Life's Pleasures Quote by Peter Buck

There’s a neat bit of stagecraft hiding in Peter Buck’s casual compliment: it flatters the audience while quietly redefining what kind of audience he wants. On the surface, it’s a barstool-friendly observation about meeting fans. Underneath, it’s a brand statement for R.E.M.’s entire lane in rock history: the band that could live inside mainstream success without adopting the meathead mythology that often comes with it.

Buck draws a line against “your average rock’n’roll fans,” not in a scolding way, but with that dry, touring-musician pragmatism: these are people who “think about things,” and that matters. It’s a subtle defense of being an intellectually inclined rock band without sounding like a hall monitor. The key move is the closing clause - “people I wouldn’t mind having a drink with.” He’s not praising credentials; he’s praising vibe. Intelligence is framed as social ease, not elitism: smart enough to be interesting, relaxed enough to be human.

Contextually, Buck is coming from a group whose lyrics and presentation invited interpretation (college radio roots, cryptic storytelling, politics without sermonizing). That tends to self-select an audience that likes subtext. The quote is also a hedge against the invasive side of fandom: if you’re “cool,” you’ll treat artists like people, not property.

It works because it’s aspirational without being corny. He’s handing fans an identity - thoughtful, sensible, drink-worthy - and implying: keep being that, and we can share the room.