Peter Buck & Mandolins

[CSIMelissa]

Just thought I'd post a picture of a note I got today from Peter Buck in response to a note I had sent him. I wanted to thank him for being my inspiration for learning the mandolin and out of curiosity asking him what mandolins he likes to play. (DORKY I know!!) Anyway... Rock on folks.

[goaty76]

That was nice of him. In this day of email and Facebook it's nice to see a handwritten letter.

Phil

[Eric F.]

Very cool.

[Caleb]

Very cool indeed.

[pheffernan]

I guess you now know which F model to buy!

[CSIMelissa]

I guess you now know which F model to buy!

Ha - well I'm still set on a Breedlove F-Style but whenever I'm ready to buy in another year or so who knows what will come my way!

[Bluetickhound]

I met him once at a record store in Athens and he really is a genuinely good dude... he handed ne a copy of a Big Star CD (Alex Chilton's band... for those who may be unfamiliar, he's worth looking up. ) and we chatted about local bands for a bit. I'm not surprised in the least he would take the time to do this.

[jaycat]

My ex-wife used to write people letters all the time. Once she got a very nice, lengthy handwritten response from Graham Parker. She also brought Richard Thompson flowers at a show in a small venue.

I, on the other hand, used to write lots of letters begging people to publish my music. I have a wall full of rejection letters . . .

[CSIMelissa]

I'd never really done anything like that before so I was pleased with my response.

Cool you met him once Bluetickhound!

Planning on framing the note.

[Bluetickhound]

As much as I used to hang around Athens I probably met a ton of folks that I didnt even recognize, along with all yhe ones I DID recognize. Most of 'em were very approachable down to earth folks.

[bohemianbiker]

+1 on the very cool. Is that "out of time" stationary he used? bb

[Alex Orr]

Years ago when I lived in Atlanta I had a quite a few friends who had spent considerable time in Athens. I've heard quite a few stories about what a down-to-earth and generally friendly guy Peter Buck is - Michael Stipe, on the other hand, tended to elicit less flattering stories. One of the things I love about Buck is that he still plays small club gigs with Robyn Hitchcock every few years. Even when when REM was still together and doing the occasional tour, he'd show up with Hitchcock at places like the Ottobar in Baltimore or The Black Cat in DC. I think it takes a guy with a firm grip on his ego, and just a general love of playing music, to have no issues going from being the lead guitarist in a band that is selling out arenas in front of thousands of fans to cramming into a van with a few friends and playing small club gigs to a hundred or so people.

[Caleb]

I never got heavily into their music (heard the hits on the radio, they were huge when I was in high school) but I always thought Buck was a very good guitarist. He has a sound and style all his own. And anyone who plays knows how hard it is to get a clean, simple and basic sound that is consistent. Tom Petty is another that's really good at this.

[CSIMelissa]

+1 on the very cool. Is that "out of time" stationary he used? bb

I actually printed out the CD art for him to sign; wasn't expecting him to write such a nice note on the bottom! Wanted the CD art to reflect an album of theirs that is heavy on the mandolin since I'm going to hang it near where I keep my mando.

[CSIMelissa]

Years ago when I lived in Atlanta I had a quite a few friends who had spent considerable time in Athens. I've heard quite a few stories about what a down-to-earth and generally friendly guy Peter Buck is - Michael Stipe, on the other hand, tended to elicit less flattering stories. One of the things I love about Buck is that he still plays small club gigs with Robyn Hitchcock every few years. Even when when REM was still together and doing the occasional tour, he'd show up with Hitchcock at places like the Ottobar in Baltimore or The Black Cat in DC. I think it takes a guy with a firm grip on his ego, and just a general love of playing music, to have no issues going from being the lead guitarist in a band that is selling out arenas in front of thousands of fans to cramming into a van with a few friends and playing small club gigs to a hundred or so people.

I agree, Alex. No pretentiousness there. It's probably a nice change to play the smaller clubs and now to be playing music just for the sake of playing music, not because it is "work". (IF that makes sense.) Would love to meet him or Mike Mills one of these days! LOL

[DataNick]

I love it!...Another Flatiron endorsement!

Nice experience for you CSI...

[testore]

His penmanship is as bad as mine. That makes me feel better.

[Lord of the Badgers]

He once brushed past me (with Robyn Hitchcock) in a tiny venue in Bristol UK... Watching him play on that tiny stage with Robyn was really cool. If only I'd made the (suddenly arranged) Oxford gig where there were two more "surprise" guests
But your letter is way cooler

[James Rankine]

"Losing my religion" was the reason I bought my first mandolin back in the early 90s. I can't have been the only one. I wonder how many people started on a mandolin journey because of that album.

[CSIMelissa]

He once brushed past me (with Robyn Hitchcock) in a tiny venue in Bristol UK... Watching him play on that tiny stage with Robyn was really cool. If only I'd made the (suddenly arranged) Oxford gig where there were two more "surprise" guests
But your letter is way cooler

Still, that's really cool too!

[CSIMelissa]

"Losing my religion" was the reason I bought my first mandolin back in the early 90s. I can't have been the only one. I wonder how many people started on a mandolin journey because of that album.

Mine did!! Mine did! (That and a few songs off their Green album which was released before Out of Time) I would not have touched a mandolin if it wasn't for Peter Buck. I just wish it didn't take me 20+ years to finally buy one.

[journeybear]

... anyone who plays knows how hard it is to get a clean, simple and basic sound that is consistent. Tom Petty is another that's really good at this.

Also the lead guitarist in The Heartbreakers ,Mike Campbell. He is very efficient, even understated, in the way he uses his time in constructs his leads. He may not be as flashy as many others when he plays, but his solid, direct, uncluttered style is more moving and memorable for all that. I think that when I understood how good he was and why that I understood my tastes had achieved a maturity that I hadn't even realized I had been evolving toward for some time. Petty picked up on his talent very early on, back in Gainesville, and got him in the band, all of them sneaking him into gigs while he was still underage, because he knew he was a keeper. He also gives the impression of being as down-to-earth and ego-free as Peter Buck.

Rather late to this thread; driven by curiosity about the note, as mentioned elsewhere. Cool story. My favorite stories about meeting famous musicians have this same theme of their humility running through them, too. Almost every time they respond better when you talk to them like just plain folks, rather than as a fawning fan. I get the feeling they get way too much of that once they reach a certain level of popularity. The better-grounded ones understand idolization is a distraction at best, and can easily get in the way of having a normal conversation. I've spent more time talking about stuff like fishing or cars with some of these folks than music, and I believe they appreciated the chance to talk about anything else other than how great they are, no matter how great they are.

[CSIMelissa]

Well my friend, it's like I have always said - they are just normal people who just happen to have an awesome job.

[Astro]

Way cool. Good on ya PB !

[roscoepwavetrain]

i was in a band in the early 80's that played Athens, GA a bunch and got to hang out with him and the other guys in REM. Though i was exposed to bluegrass growing up in Georgia at a young age, Peter Buck was what i thought about when it came to the mandolin. i just got serious about playing the mandolin and the first full song i learned was "losing my religion."

the guys from REM are really chill and never took their fame seriously. Buck was probably the more reclusive of the bunch but he liked the public and playing. Folks give Stipe a lot of flack but the fact is he's very shy and very arty, so that throws folks off. he's very kind and one of the more original people i've ever met.