R.E.M. "Dan Rather Sings With R.E.M." (What's The Frequency, Kenneth?) The Mastering Studio Burbank

This isn't meant to infringe on copyright.
Download: archive.org/details/rem-dan-r...
"Shortly after the release of the single "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", R.E.M. were joined by Dan Rather in Burbank to (try to) teach him how to sing the song he inspired. This was likely part of b-roll footage recorded for an evening news broadcast. The date on the VHS label is 09/08/1995, but R.E.M. had a show in St. Petersburg the evening of September 8, and played a show in Ramat Gan, Israel on August 9, so it's unclear what the date refers to."
Part of the Barney Kilpatrick collection.

[@FerCl]

It was use for a Letterman sketch kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX6od2msn9Vor68 at 16:38

[@whippermctingle]

This is what every new musician is afraid they will sound like and someone will get a video. Dan was having fun and loved the song. Music takes a lot of practice.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Musicians, new or old shouldn't be afraid of how they sound, It's all about practice, an if you're not perfect, it's alright, Practice makes perfect.

[@notabot2928]

The song is about Dan Rather in an incident in New York City where he was assaulted by a lunatic William Tager who asked Dan Rather, “Kenneth, whats the frequency?” The guy later went on to murder an NBC Today show stagehand outside of the network studios

[@SamuelDeterman]

I remember playing with my high school band and I felt embarrassed. This is REM, not a high school garage band in Nebraska…be proud Dan!!!

[@mbuchart2927]

One could do worse than making your rock debut with R.E.M. as your backing band.

[@ButterpOsse12954]

Courage!

[@buzziband9535]

What a bunch of good sports

[@laps200]

I had this CD back in the day. I had no idea the song was about Dan. How incredible it was for REM to have him sing and for Dan to say yes. Dan gave it his all. Great job Dan!

[@poppybell8217]

Amazing!! Dan is FEARLESS

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

For real!

[@JackJohnson-mw7uh]

You're a goddamn legend Danny ! #Respect

[@mattbelanger203]

This is Epic! I recall Letterman using some of this footage for his show.

[@phnigra111]

1-2-3-4 Good job Dan 🤘🏼

[@jpatt1000]

I wonder if he had cue cards or was trying to both recite the lyrics from memory while at the same time trying to match Nichael? I think the biggest hitch was Michael was getting all three syllables of "understood" before Dan got the first one out, and then they get out of synch. Dan also seemed to hang on to the words too long before "uh huh". I think if Michael would've pulled him aside and coached him on the prosody of the lyrics (and maybe pulled the song down into Dan's register) he probably could've nailed it! Awesome of him to be a sport and give it several tries though! You could tell he was having fun!!!

[@MountainCat1M]

Just learning the backstory to this tune. Who would have thunk a mugging/attack would have lead to a hit song and this video.

[@sethputnamsghost]

I love the Big interview with Dan, good stuff.👍

[@joefried6604]

Classic Legacy cemented Dan

[@JiaPia3]

I didn't know this happened until today. Wow, how incredible!

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Indeed!

[@TecraX2]

Lucky you... I'm all for "Rather than good" (usually no pun intended) when it comes to singing, but Rather really puts that philosophy to the test!

[@user-ys7kt7dd3o]

Trying to get anyone (let alone Rather) with minimum music experience to come in on the upbeat with a mouthful of lyrics is like trying to teach your dog mandarin while sky diving over an active volcano

[@michaeldalton8374]

Same end result, too 😬

[@SamuelDeterman]

Michael Stripe is an absolute legend

[@negan454ss]

He should just sang what's the frequency Kenneth part as backup

[@joshevans3452]

He did. He just didn't mean to.

[@Carbonara812]

I was just listening to the original recording and explaining how the phrase came about, went to wiki to find story and found out this existed. Damn, I thought you just had to be brainless to anchor the evening news, didn't know tone-deaf was also a requirement... Great post, dawg.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Yeah! This sure does exist! haha,

[@Diceanne]

Art imitating Life, which imitated Life, no wait, I lost the Frequency. Sorry Mr. Rather

[@anngulliver5964]

I've always loved this song, but I've only just understand the meaning behind it. He's Rather tuneless isn't he 😂

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

🤣

[@howard5992]

He is awful !

[@renebrown7394]

Unfortunately, we found out the frequency😂

[@Effin_the_Chat]

I would love to see Dan Rather at a Karaoke bar.

[@way-cute]

Nobody is good at everything. We found Dan Rather's weak spot ;)

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Haha! For real!

[@AREA_RC-51]

As a musician, it's incredible that such an intelligent person can have a complete absence of timing, rhythm, feel, melody... How in the hell can you sing that out of time and out of key without trying to do so purposely?!?! Bet they regretted that invite!

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Musician here too, I do agree, But i think it could have been worse.

