|
|
MUSIC REVIEW Bent Nights: R.E.M.
by Vern Hester 2008-06-11
|
|
This article shared 3508 times since Wed Jun 11, 2008
|
|
Michael Stipe, lead vocalist and auteur of R.E.M., is unquestionably the oddest contradictory queer rockstar on the planet. Never one to wave a rainbow flag ( he reluctantly came out after his bust-up with Natalie Merchant outed him in '95 ) , Stipe has always maintained that it's his business and not yours and, besides, he had other things on his mind. None of this has stopped the band from evolving from critical darlings to an arena-filling supergroup. Though R.E.M. ( with co-bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills ) is probably one of the most literate, political, intimate and loved bands in the world, Stipe has developed a subdued but colorful ( 'eccentric' rather than 'gay' ) profile that has never unbalanced the band's credibility. ( Think of Stipe in the cover story in Out Magazine with him innocently sucking his thumb or his involvement with queer happy movies like Velvet Goldmine and Being John Malkovich. ) For all of Stipe's showmanship, R.E.M. has always been about the music and never the celebrity—which is why it has never been 'just that rock band from Athens, Ga.'
The new Warner Brothers album, Accelerate, is being heralded as a step back in the right direction after the dull Around the Sun ( an underseller even unloved by the band ) and, unsurprisingly, it's a blunt comment on the sorry state of the union and our current president. For all the hooks and clamor of the disc, this version of R.E.M. has an exhausted anger to them—times are bad, really bad. Well, no shit.
Most of R.E.M.'s radio staples captured the essence of the times ( 'Everybody Hurts,' 'Losing My Religion' and even 'Man in the Moon' sounded like theme music for an epic on protracted loss and regret, be it AIDS or the snipping of human rights ] and Accelerate is no different. But where '95's Monster was a jangled, knarled angry revolt with shrieking feedback shot through it ( aimed at the nosy press ) , Accelerate zooms along at a buffered radio-friendly velocity that puts the lyrics front and center. Stipe snaps, 'I could have kept my head down, I might have kept my mouth shut.../You lead a horse to water and watch him drown...'on 'Horse to Water' near the end of the disc but, by then, the gig is up. Slinging muck back at the White House these days is hardly revolutionary, but Accelerate is looking deeper and deeper into our collective mire. And that's the beauty of this recording—specifically, at this time. R.E.M. has let us know that 'the END' isn't coming—we're passed that and in free fall ... everyone of us.
Not that Accelerate is a downer; far from it. And the Fri., June 6, show at the United Center, with Stipe dressed in corporate drag ( a charcoal pinstriped suit and tie—obviously, the man is telling us something we need to hear again and again ) , was more of a celebration rather than a history lesson. For this tour, the band is raiding its 14 albums and 25-year history, which has its own irony. When R.E.M. first broke out we were trapped in 'Reagan Hell,' which is, sad to say, where we are now. Accelerate, R.E.M. and, particularly, Stipe aren't so much relighting the fires of the 'good fight' or inciting revolution, but are taking us in a clear direction toward what we need to do for survival—and, this time, without a mandolin in sight. |
|
|
|
This article shared 3508 times since Wed Jun 11, 2008
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Artemis Singers presents June 8 "Never Doubt: We Are Here" Pride Concert & Dance 2024-04-27 --From a press release - CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, presents "Never Doubt: We Are Here" Pride Concert & Dance, Saturday, June 8, at First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC, 1445 Hinman Ave. ...
|
| | Navy Pier to mark 40th anniversary of Chicago house music with summer-long programming 2024-04-26 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Navy Pier announced plans to celebrate House music's Chicago roots with a summer full of programming paying homage to the energy, music, and dance of Black and Latino youth on Chicago's south and west ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ 'Priscilla,' Tony nods, Oscars, Ncuti Gatwa, Jonathan Bailey, GLAAD event 2024-04-26 - Stephan Elliottwho directed the cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desertsaid a sequel "is happening" and that the original movie's stars (Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving) are back "on board" 30 ...
|
| | THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24 - "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...
|
| | Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23 - A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...
|
| | Cher, Dionne among Rock & Roll HoF honorees; Mariah snubbed 2024-04-22 - On April 21, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its 2024 inductees, per an ABC press release. In the performer category, the inductees are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 - Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 - I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo 2024-04-12 - Gay comedian/filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael criticized Dave Chappelle, opening up about the pair's ongoing feud and calling out Chappelle's opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, PinkNews noted, citing an Esquire article. Carmichael ...
|
| | Judith Butler focuses on perceptions of gender at Chicago Humanities Festival talk 2024-04-10 - In an hour-long program filled with dry humornot to mention lots of audience laughterphilosopher, scholar and activist Judith Butler (they/them) spoke in depth on their new book at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., on ...
|
| | Andersonville Chamber announces Andersonville Midsommarfest entertainment lineup 2024-04-09 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to announce the full entertainment line-up for Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | 'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24 - At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...
| |
|
|