R.E.M. – Automatic for the People

Loved this conversation. AFTP came out my sophomore year of college. REM, by this point was in regular rotation on my discman, along with Connells, Hoodoo Gurus, XTC and a few more regional bands. I’m not sure any record relayed the idea of Southern Gothic lit set to music any better. My obsession with this record sparked an actual road trip from the small college town, mountains of NC to big school, Athens GA. Those being pre-interwebs days, there was no social media trail of crumbs to even indicate the band would be there. Per my most recent copy of SPIN I only knew they weren’t touring. Quick stops to Weaver D’s, The Grit and Junkman’s Daughter didn’t offer up any sightings of the band. Surprisingly, the impulsiveness of youth that sparked the actual trip was tempered by the fact I knew it wasn’t “cool” to ask the locals where they may be found. We did end up visiting the gravesite of Ricky Wilson of the B-52’s. It felt like an appropriate last stop before leaving Athens. I returned to the High Country with no polaroids or autographs, but with a mostly new pair of Doc Marten’s, a Polvo t-shirt, and some pretty cool memories of the things we saw along the way. Maybe it was better that way.