We started getting interest, And we were all interested In i.R.S. Records Because they had The buzzcocks, The go-go's, The fleshtones. we wanted two things Once we started Approaching the business, Or the business Starting approaching us. We wanted to Never be in debt, And we wanted to have total Control over everything we did. I.R.S. Was the perfect company For that Because they wouldn't spend Any money on anybody anyway. [chuckles] when i signed r.E.M., My ownhalf the people At i.R.S. Thought that, You know, "what are you smoking, man?" It's just like, "this guy can't sing. You can't understand A [...] word he's saying." I love the fact That you see something You think is great And you have this vision That they will evolve And the marketplace will one day Appreciate that they're great. in a corner garden wilder lower wolves their whole theory was when You get on the road and tour, We're not gonna Spend tons of money On the promotion, the press, Or videos. You're just gonna work, and We felt really good with that. We got our e.P. Out Within three months And used it as a platform To go on the road. we had a picture In our head Of where we wanted to go With the first record. I knew which songs Were gonna be on it. I knew what kind of instruments And all that. i was really shy About my voice, So we brought My vocal way down, And in , you know, Every song you heard, Every popular song had The drums were The loudest thing, And so we turned The drums way down Because we didn't want To be a disco band. We didn't want To be radio stuff. So we turned The drums way down. We turned The vocal way down. Everything else came up, and we dumped a lot of reverb On it, and that was murmur. talk about the passion talk about the passion when murmur Came out and sold, I guess, ,, , copies, That was That was huge. I mean, that was much more Than i think ourselves or i.R.S. Records ever expected it to do. - it was named the record Of the year by rolling stone. record of the year over Michael jackson's thriller. getting named Album of the year When there were other Very, very commercial records In the marketplace Was like, "what?" I mean, like, kind of, Like, hard to believe. that was a little bit Of a wakeup call for me. Like, "what on earth is this?" i think that the way The record got made Was us two producing it, And i was never Totally sat well, you know, With theback at The authority's headquarters And stuff, and the fact that This record that had been made Sort of in a secret with them Kind of feeling like, "oh, well we've thrown This one away," you know? Doing so well was kind of like, "yeah." you know? It's kind of like now that's... now that's truth. little minor revenge Against the sort Of standardized thinking... the man. about who has to produce A record and all that, you now? And the kind of record You have to make. - murmur has a real kind of Flannery o'connor feel to me, And i don't know why. and the thing all i have is kudzu. people don't know What kudzu is. this is what takes Over the south. does it make you feel At home at all By seeing Some of that stuff?