Interview with David Hannon Pierce, May 3, 2017

Partial Transcript: I like to start by asking people...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about coming to Athens in 1976 to attend UGA after serving in the Air Force. As a student, Pierce states that he attended night school before he chose art as his major.

Keywords: Air Force; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); University of Georgia (UGA)

Partial Transcript: So, we began to...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about meeting Michael Stipe in one of his lecture halls and describes the bands and music culture of Athens at the time. Pierce recalls what he thought of the band Gangster, one of Michael Stipe's earliest bands. Pierce talks about drumming in a band during high school.

Keywords: Gangster (band); Michael Stipe; Pylon; funk bands

Partial Transcript: And my friend Bob Fernandez...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce continues describing the origins of his drumming style, as he calls it a mixture of disco and marching band. Pierce talks about the clubs and bands that he saw later in his school career. Pierce talks about joining the band Oh-Ok as an Air Force veteran.

Keywords: Linda Hopper; Oh-Ok; Pylon; house parties; marching band

Partial Transcript: And so, I fit in that...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about playing in the band Oh-Ok, and talks about losing his girlfriend, Cathy. Pierce describes the uniqueness of the artists in Athens. Pierce talks about the writing style of Linda Hopper, and the musical culture of the the band Oh-Ok.

Keywords: Linda Hopper; Micheal Stipe; Oh-Ok

Partial Transcript: And we didn't sound like a ...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce explains the uniqueness of his drumming style in the band Oh-Ok. Pierce talks about one of their earliest gigs in 1982. Pierce describes the writing style of Michael Stipe as both whimsical and poetic.

Keywords: Linda Hopper; Oh-Ok; drumming

Partial Transcript: I saw this result...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce describes the instinctual nature of art and talks about Oh-Ok's first performance. Pierce recalls that the band was liked by the audience and went on to play house parties and tour around the east coast.

Keywords: Oh-Ok; art; punk rock; touring

Partial Transcript: But, you know I was kind of embarrassed...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce shares stories from touring the east coast with Oh-Ok in the early 1980's. Pierce talks about the recording release of Oh-Ok's first single in Atlanta.

Keywords: New York; drag; record; single

Partial Transcript: It wasn't just about...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the meaning behind the design of Oh-Ok's first record's cover art. Pierce explains that he changed his major throughout his schooling at the University of Georgia. Pierce describes the changing members of Oh-Ok, recalling the addition of guitarist Matthew Sweet.

Keywords: Matthew Sweet; University of Georgia (UGA); art; cover

Partial Transcript: All these bands at times...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the work that some bands did to maintain their identity in their record releases. Pierce describes guitarist Matthew Sweet's playing and songwriting.

Keywords: Matthew Sweet; New York; R.E.M

Partial Transcript: Matthew later released all our songs ...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the release of later Oh-Ok records. Pierce shares his reason for leaving Oh-Ok.

Keywords: B-52's; Matthew Sweet; Oh-Ok

Partial Transcript: I knew one guy...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about his relationship with Linda Stipe, which ended when Pierce left Oh-Ok. Pierce describes his perception of band review articles, and his decision to start a magazine in which members of the Athens music community would publish reviews of bands.

Keywords: Georgia Student Quarterly Magazine; Grateful Dead; Linda Stipe; Oh-Ok

Partial Transcript: And so, that time the Student Union...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the development of some of the student magazines he started, and the topics the magazines covered. Pierce talks about the attempted creation of a futuristic community that never came to fruition in the 1980's.

Keywords: Athens Georgia Student Quarterly; Peabody Award; Student Interest Magazine; Tate Center

Partial Transcript: We did everything old school...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the process that went into publishing the magazine Hot Java which covered events in Athens. Pierce talks about how he started a music magazine for local Athenian bands.

Keywords: Athens, GA Student Quarterly Magazine; Hot Java; Pylon

Partial Transcript: So I went to Chuck Searcy...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce continues describing the methods of starting the Tasty World Magazine, which ran during the 1980's.

Keywords: Tasty World Magazine; floppy disk; publishing

Partial Transcript: Eventually, a guy came along...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce explains that the Tasty World Magazine was eventually bought and the publishing company was later dismantled. Pierce talks about the decision to name the magazine, and the process through which the magazine was sold.

Keywords: Spin Magazine; Tasty World Magazine; The Observer

Partial Transcript: You it was overlooked at the time...

Segment Synopsis: Pierce talks about the importance of the Tasty World Magazine in the building of community identity. Pierce describes the expectations that he had for the magazine when he first came up with the idea of an Athens music magazine, and the ways in which it influenced different sectors of music in Athens.

Keywords: Tasty World Magazine; dancing; music