Take This Group And R.E.M. It!

Take This Group And R.E.M. It!

THE BEAT GOES ON

NEW YORK—In just a couple of years, R.E.M. has gathered a coast-to-coast constituency not through hype or promotion but through originality, smarts and solid songwriting. On the trail of their popular EP, these tunesmiths from Athens, Georgia are making quite a splash with their first I.R.S. LP, Murmur. Onstage, R.E.M. is just as riveting in the cavernous Ritz as it is in the comparatively tiny back room at Maxwells in Hoboken. R.E.M. hit both niteries on their spring swing through New York. The Maxwells gig was advertised only as Chronic Town (The Band Time Forgot)" but enough R.E.M. fans got the hint and the show promptly sold out. Let the skeptics be damned—Americans are becoming feverishly devoted to a band that doesnt use synthesizers, advocate armed revolution or dress up like women.

R.E.M.s lead singer Michael Stipe chokes the mikestand with both hands and sings with his head bowed almost prayerfully over the microphone. In such songs as Pilgrimage" his deep, somewhat nasal vocals intersect with tight backing vocals to create lovely Byrdsian harmonies. Whether slashing chords across 1,000,000" or picking out the glistening guitar figure in Laughing," Peter Buck gives R.E.M. tunes their edge without ever playing a solo. Buck and bassist Mike Mills are both full of fire when trotting across the Ritz stage or hopping about in close quarters at Maxwells. Drummer Bill Berry kept things cooking through the over-20-song set which concluded with encore covers of Secret Agent Man" and the Velvet Underground classic, There She Goes Again." But when they tore into So You Wanna Be A Rock N Roll Star," Bucks treatment of that circular guitar riff brought the song within a hairs breadth of an R.E.M. original.

LIZ "HAS" LUNCH WITH BROOKE!

"Hay, uh, Liz?" Brooke whisper* out of the corner of her mouth, "When I said you could taste my shrimp creole, I didn't really mean—" "Shuddup and smile for the camera, kid (urp)I" "Listen, I hate to bring it up, Liz, but last night you ate all my fish divan I .And the night before it was the wiener and donut omelet," whimpers Brooke, "My favorite!" "Isold (urp) shuddup and smile (urp) kid I" "Cmon, Liz, I haven't eaten in three weeks! Don't you remember the chocolate chip pancakes? All those Whoppers? My birthday cake? The Moose?!" "Listen, boneface, I (urp)...I, uh (urp)...you can (URRRRRRRRP!)...oh, never mind (hic!).

Just what makes an R.E.M. song an R.E.M. song is a wily butterfly to chase after. Peter Bucks hypnotic guitar figures frame the songs while Mike Mills lyrical, contrapuntal bass lines add another level of harmonic development. The structures of R.E.M. songs are studiously atypical, facilitating a surprise verse, chorus or bridge at any time. Their chords are consistently the right ones and are arranged quite tastefully. (So tastefully, in fact, that something ignoble within me almost hopes that R.E.M. will just once do something silly and embarrassing.) Actually, the one aspect of R.E.M. thats garnered the greatest grumbling are their mostly indecipherable lyrics. So who cares if I used to sing West Of The Fields" as Westchester Field" and even continue to believe that the crucial line in We Walk" is tape—erase us"? Right or wrong, my shower curtain has heard its fill of lines like wastin time, sitting still" or I could live a million" or Its not a clock, dont try to turn it off." Backstage at the Ritz, I asked Peter Buck about these baffling R.E.M. lyrics.

When the band first started," explains Peter, Michael (Stipe) and I were talking about how much we despise most rock n roll lyrics that lately seem to be these dumb boy/girl things or these dumb nihilist things." Are the lyrics deliberately obscure? Its not deliberate," defends Peter, its the way we naturally write.. .Were not the most straightforward, messageoriented people." Since every R.E.M. song credit bears all their names, I asked about the mechanics of collective songwriting. Lead singer Stipe tends to write most lyrics, but as to the music-writing process, Peters best explanation was, We just sit around in Mikes bedroom and make noise until something approaching interesting occurs."

I asked how the band was getting along with I.R.S. Records and Peter responded, Theyre just really good people. They know what the bands about and havent asked us to do anything warped or weird or crappy..." I wondered what the idea was behind the tangle of underbrush on the cover of the LP. The cover was a conscious Flannery OConnor-type cover" said Peter. We wanted something southern and gothic without being doom-y. We didnt want crosses in a field or burning crosses or anything like that." The band is currently working on a video of Radio Free Europe," but, as Peter explains, Its not gonna be a rock n roll-type video. Theres gonna be no lipsynching, no half-naked women, no mud wrestling, no dwarves or smokebombs." Instead, R.E.M. plans to tape a visit to the garden" of a Georgian eccentric who hangs tools, appliances—anything manmade—from the trees. (His goal is to festoon his garden with one of every man-made item in the ,world—an ongoing task.)

That Darn Chipmunk!

HOLLYWOOD-That toddlin town is at it again. Plans to bring a revamped Alvin And The Chipmunks show to Saturday morning television this fall are underway at NBC.

