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Rock Bottom Remainders

 

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Rock Bottom Remainders



 
 
The Rock Bottom Remainders is a rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
, magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
, and newspaper
Newspaper

A newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on Politics, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports....
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
s. The band took its self-mocking name from the publishing
Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information – the activity of making information available for public view....
 term remaindered book
Remaindered book

Remaindered books are books that are no longer selling well and whose remaining unsold copies are being liquidated by the publisher at greatly reduced prices....
, a work for which the unsold remainder of the publisher's stock of copies is sold at a reduced price.

The band members include Dave Barry
Dave Barry

David "Dave" Barry is an United States author and columnist, who wrote a nationally Print syndication humor column for the The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005....
, Stephen King
Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King is an United States author of contemporary horror fiction, fantasy fiction and science fiction.Having sold an estimated List of bestselling fiction authors of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history....
, Amy Tan
Amy Tan

Amy Tan is an United States writer of Chinese people descent whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. In 1993, Tan's adaptation of her most popular fiction work, The Joy Luck Club, became a commercially The Joy Luck Club ....
, Maya Angelou, Cynthia Heimel
Cynthia Heimel

Cynthia Heimel is a playwright and the author of several books which are aimed primarily at a female readership. To those who have heard of her but have not read her books, her works are probably best known for their unusual titles....
, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
, Scott Turow
Scott Turow

Scott Turow is an American author as well as a practicing lawyer. Turow has written eight fiction and two nonfiction books, which have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 25 million copies....
, Joel Selvin, James McBride, Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom

Mitchell David Albom is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 26 million copies worldwide....
, Roy Blount Jr., Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is an United States writer. She has written, or collaborated on, 12 books, most of which are novels, but including some poems, short stories and essays....
, Robert Fulghum
Robert Fulghum

Robert Fulghum is an United States author, primarily of short essays.He has worked as a Unitarian Universalism Religious minister .During this same period he taught drawing, painting, and philosophy at the Lakeside School in Seattle....
, Matt Groening
Matt Groening

Matthew Abram Groening is an United Statesn cartoonist, screenwriter and television producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama....
, Tad Bartimus, Greg Iles
Greg Iles

Greg Iles is an United States bestselling novelist who lives in Natchez, Mississippi.Iles was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father ran the United States Embassy Medical Clinic....
, as well as ringers Sam Barry (brother of Dave) on harmonica and keyboards, Josh Kelly on drums, and Erasmo Paulo on saxophone.






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Encyclopedia


The Rock Bottom Remainders is a rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
, magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
, and newspaper
Newspaper

A newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on Politics, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports....
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
s. The band took its self-mocking name from the publishing
Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information – the activity of making information available for public view....
 term remaindered book
Remaindered book

Remaindered books are books that are no longer selling well and whose remaining unsold copies are being liquidated by the publisher at greatly reduced prices....
, a work for which the unsold remainder of the publisher's stock of copies is sold at a reduced price.

The band members include Dave Barry
Dave Barry

David "Dave" Barry is an United States author and columnist, who wrote a nationally Print syndication humor column for the The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005....
, Stephen King
Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King is an United States author of contemporary horror fiction, fantasy fiction and science fiction.Having sold an estimated List of bestselling fiction authors of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history....
, Amy Tan
Amy Tan

Amy Tan is an United States writer of Chinese people descent whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. In 1993, Tan's adaptation of her most popular fiction work, The Joy Luck Club, became a commercially The Joy Luck Club ....
, Maya Angelou, Cynthia Heimel
Cynthia Heimel

Cynthia Heimel is a playwright and the author of several books which are aimed primarily at a female readership. To those who have heard of her but have not read her books, her works are probably best known for their unusual titles....
, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
, Scott Turow
Scott Turow

Scott Turow is an American author as well as a practicing lawyer. Turow has written eight fiction and two nonfiction books, which have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 25 million copies....
, Joel Selvin, James McBride, Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom

Mitchell David Albom is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 26 million copies worldwide....
, Roy Blount Jr., Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is an United States writer. She has written, or collaborated on, 12 books, most of which are novels, but including some poems, short stories and essays....
, Robert Fulghum
Robert Fulghum

Robert Fulghum is an United States author, primarily of short essays.He has worked as a Unitarian Universalism Religious minister .During this same period he taught drawing, painting, and philosophy at the Lakeside School in Seattle....
, Matt Groening
Matt Groening

Matthew Abram Groening is an United Statesn cartoonist, screenwriter and television producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama....
, Tad Bartimus, Greg Iles
Greg Iles

Greg Iles is an United States bestselling novelist who lives in Natchez, Mississippi.Iles was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father ran the United States Embassy Medical Clinic....
, as well as ringers Sam Barry (brother of Dave) on harmonica and keyboards, Josh Kelly on drums, and Erasmo Paulo on saxophone. The original band members collaborated on a book about the band, Mid-Life Confidential. Musical zelig
Zelig

Zelig is a 1983 in film United States mockumentary written and directed by Woody Allen....
 and published author Al Kooper
Al Kooper

Al Kooper is an United States songwriter, record producer and musician, probably best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity....
 also was a member for some time.

History

The Remainders were founded by Kathi Kamen Goldmark in the early 1990s. Kathi was then a musician whose day job was in book publicity. Through this, she met many prolific authors. One day while driving one of the authors around she came upon the idea of making a band of them. It stuck. The Remainders' first performance was in 1992 at the American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association

The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada....
 convention in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of January 1, 2008, the city population was about 346,823, making it the 10th most-populated city in California and ranked 54th in the United States....
. A review of the concert, appearing in The Washington Post
The Washington Post

The Washington Post is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Washington, D.C., United States and is the city's oldest paper, founded in 1877....
 , claimed it was "the most heavily promoted musical debut since The Monkees
The Monkees

The Monkees were a pop singing quartet assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 in music for the United States television series The Monkees , which aired from 1966 to 1968....
."

