List the parallels between Metallica and REM

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Early 80's underground leaders who start to cross over in the late 80s, blow the fuck up in 1991 with arguable "sell-out" moves, start acting glam in the mid-90's, eventually lose their previously most enthusiastic member and now focus on nostalgia tours, embarassing documentaries and crap new music nobody wants to hear.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Good question, Anthony!

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

FWIW, though, Chronic Town was a stronger debut than Kill'em All (well, to me anyway).

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

This is most inspired.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"eventually lose their previously most enthusiastic member"

In Metallica's case, do you mean Mustaine, Burton, or Newstead?

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Anton Corbijn!

sexyDancer, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Specifically Jason "We sell out *CLAP!* every night" Newstead around the same time as Bill "God, I can't WAIT to tour!" Berry.

Metallica were huge REM fans too. Cliff Burton praised them in an interview, when Kirk Hammett's roadie told him he was going to tour with REM instead Hammett showed him his REM collection and said he was lucky, Ulrich got really pissed off when he saw the "Shiny Happy People" video, claiming it made him throw the set across the room and do a Bonham on the screen because it was "very unheterosexual."

Meanwhile Lars was probably wearing a white fringe jacket.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

did either really lose their most enthusiastic member? or just the member that we heard the least amount of embarrassing stuff about?

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

ugly drummers!

scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

well, xpost.

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Both had "colorful" album names (the black album, Green).

na (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica was giddy as fuck to tour with successful young upstarts Guns'N'Roses (the gods of metal UNITE!) despite the singer's show-cancelling internal drama.

REM was giddy as fuck to tour with successful young upstarts Nirvana (the gods of alternative rock UNITE!) despite the singer's life-cancelling internal drama.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

REM never did get to tour with Nirvana though.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

No one out of REM died..that's right. Well, Berry almost died of a brain anyeurism (I feel most certain that I have spelled this word incorrectly), right?

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Has Metallica ever covered Aerosmith? (REM covered "Toys in the Attic" on Dead Letter Office).

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

hair that was once long becomes short.

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahahahahaha. Peter wins.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The covers-heavy Dead Letter Office came out around the same time as the all-covers Garage Days Re-Revisited.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

both have had a hand in boring/hilarious films abt the psychosexual nightmare of being huge rock performers.

g--ff (gcannon), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

REM said: Don't Go Back to Rockville!
Metallica simillarly renounced the metaphoric rockville by becoming mainstream-felching hosers.

Okay, this is a weak point.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica recorded a song with Marianne Faithful. REM did one with Patti Smith.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

They've both made really bad "artsy" videos.

scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

xxxpost - i dont think thats actually true, anthony. DLO was out way earlier IIRC.

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Both had "colorful" album names (the black album, Green)

Also on the colour tip, one had "Fade To Black", the other "Orange Crush".

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

They have almost precisely the same amount of 'credibility'.

mei (mei), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

DLO was out way earlier IIRC.

just checked and both came out in '87

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

They were formed within a year of one another.

Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Lars was a tennis prodigy. Stipe wears wristbands.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

well, i see that you are correct, anthony. i mustve been thinking of garage inc. apologies all around.

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Both have the letters "E" and "M" in their names.

In fact if you spell "REM" backwards it actually start off looking as if you could be about to spell "Metallica" for the first couple of letters....

.... but then it stops.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

GAY.

jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course if you were to start spelling "Metallica" backwards, it might look as if you were going to spell "AC/DC"....

.... I'll get me coat.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

When I interviewed Lars Ulrich in the mid '80s, he told me he was a Byrds fan.

chuck, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Kirk Hammett played guitar on a Pansy Division record. Peter Buck has guested on records much more gay.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, and also, they both have horrible singers (who nonetheless are both capable of intermittent moments of great beauty).

chuck, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

>>They've both made really bad "artsy" videos

chuck, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

er...

Actually, I think I wrote once in *Radio On* about how I preferred some early '90s Hiernonymous Bosch-inspired Metallica vid (I forget what song) to REM's very stupid "Losing My Religion" vid, but the high-mass gothic fallen Roman Catholic confession booth motif of both reminded by the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" vid. So Scott is right!

chuck, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Both had breakthrough songs with the word "One" in it ("One" and "The One I Love")

Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Both had longer-than-usual episodes of Behind the Music on VH1.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" vid

Directed by Derek Jarman! Woo!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Both had bandmembers that jumped ship because the band had stopped rocking hard enough (Berry, Newstead).

Both have lead singers with bad skin.

Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

bad skin?

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Acne scars.

Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Both are on Warner Bros. Records in the US (for now).

