Althouse: "Moses went walking with the staff of wood... Newton got beaned by the apple good...."

March 19, 2026

"Moses went walking with the staff of wood... Newton got beaned by the apple good...."

Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp....

27 comments:

Temujin said...: Great tune.
I love how you guys love your state.; 3/19/26, 8:41 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: Some bands maintain popularity through time. REM did not translate to the new generations very well. Though my daughter's Honda has a CD player and she told me she's been listening to my old Life's Rich Pageant (1986) CD and likes it a lot. Yeah yeah yeah yeah.; 3/19/26, 8:45 AM
Leland said...: Now I’ve seen how the sausage is made.; 3/19/26, 8:52 AM
rehajm said...: Walking with the staff of wood? Is it still minus two outside?; 3/19/26, 9:02 AM
Known Unknown said...: The last truly tolerable REM album was New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Enjoyed their early stuff and then the electric stuff (Monster NAIHF) but not the more schmaltzy Stand/Happy Shiny People stuff in-between.; 3/19/26, 9:27 AM
Robert said...: Long....time follower here (lurker?). Decade plus. I appreciate how people continue to change and evolve. I can see where it starts as morning walks. Then to look at and record how the sunrise changes over the lake. To: hey lets record the activity we see interacting with the environment around us while we record the different sunrises. Oh, lets add a relatable audio clip that fits the activity being recorded. and so on..... Joyous. Wonderful how the human experience continuously evolves. Why? What's the purpose?; 3/19/26, 9:46 AM
rehajm said...: It is to be…; 3/19/26, 10:05 AM
Curious George said...: "Enjoyed their early stuff and then the electric stuff (Monster NAIHF) but not the more schmaltzy Stand/Happy Shiny People stuff in-between."

Shiny Happy People was the actual title and even Michael Stipe thought it was lame. But it sold well. So did Stand.; 3/19/26, 10:09 AM
Howard said...: Usage Examples & Context:
Reflecting on Conspiracy Theories: The song juxtaposes the 1969 moon landing with myths surrounding Elvis Presley and Andy Kaufman, challenging the listener to discern fact from fiction.
As a Metaphor for Belief: It represents the choice to trust in a narrative despite rumors or contrary evidence.
In Tribute to Andy Kaufman: The song uses the phrase to mirror the provocativeness of Kaufman’s career, where audiences often struggled to know what was real.; 3/19/26, 10:27 AM
Hassayamper said...: I used to listen to REM constantly in the early to mid 80's but eventually tired of them. "Monster" did nothing for me and I did not buy any of their stuff thereafter.

I'm surprised Ann doesn't have a tag for them, though. They were a big deal back in the day, and their oddball lyrics pop into my head now and then.; 3/19/26, 10:32 AM
Joe Bar said...: Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah,; 3/19/26, 10:54 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Nice video.; 3/19/26, 11:03 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Battles over which R/R band is better is something I cant relate to.; 3/19/26, 11:04 AM
D.D. Driver said...: 🎵Now, Andy didja hear about this one 🎵; 3/19/26, 11:05 AM
Howard said...: Athens is the Austin of Georgia.; 3/19/26, 11:06 AM
john mosby said...: The Man on the Moon movie, with Jim Carrey playing Kaufman, is superb. Especially great/weird are recreations of Taxi with some of the real actors, working with Carrey as their dead friend. It’s great because it’s weird. May be Carrey’s best work. CC, JSM; 3/19/26, 11:27 AM
TwoAndAHalfCents said...: And Mr. Charles Darwin had the balls to ask (live version); 3/19/26, 11:31 AM
TwoAndAHalfCents said...: Speaking of REM, this is one of my favorite lines from Parks & Rec. Ben: Get this, I just asked the DJ what REM albums he has, he has Monster but not Automatic for the People…it's like what is this a mid 90's party? NO it's an early 90's party.; 3/19/26, 11:39 AM
Iman said...: “Radio Free Europe” and “South Central Rain” are excellent songs.; 3/19/26, 11:52 AM
Enigma said...: Ugg. REM went from being a decent if trendy college band to perhaps the most transparent sell-out of their generation.

Green (1988) had "Stand" and "Pop Song 89"...it confirmed clear intentions. They followed U2's "Joshua Tree" into the mainstream, but did it with lightweight disposable pop.

Out of Time (1990) has perhaps the most transparent planned corporate track list of all time. It leads off with the black hip-hop KRS-One crossover "Radio Song," and the solid "Losing My Religion." It then has Kate Pierson of the B52s on vocals for female appeal crossover sales.

The track list follows the very old corporate formula of leading off Side A with a good song, not the best, and putting another single to lead Side B (Shiny Happy People).

It's a fantastic (bad) example of how music industry A&R reps and marketing bean counters did their thing in the physical copy, pre-streaming, radio promotion era. Maximize profit but don't release too many good songs on one album -- padded padded padded. It's only too too too clear what the thought process was.

I lost interest. Compare this era to XTC's "Skylarking" (1986) -- it was a true album even though Andy Partridge turned out to be...difficult.; 3/19/26, 12:01 PM
Hassayamper said...: How to tell a legitimate REM fan from an impostor: Ask them what their favorite REM love song is, and if they answer "The One I Love", they're a fraud. If they say "At My Most Beautiful", grudging acceptance. If they say "Star Me Kitten", they're the real thing. Honorable mention for their cover of the Troggs' "Love is All Around".; 3/19/26, 12:11 PM
tim maguire said...: Only a psychopath would cite "The One I Love" as their favorite love song. "A simple prop to occupy my time."

Life's Rich Pageant was a perfect album, but the rest of their work is uneven, with their earliest stuff being their best.; 3/19/26, 12:48 PM
Hassayamper said...: Yeah, I think "Life's Rich Pageant" was my favorite too.; 3/19/26, 1:08 PM
Big Mike said...: From Instapundit:

Japanese Reporter: Why didn't you tell us before you struck Iran?

Trump: "Why didn't you tell us about Pearl Harbor?"; 3/19/26, 1:14 PM
Meade said...: Trump at his finest trumpiness.; 3/19/26, 1:52 PM
n.n said...: The staff turned into an asp, the Nilists were beaned with flaming apples.; 3/19/26, 3:37 PM
Meade said...: @Robert, your kind well-written comment is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.; 3/19/26, 7:47 PM