What a fun episode! I'd forgotten my nickname was STANDerson! But I do remember The Stink Beatles! And Joe was right, we did meet the summer before starting our freshmen year at KSU, but Keith is also right that he was likely the first person after Joel that I met. He and Chad. Thanks for letting me play a small part in this juggernaut podcast! I do agree that REM was too indie until the very end of the 80's. Once Stand came out, along with other quirky cool bands like Joe's They Might Be Giants, REM led the vanguard that was "Alternative Rock" into the mainstream eventually...with mandolins!!
Thanks for jumping in and doing that for us at the last minute!
The Stink Beatles would have been so much better had we played any instruments! Chad played some sax in high school... I had some piano lessons until I was ten... I feel like Joel played something? You were right to go solo, man! 🤣 I loved that year we had together in Harbourt, so much fun! Do you keep in touch with Ron or Chidi?
This podcast has gotten so difficult to vote on this season... which band is more legendary, which SONG is more legendary, who's more 80s, who sounds more 80s, and trying to balance your own biases...it's killing me, Michael!
I think it's safe to assume you voted R.E.M., though, right?
107.9 The End was so influential in shaping my musical tastes in the 90s -- they existed in the alternative format for my best music-listening years. (Is "alternative" as we called it then even a thing anymore? I feel like "alternative" means "heavy metal"/screaming into a microphone now?) The "It's the end of the world as we know it" stunt is a standout memory in my brain. We had a radio in my classroom at school and we turned it on periodically throughout the day, just like you -- yep, still playing it! I can't hear the song without thinking of that. They brought back The End as an online radio station in 2020 but it didn't last long.
That being said, REM feels more 90s to me, but also, I was too young for Talking Heads to make my radar in the 80s experientially. I think I voted for REM based on that, but listening again, Burning Down the House does feel more 80s and I probably should've voted for them, but 🤷♀️
Well it was in Montessori school, so no changing rooms or anything, and three grade levels in one classroom (only like 8 kids in each grade). So there was a tape deck/radio combo situation in the room for things like music class. It's possible we turned it on at lunch or after school (teacher's kids played at school after school while our parents did their after work stuff :) ).
I'm surprised Joe wasn't sure which way I would go knowing my history like he does (or should). But even leaving my bias out of it I think Talking Heads would have had a better chance of my vote if the song was Nothing But Flowers or Once In A Lifetime, but Burning Down The House is not as strong of a case for them.
Now, putting my bias back in...
My identity for much of my late teens into my early 20s was wrapped up in being an REM fan. How you guys think of Michael was how people in college thought of me (without the talented singing and guitar playing part), except that being a guy that grew up not that far form Athens I was listening to them earlier. Well, and I grew up in a place with college radio. This album in particular means so very much to me. It quite literally save my life my senior year of high school, having come out the first month of the school year at a time when my life was miserable (new school for senior year in a different part of the country, I was weird kid, etc). It was what I needed to get me through every day. I was fortunate enough to be able to tell Peter Buck thank you for that one night after a show in a club in NYC.
And then this song itself is such a huge part of my core memories. We had the best theatre parties at our college and a friend Mike (also lives in Seattle now) was our usual DJ. At some point during the night, usually toward the end, he played End Of The World and we danced like maniacs. And then after the slow part right when the final burst of the fast tempo kicked back in we all did the Ally Sheedy dance form Breakfast Club and ended up on the floor. It was beautiful. We even ended up doing this at a reunion in 2014, but we were all breathing a lot heavier afterwards that time.
And you already know how I feel about how college radio more truly represents the legacy of the 80s than the pop hits. Granted, both of these bands qualify in that regard. But REM was the apex of college radio in the 80s.
I am so happy you had this band to be there for you! And the Ally Sheedy dance bit with friends just sounds so joyous, I love that!
I agree that a different song would have been stronger for Talking Heads. Honestly this was my 4th choice of the 4 nominees, even though I love the song.
Every time I have my vote figured out, I read your comments and I either feel vindicated or feel like oh damn I should have thought about it more! 🤣 So thanks for providing your commentary on a regular basis!
Joe, I auditioned for (most likely) that exact same scholarship 10 years later. I also did not get it. I'm sure they'd be kicking themselves if they saw our incredible Meat Locker performances.
