Peter Buck Makes Surprise Appearance For R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: Me? Podcast Taping At Clusterfest
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R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills guested on an episode of R U Talkin’ R.E.M. Re: Me?, comedians Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott’s R.E.M.-centric podcast, a couple of months ago. And yesterday at the Clusterfest comedy festival, as The San Francisco Chronicle’s Datebook reports, the Scotts got another member of R.E.M. to make a surprise appearance: guitarist Peter Buck.
Buck, who’s currently on tour with the Minus 5, flew into San Francisco just for the live podcast taping. And after sitting in with the R.E.M. cover band Dead Letter Office for a few songs, he sat down with the Scotts for an interview. “I don’t know what prompted me to do this,” Buck joked. “I really don’t know why I’m here.”
Buck talked about how much he hates attending awards shows, recalling how he showed up to the Grammys in his pajamas twice because “who cares?” He said that he uses his Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame award as a toilet paper holder in his guest bathroom so “his guests can get a chuckle too,” and he offered to give Aukerman and Scott one of his Grammys.
While discussing the Baseball Project, Buck’s baseball-themed band with Mike Mills and the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn, he admitted, “I don’t like baseball. I don’t like organized sports of any kind.” And although he couldn’t promise Aukerman that R.E.M. would reunite to play a backyard barbecue at his house, he did agree to show up if the rest of the band agreed. That’s something!