Simon, Theodore and ALVINN!!!, those prisoners of rock n roll whose alburn Chipmunk Punk burned up the LP charts a while back, will be blessing their viewers with more musical gems, according to series producer Ross Bagdasarian Jr., son of the original Chipmunk creator.

Weve written a lot of original music, including some rock n roll and New Wave," Bagdasarian said.

The furry threesome will be joined by the Chipettes," as well as by assorted special guests.

In one of the episodes," Bagdasarian said, an animated Mr. T. guest-stars." Animation would not seem to be necessary, however, because Mr. T. is a cartoon.

Heather Joslyn

R.E.M. will be the next Athens, Georgia band to Break" nationally, but unlike the B-52s before them, R.E.M. is not fighting a running battle with its musical limitations. In fact, given the scope and depth of their inscrutable little melodies and the creative energy that keeps them writing new ones, R.E.M.s problem isnt working against their limitations—its seeing if they really have limitations at all.

Drew Wheeler

THE LAW FINALLY CATCHES UP TO BRYAN FERRY!

"But Osslferl" mumbles a slightly disheveled Bryan Ferry. "I'm too drunk to speedl Honest!" "I don't give a damn about that," replies Officer Friendly. "I'm writing you up for all those crummy records I" "But Osslferl" "Lets see, 'Love Is The Drug' is good for a $100 fine at least! Now, there's...'Do The Strand,' 'Song For Europe,'...uh...'IN EVERY DREAM HOME A HEARTACHE!' Ha ha ha, they'll hang ya for that one!" "But Osslferl" "Listen, creepo, you're just lucky I'm not writing down 'Py|amarama' or that remake of ËœIt's My Party'..." "But Osslferl" "Tell it to the judge, fruitcake!"

Art In America Gives Good...Harp

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI— Only in Detroit would a musical group have the balls to call themselves Art In America. When their first album, appropriately dubbed" Art In America and bearing a cover reminiscent of an old Yes album, was sent to the rock crit establishment, they knew it would send said crydicks running for the sharpest hatchets in their hutches, prepping for the Big Kill. But they were unafraid. For they have MTV.

And the sign said Ëœlonghaired, freaky people need not apply. "

—lyric from popular 60s song You might notice that the three main members of Art In America—Chris, Shishonee and Dan—share the same last name: Flynn. You mightve also correctly guessed that this startling coincidence is due to the fact they share the same mom & dad. Their bass player, Jim Kuha, is in no way related to the .Flynn family, but has a mom & dad just the same. Life is always full of little surprises.

The brothers Flynn explain that Art In America existed in the mid-70s as Father—which isnt as cool of a name as, say, Marshmallow Steamshovel. As Father, they covered Top 40 hits, but, alas, grew weary of the bar grind. Harpist Shishonee, whod spent many years travelling around the country playing Eastern music in a configuration called the Trees, conspired to play original music with her brothers, damn the consequences. This, understand, in the days when people with unlikely names like Johnny Rotten were wailing about anarchy." Did the brothers Flynn, one wonders, in any way feel they were in a little out of step?

We discovered we didnt fit into the world of fashion or high finance," Chris notes. So we decided musicianship was the only thing that would work. We didn t fit in with the punk or heavy metal scene."

Art In America really dont fit in with any scene. Upon first listening to their debut album on Pavillion/CBS, this scribe wondered, as they used to say in the 60s, where are these guys coming from?

King Crimson," says brother Dan, XTC."

Ive grown into realizing what my roots are.. .just songwriting, " brother Chris says. Mainstream.. .the Who, I hesitate to say the Beatles, because everyone says that.. .but they were my main influence. The Hollies, the Dave Clark 5 were a real heavy duty influence. I used to buy all those singles, it was a big thing. The 13th Floor Elevators, a lot of those singles were big in Michigan and I liked them a lot. I used to like Ted Nugent when he was with the Amboy Dukes in the early days. Thats basically where Im coming from."

The debut LP was produced by Eddy Offord, whos also produced for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes. Art In America has a similar feel, yet its quite different than, say, Close To The Edge, thank God. But do the brothers Flynn feel that record reviewers might deal with the LP unfairly, because of the Yes-like cover and production?

5 Years Ago

Take Two And Stay At Home

Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested for erratic driving while being under the influence of prescription drugs...the judge pointed out that Lewis would suffer the same fate as the late Elvis if he wasnt a good boy and didnt start paying attention to the drugs he was taking...

You like to think it doesnt matter, but it does," Chris sighed. its not enough to stop you, however. Youd like to say ËœOh fuck em! but it does seem to matter. Put it this way: it matters more if they like you. If they love and praise you as the new Messiah, you think ËœOh wow! Maybe theyre right! " The brother Flynn broke out into hysterical laughter. If they dont like you, its ËœOh fuck em, what do they know? Theyre failed musicians. "

Okay, guys, fuck the critics. But what about all those punk rock jerks who insist on looking as stoopid as possible, and howzabout all those walking dead you see at heavy metal shows? Will we see these types bouncing along to the peculiar and sometimes delicate rhythms Art In America offers?

