Fake Person Song Who Turned Out to Be Real Person Song: Wendell Gee

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When I started compiling the list of songs for my countdowns of favorite real and fictional people I did what I usually do: go through the iPod and my song lists, picking out songs, then arranging them in an order. My original "fake people songs" list included this song, but alas, this fake person turned out to be real. Dang my rotten luck! But this song is too good to ignore, so here's the bonus. Wendell Gee - R.E.M. You know me: if the song doesn't fit and it's by R.E.M., make it fit! According to old articles, Peter Buck hated this song. He later changed his mind about it, realizing the beauty of it. Sure, there was no way Wendell was a real person, right? Turns out he was a real person. Michael Stipe said, "I stole the name from the highway between Athens, Georgia and Jefferson, Georgia." But it was named for someone. Wendell Gee owned a car dealership in a dot-on-the-roadmap town near Athens. He died in 1995; and, according to his obituary, he was a World War II veteran. The song's lyrics are, according to Stipe, "a death dream I had." So, in the song, he was Wendell Gee (the corpse). But in reality, Wendell Gee was a real person. Now there's time to say goodbye to Wendell Gee. Wendell Gee Written by Mike Mills and Michael Stipe (credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe) Recorded by R.E.M. From Fables of the Reconstruction, 1985 If the wind were colors and if the air could speak: