> Not since the Muzak corporation has there been an institution that soundtracks drugstores, supermarkets, and shopping malls more readily than R.E.M.
Wondering if other people agree with this? Because it doesn’t really match my experience at all. I wouldn’t say I’ve heard REM in stores often enough for them to be noteworthy in that regard, much less infamous.
I've definitely heard REM in grocery stores and stuff, but not considerably more than other rock bands. I think popular older rock music of almost any genre is kind of the go-to background music these days. People are nostalgic for the old tunes they grew up with, so 30-40 year olds shopping for milk kind of like it, or at least find it inoffensive. That's my sense for it anyway.
Heck, I remember once stopping in my tracks in a grocery aisle because I heard War Pigs by Black Sabbath playing over the sound system. No one else in the store seemed to be paying attention, though.
It's an incredibly jerk line to start the article with and completely untrue. I'm not saying that I've never heard an REM song in a store, but the idea that REM is somehow the soundtrack of capitalism seems entirely made up.
Wondering if other people agree with this? Because it doesn’t really match my experience at all. I wouldn’t say I’ve heard REM in stores often enough for them to be noteworthy in that regard, much less infamous.