Here in the States we’re gearing up for a much-anticipated long weekend thanks to the national Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 5th. As we head in that direction, here are some of this week’s highlights from in and around chronictown…
This Week’s Highly Recommended: Lance Bangs’ Artist Profile on Michael at Creatorsproject.com
Director Lance Bangs’ excellent profile on Michael at creatorsproject.com takes an in-depth look at the creative impulse which makes the R.E.M. frontman tick. Check it out below and read more here:
Interview with Scott McCaughey at DCist.com
Dcist.com has a very thoughtful Interview with Scott McCaughey at their site in which Scott talks about the Baseball Project’s upcoming tour.
New and Improved HQTV Features 65 Videos
HQTV has been revamped and uploaded to the hilt with most if not all of the band’s videos (including some really good live ones) in both You Tube and Vimeo formats, so if you haven’t checked the site’s channel out in a while, click here and watch all 65…
Superman Revisited
As covers go, “Superman” is somewhat synonymous with R.E.M.’s proclivity for taking an obscure song and putting their signature stamp on it. The mortonreport.com revisits the band’s twist on the Clique’s classic in this article.
UGA PSA Airs This Weekend
In this previous post we revealed that an alumni group from the University of Georgia recently compiled a really well-done PSA for the state’s flagship institution which features “Oh My Heart” as its soundtrack. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the video below, and be sure to tune in for the TV premiere during the UGA-Boise State football game this weekend.
Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith Reissue Reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly
Check out Publisher’s Weekly’s review of Michael’s Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith Reissue
Michael Stipe, REM frontman and rock star legend in his own right, becomes a self-declared “dork nerd” when talking about Patti Smith. “I first met Patti Smith in the autumn of 1975…. Somebody had left a music magazine, Cream, under the desk [and] there was a haunting photograph of a young Patti Smith, leaning against a wall, staring down the camera, all scary and beautiful.” In Stipe’s startling photographs and 12 brief written homages, Patti Smith is depicted as a down-to-earth goddess, a part of and apart from her evolving entourage of musicians, artists, poets (Allen Ginsberg makes an appearance), and friends. This isn’t a traditional book of portraits-the images are eerie, smudged, and only a few are of Patti Smith herself. The subjects are rarely identified; there are no captions, and the book has no page numbers. A disproportionate number of the photographs are set in bathrooms. The overwhelming mood is one of disjunction, claustrophobia, exhaustion, temporariness-and the effect is raw and intimate. The photo of Stipe braiding Smith’s hair is representative: she giggles shyly, looking years younger than her chronological age. And he is no longer the “dork nerd” teenager, but a fellow musician-and from his proud, caring mien, even a protector.
Read more about opportunities to pick up your copy at akashicbooks.com.
Pre-Order Your Copy of John Wesley Harding’s New LP Featuring Peter on Guitar
Be sure to pick up your copy of John Wesley Harding’s upcoming release–The Sound of His Own Voice–which is available for pre-order. The record features Peter Buck on guitar and other instruments on each of the 13 tracks.
<b>AUTOGRAPHED COLLAPSE INTO NOW VINYL AT EBAY
The Gram Parsons Foundation, an organization whose mission is to support musicians and artists from around the world
with addiction and recovery services, is auctioning an autographed vinyl copy of the band’s most recent album COLLAPSE INTO NOW in their charity auction at eBay. Consider supporting the foundation’s essential programs by bidding on the signed LP here…