Esta canção tem um motivo a mais para estar aqui: é pop de um berço alternativo. Mas bota alternativo nisso! A banda R.E.M.! A banda de rock norte-americana sempre foi conhecida por seus hits alternativos como “Orange Crush”, “It’s the End of The World (As We Know It)”, “The One I Love”, dentre outros. Mas com “Losing My Religion”, ele acabaram dando uma escapada por fora de sua bolha alternativa, angariando fãs à nível pop. Alcançou #4US e “Out of Time” vendeu 10 milhões de cópias. Eles fizeram algo parecido com “Shiny Happy People” (que poderia ser colocado aqui como “Desastres do Pop”, mas não é ruim o bastante). Enfim…

|Canção vencedora de dois Grammys de Melhor Performance Vocal Pop de Duo ou Grupo e Melhor Vídeo-Clipe|

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Sobre a banda: O R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement) foi formado em 1980 pelo membros Michael Stipe (vocais, violão, teclado, harmonica), Peter Buck (violão, guitarra, mandolin, baixo, teclado), Mike Mills (voicais, baixo, teclado) e Bill Berry (vocais, bateria). Sempre tiveram influências dos anos 60 em suas músicas, assim como o folk também. Com mais de 10 álbuns de inéditas lançados e 64 singles (4 top 10 US – 10 top 10 UK), é um dos grupos alternativos mais bem sucedidos do mundo.

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“Losing My Religion” foi escrita pela banda toda. O título da canção é uma expressão usada no sul dos Estados Unidos da América, quem significa algo do tipo “perder a civilidade, as estribeiras”. E foi produzida pela banda juntamente com Scott Litt (que já trabalhou com gente como Ian Hunter [do Mott The Hoople], Carly Simon, New Order, Patti Smith, e produziu alguns remixes para o Nirvana nos últimos tempos da banda, etc…).

Peter Buck compôs o riff principal e o refrão vendo televisão, enquanto tentava aprender a tocar seu recém-comprado mandolin. Foi realmente algo bem criativo para um mero experimento num dia de tédio vendo televisão. A canção também tem lá algo de Fleetwood Mac, mais necessariamente a influência que o baixista John McVie tem sobre Mills. E o mais estranho, é que Stipe chegou a comparar sua canção com “Every Breath You Take”, do The Police, no quesito pop.

De qualquer maneira, a canção consegue ter uma força incrível sem destoar das raízes do rock alternativo a qual a banda pertence. É uma espécie de “agradar a gregos e troianos” com qualidade.

O R.E.M. alcançou #4US e #19UK, conseguindo um estrelato que de fato nunca foi lá almejado pela banda. Eles acabaram de alguma maneira sendo jogados no mainstream e não sendo mais exclusividade do pessoal underground (se bem que, mesmo antes de Out of Time, a banda já não era tão underground assim). Honestamente, acho o clipe um tanto confuso, apesar disso não tirar seu interesse (acho que a idéia de Stipe foi mesmo soar confuso e bizarro). O vídeo-clipe foi dirigido por Tarsem Singh (que já dirigiu vídeos das En Vogue, e até filmes longa-metragem, mas que sempre foi especialista em dirigir propagandas pra TV [tipo aquela We Will Rock You da Pepsi com a Britney Spears, Beyonce e P!nk].), no lugar do próprio Stipe, que costuma dirigir alguns vídeos da banda. De qualquer maneira, ganharam um Grammy e ganharam seis prêmios do MTV Video Music Awards (honestamente, quem se importa com prêmios dados pela MTV?).

Aqui vai o vídeo-clipe da canção:

Bruno

Here are 5 great duets (more duets on the way…):

1. “God Only Knows” — Beach Boys Cover by Mandy Moore & Michael Stipe

2. “Love Hurts” — Everly Brothers/Roy Orbison/Nazareth Cover by Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice

3. “Anyone Else But You” — Moldy Peaches Cover by Ellen Page & Michael Cera in Juno

4. “Sometimes Always” — The Jesus and Mary Chain

5. “Delaware” (Acoustic) — Wesley Jensen and Christie Dupree

Michael Stipe, vocalista do R.E.M, acaba de desenvolver um projeto em parceria com a Maison Martin Margiela. O músico criou 199 fitas K7 de prata, que vem com uma tira de couro e podem ser usadas de várias formas, como mostra o pôster abaixo. O objeto vem dentro de um caderno assinado e numerado.

