After indulging in too much beer and Vietnamese food last night, I went to sleep. At some point in the night, dream sequences began to take over and while I forgot most of them, this one particular dream managed to stay with me…
The setting was formal, like it was a wedding or a charity event. People were walking around in tuxes and fancy dresses with wine glasses in hand (with those fancy little plate clips so they can snack too). My attention is focused on a group of four men: my father of course being one, Michael Stipe and Peter Buck from R.E.M and I think my dad’s friend Lee.
They are sitting in four red chairs, two on each side with a round table between them. My father and his friend are eating. Peter Buck seems very interested in talking to my father and is going on about a local Athens, Georgia act that he is currently producing (if my mind came up with a name, I don’t remember it). My father, as in real life, has no fucking clue who these people are and no idea what they are saying… but, he is being polite. As he shoves veal medallions into his mouth and nodding in his head in some semblance of agreement, I can see my father trying to figure out how to get the hell away from Michael Stipe and Peter Buck. His friend Lee just gets up and bolts as Peter is talking about the acoustics of an old church (something I would have loved to talk about). As my father is about to make his break…
… my wife wakes me up.
This dream is odd to me because I wouldn’t consider myself a crazed R.E.M. fan and haven’t listened to any of their stuff in months. I didn’t hear any R.E.M. songs yesterday, and I sure as shit wasn’t thinking about Peter Buck. The mind is a strange and beautiful thing.
Here is a little R.E.M. for those who, like my father, don’t know who the hell they are (be ashamed if you don’t)
