================================================================== OOO I I CCC M M M M 33 H H H H O O I C C M M M M 3 3 H H O O I C M M M M 3 H H H O O I I C M M M M M 33 H HH HH H O O I C M M M M 3 H H H O O I C C M M 3 3 H H OOO I I CCC M M M M 33 H H H H N N N N E EEE W W W W W W SS N N N E E W W W S S N N N E E W W W S N N N N N E E W W W W SS N N N E E W W W W S N N N E E W W S S N N N N E EEE W W SS ================================================================== OICM3H News June 1995 Vol. I, No. 3 ================================================================== An occasional publication of the Organization Intended to Catapult Mike Mills into Musical History =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- IN THIS ISSUE OICM3H FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1 Your Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2 Editor's Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2 New OICM3H Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2 Featured Reproduction: "How Do I Love R.E.M." (Mojo). . . . page 3 Opinion Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4 Classified Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4 Around Athens, Georgia (part one) . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5 Mike Mills Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- OICM3H FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) 1. What is OICM3H? OICM3H is the Organization Intended to Catapult Mike Mills into Musical History. It was started in February 1995 by Jamie Day and Laura Wimbrow (our co-organizers, presently in e-mail absentia) and organized by postings to rec.music.rem and through e-mail. The only requirement for membership is the desire to support the effort to catapult Michael Edward Mills into musical history. 2. How do I join? Send a message by e-mail to me, the OICM3H Newsletter editor, (Lin Wright) at either erwright@uga.cc.uga.edu or oicm3h@aol.com. I will send you the latest OICM3H News by e-mail and will forward your message along to our new welcomer, Cathie at katieisgrn@aol.com. Cathie is the maintainer of the membership lists and will issue you a member number (I think the next available number is 096) and will send you a message welcoming you to OICM3H. 3. What do I get by joining OICM3H? The opportunity to connect with people who admire Mike Mills' musical abilities, the newsletter sent to you by e-mail as soon as it is finished, occasional messages of interest to fans of Mike Mills and R.E.M., updates on newsletter progress and messages from the editor requesting (begging for) submissions, and the chance, with all of us, to help catapult Mike into musical history. 4. Why issue a member number? This just helps us with bookkeeping and keeping track of people for whom we frequently only have a given name and an address. If your address changes, tell us your old address or your member number along with your new address and we can prevent duplication. 5. How can I help? You can post messages to rec.music.rem about OICM3H and Mike Mills, share information and insights with other Mike Mills fans through messages to OICM3H or the newsletter, help with the newsletter as needed (special thanks to the six people who volunteered to proofread), contribute ideas on how to make this organization serve its purpose and to make it an organization of which you are proud to belong, and stay in touch with other OICM3H members who share your appreciation of Mike Mills' musical abilities. 6. What if I only want the newsletter? Send a message to the editor at one of the e-mail addresses above or the post office box below and say you want to subscribe. If the message is unclear as to whether you want to join or subscribe, I will either ask or assume you only want to subscribe. Let me know if you are on the wrong list and I will make the appropriate change. 7. How can I get the newsletter if I don't have e-mail? Send postage ($.55 US or 2 IRCs or the appropriate US postage for 8 oz.) along with your address, preferably legible and/or on a label to OICM3H News, Post Office Box 1067, Athens, Georgia, USA 30603. I will send you the next issue unless you request a earlier one. 8. Does Mike Mills read OICM3H News? I send two copies to the R.E.M./Athens, Ltd. office, one for the office and one to give to Mike. I have no idea if it gets to him (I hope it does) or if he reads it. - Lin Wright ====== ===== ===== ===== end of page one ===== ===== ===== ======= ======= OICM3H News ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== page two ======= YOUR COMMENTS Hi! Just a quick note to let you know that the OICM3H was so great! I can finally hear about Mike.. something that never happened before! One