Interview: Peter Buck of R.E.M. by Che - 12.1988

R.E.M. s neues Label, Warner veröffentlichte 1988 das erstes Major-Album der Combo aus Athens, „Green".
Um dieses Album zu promoten, das den eigentlichen Start ihrer lange Reise der Band hin zu Superstars markieren sollte, wurde sie auf eine Club-Tour geschickt, mit Deutschland auf ihrer Route. Natürlich waren die Jungs und Mädels von unserem schnuckeligen Musiksender Tele5 dort. Und ich denke, man kann mit einiger Sicherheit behaupten, dass wir alle sofort zu Fans wurden.
Es war mein Co-Moderator Daniel Kovacs, der tagsdrauf in die Aufnahme meiner Show off beat platzte. Ich habe gerade Peter Buck an der Schellingstraße vor dem Studio gesehen, behauptete er.
Ich habe die Aufnahme unterbrochen. Wir beide rannten los. Es stellte sich heraus, dass Daniel richtig gesehen hatte. Und so lud ich Peter ins Studio ein, um ein spontanes Interview mit ihm zu machen. Schätze, das würde heute nicht mehr so funktionieren…
bit.ly/2JaHuUY
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R.E.M. s new label, Warner published their first major album „Green“ in 1988. To promote this album, which would start the band’s long journey to superstardom, the band was sent on a club tour with Germany on their itinerary. Of course the guys from our tiny music tv station Tele5 where there. And I guess it’s safe to say, we all turned fans instantly with kudos to the band's charismatic frontman, Michael Stipe.
It was my co-anchor Daniel Kovacs who burst into me recording one of my shows a day after. I just saw Peter Buck on the street in front of our studio, he claimed. We were located right in downtown Munich, at Schellingstrasse 44.
I interrupted recording. We both ran after him. Turned out Daniel was right, it was Peter. And so I invited him into the studio to do an impromptu interview with me. Guess that wouldn’t work out today. So, enjoy this short talk with R.E.M.s Peter Buck in 1988. The interview was recorded somewhat earlier and first published in December of that year. Reason as far as I remember being that we first had to get some videos of the band as we didn't have any…
bit.ly/2xJUGe7
Enjoy the comments of a superstar in the making... My prediction at the end of the interview became reality. The R.E.M.-tour in Germany in the following year ( just a couple of months after this interview) was totally sold out. R.E.M. where superstars in Germany.

[@thiscorrosion900]

Peter enrolled in college but never went to class....well, maybe sometimes. Working at Wuxtrys was probably a bette musical education anyway.

[@MartianTom]

I'm not sure you can 'educate' talent, anyway. Most of the greatest writers who ever lived, and most of those still living, never did creative writing degrees. I often think such courses can stifle talent - honing writers to produce what their teachers want to see, what will be commercial, etc. But then too many artists take the dollar over creative freedom. REM is one of the few bands that didn't - then, when they'd done all that they felt they wanted to do, they disbanded... instead of going on, churning out sub-standard music just to fulfill contracts and please corporate paymasters.

[@dynjarren8355]

Their lyrics were cryptic and Stipe would mumble a lot of his words deliberately in order to be mysterious. The lyrics didn’t always follow a narrative story. Sometimes they were very obscure and esoteric.

[@urbangorilla33]

True, but that was true of many others, not the least Dylan, The Beatles, Pink Floyd on and on....

[@StratsRUs]

We do have ears too.

[@PencilNeckedGeek]

So, the interviewer asks Peter a few questions, gets a few answers, and then translates them to his audience for a minute. Then returns to Peter. Is that typical for European interviews with American celebrities?

[@chemento0712]

It was at that time - the 80s...

[@Chronic_Town]

@@chemento0712 In Germany and other places like in Southern Europe. Never really in Scandinavia.

[@ethanmorris5251]

"Combo aus Atlanta..." lol. Actually, they're from Athens.