A Plea From Mike Mills

I thought we'd start with a piece that was meant to be in issue 7. We'd established good enough contacts with REM to get a track by The Musical Kings – Peter Buck and Kevn Kinney (from Drivin'n'Cryin' – a cover of the Stones' “I'm Free” (which I will put up in the next week or so) and the following bit by Mr Mike Mills. A short, sweet and really quite charming “Letter From America”.

“Lately, I have become increasingly concerned over the lack of culinary diversity here in Athens, Georgia. Walter, over at Walter's Pit Cooked Barbecue, has taken to closing early, if he opens at all, and one can eat only so many of Rocky's Buffalo style chicken wings, excellent tho' they are. Even a nice beef and kidney pie would be a welcome change.

What I believe we need here, that you have a lot of in the UK, is an Indian restaurant. The nearest one to us is in Atlanta, an hour and a half's drive away, and even it is not as good as the majority in England.

So could you please send over an entire Indian restaurant on the next boat? Décor is not important, only the quality of that lovely curry. Thanks very much. Yours, Mike Mills (REM)”

Whilst far from being a Letter Never Sent, definitely a Letter Never Printed.

He also provided us with his Top Ten (well, “Ten Of My Faves”) From 1987.

1.Concrete Blonde – Concrete Blonde
2.XTC – Skylarking
3.10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe
4.The dBs – The Sound Of Music
5.Guadalcanal Diary – 2 x 4
6.Drivin'n'Cryin' – Scarred But Smarter
7.Cameo – Word Up
8.John Cougar Mellencamp – Lonesome Jubilee
9.Fetchin' Bones – Galaxie 500
10.Buckwheat Zydeco – On A Night Like This

Yes, that's Cameo at number 7.....says he whose Top Ten for the same year appears to have included the Wind In The Willows soundtrack....

NEXT (From Issue 2)

An Appreciation Of John Cale by Mr David J (Bauhaus/Love And Rockets)

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