Slow news day

A photo from Linda's Athens trip. Bill and Mike appeared later on in the set.

In what appears to have been a fairly normal week in the R.E.M. world, I am relieved that not too much has happened in my absence. The past week has been totally nuts, with more rehearsals, competitions and exams than I could have possibly comprehended - and there's still more to come on Sunday! Hell, I'll probably live... but three hours of singing Handel's Messiah seems like a tall order for a rookie such as myself.

Anyway, you didn't come here to listen to me rabbit on about how my life was! On to R.E.M.-related news.

First of all, Linda's diary of her visit to Georgia is now on Mike Mills Tribute, along with some fancy pictures (like the one above) documenting her stay. I recommend you take a look, and go green with envy when she gets to the part about meeting Mike Mills. Click here to see it.

The Baseball Project's Cactus tour is still going strong, as expected. They've currently landed in Austin, TX for the SXSW (South By South West) festival which is held there every year, and Michael Stipe is also in town on separate business holding a Collapse Into Now film premiere party, much like the one Ivana attended not long ago. Could there be a possible guest appearance in the works? We certainly shouldn't rule it out.

On the subject of films, it appears that a certain Mr Franco has so far been unsuccessful in delivering his two videos for the album, namely That Someone Is You and Blue. Also not yet finished is Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I, directed by Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan. However, I still hold out hope for Franco's pieces - sometimes good things just take time!

The video for All the Best has also been recently released. You can view it below, along with an interview with Michael about the film, which starts at 6:49. WARNING: Nudity and, err... blood(?) present in the music video. Watch at your own discretion.



There is one last thing I'd like to add, then I'll be on my way. A short while ago I made a post on the great site REMFan.it  about the rankings for the album Collapse Into Now. Here was my order of songs, from favourite to least favourite:

1. It Happened Today (the vocal jam and rich instrumentation makes this one a winner in my book!)
2. Uberlin (spacey synthesisers and soaring Mills vocals... totally)
3. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I (this is bizarre. I keep wondering why I like this song... but I can't explain it. I just do)
4. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter (Peaches does wonders for this track)
5. Discoverer (a rocking opener to R.E.M.'s best ever album)
6. Walk it Back (had this song stuck in my head for an ENTIRE day)
7. Mine Smell Like Honey (initially disappointed, but I now like it for what it is)
8. Blue (really cool, but you can't sing along to it per se)
9. That Someone is You (a bit short, but catchy nevertheless)
10. All the Best (the chorus drum groove is just awesome! The rest is interesting too)
11. Oh My Heart (was never a huge fan of "Houston" and slow R.E.M. ballads, but this one is quite nice)
12. Every Day is Yours to Win (just not as good as the others)

It's always been my theory that opinions and rankings will vary wildly from one day to the next, with the final order after a week being totally different from the initial one. So, I propose an experiment. I go on with my life, listening to the record, and I'll post my new ranking in 7 days. Then we'll see how it varies. Until then!

Yours truly,
Auctioneer