R.E.M adamı Michael Stipe, birkaç sene önce Juergen Teller imzalı bir Marc Jacobs kampanyasında karşımıza çıkmıştı. Şimdi yine bir moda haberinin içinde rastlıyoruz kendisine; ama bu kez bir model olarak değil, bir tasarımcı olarak. Her yeni tasarımı, her yeni yarattığı iş ile dikkat çekmemesi olanaksız Maison Martin Margiela ile anlaşan Stipe, toplamda 199 adet sınırlı sayıda üretilen ‘mikrokasetlere’ imza atmış. Ama bu kasetler için ne bir kolye, ne bir saç bandı, ne de bir kemer denemiyor; çünkü mikrokasetler bunların hepsini içeriyor. Onlarca farklı kullanımdan dilediğinizi seçmek size kalmış…

Dazed Digital, Poster by Thomas Dozol

Limited edition microcassettes for Maison Martin Margiela by R.E.M singer Michael Stipe.  Only 199 made.

]]> http://mindthecap.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/michael-stipe-for-margiela/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:46:00 +0000 mindthecap http://mindthecap.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/michael-stipe-for-margiela/

The Crew ain’t just about fresh sneakers and tee’s!  Check this piece from Michael Stipe…

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe debuted his talent as a sculpture artist in 2008, unveiling his cast bronze sculptures at Rogan Botique in Bowery. He has since kept it moving by recently collaborating with Belgian label Maison Martin Margiela on a piece that aligns well with Martin Margiela’s obscure ‘found art’ approach to design.

The piece comes in the shape of a mini metal cassette tape equipped with an unraveled tape that serves as a chain. Limited to only 199 pieces, these cassette tape accessories will be available at Margiela boutiques as well as at selected retailers. Check it below.

Via Hypebeast.

A pochi giorni dall’uscito dello splendido Live At The Olympia arriva la notizia del rientro in studio di registrazione dei R.E.M. La leggendaria band di Athens, Georgia, sta infatti lavorando all’album numero 15 della propria carriera insieme con Jacknife Lee, già dietro al mixer per Accelerate e il succitato disco dal vivo.

Sul sito del gruppo sono intanto apparse due clip che Michael Stipe, ora barbuto, sta girando durante le sessioni. Le potete vedere qui sotto.

Did you know that Mr, Stipe, frontman of shiny, happy rock band REM was also a sculptor? No, neither did I, although Stipe’s exhibition of cast bronze sculptures at the Rogan Boutique in June last year would say otherwise. Embracing this lesser-known cultural output of his is Belgian label Maison Martin Margiela, for whom Stipe has created this metal cassette-tape accessory.

Apparently part accessory, part ‘objet d’art’ that fits in nicely with MMM’s ‘found art’ perspective on design, no doubt aping the likes of Marcel Duchamp, this mini tape comes complete with a tape band that doubles as a chain. Can be wrapped up and used as a bracelet, or a necklace, or whatever the hell you want to have a metal tape hanging off. Limited to just 199 pieces, odds are these will become collector’s items very quickly. Available from Maison Martin Margiela boutiques and select retailers.

James

Michael Stipe é músico, compositor e vocalista do R.E.M.  Mas as ocupações criativas dele não param por aí. O moço ainda é produtor de filmes independentes e esculpe peças em bronze em escala mini, como Polaroids e fitas-cassete. E parece que essas últimas agradaram tanto que ele acabou de firmar uma parceria com a Maison Martin Margiela para produzir uma linha limitadíssima de 199 dessas fitinhas. O mais legal dessa peça-acessório é que você pode usar no lugar e da forma que quiser. Dá só uma olhada na foto.

Autumn in the middle Atlantic — in the month of November, especially — it’s one of the most sensuous times of the year to live in this area. The leaves have shed their monochromatic green sheen, revealing their true colors in a palette that always captures my attention when it begins to appear, everything from the pale gold of the ginkgo trees, to the bright red and rouge on the maples, to the copper, rust, and deep russet of the oaks and sycamores. I never tire of gazing at such grandstanders.

By now, too, the humidity has relaxed its grip on the atmosphere, allowing the revitalizing breezes to circulate freely again, while still maintaining moisture enough in the air to draw out the pungent aromas of damp, loamy soil, moldering leaves, and other earthy confections. And the days and nights are still pleasant and inviting — no longer too hot and not yet too cold — so we leave the windows open whenever and for as long as we can, to take it all in.

Autumn also is a time when nostalgia is in full bloom. Maybe it has to do with the realization that the days are growing shorter, the nights longer, and the end (literally and figuratively speaking) is slouching toward us, along the horizon. Or maybe it’s because, no matter how well you cover your eyes and ears, you can’t blot out the announcements about “the most wonderful time of the year” (oh, good grief!) that have begun arriving, like flocks of riotous, trumpeting migratory birds. For whatever reason, there’s something about the fall that makes me think of (and even pine for) other times, and other places.