thing... on the "This Film Is On" R.E.M. video, Mike sings "Love Is All Around" and it is sooo excellent. I didn't know that until I bought the video. Maybe it's a well-known thing and I'm just really behind... but any MEM fan would absolutely love it... maybe you might want to remind people of his little solo on the video in the next newsletter.... Just a thought! Looking forward to the next newsletter... and to catapulting MEM into musical history! Thanks. - Laura U. I always thought Mike seemed like a pretty cool guy and on top of that he plays the bass. But last month I caught an R.E.M. concert in Portland and was lucky enough to have second row seats on Mike's side. Wow! My entire perspective on the band has changed. He's incredible! Not only was his playing phenomenal but he also was by far the most lively of the band. He seemed to genuinely enjoy himself the entire time and made the whole concert amazing. Not only that but I was totally impressed with his versatility. His background vocals have always struck me as great and it's obvious that he's a very innovative and talented bass player, but I guess it never really sunk in with me that he has so much facility on so many instruments (keyboards, guitar....). I guess this is kind of rambling on but the point is that I have this newfound admiration for Mr. Mills and I would love to subscribe to the newsletter, which by the way was a great idea! Thanks, - Rachel =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- EDITOR'S COMMENTS Finally, the long delayed third issue! This issue is shorter than the two previous issues, but I hope it is as well received. Letters and comments (positive or negative) are always welcome and will be printed if you so indicate. I wish to thank, once again, all the volunteers who stepped forward when I needed a proofreader, and especially to Meredith and Louise who are so capably serving in that capacity. I also send out thanks to Cathie, the new OICM3H welcomer and keeper of the member and subscriber lists. I miss both of our co-organizers, Jamie and Laura, who are off living real lives, Jamie enjoying her summer off from high school and Laura settling in to her new post-college job. One final note, I would like to offer my condolences to J. Michael Stipe on the recent death of his grandmother. I lost my second grandmother within the past year, so I can truly empathize. - Lin Wright =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THE LIST OF NEW OICM3H MEMBERS Amanda vkad44b@prodigy.com 081 Amy D. mfvz63b@prodigy.com 083 Anne fretless5@aol.com 087 Cathie katieisgrn@aol.com 079 Heiko heiko@ix.netcom.com 084 Ingrid i_bejer@vega.concordia.ca 091 Judith judith@greenoak.demon.co.uk 088 Laura U. junger7587@aol.com 086 Nantz remnantz@aol.com 089 Patty o.bejermam@phoenix.ftpt.br 092 Rachel darwin@gladstone.uoregon.edu 090 Sarah ternway@cam.org 078 Sarah H. stu_s1huddle@vax1.acs.jmu.edu 080 Tom tf5@evansville.edu 082 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- OICM3H News, June 1995, Vol. 1, no. 3 Publisher and Editor: Lin Wright Copy Editors: Meredith F. and Louise T. Proofreaders: Ingrid Bejerman, and Brian K. Fiction and Opinion Page Editor: Christina Contributing Writers: Laura U., Rachel K., Christina, Lin Wright Special Thanks: to Esther C. for the Mojo article. OICM3H News is a more or less monthly publication of the Organization Intended to Catapult Mike Mills into Musical History and is available by electronic mail to members of OICM3H and others who request it. For those without e-mail access, it is available in hard copy format by special arrangement with the publisher. Submissions are encouraged and should be sent to the editor by e- mail to erwright@uga.cc.uga.edu or oicm3h@aol.com, to the page editor by e-mail, or by United States postal service mail to OICM3H News, P.O. Box 1067, Athens, GA 30603. Submission guidelines are available on request from the editor at the above addresses. The projected date of issue for OICM3H News, vol. 1, no. 4 is Monday, 14 August 1995 and the deadline for submissions to be included in that issue is Friday, 4 August, 1995. Late submissions may be included, or will be held for the subsequent issue. ====== ===== ===== ===== end of page two ===== ===== ===== ======= ====== OICM3H News ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== page three ====== FEATURED REPRODUCTION HOW DO I LOVE R.E.M.? Let Me Count The Ways, Chronologically...: Twenty reason to adore a band from Athens, GA. A personal selection by David Cavanagh 1. Mike Mills's bass playing on "Radio Free Europe" In the old days, before Peter Buck learned another chord besides A, Mike Mills would go to fantastic lengths to cover for him. Mills effectively played "lead bass" - a harmonically buzzing Rickenbacker - and is best heard on "So. Central Rain" (off Reckoning) and, especially, this one. Interesting fact: to this day, Peter Buck cannot play a guitar solo. 2. "9-9", off Murmur In 1983, before Michael Stipe's lyrics became of Talmud-like importance, he demonstrated great skill in pureeing his vocals, often obliterating meaning for minutes on end. That he could then add a harmony, precisely duplicating the unintelligible gibberish, showed the mark of the man. 3. The fact that Stipe sounds really like Gene Clark Gene Clark's "Echoes" being nothing less than the greatest song ever recorded, Stipe was on to an immediate result. In Stipe, Clark's sublime, woody burr lives on - words with "r" in them invariably prove most Clarkesque, e.g. "birdy in the hand" from "Begin the Begin." 4. The line "Jefferson, I think we're lost" on "Little America," off Reckoning R.E.M. folklore would, in time, make stars of Bertis Downs IV and Jefferson Holt. Holt, a lean quasi-James Stewart figure, is the group's manager, a man whom even professional cider-testers admit has the best job of any human being alive. 5. The two Marquee gigs, April 30-May 1, 1984 R.E.M. achieve perfection in Wardour Street. The first night Stipe is barefoot. They open with "Pale Blue Eyes." The second night Mike Mills sings "Does Your Mother Know" by ABBA and a large percentage of the audience clamber on-stage for "Carnival of Sorts," which Stipe sings hidden behind Buck's amplifier. It is inspirational. The following December, at the Lyceum, R.E.M. play one of the worst gigs in the history of the world. 6. Buck and Mills in the NME (New Music Express), May 1984 In the 'Portrait of the Artist as a Consumer' series, Buck lists a host of then-obscure bands as his favorites: Mitch Easter's Let's Active, Love Tractor, Husker Du, The Replacements. Mills names his fave albums as Pet Sounds, The Madcap Laughs, and Shake Some Action. Young R.E.M. fans dole out the cash accordingly and are, needless to report, thrilled. 7. "Moon River" Having debuted the beautiful Henry Mancini tune live in a capella form on the late-'84 tour, R.E.M. do it for the BBC on the Whistle Test, slamming instantly thereafter into an explosive "Pretty Persuasion." When an American fan shouts "bullshit" during "Moon River" on the US leg, Buck quite rightly, offers him backstage for a kicking. 8. "Life and How to Live It," off Fables of the Reconstruction The Fables album, made in the darkest London N22, contains 7 or 8 of R.E.M.'s most opaque classics. The scandalously underrated "Life and How to Live It" bursts open on a 3-part harmony between Stipe, Mills, and Bill Berry, ending on a glorious beseeching yowl from Stipe. 9. "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," off Fables of the Reconstruction We can't leave Fables of the Reconstruction without mentioning "Auctioneer," another mysterious gem. The vocalists growl an obscure ancient myth ("listen to the barter-holler") with infectious urgency, with a Great Rock Moment coming in the shape of Mike Mills's lugubrious swoop up the neck of his bass. 10. Peter Buck's sleevenotes for the compilation Dead Letter Office Given a platform to put his band forward as THE American music flame-keepers sans pareil (cf sleevenotes of Neil Young's Decade) or maybe go for a nice poem in lower case (cf Patti Smith's Horses), Buck begins by saying that Pylon were miles better than R.E.M., goes on to belittle a good 75 per cent of his own album and, in his introduction, claims to prefer singles anyway. 11. "Begin the Begin," off Lifes Rich Pageant Cracking open the curiously non-apostrophied fourth album, "Begin the Begin" was an angry song teetering on the brink of distortion, with the words "miles standish proud" once heard, proving impossible to dislodge from the memory. Miles Standish- Proud is, we think, a barrister based in Great Russell Street. 12. The call-and-response bit in "These Days," off Lifes Rich Pageant In the second half of their most irresistible fast numbers, Stipe sings "and you ... me ... you." In the brief gaps, Mills, almost off-mic, answers "hey! ... hey! ... hey!" 13. "Right?" "Right!" On a call-and-response roll, the pair repeat their trick on "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," off Document. It's worth mentioning what a funny band R.E.M. used to be. 14. The music boxes on "Get Up," off Green Bill Berry, in a dream, heard 12 music boxes playing. Relaying the happy news to Scott Litt, he demanded that 12 music boxes be purchased and primed for the middle section of "Get Up." Litt, cost cutting, attempted to get away with using six and double-tracking them. Berry was unimpressed, so a further six were bought. 