Vic Funk, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

is this all leading up to some rigorous proof that theyre actually the same band? is there a thesis coming about 80s-90s pop crossovers and the common sociological factors contributing to pizza face?

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Did someone say Metallica?

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

presumably, rem sleep is the exact moment when the sandman would enter.

fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

metallica's first major tour: 1983, with an english metal band (raven)

rem's first major tour: 1983, with the english beat.

fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Both have members who are both obnoxiously outspoken and heavily involved in art (Ulrich and his art collection, Stipe and his movie-producing venture).

phil d., Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

stipe supports tibetan freedom, hammett used to resemble a sherpa.

peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

One band's singer is flaming. The other's was set aflame.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

One had a member thrown off of a bus.
The other had a member thrown off of a plane.

Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

on the same wavelength
Stipe declares himself a fruit; Ulrich proved to be a nut.
(xpost)

Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

OK...both left their original indie labels to sign with a Warners-affiliated major.
-First really well-known song had "One" in the title (or *was* the title)
-REM's "Kohoutek", Metallica's "Orion" = songs named for celestial bodies
-REM's "Exhuming McCarthy", Metallica's "Shortest Straw" reference McCarthyism/HUAC blacklisting
-Metallica's "Dyer's Eve" partly written about James Hetfield losing his religion!

That's all - I refuse to devote any more time to thinking about bands that I haven't liked since the '80s (or never liked at all.)
Anyways, you guyz have already beat me to a couple of these points!

Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Megaforce and I.R.S. were both not-really-indie indies.

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

newsted and mike mills both have cool curly hair. they also both play bass and sing backup.

drew, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Auctioneer (Another Engine)/ Sanitarium (Welcome Home)

maybe not.

Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Neither have ever been ridiculously popular among teenage girls.

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"Metallica's "Dyer's Eve" partly written about James Hetfield losing his religion!"

As was "The God That Failed".

Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The Unforgiven and Superman are both movies starring Gene Hackman.

Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Bwahaha!

Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread is Godhead.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

http://users.pandora.be/wannes.sambaer/zerothzone/michael%20stipe.jpg http://www.rockmusic.org/metallica/fotos/ulrich2.jpg

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"All the Guys in Metallica" vs. "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence"

stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.rockmusic.org/metallica/fotos/escudo1.gif http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002MG1.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

http://img.muzikus.cz/clanky/001356_03.jpg http://www.encycmet.com/news/kirk-hammett-promo.jpg

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

what a stupid thread.

Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Leper Messiah" vs. "New Test Leper"

stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Nothing Else Matters" vs. "Everybody Hurts" (slow, boring emo song that becomes one of their biggest hits to fans dismay)

na (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and arpeggios

na (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Unforgiven 2" vs. "Strange Currencies"

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Come on, ILMers, I can't believe no-one's said this yet (probably because it's stupid):

Monster
Some Kind of Monster

(that was an xpost, honest!)

David A. (Davant), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

what a stupid thread.
-- Ronan (ronan.fitzgerald6NOSPA...), August 11th, 2004


WRONG!!!!

latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

1991 : Stipe lipsynchs in a video for the first time, and Metallica starts releasing videos. ("One" was their only video until this year.) (I think..)

billstevejim, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Both have lead singers who snarl

http://www.htnet.hr/2003/06/13/0142007.3.jpg http://www.nrk.no/img/312041.jpeg

Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice!

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

the Beatles = vehement NONinfluences on both Hetfield and Stipe in interviews... somewhere...

dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:34 (twenty-one years ago)

They share a music video director ("Orange Crush" and "One", forget the name).

joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread rules.

frankE (frankE), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"Metal Up Your Ass" vs. "Tongue"

stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

James Hetfield looks like the Reverend Horton Heat; Michael Stipe sang about the "Reverend Bill Funderburk" ...

spoony G, Thursday, 12 August 2004 05:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica: "enter sandman," "until it sleeps."
REM: = rapid eye movement phase of sleep.

Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZT!! BZZZZZT!! (Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZ), Thursday, 12 August 2004 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

- Both have arguably 'fruity' looking frontmen.
- Both signed extremely large deals to record labels naively expecting their 'one big album' cash cow to deliver repeatedly - then didn't.

M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 12 August 2004 08:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Each plumbed new depths in their low-quality collaborations with rappers.

M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 12 August 2004 08:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica were remixed by moby who resembles michael stipe.

M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 12 August 2004 08:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Hold my breath as I wish for death

vs

Try not to breathe

M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 12 August 2004 09:02 (twenty-one years ago)

James Hetfield "fruity" looking? I think not.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 August 2004 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, I did say "arguably"!
I seem to remember in the mid-90s he got a lot of such comments specifically directed at his moustache choices.