What’s the right medicament, then, for my predicament of natural wonder and neurotic wistfulness? A soundtrack, of course; specifically, a mixtape comprised of new tunes that I’ve picked up and listened to over the past 30 days or more. These are songs that in one way or another make me think of days gone by, old haunts, or cherished friendships, whether recent or reaching deep into the past. They’re songs that are perfect for a moment of quiet contemplation — call it “leaf-peeping pop music” — or that should be turned up while riding around with the top down, while you’re still able.

Be sure to click on each of the links below to sample the songs (open each as a new tab or window), and then follow the threads to find out where you can download them. Or you can listen to the playlist in its entirety, though in random order, at the Scribbleskiff page on the 8tracks Web site. Just click here, open as a new tab or window, and let the music play as you read along. Enjoy!

“Roslyn,” Bon Iver & St. Vincent, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Ominous, dreamy, and foreboding — what better way to describe a song accompanying a movie about lovestruck teen vampires. And yet this wispy, waltzy little number, penned by two artists with pen names, is hardly dark or ghoulish. In fact, in the way Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Annie Clark (St. Vincent) meld their disparate talents into a singular, lilting, stripped-down ballad awash in lush, layered harmonies and muddy bass lines, this song could easily serve as music for a glittering, foggy fall morning.

“Blood,” The Middle East, The Recordings of The Middle East (EP). It’s hard to pinpoint an antecedent for this plucky little song by these Aussie newcomers. It begins in a folky, fey “Sounds of Silence” way — fluttery guitar picking, echoey, falsetto vocals, brushed snare. But then it gathers sound and momentum, adding more singers and instruments (an Autoharp, a xylophone, some percussion), building toward an Arcade Firey crescendo, only to pull its punches at the last second, dissolving back to near-silent sounds, the way Sufjan Stevens expertly does. Not sure what I mean? Hear it with your own eyes here.

“Too Young to Burn,” Sonny & The Sunsets, Tomorrow is Alright. What if The Rolling Stones hadn’t recorded Beggars Banquet and instead had collaborated on a record with The Supremes? It might have sounded a lot like this song, where a groovy, Motown-like backbeat supports bluesy, bare-bones guitar licks, peppered with lots of “Baby Love” handclaps, subtle girly doo-wops, and more. Beggars can’t be choosers, I know, but we can be dreamers.

“Raindrops (Matsuri),” Grand Hallway, Promenade. The opening moments of this song remind me of The Carpenters records my parents used to play, on rainy days, no doubt. It’s comforting to hear those familiar soft, male-female harmonies and jaunty piano chord-play again. But the tempo here soon quickens, and the instrumentation and melody structure take on a world-pop sophistication (think early Poi Dog Pondering) that Karen and Richard never would have attempted (or were allowed to achieve), a tribute to the collective power of this group, which includes members of several Seattle bands. Grand, indeed.

“Home,” Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Up From Below. Do you like homespun, folk-inspired, group-singing songs? If so, here’s a dew-ragful, at its liveliest, most affecting, and twee. Oozing bumpkin sentimentality, from the aw-shucks subject to the group’s “Hee-Haw” sensibility and sappy banter — you can almost hear the dopey Johnny-and-June dueters smiling at each other — it’s nonetheless infectious and comfy. In fact, each time I’ve played this playful ditty, churned out by a group of 10-plus musicians, it’s no less welcoming than the first. Y’all come back now!

“Feeling the Pull,” The Swell Season, Strict Joy. As a follow-up to their hugely successful soundtrack to (and starring roles in) the movie “Once,” Glen Hansard (The Frames) and Marketa Irglova are once again pouring out draughts of their swell, up-tempo, Irish-folk-inspired melodies. There’s no film to accompany the couple this time, but you don’t need visuals to see how his hard-strumming, rousing heartache is so effectively and affectionately soothed by her plaintive piano fingering and whispery harmonies. I’d bet that, given enough seasons, these two could make every break-up song sound like feel-good music.

“Heartbeat Radio,” Sondre Lerche. Heartbeat Radio. I’d guess this young Norwegian phenom listened to a lot of Barry Manilow and George Harrison records growing up. I have no way of proving my theory, but those ’70s stalwarts are the two main musical strains I hear flowing in and around this song — call it “Can’t Smile Without and Got My Mind Set on You.” Other influences peek out, too, from Elvis Costello to ELO, making this clever diatribe against the banality of FM radio even more heartfelt.