The Remainders also played at the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the are...
 in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border....
 in 1995.

Quotations

  • "We play music as well as Metallica
    Metallica

    Metallica is an American heavy metal music band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists....
     writes novels." -Dave Barry
    Dave Barry

    David "Dave" Barry is an United States author and columnist, who wrote a nationally Print syndication humor column for the The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005....
    • "Rock Bottom Remainders? Who the hell are they?" -Kirk Hammett
      Kirk Hammett

      Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus ....
      , Metallica
      Metallica

      Metallica is an American heavy metal music band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists....
  • "Your band's not too bad. It's not too good either. Don't let it get any better, otherwise you'll just be another lousy band." -Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Springsteen

    Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss", is an American songwriter, singer and musician. He has recorded and toured with the E Street Band....
    • "I picked up one of the two guitars I'd been using, and just as we were about to start, Stephen King tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'We have a special guest.' I turned around, and there was Bruce Springsteen. I still don't know how he came to be at this convention; I don't believe he's a bookseller. All I know is, he was picking up the other guitar. My guitar. 'Bruce,' I said to him. 'Do you know the guitar part to Gloria?' This is like asking James Michener if he knows how to write his name." - Dave Barry
  • "People are throwing panties at you. They certainly never do that at my book-signings." -Matt Groening
    Matt Groening

    Matthew Abram Groening is an United Statesn cartoonist, screenwriter and television producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama....
  • "There's an audience out there, and the key is to kick it in the ass." -Stephen King
    Stephen King

    Stephen Edwin King is an United States author of contemporary horror fiction, fantasy fiction and science fiction.Having sold an estimated List of bestselling fiction authors of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history....
  • "Roy actually coined the term for our genre of music; hard-listening music
    Easy listening

    Easy listening music is a style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century, evolving out of Swing music and big band music, and related to Beautiful music and Light music....
    ." -Dave Barry


Concerts

  • 1992, Anaheim
    Anaheim, California

    Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of January 1, 2008, the city population was about 346,823, making it the 10th most-populated city in California and ranked 54th in the United States....
    : American Booksellers Association
    American Booksellers Association

    The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada....
     convention
  • 1995, Cleveland
    Cleveland, Ohio

    Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border....
    : The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (opening)
  • A version of the band with at the very least Barry and Albom and Ridley Pearson
    Ridley Pearson

    Ridley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
     has also played at the Miami Book Fair


Guests

  • Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Springsteen

    Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss", is an American songwriter, singer and musician. He has recorded and toured with the E Street Band....
  • Roger McGuinn
    Roger McGuinn

    James Roger McGuinn is an United States singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' hit records....
  • Warren Zevon
    Warren Zevon

    Warren William Zevon was an American rock music singer-songwriter and musician noted for weaving his offbeat, sardonic view of life into his music, composing dark, sometimes humorous songs often laced with political or historical themes....
  • Lesley Gore
    Lesley Gore

    Lesley Gore is an United States singer-songwriter of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop music hit, "It's My Party ", which she recorded at the age of 16....


Songs covered include

  • "Rockaway Beach"
  • "Louie Louie
    Louie Louie

    "Louie Louie" is an United States rock and roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop music and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists....
    " (Matt Groening claims he uses the "explicit" interpretation of the lyrics and Dave Barry claimed that it was so filthy that the U.S. Constitution should be amended to prohibit it.)
  • "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
    These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

    "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" is a pop music song composed by Lee Hazlewood and first recorded by Nancy Sinatra. It was released in February 1966 and hit #1 in the United States and United Kingdom Pop charts....
    "
  • "If the House is a Rockin'..."
  • "Gloria"
  • "You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover"
  • "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
    You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

    "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song by Bob Dylan and The Band, officially released in 1975 on the album The Basement Tapes.Starting in late 1967, Bob Dylan's legendary Basement Tapes were the underground source of many new songs for hungry fans and fellow artists alike....
    "
  • "Wild Thing
    Wild Thing (The Troggs song)

    "Wild Thing" is a hit song written by New York-born songwriter Chip Taylor and originally recorded by The Wild Ones in 1965 in music .The song is in the key of A major, and is based around the chord progression , which is the basis for the main riff, and the instrumental parts during the chorus....
    " (In one broadcast of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
    Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

    Wait Wait? Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly radio news quiz game show produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations....
    , Barry revealed this song as a band inside joke since Roy Blount always mistimes his single vocal line: "You move me.")
  • "In the Midnight Hour
    In the Midnight Hour

    "In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. It was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr....
    " (The Rock Bottom Remainders performed this song during an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is an Television in the United States late night television talk show hosted by Scotland-United States comedian Craig Ferguson....
    . Host Craig Ferguson
    Craig Ferguson

    Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He is the present host of CBS The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, a role that earned him an 58th Primetime Emmy Awards#Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program....
     — himself the best-selling author of Between the Bridge and the River
    Between the Bridge and the River

    Between the Bridge and the River is a novel written by Craig Ferguson.The novel has been characterized as a satire of religion and the entertainment industry....
     — played the drums. Just before the performance, he joked that "the only reason [he] wanted to write a book was so that he could play with this band." Dave Barry was also the first guest on the show.)
  • "You May Be Right"


Discography

Several RBR songs are featured on the double album Stranger than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction (Rock Bottom Remainders album)

Stranger Than Fiction is an album by various performers, most of whom are professional writers and amateur singers, released in 1998 on Kathi Kamen Goldmark's "Don't Quit Your Day job" Records....
 ("Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records), also featuring other noted authors' comic attempts at song.

External links