The thing about Talking Heads on SNL in the 70s. Back in the day SNL had really fantastic bands on no matter their chart success. Now they pretty much have only popular bands. In the 70s and 80s (and a little bit into the early 90s) the bands they had on might be playing at CBGBs on a regular basis, now the people they have on are pretty much only those that play arenas. Even the Sex Pistols were supposed to play SNL but they got denied visas. So Elvis Costello was a last minute replacement, leading to the famous show where he played a different song than he was supposed to as a "fuck you" to the show and the cast for annoying him. (Supposedly they were making fun of his accent.
They once had dynamic and interesting musical guests on the show, now it's mostly pedestrian popular garbage.
I agree with this take, yes, but with the caveat of emphasizing that there are still occasionally good artists these days. Even when I am unfamiliar with a musical guest, I like to give them a chance, but then I am disappointed regularly at the musical guests in recent years who don't play the show live. It's just a huge waste of everyone's time. Who wants to listen to the exact album version? Who wants to hear a pre-recorded track?
I think that I already told you guys that I saw David Byrne live in a club in Córdoba. For that alone, Talking Heads gets my vote!
Both songs were very intriguing to me back in the 80s, mostly because I could hardly understand any of the lyrics (none of them were "I just called to say I love you", you people!).
Yesssss. I have yet to see Byrne live, so I am jealous of that!
My friend, WE barely understood the lyrics to either, but you mentioning this gives me so much more sympathy for you! I can't imagine trying to decipher "It's the End of the World..." in a foreign language. Mind-blowing!
As much as REM was a presence in my own 80s experience, the (surprising) lack of chart support for REM in the 80s really weakens their case as a Legend (other than in my own mind).
At the same time, Talking Heads feels like a bridge to the 70s rather than quintessentially 80s. Tough vote...
This was tough, because it's easy to see both bands are legendary...but neither is really best-known for their 80s work, and neither songs sounds particularly 80s. So for me, it came down to specific experience, and I would endorse either winner of this contest. --K
What a fun episode! I'd forgotten my nickname was STANDerson! But I do remember The Stink Beatles! And Joe was right, we did meet the summer before starting our freshmen year at KSU, but Keith is also right that he was likely the first person after Joel that I met. He and Chad. Thanks for letting me play a small part in this juggernaut podcast! I do agree that REM was too indie until the very end of the 80's. Once Stand came out, along with other quirky cool bands like Joe's They Might Be Giants, REM led the vanguard that was "Alternative Rock" into the mainstream eventually...with mandolins!!
Thanks for jumping in and doing that for us at the last minute!
The Stink Beatles would have been so much better had we played any instruments! Chad played some sax in high school... I had some piano lessons until I was ten... I feel like Joel played something? You were right to go solo, man! 🤣 I loved that year we had together in Harbourt, so much fun! Do you keep in touch with Ron or Chidi?
This podcast has gotten so difficult to vote on this season... which band is more legendary, which SONG is more legendary, who's more 80s, who sounds more 80s, and trying to balance your own biases...it's killing me, Michael!
I think it's safe to assume you voted R.E.M., though, right?
Thanks for listening and for participating!
--Keith
107.9 The End was so influential in shaping my musical tastes in the 90s -- they existed in the alternative format for my best music-listening years. (Is "alternative" as we called it then even a thing anymore? I feel like "alternative" means "heavy metal"/screaming into a microphone now?) The "It's the end of the world as we know it" stunt is a standout memory in my brain. We had a radio in my classroom at school and we turned it on periodically throughout the day, just like you -- yep, still playing it! I can't hear the song without thinking of that. They brought back The End as an online radio station in 2020 but it didn't last long.
That being said, REM feels more 90s to me, but also, I was too young for Talking Heads to make my radar in the 80s experientially. I think I voted for REM based on that, but listening again, Burning Down the House does feel more 80s and I probably should've voted for them, but 🤷♀️
Hmmmm, I dunno, is the preferred term, "indie" now?
Having a radio in your class is wild! I can't imagine how that even worked?
Well it was in Montessori school, so no changing rooms or anything, and three grade levels in one classroom (only like 8 kids in each grade). So there was a tape deck/radio combo situation in the room for things like music class. It's possible we turned it on at lunch or after school (teacher's kids played at school after school while our parents did their after work stuff :) ).
That makes more sense than the complete chaos that would have ensued with our public school classes with a radio in them!