M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 12 August 2004 13:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Bah! Thats like saying that Lemmy Kilminster looks like Liberace!

Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 12 August 2004 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd love to hear Metallica cover "Windout".

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 August 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

They'd do a good version of "Ride". I can hear it in my head. The could seague in to "Ride the Lightning" when they played it live.

Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 12 August 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

The video for "Unforgiven" is essentially a remake of "Orange Crush", but I think that owes more to the director repeatedly making the same video than anything else.

Vic Funk, Thursday, 12 August 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I miss Matt Mahurin

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 12 August 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

THAT's the name! Thank you,

joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 13 August 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to like both of them with a passion and now I never listen to any of either of their music.
Spooky.

Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 13 August 2004 04:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Numerically och trivially speaking,
both bands liked to do a bit of (ac)counting (heheh), now and again.
One did "One" and "The Four Horsemen" - the other did "Driver 8", "7 Chinese Bros", "9-9", "1,000,000", "Odfellows Local 151", "Star 69" et-so-cetera...

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 13 August 2004 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Both bands have appeared on the Simpsons.

Trayce (trayce), Friday, 13 August 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

(at least I think so!)

Trayce (trayce), Friday, 13 August 2004 05:49 (twenty-one years ago)

those "parallels between Metallica and REM" = Blondie's Lines, mebbe?

t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 13 August 2004 06:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt Mahurin never met a shadow he couldn't enhance

CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 13 August 2004 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica have never been on The Simpsons to my knowledge, sorry

DJ Mencap0))), Friday, 13 August 2004 08:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I could almost swear I've seen a yellow skinned Lars Ulrich with a a stupid floppo haircut and a cartoon big personality.

mei (mei), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Otto the bus driver once name dropped them, as in: "Woah, I thought this was the line for metallica tickets" (whilst queuing at the post office).

M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt Mahurin never met a shadow he couldn't enhance

Just ask OJ Simpson.

I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Mahurin when I worked at LIFE Magazine, and he couldn't have been a nice, more down-to-earth dude.....despite having made a video for the band, Bush.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 August 2004 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread is as bad as it gets.

Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 13 August 2004 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Kirk Hammett and Stipe are both supposedly bisexual.

But you know what they say: bi now, gay later.

shookout (shookout), Friday, 13 August 2004 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Kirk Hammett and Stipe are both supposedly bisexual.

Yaaawn.

joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 13 August 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Both are absolutely overrated bands. But Michael Stipe is a sweetheart, whereas the Metallica guys are assholes.

Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Friday, 13 August 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Michael Stipe is not a sweetheart.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 August 2004 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

omg Alex that post just made me laugh uncontrollably and I have no idea why

Al (sitcom), Friday, 13 August 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I picture you frowning and crossing your arms while saying it.

Al (sitcom), Friday, 13 August 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

frowning and crossing your arms while saying it.

A reasonably accurate portrayal.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 14 August 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

did I mention my mental image also depicts you in the fabled leather jacket?

Al (sitcom), Saturday, 14 August 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

and you're saying it with the voice and facial expression of the "nobody likes us" guys from those Kids In The Hall sketches?

Al (sitcom), Saturday, 14 August 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...
Both bands have appeared on the Simpsons.

-- Trayce (spamspanke...), August 13th, 2004 12:46 AM. (trayce) (link)

Metallica have never been on The Simpsons to my knowledge, sorry

-- DJ Mencap0))) (lack@of), August 13th, 2004 3:04 AM. (link)

But it eventually had to happen, right?

http://j.i.uol.com.br/capas/teen_metallica_simpsons.jpg

From 2006, two years after this thread ended.

Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Sunday, 28 January 2007 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

This is most inspired.

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), August 11th, 2004.

agreed

latebloomer: crapness 2 the Nth degree (latebloomer), Sunday, 28 January 2007 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

Haha, I must be psychic!

Trayce (trayce), Sunday, 28 January 2007 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

In the future, we all will have appeared on "The Simpsons".

Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:32 (nineteen years ago)

I know you guys are just trying to fuck with my system.

Lick The Strobelight Lollipops (Bimble...), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:46 (nineteen years ago)

"Until It Sleeps" must have been directed by the same guy who did "Heart-Shaped Box"

milo z (mlp), Monday, 29 January 2007 04:23 (nineteen years ago)

cliff burton died on a bus
peter buck's dignity died on an airplane

timmy tannin (pompous), Monday, 29 January 2007 05:01 (nineteen years ago)

both bands feature michael stipe as the lead singer

richard wood johnson (rwj), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 00:25 (nineteen years ago)

Not gonna read this whole thread--but they both did anti-war songs...

Abra K. Dabra (householdname), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 01:29 (nineteen years ago)


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