The Method Actors

The Method Actors were an alternative rock/new wave musical group from Athens, Georgia, founded by Vic Varney and David Gamble in the late 1970s.

Discography

Singles and EPs

• This Is It 7" ep: "The Method" / "Can't Act" / "Bleeding" (AS006 - Armageddon Records, 1980)
• Rhythms of You 10" ep: "Distortion" / "Privilege"/ "Dancing Underneath" / "No Condition" / "She" / "You" / "My Time" (AEP12005 - Armageddon Records, 1981)
• Dancing Underneath 12" EP (DB, 1981)
• "Rang-a-Tang" / "Big Red Brain" 7" (P1004 - Press Records, 1981)
• Live in a Room! EP (Press Records, 1982)

Albums

• Little Figures 2 x LP (MAD1 - Armageddon Records, 1981)
• Little Figures 1 x LP (Press Records, 1982)
• Luxury LP (Press Records, 1983)

Members

• Vic Varney: vocals, guitar, bass
• David Gamble: drums, vocals
• Michael Richmond: guitar, bass, backing vocals
• Robert Schmid: drums
• Stan Satin: saxophone, percussion, vocals

Quotes and Reviews

• "Working with the most basic instrumentation imaginable, the Method Actors is able to make the combination musical...the guitar makes deft use of chords with moving inner voices and meshes beautifully with the drumming."

~ Robert Palmer, New York Times

• [Little Figures] is the best album of the year, fashioned from manic, maverick maneuvers and displays a pop sense that sets heads spinning. The Method Actors achieved an uncanny ability to imbue arbitrary squibs of noise and staggering meter with an alluring sense of shape."

~ Sound

• "Their version of "All Tomorrow's Parties" is one of the 10 best New Wave cover songs ever...Countless bands have listened to, covered, imitated and assimilated the work of the Velvet Underground, but it took the Method Actors to capture their spirit."

~ Spin

• "Far from being restricted by their lack of personnel, they flaunt the kind of freedom which gives full reign to their extremely angular, passionate approach. Devoid of derivatives, this week's best single proves that far from the Big City Kultural quicksands, some of the most challenging music is conceived free of destructive influences for no other reason than the music itself."

[On debut single "This Is It" being awarded Single of the Week,

~ Roy Carr, New Music Express, London]

• "Take a young Jeff Chandler and Jack Nicholson and make a band."

~ Time Out

• "...riveting psycho-Ramones drive heightened by choogling guitar and the pair's vocals, one a droll sing-speak, the other a madhouse wail..."

~ The New Trouser Press

• "The Music of phsychedelic despair."

~ Tip, Berlin

• "...more interesting than Pylon..."

~ New York Times

• "The most pretentious band sense creation."

--University of Georgia's Red and Black

External links

• Official Myspace Site
• entry in trouser press
• allmusic guide
• Official Vic Varney Website