15. "Endgame," off Out of Time Ludicrously overlooked in all the fuss about "Losing My Religion," this elegant little tune - basically an instrumental over which Stipe scat-sings - recalls Sunday and Bryter Layter, the lovely instrumentals off Nick Drake's second album. What a great album Out of Time was. So much better than Monster. 16. Mike Mills's unbelievable harmony on "Half A World Away," off Out of Time The first time he tries it he's barely audible, so he's probably just road-testing it. When his chance comes again he's straight in, yodeling away like the myopic descant genius he so palpably is. 17. The title of "Country Feedback," off Out of Time It's a country song with feedback. Life used to be so simple in 1991. 18. "Fretless" A sublime, eerie Out of Time outtake which R.E.M. play at the Borderline for their Bingo Hand Job dates in Feb/March 1991. Unhelpfully, Stipe introduced it as "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order. It later turned up on the soundtrack album of Wim Wender's film "Until The End Of The World." 19. The fact that there are three verses and choruses before the bridge in "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" Most bands have two. R.E.M. have three. So simple. So ingenious. 20. "Find the River" It somehow irks the soul that R.E.M.'s best song yet will not be equalled until all this Monster business is over - 1996 at the earliest. They may not even better it. But at least they wrote it. Thanks. Reproduced from Mojo, 12 November 1994, page 82. Submitted by Esther. ===== ===== ===== ===== end of page three ===== ===== ===== ====== ====== OICM3H News ===== ===== ====== ===== ===== page four ====== OPINION PAGE Hi y'all, well, this month's opinion page is on the skimpy side due to the fact that not many of you responded to the poll Jamie listed in last month's issue. The responses I did get are quoted below. If you have anything else to add, please, don't hesitate to let me know! Here's a question for next time to warm you up--- If you could be any possessions of Mike's which one would it be and why??? Try to have fun with the question--let your imaginations fly! If it's really far out we can put it on the fiction page (which is non-existent this month). Peace - Christina "R.E.M. is part lies, part heart, part truth and part garbage." Peter Buck-It Crawled from The South Question #6-"If you met Mike, and he asked your OPINION on his flashy "nudie suits", what would you say? Would you be lying in saying so? From spidey (el Loco Spider) "I would say that they are pretty cool. But I don't think he needs them to catch attention." From MF2418a (Meredith J.) "I'd tell him to lose the nudie suits. Even that Bad News Bears shirt was better. I'd be telling the truth." From KatieIsGrn "As the only Mike Mills de-vo-tee in the local R.E.M. circle, I have taken considerable flack on his change in image. I am torn between thinking that it is a tongue-in-cheek poke at himself and the music industry to thinking, "oh gosh, he's having a mid-life crisis". The bottom line is, if you're happy with it Mike, go for it." Question #2-"What Instrument do you think Mike plays the best?" Hands down and tied around, the answer was bass. Question #3-"Which song do you think has the best backup or lead performance of Mike's?" From grizzard--"I really like Mike in his duet on "Near Wild Heaven." I like the fact that his voice can be heard the whole song." From spidey--"Didn't he do some backup vocals in "Perfect Circle?" If so that would be the one. If not then "Near Wild Heaven." Well, that's a sampling of the results I got, not much, I know. Let me know if you have anything else to add! Here's a final quote from KatieIsGrn, "I loved the sound of his voice long before I knew who it belonged to. As well as being one of the most superb musicians I have had the privilege of listening to, he has a quiet charisma I find intriguing." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS Louise (TooncesL@aol.com) would like to know how to get a copy of "This Film Is On." Lin (erwright@uga.cc.uga.edu) would like to hear from anyone who would like to connect before the Atlanta concert November 18th. ====== ===== ===== ===== end of page four ===== ===== ===== ====== ====== OICM3H News ===== ===== ====== ===== ===== page five ====== AROUND ATHENS Part 1: Introduction and Downtown Athens, Georgia is a city of young people. Home of the University of Georgia (UGA) whose more than 25,000 students comprise about a third of the residents of the city, the average age is 25. The city is home as well to more than 50 clubs or bars, many serving food, more than 140 places to eat, 15 recording studios, more than 25 bookstores, about a dozen