Mr MidFi
09-23-2011, 06:18 AM
He and his wife were in my neck of the woods for a book-reading/signing event... they collaborated on a young-adult fantasy book, called Wildwood. They told an interesting story of how the book came about, and it was great to see them in a very small bookstore setting like that.
So later, while they were signing 3 books for my lovely wife, I shook hands with Colin and talked with him briefly about REM. I told him the story about how, half a lifetime ago, I had talked Peter Buck into buying his first CD player. That raised his eyebrow. "Really? How'd you do that?" he asked, knowing what a vinyl freak Peter was (and is).
I gave him the short version of the story, which takes place in a bar in Athens, Ga. in 1985 and culminates in my telling PB that the new Mission of Burma album was only going to be released on CD. Without missing a beat, he (Colin Meloy) looks me straight in the eye and says "Oh yeah, was that the 80-minute compilation that wouldn't play on some players?" I said no (it was actually Horrible Truth), but it showed me how sharp and engaged he was just to ask that question after talking for a solid hour and then signing dozens and dozens of books for legions of flannel-clad hipsters at a sleepy suburban bookstore.
I wished them both luck, thanked them both for the autographs, and beat it.
[Note: That's not me on the right of the photo.]
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/320035_2153022778932_1047281608_32000681_928360303 _n.jpg
So later, while they were signing 3 books for my lovely wife, I shook hands with Colin and talked with him briefly about REM. I told him the story about how, half a lifetime ago, I had talked Peter Buck into buying his first CD player. That raised his eyebrow. "Really? How'd you do that?" he asked, knowing what a vinyl freak Peter was (and is).
I gave him the short version of the story, which takes place in a bar in Athens, Ga. in 1985 and culminates in my telling PB that the new Mission of Burma album was only going to be released on CD. Without missing a beat, he (Colin Meloy) looks me straight in the eye and says "Oh yeah, was that the 80-minute compilation that wouldn't play on some players?" I said no (it was actually Horrible Truth), but it showed me how sharp and engaged he was just to ask that question after talking for a solid hour and then signing dozens and dozens of books for legions of flannel-clad hipsters at a sleepy suburban bookstore.
I wished them both luck, thanked them both for the autographs, and beat it.
[Note: That's not me on the right of the photo.]
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/320035_2153022778932_1047281608_32000681_928360303 _n.jpg