R.E.M. considered themselves missionaries against the prevailing pop culture – no solos, no old-school stagecraft, no printed lyrics, no lip-syncing, no hard-sell videos, no obvious leader – and mapped out a whole new route to international success. Peter Ames Carlin, whose books include biographies of Springsteen, Brian Wilson and Paul Simon, talks to us here about ‘The Name of this Band is R.E.M.’, what they pioneered and how it rearranged the rock and roll furniture. Which involves …

 

… why their Letterman Show was a statement of intent.

 

… “rather than bending to the mainstream, they did what they wanted ‘til the mainstream bent to them.”

 

… where you can see “the R.E.M. model” - from Sleater-Kinney to Taylor Swift.

 

… when ‘Mike Stipe’ became Michael.

 

… Stipe’s first TV appearance, dressed as Frank-N-Furter at a Rocky Horror Show screening.

 

… why rock critics connected with them. 

 

… the strategies they share with U2, Radiohead and Coldplay. 

 

… “Springsteen = Elvis + Dylan”.

 

… what was in the water in Athens, Georgia, that produced such unconventional

acts - R.E.M., the B-52’s, Pylon, Love Tractor.

 

… their ‘straight’ but supportive parents – Stipe’s dad in the military, Mills’ dad a marine helicopter pilot.

 

… how R.E.M. “channelled popular culture”.

 

… their pioneering approach to record deals, royalties, videos, mixing and song-writing.

 

… and which of them most wants a reunion.

 

Order ‘The Name Of This Band Is R.E.M.’ here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Name-This-Band-M-Biography/dp/0385546947

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