12.7.84 Oklahoma City OK […] During the second set, the crowd was that curious college type. They have what I call “R.E.M. Sensibilities” and Black Flag has a tendency to make them react in strange ways.

I’ve had this example in my head since I read Get In The Van a couple years ago about contradiction in writing and how blogging and the internet in general—having everything everyone has ever said on record being easily available—is destroying any young person’s attempt at achieving emotional maturity and enabling everyone else to sink even lower, to the point where everyone can act like a bunch of 5th graders and no one even thinks it’s weird anymore. Problem is, the example doesn’t exist in the book the way I remember it. There’s two R.E.M. references in the book, but they aren’t close enough to have anything to do with each other (somewhere later he’s simply listening to them while writing: “R.E.M. on the stereo”). The way I remember it, he’s coming down a lot harder on the fans, then soon after he’s grooving out to them with no qualification. It’s not exactly scandalous however you embellish it but I figure, if this was a blog he’d have to have some bullshit in there like “hey guys, I know I said these R.E.M. people could never do what I do and that I would destroy them, but you know…the band does have some catchy tunes.” The comments would be apeshit. Backpedaling would be demanded, yet not at all accepted. Anytime he did anything: “Rollins? That fucker can’t even make up his mind about R.E.M.” Nonsense.

Total side note here: I add these Amazon linkssometimes for the hell of it (no one has ever clicked on them)…why is the 2nd edition so much? I couldn’t have paid more than $20 for a used near mint paperback 1st edition. Maybe the R.E.M. references have been completely removed! Let’s forget this whole thing ever happened. %