“When Did the Lights Go Out,” Pixie Carnation, Fresh Poems (EP). From the get-go, with its pounding drums and ringing guitar chords, this song gets in line with the great tradition of American roots-rock anthems that filled the airways in the 1980s. Except of course the band’s Scandinavian, which likely explains why, though a Tom Petty wannabe, it’s got better harmonies. There’s also just enough postpunk edginess (the kind perfected by the group name-checked in their moniker) to make it interesting and keep your head nodding along, in agreement.

“Last Dance,” The Raveonettes, In & Out of Control. Their name alone — Rave-on-ettes — should be a tip-off that this band (a duo, really) is a throwback to another era. But it’s their unique mix of ’60s girl-group charm and shoe-gazer values that makes them standouts to me. Take this incredibly catchy single as example: with its droning, spaced-out grooves and sunny chorus, it’s the happiest-sounding “choose-your-drug-habit-or-me” kiss-off songs I’ve ever heard.

“Cloudbusting,” Wild Nothing, Capture Tracks. I was a big fan of Kate Bush in college and have wondered lately where she’s gone, especially now, a time when her fantastically lyrical, dream-like songs would be in demand. This cut, the second single from her 1985 album Hounds of Love, and lovingly covered here in hazy, synth-pop layers by a young Virgina-based singer-songwriter, was one of my faves. Compare the new version with the original on this video, directed by Python trouper Terry Gilliam.

“Ashamed of the Story I Told,” The National, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy. Does it matter whether you know who Mulcahy is or that this cover version of a song he recorded with his band Polaris can be found on a tribute album created as a fundraiser following a family tragedy? Does it affect your enjoyment of this haunting song, rendered here a little lovelier and less dirge-like than the original (hear that one here)? Not in the least. I’ve also heard and like Michael Stipe’s contribution, “Everything’s Coming Undone,” which reveals why Around the Sun may have sounded a bit like a solo project rather than REM’s 13th studio album.

“So Slowly,” Early Day Miners, The Treatment. Who are these guys? I don’t know or care, really. One thing I’m certain: despite (or maybe because of) the fact that their song offers an odd admixture of goofy ’70s glam and ’90s noisiness, I can’t stop playing it. It’s as if ABBA reunited to cover The Jesus and Mary Chain, or (more likely) the other way round, then added some Nuclear Daydream-era Joseph Arthur fuzzy-groovies and asked the ghost of Jimi Hendrix to light up the guitar-rowdy outro, and Shazam! Disco meets distortion. (That would require treatment for sure.)

“Good Ol’ Boredom,” Built to Spill, There Is No Enemy. It’s a rare band these days that puts the guitar out front. Too often that instrument, which until fairly recently had worked its way up from rhythm section to bandleader, now gets buried in the overall mix of melody and melodrama. Think about fogies like Mark Knopfler or Bonnie Raitt and you’ll get my meaning. But that’s never been an issue for these guys, who always deliver distinct, memorable guitar lines that — in the case of this wailer — make me think of high-wire acts like The Eagles at their soaring best.

“Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” Them Crooked Vultures, Mind Eraser, No Chaser. Remember when “rock and roll” meant loud music your parents told you to turn down, not soft songs you have to turn up to hear? For examples of the latter, look no farther than the opening tracks on this playlist (guilty). For the former, feast your eyes on these old buzzards — Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Their rock-god reputations precede them, for sure, but it’s nice to know they can still make old-fashioned, balls-to-the-walls, heavy-metal music that will make your ears bleed. Straight up!

So, there you have it, 15 new songs for the season of the senses. I encourage you (nay, implore you) to share these with your friends and family members — as a sign of thanksgiving, perhaps. It’s what the Indians did, remember?

And, as always, tell us what you think. Is there a new band that you’d like others to know more about? What’s your favorite song of November? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

And be sure to visit (and join) the Scribbleskiff page on Facebook (find it here), where you can partake in wall-to-wall conversations, find additional information and suggestions from readers, and more.

… in which “cool” is defined as any music enjoyed by self-confessed music-fascist, Scar.

It’s probably going to contain guitars and sad men with messy hair and scruffy jeans.  Disclaimer: this is purely a style choice, not a gender-political one.  Scar is and always has been very cheerful about having a vagina.

When it’s not suicidally morbid, or even rather emo, it tends to be grunge, surfer punk and in some cases, things like Metallica and Nine Inch Nails.  Mostly, however, it tends to be stuff like Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan or a bunch of foppish looking young brits with floppy fringes.  Scar has never quite managed to shake off the nineties.

Scar is not a complete gender traitor, in fact she is sometimes known to sing tonelessly along with Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, Ani Difranco and the like.  Yup, there’s a pattern there too.

