R.E.M. : Talk About the Passion : An Oral History (Updated Edition) [Paperback]

Denise Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1998

The voices of nearly sixty R.E.M. insiders—friends, musicians, producers, and industry colleagues—comprise an unusual, unadulterated history of one of rock's most innovative, integrity-driven bands. Besides new photos and an updated discography, the author has added two new chapters that discuss recent events: the making of Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi; drummer Bill Berry's aneurysm and departure from the band; the controversial dismissal of R.E.M.'s manager Jefferson Holt; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What Sullivan's oral history of alternative music giants R.E.M. ("Losing My Religion") lacks in intimacy, it more than makes up for in personality. Prevented from interviewing band members and their families, Sullivan went after old hometown friends, record-label business associates and members of bands that at one time or another shared a concert bill with Athens, Ga.'s favorite sons. The interviewees who seem distant from the band professionally are often more interesting and revealing in their recollections. Music writer Gina Arnold, folk artist Howard Finster and the band's "road friend" Georgiana Falzarano each offer uniquely personal portraits of the enigmatic band and their significance. That R.E.M.'s mainstream success soured many of their old fans and associates' affection reveals the most obvious flaw of this tack. Objectivity is nowhere to be found here. With the exception of Finster and Dexter Weaver, the Athens restaurateur whose slogan R.E.M. used to title its Automatic for the People album, all the interviewees blame the band's fame for a loss in their individual gains-free backstage passes, prime opening-band slots, employment opportunities. Still, Sullivan provdes an engaging study of American popular music.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The enigmatic and influential R.E.M. is now the subject of a fine rock history. The strategy of letting people who know a band well tell its story has been used before but not often as well as Sullivan uses it. His is no shallow, obvious, in-their-own-words portrait. Most of the voices in it belong to longtime R.E.M. associates from Georgia, with only a few music biz pros mixed in. The resulting warm, informative depiction of the band proceeds from its formative years in Athens to its present, perhaps unwanted, megacelebrity status. Chapter titles are those of R.E.M. recordings and constitute a kind of mnemonics for relating the oral history to the band's famous recordings. A detailed discography follows the main text, as does a bibliographic note on where to find the really exhaustive R.E.M. discography--a necessary tool for the dedicated collector in today's world of bootleg recordings and concert tapes. In all, a book to delight the fans and convert the holdouts. Mike Tribby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Upd Sub edition (August 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808579
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808579
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,424,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Sullivan

More About the Author

Denise Sullivan has written on music for 20 years, in print and on the web. Her books are The White Stripes: Sweethearts of the Blues, R.E.M.--Talk About the Passion, and Rip It Up! Rock'n'Roll Rulebreakers. She's the Origin of Song columnist for Crawdaddy! http://www.crawdaddyarchive.com/ Her fourth book, Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music From Blues to Hip-Hop (Lawrence Hill Books, 2011), concerns 50 years of liberation music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative look at R.E.M., April 2, 2000

By 

Tom Maffei (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: R.E.M.: Talk About The Passion--An Oral History (Paperback)

This book was excellent. It was great to get a history of what went on by people who actually were there.Recommendwd if you are a fan of Mr. Stipe and Co. or just interested in a the history of great music that shaped a scene.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All about perspective, October 1, 2003

By 

Kid Chemo (SF, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: R.E.M. : Talk About the Passion : An Oral History (Updated Edition) (Paperback)

This is neither a "companion piece" nor a "tell-all" book. Equally, it is not a flimsy paperback stapled and glued together just in time for the band's next big tour. What Denise Sullivan does write (and write well, also) is much closer to an anecdote, a souveneir, a recalled event. She avoids the trite and passionless type of "rock'n'roll" review/expose we have to endure all the time and instead lets the reader get a glimpse not so much of the band REM, but of the people that REM exerted some influence on, or the people for whom REM mattered. Reading Sullivan's book, I am reminded of how one of my closest friends and I discuss REM -- from memory, from songs, from what has been happening in our lives. This book feels like a friend.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Necessary Companion, November 10, 2001

By 

"just1czar" (san francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: R.E.M. : Talk About the Passion : An Oral History (Updated Edition) (Paperback)

Unlike most "rock-n-roll" books which often pander to the lowest common denominator -- which usually is the author's own personal bias barely hidden in the text and most often the lens through which we are forced to watch the history of the band/singer unfold -- Denise Sullivan gives us something better, and frankly, more fun. "TATP" offers an original and fresh perspective on a very enigmatic yet familiar college - rock - alternative - mainstream - wacky - superstar band. This book is a must-have for both the fan and fanatic. The writing is well-done, the subject matter well-handled. While almost everyone's favorite REM song and/or album may change over time, this remains my favorite book on the band.