Thank you, Drew. The voice of reason as ever. People need to stop spinning everything into the next prediction about the end of this, or the beginning of that. Please help keep us sane, Drew!
I love the Beastie Boys, but I think it's obvious not nearly as much as you do, Drew. For me, what you said about them, I feel 100% for REM. For me, they are the greatest American band of all time, whose run from their debut EP "Chronic Town" through to 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," their last album with Bill Berry, is unequaled. I'd put it up there for all-time status against the Rolling Stone's run from "Beggars Banquet" through "Exile on Main St." or Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill" through to "Gaucho." Maybe the Dan could've had a bettered REM had they kept going instead of entering semi-retirement for 20 years. But REM's run going on for 10 albums released over 13 years. It's awesome, it's seminal, and much like the Beastie Boys changed their corner of hip-hop, I'd argue REM changed rock music so completely that it was they, the proto-Alternative Rock band, not Nirvana, Alice and Chains, Soundgarden, or Pearl Jam who ended the reign of the hair band.
I can't wait to watch that Beastie Boys documentary. It sounds amazing. I can only hope one day someone does the same for REM, and in doing so, shines an even greater light on the music scene in Athens, GA and the University of Georgia in the 1980's and 1990's, a scene that gave birth to the B-52's, REM, Widespread Panic, Drive By Truckers, Modest Mouse, and more.
I know you've been stressed about covid-19, but hopefully you've been seeing a lot of stuff that isn't getting play in cable news, either side of the news (meaning from CNN, MSNBC, or FOX), from the tests being done in LA, Seattle, Boston, New York, and other big cities, and that's the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of more people in the country, likely in the millions at this point, with antibodies in their system. Meaning they had the virus in the last six months without knowing it, and they likely came through it without much discomfort. What that means is while the virus is highly contagious, it's not nearly as deadly as has been feared. Like, fractionally as dangerous and not more than anything so serious as the flu. That's backed up by real data. While there is still reason to stay safe and protect yourselves so as to not make those who are vulnerable (mostly the elderly) sick, it seems we're coming out the other side. Hopefully smarter with how we handle hygiene and interactions with strangers, of course. I think this is reason enough to be hopeful and happy. I'll take contagious but not deadly any day of the week after the month we all had!
Thank you, Drew. The voice of reason as ever. People need to stop spinning everything into the next prediction about the end of this, or the beginning of that. Please help keep us sane, Drew!
I love the Beastie Boys, but I think it's obvious not nearly as much as you do, Drew. For me, what you said about them, I feel 100% for REM. For me, they are the greatest American band of all time, whose run from their debut EP "Chronic Town" through to 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," their last album with Bill Berry, is unequaled. I'd put it up there for all-time status against the Rolling Stone's run from "Beggars Banquet" through "Exile on Main St." or Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill" through to "Gaucho." Maybe the Dan could've had a bettered REM had they kept going instead of entering semi-retirement for 20 years. But REM's run going on for 10 albums released over 13 years. It's awesome, it's seminal, and much like the Beastie Boys changed their corner of hip-hop, I'd argue REM changed rock music so completely that it was they, the proto-Alternative Rock band, not Nirvana, Alice and Chains, Soundgarden, or Pearl Jam who ended the reign of the hair band.
I can't wait to watch that Beastie Boys documentary. It sounds amazing. I can only hope one day someone does the same for REM, and in doing so, shines an even greater light on the music scene in Athens, GA and the University of Georgia in the 1980's and 1990's, a scene that gave birth to the B-52's, REM, Widespread Panic, Drive By Truckers, Modest Mouse, and more.
I know you've been stressed about covid-19, but hopefully you've been seeing a lot of stuff that isn't getting play in cable news, either side of the news (meaning from CNN, MSNBC, or FOX), from the tests being done in LA, Seattle, Boston, New York, and other big cities, and that's the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of more people in the country, likely in the millions at this point, with antibodies in their system. Meaning they had the virus in the last six months without knowing it, and they likely came through it without much discomfort. What that means is while the virus is highly contagious, it's not nearly as deadly as has been feared. Like, fractionally as dangerous and not more than anything so serious as the flu. That's backed up by real data. While there is still reason to stay safe and protect yourselves so as to not make those who are vulnerable (mostly the elderly) sick, it seems we're coming out the other side. Hopefully smarter with how we handle hygiene and interactions with strangers, of course. I think this is reason enough to be hopeful and happy. I'll take contagious but not deadly any day of the week after the month we all had!