into Now, respectively, that is.

Yeah, we may talk about that. We may do something else. I don't really know. But until then, for Dave Holmes, thank you to him and for Adam Scott. Until next week,

we hope that you found what you're looking for Bye between me, Cameron Esposito, and some of the brightest luminaries in the LGBTQ family. Query explores individual stories of identity, personality, and the shifting cultural matrix around gender, sexuality, and civil rights. Plus, it is fun. We have had some incredible guests. Emmy winner Lena Waithe? Yes, definitely.

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