Interesting tidbit from a recent article about R.E.M.’s current tour, reproduced at R.E.M. fansite extraordinaire Murmurs:
It’s been proposed that two distinct types of music fans came of age in the 1980s: the separate but equal followers of U2 and R.E.M. The argument can be entertaining, and it’s also ultimately pointless. But there’s good reason why one might perceive that a distinction still exists between the two audiences.
U2, with its 1980s piety and epic arpeggios, often seems to transcend this earthly plane; its music is imbued with a universal spirituality akin to organized religion. And like Catholicism, U2 tends to place a certain amount of distance between itself and its worshipers.
uhhh… I would never compare U2 to organized religion. let’s just leave it at that. I’m going to see REM next week, and am looking forward to it. but I am curious about REM’s media blitz for their greatest hits. I would think they’d see that kind of media schmoozing as U2’s territory.
uhhh… I would never compare U2 to organized religion. let’s just leave it at that. I’m going to see REM next week, and am looking forward to it. but I am curious about REM’s media blitz for their greatest hits. I would think they’d see that kind of media schmoozing as U2’s territory.
RRRRRRROTLFMAO!!!! OMG. Truer words have never been spoken. Trust me.
RRRRRRROTLFMAO!!!! OMG. Truer words have never been spoken. Trust me.
“U2 tends to place a certain amount of distance between itself and its worshipers.” yeah, that’s right, U2 doesn’t do anything for the fans. you can obviously tell this person knows nothing about either group. u2 and rem are huge, their fanbase is huge, and most of the fans of one are big fans of the other. what’s “ultimately pointless” is not the argument like this person has said, but the whole idea itself. i’m a huge fan of both, and besides the music being somewhat different, these two bands are incredible and do so much for their fans.
“U2 tends to place a certain amount of distance between itself and its worshipers.” yeah, that’s right, U2 doesn’t do anything for the fans. you can obviously tell this person knows nothing about either group. u2 and rem are huge, their fanbase is huge, and most of the fans of one are big fans of the other. what’s “ultimately pointless” is not the argument like this person has said, but the whole idea itself. i’m a huge fan of both, and besides the music being somewhat different, these two bands are incredible and do so much for their fans.
Perhaps I’m giving too much credit to the author of the piece, but when U2 is compared to Catholicism, I can see it, when talking about the actual faith, not those yahoos in Rome with the funny hats and miserable attitudes that reflect nothing of what the faith is about. I’m devoted to my faith but not to the hierarchy that makes up its own interpretation that couldn’t even be justified by a six year old first communion candidate in the same sense that I’m devoted to U2 but not their record company, with their price gouging, myopic viewpoints, politics and general stupidity — for every purity on this planet, there’s a nasty, decidedly earthbound, parasitic, exploitative component attached to it, and there’s one attached to the Catholic faith and to U2!
Perhaps I’m giving too much credit to the author of the piece, but when U2 is compared to Catholicism, I can see it, when talking about the actual faith, not those yahoos in Rome with the funny hats and miserable attitudes that reflect nothing of what the faith is about. I’m devoted to my faith but not to the hierarchy that makes up its own interpretation that couldn’t even be justified by a six year old first communion candidate in the same sense that I’m devoted to U2 but not their record company, with their price gouging, myopic viewpoints, politics and general stupidity — for every purity on this planet, there’s a nasty, decidedly earthbound, parasitic, exploitative component attached to it, and there’s one attached to the Catholic faith and to U2!
Whoops, meant to clarify my point in saying that people who “get it” feel no distance in the Catholic faith, in the same way that people who “get it” feel no distance with U2 — the author’s observation is not one that can be made with any justification by someone who even has a clue about what their talking about.
Whoops, meant to clarify my point in saying that people who “get it” feel no distance in the Catholic faith, in the same way that people who “get it” feel no distance with U2 — the author’s observation is not one that can be made with any justification by someone who even has a clue about what their talking about.
I have no problems with the author’s comparison with U2’s music and catholicism. That argument has been around for a long time, and me being catholic as well, agree with the author on that point. where i tend to completely disagree with the author is in the point of U2 placing a distance with their fans. you very rarely hear of any fans saying “bono was a prick” or “edge just shrugged me off” when they bump into them on the streets. u2 know what they mean to their fans and know they wouldn’t have gotten to where they are today without them. catholicism places a distance between itself and its worshipers, true, u2 tries at every corner to abolish any distance, if it exists.
I have no problems with the author’s comparison with U2’s music and catholicism. That argument has been around for a long time, and me being catholic as well, agree with the author on that point. where i tend to completely disagree with the author is in the point of U2 placing a distance with their fans. you very rarely hear of any fans saying “bono was a prick” or “edge just shrugged me off” when they bump into them on the streets. u2 know what they mean to their fans and know they wouldn’t have gotten to where they are today without them. catholicism places a distance between itself and its worshipers, true, u2 tries at every corner to abolish any distance, if it exists.
