Circus Envy
R.E.M. Join The Greatest Show On Earth
The show lasted well over two and a half hours, complete with a parade and a terrific circus band. That's when Michael got his idea: They would ask to join in with the band and travel with the circus. At first, Peter, Mike and Bill thought Michael had gone stark raving mad, but the more they thought of it, the better it sounded. It would be like a tour but not as grueling, as they wouldn't be the main attraction. Those would be people like these:
Michael was particularly interested in the animals at the circus and wanted to make sure that they were never abused. He asked the ringmaster after the performance if he and R.E.M. could travel with the circus and be part of the band, as well as oversee the treatment of the critters. That would be creatures like these:
Well, suspend belief here and humour me that R.E.M. join the circus. Their friends and families are shocked at first and wonder why they would want to be surrounded by a strange environment, but after the guys explain that they like touring but don't like to do it on their own anymore, the concerned people were assuaged. They were to leave with the circus in three days, so many plans had to be made. This site will showcase all f the adventures and heartaches that result from circus life. It is not the glamorous, thrilling and wonderful as everyone thinks and R.E.M. are about to find that out. Like Toby Tyler, they were all in for quite the shock.
They immediately made friends with the clowns. These were complex men and women who were, for the most part, hiding under the greasepaint and Michael found himself writing songs about him. Here are a few of Michael's new pals:
The first crisis that occured was that Mike got accidentally pinned into a tiger's cage and, though he was rescued unharmed, it shook him up. "I don't know about this, Michael", Mike said to his friend and band mate, "is this circus thing a good idea? I don't particularly want to die here". After he had time to recover from the shock, Mike Mills declared that he thought the band travelling with an impressive circus would be fun. Bill and Peter were still reserving judgment.
The circus folk were a tightly-knit lot who didn't take too well to outsiders. R.E.M. knew they would have to earn the respect and friendship of everyone and were determined to do so. They knew it would take quite awhile, but were hoping that they could stay on with the circus indefinitely if they liked it. Here's some animated trapeze artists:
During the next while, you will learn how R.E.M. manage doing something they had never experienced before. You will see the highs, the lows, the crises and the exhileration. I have read many books on circus life so hopefully I will come across as looking as if I know of what I am talking. Anyway, here's some more pictures that are certainly colourful:
The first segment of this novella is the guys getting accustomed to circus life and not adapting well at first. It is an alien world to them and they are made to feel like outsiders. Cassie, one of the trapeze artists, snubbed Mike after he made some brief overtures to her so he gave up. He realized that the only thing that would get R.E.M. in good graces with the circus folk would be time--that and a major crisis that changed everyone's lives forever.
Please come back shortly to visit and see R.E.M. under the Big Top. Will they get sawdust in their veins and learn to love it there? Stay tuned and find out. I'll give you a hint, though: It's nothing that they expected or wanted. Remember reading "Toby Tyler" as a child?
