ACCELERATE: LIVING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE

   There's something about starting an album with those riffs, think FOTR or LRP, AFTP and GREEN, even ATS. There's a signal here right off the bat that R.E.M. is not playing around, the pace is fast, the lyrics are in your face, the harmonies are solid and a little angry. This is a great song. In the booklet for the album, Michael has given us all of the lyrics which are mostly accurate--listen, it's his artistic intention and those lyrics have a copyright, this is the blog where I try to dig a little deeper. There are so many things to love about this song it's silly, I particularly like how Michael is being a little more forthcoming with his inspirations by crediting 17th century metaphysical poet George Herbert for the phrase of the title, even though it might not have been his actual quote, but part of a collection he put together. Still, it's good to have some reference. I also feel the chorus has a nice callback to the end of 'These Days' with choking on the bones that once were scattered. There's a sense that during this period the US is swinging away from Bush and I think that's where the energy comes from--it might be callous to attribute to much politically, but there was a feeling of hope in the air, and the feeling that the administration would be judged harshly in the future. The Bush gang look like angels now, they were not.
   While I'm writing this blog, Michael has an art installation called 'Infinity Mirror' at the Journal Gallery in Brooklyn and since I live in the city I went to check it out. The collection is very cool and presented nicely, and there are more than just photographs as I had originally thought. Maybe the most striking piece is a multi-colored glass table/cabinet of curios, sort of like a see through group of kitchy 70's tables stacked on each other. The shelves contain memorabilia like collectible magazines, photos of Patti Smith and David Bowie, and a couple of Young Marble Giants 45's to name just a few things. Overall it's very striking and lovely, but as I was taking it in my wife came up to me and said: 'I think he's here.' And he was. I'm not one to be starstruck, but I'm not immune to the power Michael's art has had on me and my life. I also don't ever want to be THAT person who gets in the face of celebrity, he's really just a person who had some breaks and furthered his art, expanded his voice. It currently seems R.E.M. was his vehicle to get to this form of expression. So when the moment presented itself I tried to not awkwardly--it was awkward--walk up to him and congratulate him on the exhibit. He thanked me and told me he loved my shirt, which was sincere to the point that my wife later told me she thinks he would've liked to have had it. I thanked him for the compliment and then also thanked him for all of the art he has imbued my life with (not in those words, but you know, intention), he responded by saying 'well, there's more to come.' I thanked him again and left, while walking down the street I definitely had a little freak out--then I saw the gallery was near the corner of Berry Street--and I was just glad for the opportunity to say thank you in person. The whole time I couldn't get the following song out of my head for I had just been working on it over and over, it's good to live well, it really is.



LIVING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE

It's only when your poison spins into the life you’d hoped to live
And suddenly you wake up in a shaking panic, now!
You had set me up like a lamb to slaughter

Garbo as the farmer’s daughter

Unbelievable

The gospel according to who?

I lay right down

All your sad and lost apostles hum my name and flare their nostrils

Choking on the bones you tossed to them

Now I’m not one to sit and spin ‘cause living well is the best revenge

Baby I am calling you on that

Don’t turn your talking points on me, history will set me free

The future is ours and you don’t even rate a footnote

Now!

So who’s chasing you, where did you go?

You disappear midsentence in a

Judgement crisis, I see my in and go for it

You weakened shell

All your sad and lost apostles hum my name and flare their nostrils

(All you sad and lost apostles, choking on the bones)

Choking on the bones you tossed to them

Now I’m not one to sit and spin ‘cause living well is the best revenge

(I’m not one to sit and spin, but)

Baby I am calling you on that

You, savor your dying breath

I forgive but I don’t forget

You work it out, let’s hear that argument again, camera 3, go, now!

All your sad and lost apostles hum my name and flare their nostrils

(All you sad and lost apostles, choking on the bones)

Choking on the bones you tossed to them

Now I’m not one to sit and spin ‘cause living well is the best revenge

(I’m not one to sit and spin, but)

Baby I am calling you on that

Baby I am calling you on that

Baby I am calling you on

(Baby I am calling you on that)

(Baby I am calling you)

   The riff on this one is not difficult, but it is intricate and does that rhythm change guitarists like to do when the drums kick in. In the first part of the intro below all he does is add an open B string before getting to the F# note on the high e, for the rest of the song he places the note on the second beat to keep in rhythm. The rest is pretty straightforward, I really like the interplay of the Bm with the end of the riff on the second guitar and the power of the D-A-E end of chorus. So basic, but pure. Also the distortion of the guitar works so well on these next two songs (definitely better than 'Supernatural...') than other places.

LIVING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE

Intro/Riff (B power chord on 2^nd fret)

e|--------2-------0----|-------2-------0-----|

B|-------0-0-2-0p--0---|--------0-2-0p--0----|

G|-----2---------2-----|-----2---------2-----|

D|------2--------------|------2--------------|

A|-0-2h----------------|-0-2h----------------|

E|-------------------x2|---------------------|

Verse

e|-0---2---0-0--0--------0---0----|

B|-0---0---2-0p-0--------2---0----|

G|-4---4---4-4--4--------2---1----|

D|-4---4---4-4--4--------2---2----|

A|-2---0---0-0--0--------0---2----|

E|-0---0---0-0--0---x3---0---0-x2-|

Verse (Guitar 2)

e|-0---2---0---2---|----------|

B|-0---0---2---3---|----------|

G|-4---4---4---4---|---6-7-9--|

D|-4---4---4---4---|-7-x-x-x--|

A|-2---0---0---0---|-x-4-5-7--|

E|-0---0---0---0---|-5--------|

Chorus

e|-2---5--0---2---5---2---5--0---2--0--0--|

B|-2---5--0---2---5---2---5--0---3--2--0--|

G|-3---6--1---3---6---3---6--1---2--2--1--|

D|-4---7--2---4---7---4---7--2---0--2--2--|

A|-4---7--2---4---7--­-4---7--2------0--2--|

E|-2---5--0---2---5---2---5--0------0--0--|

Chorus Bend (after 2^nd A Chord)

e|------|

B|-12b--|

G|-11b--|

D|------|

A|------|

E|------|