Duck & Cover

[Greg Burnham]

Yeah Dawn and Greg I do think Stipe is a bit of a pretentious wanker myself. Though I find some of his music okay and I mean okay like 'End of the World' is a goody. But I'm a big time Beatles fan! What an asshole saying that I never knew?

As for the out of court settlement, bang on GB. I rechecked my sources, I couldn't find shite. My apologies, but I've found a method to my madness. I had a look in some old music mags and I found out my source was an old letter I'd seen with some joker criticising Joel over REM. But, it gets better lol, I can also recall a conversation with a music critic about Joel and an REM fan. They were adamant Joel had ripped off Stipe/settled out of court.

But memories and emotions don't make for facts.

Nonetheless, it make for an interesting little mini search.

Cresfallen, I looked around again and found out there was a lot of bad shit going on for Joel during the period between 'Fire' and 'River of Dreams'. As a fan GB you may enlighten us more on what happened, it sounds bloody ugly his manager and his wife. Maybe, this was where rumours were being spread by his manager and his ex's PR? She didnt leave him till 94, but LA's a jungle lol! Funny thing is no one commented to me about Joel and Rem when Joel's song came out in 89. I heard this stuff in what 93 or 92 after his album. I do recall BJ got in shit for one album or song in the mid to late 80's or 90's (Hey all artists do at one time or another look up poor old George H and "My Sweet Lord'). But again this may have been more bullshit dredged up by his old management.

In my defence I wasn't absolute with the court settlement (lame defence). But this little detour proved very enlightening how word of mouth pre-internet got around.


I still can't get over Michael Stipes comments though what a tosser!

No worries, Mate. Worst case scenario: it was an innocuous overstatement of fact. I don't know what happened with Stipes (if anything) in relation to WDSTF, Seamus, but I do know it wasn't plagiarism.