In order to fake some kind of cool factor, Scar hangs out at spinner.com and stereogum.com and downloads obscure music by bands with whimsical names.  The ones she keeps are generally the ones that remind her of nineties bands.  Her inverted snobbery is a prominent factor in her musical choices and if she admits to enjoying something mainstream, the admission is always prefaced by the muttered words, “Don’t tell anyone, but …”

Despite all of this, her favourite band since the mid-eighties has been R.E.M. and she reacts to 21st century descriptions of them as “grandad rock” with sincere distress.  She is also the only known lesbian on earth with a crush on Kurt Cobain.

Escuta, meu bem, não é preciso muito, agora. O violão e a voz do Michael Stipe clamando um só amor, enquanto a chuva desaba lá fora. Escuta, a noite agora faz sua própria música, ouve como as estrelas à deriva lamentam, fantasmagóricas, num murmúrio doce…

One – U2 com Michael Stipe nos vocais

*Sábados

Pornim o nouă rubrică periodică. Debut va descrie, cât se poate de bine, începuturile unor formaţii sau artişti solo de succes şi se încadrează în capitolul Zoom. Începem cu REM, că mi-a plăcut foarte mult la vremea respectivă.

…

• An înfiinţare: 1980
• Localitatea: Athens (Georgia) SUA
• Nume iniţial: Twisted Kites

R.E.M. a fost o trupă de studenţi din Athens (oraş studenţesc din statul american Georgia). Michael Stipe (solist), Peter Buck (chitară), Mike Mills (bas) şi Bill Berry (tobe) alcătuiesc componenţa de aur a formaţiei. Înfiinţată în 1980, iniţial Michael Stipe şi Peter Buck au început să cânte împreună sub numele Georgia Peaches şi au lansat chiar un album de debut, Ripe; Mike Mills şi Bill Berry repetau împreună în altă sală. Un prieten comun le face cunoştinţă, iar cei patru se adună să cânte la petrecerea unui alt amic sub numele Twisted Kites. La scurt timp după aceea au început să cânte în baruri micuţe şi să facă turnee în zona respectivă a Statelor Unite, cu un repertoriu de coveruri. Concomitent, se lucra la un sunet propriu în sala de repetiţie şi se încerca să se adune un grup de spectatori fidel. În anii 80 au reuşit să devină cunoscuţi în campusurile studenţeşti, REM fiind considerată un pionier al muzicii rock alternative. Pe măsură ce muzica rock alternativă a început să prindă la mai multă lume şi să fie acceptată pe radio comercial, REM a ţinut pasul cu dezvoltarea scenei respective, devenind un nume cunoscut la nivel internaţional. În timp ce punk rock-ul a scăzut în popularitate şi muzica alternativă care folosea clapele ca element predominant a preluat ştacheta în topuri, REM şi-a menţinut stilul rock interpretat în mod tradiţional, fără artificii (voce, chitară, bas, tobe).

1982. August. REM debutează discografic cu un mini-album cu câteva piese (EP)
Chronic Town (editat de IRS Records) având succes la ascultătorii de muzică alternativă, considerată o muzică underground la vremea aceea.

1983. Mai. Se lansează primul album (lung) de studio (LP), Murmur.
1983. August. REM intră prima dată în topuri cu o piesă re-trasă în studio (special cu această ocazie), Radio Free Europe.

Revista Rolling Stone a considerat Murmur Albumul anului 1983.

…

Dacă daţi un search în site folosind acronimul R.E.M., veţi găsi interviurile făcute cu cei trei membri fondatori din actuala componenţă a formaţiei.

…

Rubrica Zoom. Debut va prezenta preponderent artişti străini, iar pe măsură ce obţinem informaţiile direct de la artiştii noştri (mai mult sau mai puţin consacraţi) vom documenta şi scena autohtonă.

I’ve got REM’s “Murmur” and “Out of Time” in my collection, but lately I’ve tended to hit the fast forward button whenever REM pops up.

This morning, though, “Sitting Still” came on the iPod, and the song managed to conjure up the old mid-80s REM jones. I got to know the band thanks to a camp counselor, Ed, back in the day. Ed was cool, and I’m pretty sure he had “Radio Free Europe” on a mix tape or something. From there, I bought the band’s stuff on vinyl, which explains why my REM collection is so paltry these days. I also saw REM live, at the New Haven coliseum, in November of 1986. My dad took me and a friend to the show. Set list, via REM Chronicle:

