This one goes out to R.E.M.

In 1980, a band came out of Athens, Georgia, that took a generation by storm.  They’re arguably the band that invented college rock, and by touring throughout the South at colleges and universities, a band formed in a college town became the symbol for college alternative rock.  As the musicians grew, the band itself grew in stature, until R.E.M. was a household name, and core trio of Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills became rock stars.  Well, that’s all coming to an end.  After 31 years, R.E.M. is calling it a career.

“We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word.  Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other,” said bass player Mike Mills on R.E.M.’s website.  “We feel kind of like pioneers in this–there’s no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off.  We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart.  The time just feels right.”

R.E.M.’s last album, Collapse Into Now, came out in March; there is a greatest hits disc on the horizon, but (for now), that’s it for the stalwart rock and roll band who inspired hordes of other bands due to classic hits, incredible albums, and constant touring in their younger days.  R.E.M. got out a little late, in terms of missing their peak, but they’re leaving with a lot of good will, and that’s more than you can say for some bands.

Tags: REM, R.E.M., Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, REM breaks up, REM calls it quits, R.E.M. breaks up, REM break up, music, band breakup, Athens, Georgia, college radio, bands, Collapse Into Now, Warner Brothers, R.E.M. breaks up via website

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]