One thing I never understood is why REM and U2 seem to have the same fanbase. I’m a U2 fan myself, but I really find REM’s music very different from U2’s and it never appealed to me.I know that fact has little to do with this quote so to be on-topic:
For most fans, U2 _is_ a religion, so it’s not a bad thing to compare it with a religion such as Catholicism. Even the distance I can understand, but not in the way the author meant it. In mu opinion, there’s always a distance between the worshipper and the person being worshipped because worshipping itself creates a distance. In this case, a very large group of ppl are “worshippers” of a band. You cannot stop a distance from being created, but U2 are doing everything they can to keep it as small as possible 🙂
One thing I never understood is why REM and U2 seem to have the same fanbase. I’m a U2 fan myself, but I really find REM’s music very different from U2’s and it never appealed to me.I know that fact has little to do with this quote so to be on-topic:
For most fans, U2 _is_ a religion, so it’s not a bad thing to compare it with a religion such as Catholicism. Even the distance I can understand, but not in the way the author meant it. In mu opinion, there’s always a distance between the worshipper and the person being worshipped because worshipping itself creates a distance. In this case, a very large group of ppl are “worshippers” of a band. You cannot stop a distance from being created, but U2 are doing everything they can to keep it as small as possible 🙂
“One thing I never understood is why REM and U2 seem to have the same fanbase.”
I think both bands tapped into the same fan pool in the 80s – people who wanted a little more from their music, were interested in human rights, etc – which both bands seemed to stand for.
“One thing I never understood is why REM and U2 seem to have the same fanbase.”
I think both bands tapped into the same fan pool in the 80s – people who wanted a little more from their music, were interested in human rights, etc – which both bands seemed to stand for.
In the vast wasteland of early 80’s music, U2 and REM were (the only?) bands that mattered. Back then REM was the one distancing itself from fans by not embracing MTV…remember no videos from them for a while….then videos without band members….then Stipe refused to lip-synch. Meanwhile U2 was on MTV all the time, plus Red Rocks on Showtime, then Live Aid. Anyway, I just don’t see how REM is any closer to their fans than U2 is and I don’t see U2 as an organized religion. (Maybe un-organized) In the end, it’s the music that matters and IMHO, REM and U2 are far and away the best acts of the past 20+ years.
In the vast wasteland of early 80’s music, U2 and REM were (the only?) bands that mattered. Back then REM was the one distancing itself from fans by not embracing MTV…remember no videos from them for a while….then videos without band members….then Stipe refused to lip-synch. Meanwhile U2 was on MTV all the time, plus Red Rocks on Showtime, then Live Aid. Anyway, I just don’t see how REM is any closer to their fans than U2 is and I don’t see U2 as an organized religion. (Maybe un-organized) In the end, it’s the music that matters and IMHO, REM and U2 are far and away the best acts of the past 20+ years.
I’d like to see more collaborations between U2 and rem, just like Automatic baby. Maybe now they can call it up behind.
I’d like to see more collaborations between U2 and rem, just like Automatic baby. Maybe now they can call it up behind.
LOL, bleh! Or maybe Reveal behind 😉
LOL, bleh! Or maybe Reveal behind 😉
I don’t get these REM/U2 comparisons. I always thought of REM’s music more as drug fuelled ramblings of later day hippies. Not saying thats good or bad, thats just what I took away from their songs. Maybe that says more about me than them..
I don’t get these REM/U2 comparisons. I always thought of REM’s music more as drug fuelled ramblings of later day hippies. Not saying thats good or bad, thats just what I took away from their songs. Maybe that says more about me than them..
I am such a huge fan of both. Sometmes it is hard for me to wonder why all u2 fans don’t love REM but they are, in fact, very different.
the quote about u2 and religion and their fans? We’ll that is just plain stupid. Who thinks this hard and this ridiculous
Go order a sour apple martini and chill out; enjoy the “imitation of life”
cuz that’s “sugar sweet”.
I am such a huge fan of both. Sometmes it is hard for me to wonder why all u2 fans don’t love REM but they are, in fact, very different.
the quote about u2 and religion and their fans? We’ll that is just plain stupid. Who thinks this hard and this ridiculous
Go order a sour apple martini and chill out; enjoy the “imitation of life”
cuz that’s “sugar sweet”.
Funny, at the Elevation shows I attended, I didn’t feel I attended mass; if there were any religious comparisons to be made, I’d say that I witnessed a rock-and-roll version of a Pentacostal revival.
Funny, at the Elevation shows I attended, I didn’t feel I attended mass; if there were any religious comparisons to be made, I’d say that I witnessed a rock-and-roll version of a Pentacostal revival.
“I think both bands tapped into the same fan pool in the 80s – people who wanted a little more from their music, were interested in human rights, etc – which both bands seemed to stand for.”
But then you see it from a non-musical perspective. When I first heard U2’s music, I fell in love with. Later I found out that the band had a reputation of being interested in human rights etc.
The music of REM never interested me. It rather anoyed me in a way. Therefore I never knew that they had the same interests.
In my opinion the first reason the be a fan of any band is because you like their music.
“I think both bands tapped into the same fan pool in the 80s – people who wanted a little more from their music, were interested in human rights, etc – which both bands seemed to stand for.”
But then you see it from a non-musical perspective. When I first heard U2’s music, I fell in love with. Later I found out that the band had a reputation of being interested in human rights etc.
The music of REM never interested me. It rather anoyed me in a way. Therefore I never knew that they had the same interests.
In my opinion the first reason the be a fan of any band is because you like their music.