• These Days
• Harborcoat
• Lightnin’ Hopkins
• Sitting Still
• The One I Love
• Feeling Gravitys Pull
• The Flowers Of Guatemala
• Ghost Riders In The Sky
• (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
• Tired Of Singing Trouble
• Finest Worksong
• I Believe
• Swan Swan H
• Seven Chinese Bros.
• Superman
• Can’t Get There From Here
• We Walk
• 1,000,000
• Pretty Persuasion
• Auctioneer (Another Engine)
• Oddfellows Local 151
• Driver 8
• Long Legged Girl (With A Short Dress On)
• Just A Touch
• Fall On Me
• Cuyahoga
• Radio Free Europe

There are some great songs on that list, for sure, but I seem to remember that the band’s live act was somewhat underwhelming. I think I was perhaps spoiled by my first ever show: U2’s Unforgettable Fire show at Nassau Coliseum in April 1985. At the REM gig, I remember Michael Stipe having not much of a rapport with his audience. Certainly not like Bono, who literally embraced his fans. At one point, Stipe yelled out something like “How’s everybody doing?” After the crowd let out a big cheer, he replied, “That was a rhetorical question – you had no need to reply.” The crowd cheered again, so Michael Stipe repeated the bit about the rhetorical question. I remember it being odd.

Anyway, it’s amazing how music stirs up memories. Here I am, in my late thirties, walking to my job in Washington, DC, and I’m reliving high school bus rides with REM on the walkman.

Have you heard?

The editor of Dazed & Confused Magazine has edited a hot little coffee table book: Destroy/Rankin. The book has brought together over 70 of the world’s biggest musicians and visual artists who have composed a body of artwork based on photographer Rankin’s rockstar portraits. Slebrities such as Kylie Manogue, Beck, U2, and REM’s  Michael Stipe destroyed the images by creating personal reflections on their music and images. The limited addition book also includes a 30-minute DVD with behind the scenes foots and costs $69(USD). Buy the Destroy/Rankin at Gestalten.

Have you heard? The editor of Dazed & Confused has edited a hot little coffee table book: Destroy/Rankin. The book has brought together over 70 of the world’s biggest musicians and visual artists who have composed a body of artwork based on photographer Rankin rockstar portraits. Slebrities such as Kylie Manogue, Beck, U2, and REM’s  Michael Stipe destroyed the images by creating personal reflections on their music and images.

The limited addition book also includes a 30-minute DVD with behind the scenes foots and costs $69(USD).

Buy the Destroy/Rankin at Gestalten.

Mad World è uno dei successi dei Tears for Fears. Pubblicata nel 1982 come terzo singolo estratto dall’album di debutto del gruppo, The Hurting, raggiunse la terza posizione nella classifica inglese. Ma è vent’anni dopo che la canzone ha raggiunto la sua vera consacrazione con la cover di Michael Andrews e Gary Jules per la colonna sonora del film Donnie Darko. Diventato il singolo natalizio numero uno nel 2003, la canzone da allora è stata utilizzata in molte colonne sonore fra cui Csi, E.R. – Medici in prima linea – Cold Case, Nip/Tuck, Smallville e anche per la pubblicità cinematografica del videogioco Gears of War per XBox 360. Quando Mad World venne trasmessa per la prima volta, lo stile vocale di Jules fu spesso confrontato con quello di Michael Stipe, voce dei R.E.M. Nel video originale della cover dei bambini all’uscita da scuola, ripresi dall’alto, compongono delle figure come un albero, un viso sorridente, una stella, una casa mentre Jules suona il suo piano sul tetto del palazzo sopra di loro. Al di là dell’arrangiamento, melodioso, leggero, dolce ma ripetitivo quasi fino all’ossessione, c’è un passaggio fondamentale nel testo di Mad World che ne chiarisce il titolo e rende la canzone fondamentale per qualsiasi playlist malinconico/romantica/evocativa: And I find it kind of funny/I find it kind of sad/The dreams in which I’m dying/Are the best I’ve ever had/I find it hard to tell you/I find it hard to take/When people run in circles/It’s a very very/Mad world/Mad world. La traduzione: E trovo un pò buffo/e trovo un pò triste/che i sogni nei quali sto morendo/ siano i migliori che abbia mai fatto/E trovo difficile da dirti/E trovo difficile da sopportare/Quando la gente corre in circolo/E’ davvero/Un mondo folle/Un mondo folle. Una strofa che fotografa quell’ironia un po’ cinica della vita che realizza i nostri pensieri peggiori e ci lascia a desiderare quelli migliori, quelli più veri, quelli più sinceri. Quelli che non realizzerà mai. Continuando a illuderci che parole, sentimenti e idee possono cambiare le cose. Il Conte direbbe: «Aprite il libro dei ricordi e versatevi un bicchiere di rum: questa è Mad World, lui è Gary Jules e vi farà male, molto male. Ma questa è la vita ragazzi e non esiste avventura più bella che viverla. E una volta che l’avrete capito il mondo sarà vostro».