[@SWog617]

Unfortunately I can't un-see/hear that. 😮

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

That's fair

[@benjaminhawthorne1969]

So, Dan was a "Professional Speaker" who could NOT carry a tune in a bucket! His singing really could NOT be any worse if he tried.

[@colbyshea5915]

Yep, it’s cute but he seems totally tone deaf

[@PrayingToTheAlien]

Would've been great if REM tweaked this to a country song - Rather and his Oklahoma accent could've nailed it!

[@poppybell8217]

It’s technically a Texas accent

[@tanquerayandchronic5308]

He looks cool in that outfit. He was rockin’ the coif Michael deserved. 😎

[@PrayingToTheAlien]

@@poppybell8217 dang it! I could've swore he was from Oklahoma!

[@PyroJoe1]

Everyone's fear when they start getting into karaoke is this happening

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

To be fair, this is how everyone started, Legends sounded like this when they first started, no shame in sounding like this when you first start singing

[@PyroJoe1]

@@ShadowsMusicShed I totally agree, Dan has decent voice. With lots of practice just about anyone can sing :)

[@fadedSF]

​@@ShadowsMusicShedsome people are just really attuned to music and pitch... and some people aren't. We were having band practice one time and we're doing an extra long version of With Or Without You by U2, and jamming out the instrumental ending- and then this little voice starts going through the microphone and our son who was like 5 years old had come into the living room and picked up the Mic... and started singing one of the parts he had heard us singing- "and you give yourself away.... and you give yourself away...." Totally perfect! Of course just like a cat when we wanted to get the video camera out and film him singing it he refused to perform LOL. He also used to sit in his room and play the keyboard part from take on me over and over again LOL Shame he was always such a slacker and didn't want to go into the family business LOL

[@steven3517]

Just read about the whole murder mystery, pretty crazy.

[@Jonnyweareten]

1420mhz

[@tommygarson8592]

he's having some trouble finding the frequency

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

I think we found it with this video 😆

[@rpetersobr]

One. Two. Three. Four. !!!?!!?????!!!??? 🎵

[@cokesquirrel]

Just brutal..but glad i saw it

[@subwaygoddess1]

😂😂

[@jasons57]

I think that might be the most difficult video I have ever watched on KZbin. Whew!

[@renebrown7394]

Yes, we definitely found out the frequency

[@pup1008]

I don't know what was more painful, the attack or this!

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

🤣🤣🤣

[@georgehenderson7783]

Definitely this

[@renebrown7394]

This😆

[@2ndhandanxiety719]

When art irritates life

[@popartist6177]

He was improving with each run through though. If he had more time he might have made a decent go at it, but he was out of time. 😊

[@zacharyharris438]

Donest have one rhythmic bone in his body.........lol

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Lol

[@patrickproctor392]

😂😂😂c'mon Dannnn

[@matthewclark9652]

Don't f--k with Dan either!!!

[@dereks7745]

Such a disaster but hilarious. 😂

[@DarrenODonnell]

why?

[@faulsname8869]

Because Dan Rather was mugged by a schizophrenic man in the 60s who kept screaming at him “whats the frequency kenneth?” Which later inspired Stipe to write the song

[@N1120A]

@@faulsname8869 1986

[@JiaPia3]

To piggy back on the answer, the madman, William Trager thought Dan Rather was Kenneth Burrows, his boss who had the frequency. This is legendary stuff here. I can't believe Dan Rather did this

[@pup1008]

​@@faulsname8869 Between the two replies there is a kernel of truth... In 1986 Dan was attacked by two guys who kept on shouting - "Kenneth! What's the frequency?" One of the guys went on to shoot a dude later. The main theory why was that a dude who looked like Dan who was called "Kenneth" had setup a business using the then new satellite technology to tap into Russian broadcasts so Americans could listen to them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joXRf5yaabpokKcsi=V0W78oUupHhvicuZ They needed a particular frequency to do that.

[@Texturas75]

Why did they do this? He's unbearable.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Why not? He's the reason the song exists.

[@Texturas75]

@@ShadowsMusicShed because he sounds so bad.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

@@Texturas75 Don't act like you didnt sound like him at one point if you do sing

[@Texturas75]

@@ShadowsMusicShed if I sang as bad as him (and even if I sang much better) I wouldn't have been allowed to sing with REM and that would have made sense.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

It's not like Dan Rather is just some random kid they picked up off the street to teach this song to, He even claims the "R" in R.E.M stands for "Rather" They had a goal trying to teach Dan this song.@@Texturas75

[@craigstahl1874]

He has the voice, but not the pitch.

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

i guess you could say he doesnt have the frequency

[@anngulliver5964]

He's always Out Of Time even when Michael keeps on counting him in. Sorry for the puns 😂

[@sexobscura]

*The cringe of this is on a close par with Clinton's sax playing on Arsenio Hall*

[@ShadowsMusicShed]

Haha!