Repercussion Comics

Oh, R.E.M., at the time I didn’t realize that you guys were a big deal, I just enjoyed your music.  To me, you actually sounded like if the Munchkins had their own rock band.  Your lead singer had this high nasal sound that could have been straight from Munchkinland, and I always liked the idea that while the rest of the Munchkins were out touting the Lollipop Guild and the Lullaby League, you guys were  hanging out by the Yellow Brick Road, smoking cigarettes and looking dour.  If someone told me that R.E.M. stood for Really Emo Munchkins, I totally would have believed it (even though “emo” was a few decades from entering anyone’s vernacular, it still would have made sense).  Now, after hearing a lot of your music and seeing interviews where you have such an inflated sense of self-importance, I can imagine that it would be appalling…