SHADOW PLAY: THE MAKING OF ANTON CORBIJN, de Josh Whiteman
El 27 d’agost de 1972, Anton Corbijn va disparar les primeres fotografies. Se’n va anar a Groningen amb la càmera del seu pare a veure un concert de rock. Es va posar a les primeres files del concert, i foto rere foto, un jove Corbijn va decidir que era així, fent fotografies a bandes de rock’n'roll, com volia passar el seu temps. Corbijn, nascut a una població ‘perduda’ d’Holanda, Strijen, havia rebut una educació catòlica, i gràcies, primer a la música rock, i després a la fotografia, va aconseguir oxigenar la seva vida, respirar llibertat, amb la sort de trobar una afició que després es convertiria en la seva professió. Sort, i hores, hores i més hores fotografiant, fent allò que més li agradava.

Corbijn de seguida va enviar fotografies a diferents revistes. I li van publicar. No obstant, també li van tancar portes als nassos; va rebre una carta d’una productora indicant que no volien les seves fotos, perquè eren massa fosques, brutes, i que els artistes sortien desmillorats. Corbijn no va fer cas. Va aprofitar al màxim uns anys, com ell indica, on era factible apropar-se a les estrelles del rock; després calia el talent i el treball per obtenir el sí dels artistes, però ja d’entrada, era molt més senzill. No calia tenir amiguets ni ser el fill de per accedir-hi.

David Bowie, Captain Beefheart, The Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, Joy Division, U2, REM, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, PJ Harvey, Johnny Depp, Kylie Minogue… la llista d’artistes que ha passat per la seva càmera és infinita. Diuen que Corbijn crea artistes amb les seves fotografies; que la seva mirada atorga una força i un nivell que alguns artistes ni mereixen. Hi ha una anècdota amb Duran Duran: un amic de Corbijn li va recomanar que no els hi fés fotos perquè engrandia a una banda mediocre.

En el documental prenen força protagonisme la veu d’artistes i amics com el grandiloqüent Bono, David Gahan i Michael Stipe; coincideixen en comentar la genialitat, la creativitat i la capacitat per improvisar de l’holandès. També es dediquen molts minuts al rodatge i maldecaps que va donar Control; Corbijn va haver d’hipotecar la casa per poder acabar el projecte. Cannes la va rebre amb una ovació de cinc minuts un cop acabada la projecció; la pel·li va ser un merescut èxit. Projectes fallits, com el videoclip Pride d’U2; èxits immediats com el videoclip de Heart Shaped Box de Nirvana; autorretrats divertidíssims disfressat d’estrella del rock; la mort del seu pare durant la post-producció de Control; Shadow Play fa un generós repás d’un dels gran fotògrafs dels darrers 30 anys.

Corbijn posa punt i final al documental comentant que a ell, quan era jove, li preocupava i el cohibia el fet de no tenir cap mena de formació artística. Com ell afegeix: “…I què? Jo faig la meva feina, que és aquesta. Hi haurà gent a qui li agradi i a gent que no. Però és aquesta, i existeix. I per cert, no m’agrada parlar de la meva feina; la faig, i llestos. Bé, prou, me’n vaig a treballar”. Com han canviat els temps i la mentalitat.

Originarios de Athens, Georgia en Estados Unidos, R.E.M. se ha colocado como una de las bandas de rock alternativo mas influyentes del mundo. Integrado por Michael Stipe (vocalista), Peter Buck y Mike Mills, la banda surgió en una atmósfera de punk que no era precisamente el género que ellos tocaban, de ahí que les costara tanto trabajo abrirse paso en esa escena rockera, pero también fue eso lo que los hizo ganar adeptos que estaban ávidos de algo mas que no fuera punk.

Sin ni si quiera grabar un solo LP, la banda ya hacía giras por todo el país,ganando cada vez mas y mas adeptos y sus sencillos se colocaban en los primeros lugares de la radio. Fue precisamente en uno de esos conciertos, en Aberdeen, Washington; que R.E.M. fue escuchado por un joven que estaba buscando un nuevo ritmo, algo distitno para crear su banda de rock. Ese joven era Kurt Cobain y la historia ya la conocemos. Si, tal cual lo leen y tal cual el mismo Kurt lo dijo: R.E.M. siempre fue su inspiración y el mismo Michael Stipe, uno de sus mas allegados amigos.

En 1991 lanzaron su album Out of time, que los lanzara a la fama mundial y el en 2007 fueron incluidos en el Salón de la Fama del Rock. Se convirtieron en todos unos íconos de la época junto a Nirvana, Pearl Jam y Radiohead.