I'm surprised Joe wasn't sure which way I would go knowing my history like he does (or should). But even leaving my bias out of it I think Talking Heads would have had a better chance of my vote if the song was Nothing But Flowers or Once In A Lifetime, but Burning Down The House is not as strong of a case for them.
Now, putting my bias back in...
My identity for much of my late teens into my early 20s was wrapped up in being an REM fan. How you guys think of Michael was how people in college thought of me (without the talented singing and guitar playing part), except that being a guy that grew up not that far form Athens I was listening to them earlier. Well, and I grew up in a place with college radio. This album in particular means so very much to me. It quite literally save my life my senior year of high school, having come out the first month of the school year at a time when my life was miserable (new school for senior year in a different part of the country, I was weird kid, etc). It was what I needed to get me through every day. I was fortunate enough to be able to tell Peter Buck thank you for that one night after a show in a club in NYC.
And then this song itself is such a huge part of my core memories. We had the best theatre parties at our college and a friend Mike (also lives in Seattle now) was our usual DJ. At some point during the night, usually toward the end, he played End Of The World and we danced like maniacs. And then after the slow part right when the final burst of the fast tempo kicked back in we all did the Ally Sheedy dance form Breakfast Club and ended up on the floor. It was beautiful. We even ended up doing this at a reunion in 2014, but we were all breathing a lot heavier afterwards that time.
And you already know how I feel about how college radio more truly represents the legacy of the 80s than the pop hits. Granted, both of these bands qualify in that regard. But REM was the apex of college radio in the 80s.
I am so happy you had this band to be there for you! And the Ally Sheedy dance bit with friends just sounds so joyous, I love that!
I agree that a different song would have been stronger for Talking Heads. Honestly this was my 4th choice of the 4 nominees, even though I love the song.
Every time I have my vote figured out, I read your comments and I either feel vindicated or feel like oh damn I should have thought about it more! 🤣 So thanks for providing your commentary on a regular basis!
--Keith
Joe, I auditioned for (most likely) that exact same scholarship 10 years later. I also did not get it. I'm sure they'd be kicking themselves if they saw our incredible Meat Locker performances.
I sent a DVD of it to the guy who headed the department at the time and he sent me a teary-eyed apology. Felt vindicated.
This is news to me. If only your brother and I had written NayFK earlier...your monologue would easily have won any contest!
The thing about Talking Heads on SNL in the 70s. Back in the day SNL had really fantastic bands on no matter their chart success. Now they pretty much have only popular bands. In the 70s and 80s (and a little bit into the early 90s) the bands they had on might be playing at CBGBs on a regular basis, now the people they have on are pretty much only those that play arenas. Even the Sex Pistols were supposed to play SNL but they got denied visas. So Elvis Costello was a last minute replacement, leading to the famous show where he played a different song than he was supposed to as a "fuck you" to the show and the cast for annoying him. (Supposedly they were making fun of his accent.
They once had dynamic and interesting musical guests on the show, now it's mostly pedestrian popular garbage.
I agree with this take, yes, but with the caveat of emphasizing that there are still occasionally good artists these days. Even when I am unfamiliar with a musical guest, I like to give them a chance, but then I am disappointed regularly at the musical guests in recent years who don't play the show live. It's just a huge waste of everyone's time. Who wants to listen to the exact album version? Who wants to hear a pre-recorded track?
I think that I already told you guys that I saw David Byrne live in a club in Córdoba. For that alone, Talking Heads gets my vote!
Both songs were very intriguing to me back in the 80s, mostly because I could hardly understand any of the lyrics (none of them were "I just called to say I love you", you people!).
Yesssss. I have yet to see Byrne live, so I am jealous of that!
My friend, WE barely understood the lyrics to either, but you mentioning this gives me so much more sympathy for you! I can't imagine trying to decipher "It's the End of the World..." in a foreign language. Mind-blowing!
Thanks, Alejandro!
--K
As much as REM was a presence in my own 80s experience, the (surprising) lack of chart support for REM in the 80s really weakens their case as a Legend (other than in my own mind).
At the same time, Talking Heads feels like a bridge to the 70s rather than quintessentially 80s. Tough vote...
This was tough, because it's easy to see both bands are legendary...but neither is really best-known for their 80s work, and neither songs sounds particularly 80s. So for me, it came down to specific experience, and I would endorse either winner of this contest. --K