If someones not gonna wanna like the record, theyre just not gonna like the record," Chris said. The first thing theyre not gonna like is the Yes-type cover, the second thing is the name. The cover was CBSs idea. We had people lined up, but the company had other ideas. As for the pink haircut people, theyre not our audience anyway. Were going for the preppie audience."

Cmon down, Muffy and Biff!

I think a lot more of the conservative types like our music," Chris said, conservative Midwesterners. Thats our audience. I dont think the new wavers or heavy metal people will buy our records."

The discussion finally got around to What About Your Next Album. A in A say theyll go for a somewhat rawer, slightly more rhythmic sound. They hadnt decided on a producer yet; they were considering such greats as Chris Thomas, Rupert Hine, etc.

Walking down the street one day/a billboard said to me

ËœWhats your sign?

—lyric from popular Art In America song

Since Art In America are the only group to feature a harp player, there remained a question this scribe just knew was on the lips of all of CREEMs readers: Does harpist Shishonee feel a true spiritual link with Harpo Marx?

She does!" cried drummer Dan, She loves Harpo Marx!"

Their hair color is the same!" added Chris.

What about their legs? Are they similar also?

Uh-oh!" cried brother Flynn Chris, we better not talk about that!"

Mark J. Norton

Dawn Of The Dootz

WASHINGTON, D.C.Imagine, if you dare, a bizarre cross between American punks Legendary Stardust Cowboy (Paralyzed") and rockabillys the Phantom (Love Me") into a stylistic blend that can only be described as mutant American primitivism. This new sound, downright psychotic to the point of being transcendental, is the creation of the Dootz, born David Frey Johns, who has spent his 28 years singing to records in his room and wailing in showers, hoping one day to be heard in a social context.

As a child David Johns was called Duke" by his father, a nickname that eventually evolved into Dootz." My dad and I used to sing together when we went to church," says the Dootz, but we had our own version of ËœOnward Christian Soldiers. Everybody else was singing it the right way."

His earliest musical influences were typical—Elvis, the Beatles, Buddy Holly—but he was particularly devoted to James Brown and Jackie Wilson, two performers who possessed an intense emotional style both on record and in performance. To a certain degree, the Dootz even considers himself a soul singer like Brown because he reaches deep down and pours himself inside out with feelings from reallife experience."

Last ye.ar the Dootz began making tapes at the Sonny Huckle studio (in actuality, a mildewed basement, stocked with a jukebox and cases of cheap beer, located in the suburban wilderness of Northern Virginia). These underground recordings bear witness to his commitment to the tradition of getting gone; included are uncontrolled versions of Bill Parsons The All American Boy," Bobby Boris" Picketts Monster Mash," the Troggs Wild Thing," Doctor Rosss The Boogie Disease," and the Standells Dirty Water." Further, as if defying the Apocalypse, the Dootz performs the craziest cover of Train Kept A-Rollin " ever conceived by any mortal.

Two songs have been culled from these landmark sessions and released as a single on the Sky label—A.C.N.E. (Ive Got Acne)" and Im the Dootz," both original tunes recorded in one take and legend has it, composed on the spot. On both songs, the Dootz shouts and howls from the pit of his soul, revealing a naked hysteria, and unrehearsed moment of being. Im the Dootz" is a reworking of Bo Diddleys Im A Man" with a sense of spontaneity rarely heard on records any more. A.C.N.E.," the A-side of the record, is an astonishing garagenovelty performance, so powerful that it stands a good chance of becoming the Louie, Louie" of the 1980s. No synth-pop or new-wave recording has ever come close to its passionate display of trauma and humor, of angst and comedy. The Dootz hopes A.C.N.E." will become a million-seller—but hell settle for a regional hit.

Most rock n roll vocalists sing with just their voice, but the Dootz uses his whole body; for him, music means catharsis. His conviction is real, his emotions genuine. He is ambitious, too, having spent most of his employed life working in gas stations or delivering auto parts. The Dootzs personal goal is to shape a rock n roll sound a million times weirder than anything anybodys ever seen, done, heard, or performed." The world eagerly awaits his version of Mystery Train."

(A.C.N.E." is no joke, and the Dootz is deadly serious. To order a copy of this deranged record, including a colorful picture sleeve, send $3.00, postpaid, to Metro Music, P.O. Box 3931, Hyattsville, MD 20787. It is primitivism of the highest, or rather, lowest order.)

Robert A. Hull

Caution: Pervert Afoot!

MONTPELIER, VT—Police here are hunting for a man who is befriending youngsters and offering to buy the shoes off their feet.

The mysterious sole man allegedly gave a ride to a 15-year-old boy and offered the teen 20 smackers for his sneakers.

The boy reportedly shed his shoes so that the man could inspect them, but did not sell them. Instead, he sold the man his socks for five dollars.

This man has a desire to approach young adults and offer to buy their footwear," a Montpelier police spokesman said. While there is no indication of any criminal conduct, this type of

HOW MUCH FOR THE SNEAKERS PAL?

behavior can be unsettling when one is first confronted with it."

Especially if youre barefoot!

Heather Joslyn