El nombre de la banda, un nombre bastante peculiar, fue elegido abriendo el diccionario y al azar, seleccionaron una frase que llegaría para quedarse. La frase era Rapid Eye Movement, que quiere decir Movimiento Ocular Rápido y es una de las etapas del sueño profundo del ser humano.

Michael Stipe, el estandarte de la banda, es un activista político por los derechos humanos. Junto a su banda participaron en los conciertos del Live 8.

Y como ya era de esperarse, entremos en materia musical. Esta primera canción es una de las mas expermientales, de sus primeras canciones que les hizo ganar muchos seguidores en sus primeros años. Una canción muy aguda y fuerte. The one I love.

Por supuesto que no podría faltar su gran himno: Loosing my religion. Una canción bastante fuera de lo común, pues al no poseer coro, ni un orden estricto, sumado a lo enigmático de su letra; la hicieron todo un éxito! El video también es genial; su arte con contenido soviético y una trama obtenida del libro Un señor muy viejo con alas enormes de Gabriel García Márquez.

Y por último esta canción que no solo es muy buena, si no que el video también tiene lo suyo. Pónganle mucha atención al video, porque lo curioso es que la filmación es de solamente 8 segundos!!! Lo que sucede es que el trabajo de edición, hace énfasis es algunas partes del cuadro general, enmarcando escenas y situaciones distintas. Impresionante!

A few years ago I bought a book called The Devil Never Sleeps authored by Romanian ex-patriot Andrei Codrescu.  I had listened to Codrescu for years on NPR, and I was interested in reading his essays (which, by the way, did not disappoint).  As I read his observations about Romania and Eastern Europe under Soviet control, I was struck by his adoration of and faith in poetry.  It’s no exaggeration to say, from Codrescu’s viewpoint, poetry was the source of hope to those who suffered decades of communist despotism as well as a subversive force undermining the monolithic govern

He made such a compelling argument for the purpose, power and necessity of poetry, I had to stop and ask myself what ever happened to poetry.  I loved poetry as a young person and even continued to write poetry as an adult.  Of course, half of being a poet is relishing the poetry of others—and I couldn’t remember the last time I read a volume of verse.

[So I’m giving in to temptation here; this is a poem I wrote when I was sixteen after moving back to my hometown following an absence of four years; do you have adolescent poems you’re still willing to share?

“All The Animals”

I left something here,
            a childhood memory, a melody,
            a bit of soul chipped from the tenderest part.
I thought it was refound
            but something different,
            something animal,
            was in it’s place.
So it does no go to come home
            to all the animals,
            the souls of my childhood changed.]

For a while, I had a sad, empty feeling when I thought that I had “lost” poetry.  Moreover, I had the sinking feeling that as a people, our culture had lost poetry as well.  Where was the Edna St. Vincent Millay, Walt Whitman or Robert Frost of this age? 

Then one day I was driving down the road listening to Bruce Springsteen and the “aha moment” burst upon me: I haven’t lost poetry; as a people we have not lost poetry—we just set it to music.  I hereby predict that coming generations will “read” the songs of our greatest songsmiths and judge them more as writers than musicians.  Annie Lennox, Sheryl Crow, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Michael Stipe, Natalie Merchant, as well as hosts of R&B and hip-hop artists will be required reading for our great-grandchildren fifty years hence.

This great realization made me reflect back over the songs I’ve written over the years (yes, acoustic guitar and harmonica; but nothing to brag about).  Some of mine, I’m afraid, will not rise to the level of literature (“Harmless While I’m Sober” comes to mind).  But some others—recent as well as distant—may actually be worth reading in coming ages.  Herewith, a song of unrhymed verses I wrote in the early 70’s while I was a college student.  It is like poetry, sort of.  —Lazarus Barnhill, author of The Medicine People and Lacey Took a Holiday.

“Early in the Sun”

For a singer who mumbled his lyrics and refused almost all interviews in his early years, the Olympia shows laid bare a creative process once steeped in enigma. Stretching his memory back to a time when coming from Athens, Georgia was enough to confer a little Southern Gothic mystique upon R.E.M.’s music, Stipe concedes: “There used to be some wilful obscurity going on there. But of all the members of the band, I’m the least enigmatic and, really, the least eccentric — and yet those terms have followed us around.”

The Times (UK) recently chatted with Michael Stipe and covered his thoughts on how R.E.M.’s 2007 shows in Dublin helped the band refocus on making solid music. It also serves as good promo for the upcoming release of those Olympia shows, which will arrive at your favorite retailer (or, um, on the internet) on October 27.

Also, thanks to The Times for not using “got their groove back” in the predicate of any sentence in the article.