record stores and an equal number of places to purchase musical instruments, more than 30 places where original art is displayed.... The music scene is strong in Athens, having sprung up in the 1970s as part of the do-it- yourself entertainment movement. As time progressed, it evolved into a somewhat more public and cohesive entity, though remaining an informal community at heart. Downtown is an area about five blocks long and four blocks wide. To the south is UGA's north campus on which is located the oldest building in Athens, Old College, built in 1802 and used for administrative offices for the University. The northern part of downtown is given over to several churches, banks and government buildings and the occasional small business. Sandwiched between, in an area three blocks deep, is the retail, food, entertainment, and business center of the city. What's downtown for the R.E.M. fan? Broad Street, the southern boundary of downtown and the main street in Athens offers a number of places to eat, including just beyond the eastern edge of downtown, Weaver D's Fine Foods "Automatic For the People;" my personal favorite, DePalma's Italian Cafe ("depalmas rocks" to quote Michael Stipe); and in the 100 block of East Broad, Guaranteed, the juice bar and restaurant Michael co-owns. College Square, College Street north from the arch at Broad to Clayton Street offers Barnett's News and the nearby kiosk, the juxtaposition of which has been suggest by some as an inspiration for "Moral Kiosk;" the Grill, open 24-hours, and at one time the place to go after the clubs closed, which before a recent redecorating displayed a WWII poster stating "Silence Means Security." The loft above the Grill was the site of the first 40 Watt, and the 40 Watt's second home on the opposite end of the block, on the corner of College and Broad above Yudi's sandwich shop. On the corner of Clayton and College is the branch of Wuxtry where Peter Buck once worked and on the opposite corner, the second floor offices of R.E.M./Athens, Ltd. Clayton Street offers the Georgia Bar, Mike was on their softball team at one time and the Georgia Bar is the site of the drunken interview Peter gave several years ago and noted in one or two of the books about R.E.M. Also on Clayton, the Globe, one of the places it was once common to spot Michael, especially upstairs on one of the open mic poetry reading nights. The High Hat Blues Club, where Mike played one night during the recent tour hiatus, the R.E.M. rehearsal studio and former office space (now storage), and Junkman's Daughter's Brother, notable for a Stipe-Love-Cobain shopping expedition, are also on Clayton. Parallel to Clayton on the north is Washington Street, current home of the 40 Watt; the new 24-hour post-club place to be -- Jittery Joe's; and the newly renovated Morton Theater, the oldest extant black-owned vaudeville in the country and the site of a Victoria Williams concert Mike Mills and I both attended a couple of weeks ago. There are other places associated in one way or another with members of R.E.M. which I haven't mentioned, such as Expresso Cafe Royale, the Last Resort and the Georgia Theater. Almost every place you look downtown there is some R.E.M. connection, known or unrevealed, which is to be expected of the city they have considered home for more than a decade. - Lin Wright =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- MIKE MILLS TRIVIA Jared Hughes was the first person to supply the correct answer to the following trivia question which I asked members and subscribers: In the early days of R.E.M., what task did Michael Stipe insist on doing for Mike Mills before each performance? Answer: Michael reportedly used to check Mike's outfit for appropriateness before he went on stage. Several people, including Lisa Behrens, Angela Arnold, Amy Davis also supplied the correct answer. Among the comments on the question and the subject of Mike's wardrobe were: Eva: "Well, this is a complete guess, out of the wild blue sky...was it pick out his clothes? I know *some* blasphemers actually *dislike* Mike's recent forays into flashy concert attire... :)" Angela: "Um, I dunno, but from the hint I'd say help him out with his wardrobe. By the way--I _like_ the Nudie suits. I think they make him look cute." Ingrid: "I think Mike's looks perfectly exemplify his musical versatility - he wears clothes that range from a t-shirt- jeans-sneakers trio to glossy nudie suits and still manages to look great just like he plays instruments that range from bass to organ to accordion and still manages to excel in producing those heavenly tunes that have become his personal trademark..." ====== ===== ===== ===== end of page five ===== ===== ===== ======