Who Is Superior, R.E.M. or Soul Asylum?

By Nicholas Pell Tue., Jan. 10 2012 at 4:30 AM

[Editor's note: Deathmatch pairs two artists who have something in common, and determines who is better. It's a concept we sort-of ripped off from MTV, except that instead of claymation it's the printed word!]

The alt-rock explosion of the '80s and '90s gave us titans like R.E.M. as well as also-rans, like Soul Asylum. Although the world has stuck with Michael Stipe through his many years of weirdness, folks more or less forgot about Dave Pirner around the time he and Winona Ryder split. But that doesn't mean one's outfit is better than the other's. Below, then, through an arbitrary-seeming-but-actually-deadly-accurate set of criteria, we shall determine who is superior.

Lyrical Depth
"Everybody Hurts" sounds like some kind of joke, as if Michael Stipe took Advanced Maudlin Lyrics at Athens Community College. It's not so much affected sorrow, it's Stipe deliberately playing up the tormented lyricist thing. "Everybody hurts / Sometimes." Glorious exposition, comrade!

Soul Asylum, meanwhile, often employs a dopey, earnest simplicity. "They say misery loves company / We could start a company and make misery." They like to make funny out of depression or, in the case of "Sometime To Return" express the human condition simply and directly: "Doing the best I can / Living without a plan." You and me both, Dave.

Point: Soul Asylum

Frontman's Hair
Stipe's comes in two flavors: Curly youthful locks and Kojak. Pirner's gorgeous, flowing blond locks, on the other hand, only get better with age.

Point: Soul Asylum

Famous Detractors
Dennis Leary isn't a fan of "Shiny Happy People." "Pull that bus over to the side of the pretentiousness turnpike," goes one of his routines. "I want everybody off the bus. I want the shiny people over here, and the happy people over here, okay! I represent angry gun-toting meat-eating fucking people, alright! Sit down and shut the fuck up Michael!"

None other than Paul Westerberg himself famously derided Pirner and Co. as "the B-Team." Keep in mind that Westerberg remains the brooding poet laureate of Minneapolis rock, and lesser bands would have lost the confidence to persevere in the face of such a harsh dis. Not Pirner and the boys. They said "fuck you" by cutting Hang Time, one of the great unsung records of the late 1980s.

Point: Soul Asylum

Tags:

Deathmatch, REM, Soul Asylum

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The writer is an idiot,what above sided piece of shit this article is. REM are amazing.

Soul Asylum apologist

Reading the headline; I figured this was another article; SA a "one hit wonder" and the on slaught would be on. To my surprise; it wasn't. Go listen to "HT" or "MTBB" or "Horse" or "TSL"; great albums both muscially and lyrically.

Go listen to a song like "Easy Street" from "Horse".. Dave wails "look into your heart before it sees it's final hour; live todaaaay, like there is no tomorrow." Awesome !!

I am not here to bash R.E.M. ( I like them); just here to give the much needed/ deserved love that SA has missed out on from the "masses."

In this death match; I agree, the winner by an on slaught.... Soul Asylum

Spongebob

Oh man whay doesn't the world love Soul Asylum? One of the great mysteries. No matter more of them for me.

Joeschmoe

Michael Stipe didn't write "Everybody Hurts." Ex-drummer Bill Berry did. Stipe changed one line to deter listeners from thinking he was singing about himself emotionally hurting. I am sunsetandclark.com and I approve this message. Lol

Nick, I noticed the subversive use of "comrade." Does this mean you're a crypto-Marxist? Are you too cowardly to openly state your political opinions, preferring to shill for LA Weekly as if it justifies all the student loans you accumulated at Amherst? Did they teach you about "critical pedagogy" (ie, sneaking Marxist radicalism under the radar)?

Do you get paid for writing this stuff? If so, prolly not much. I'm a little confused about how you actually earn your living.

Nicholas Pell

Nah, changed my mind.

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Reverend Justito

I get that this is a "deathmatch" but once again this is LA Weekly hack journalism at its finest. All Soul Aslyum did for the world was make missing kids sexy for a summer. They had some fun albums, but when it comes to songwriting skill, musical chops and worldwide appeal, Soul Asylum can't hold a candle to what R.E.M. has done. While R.E.M. made some challenging albums after Monster, their final two efforts were solid returns to form. But hey, what do you expect from a publication who claims Pearl Jam is worse than Owl City, Nickleback and Creed

Damirl65

Dont take it too seriously. Soul Asylum, REM and Replacements are 3 of my favourite bands. Pearl Jam - one of the most over-rated bands around, like Foo Fighters. Lyrical depth of 10 year olds (sorry 10 year olds). A good song offers some insight into varied subjects like love, life, politics, etc. PJ and Foos offer nothing - tired riffage and tied personas. Lowest common denominator music for common people. Soul Asylum have a few crap songs but albums such as "Hang Time" are flawless. Released over 20 years ago which no band has come close to since. Creed, Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, U2 - list looks pretty familiar with no odd member I reckon.