Back in April, Michael Stipe & Elton John wrote an impassioned essay (featured in The Guardian) about the plight of transgender people in U.S. prisons. The essay called on the The United States Department of Justice to take a stand against the brutality and sexual assault that transgender
An enthusiastic Bertis Downs in his one-of-a-kind “LSTN TO TCHRS” tee-shirt at the Communities in Schools awards ceremony Saturday night where he & Katherine Downs were recognized for their tireless and dedicated contributions to public education in Athens.
At the end of his brief remarks, which were about education and opportunity
Art Rocks Athens returns! Film, photography, and, of course, music will be the focus this year, with a continuing retrospective, primarily 1975-1985, of the art and artists who made the music that made Athens, GA famous. Artist Sandra-Lee Phipps, SCAD Atlanta professor and R.E.M. colleague, is curating a
I recall the exact moment when I realized that my favorite band, an underground sensation, had the potential to get very popular. It was August 20, 1983, and I was fortunate enough to be standing on the side of the stage at John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, as a
It was 32 years ago today: R.E.M. played Shea Stadium. Memories that day: It rained. Peter was energetic, well above the stage much of the set, which was all of 15 minutes, tops. They wowed some people, the ones who’d braved the elements to be there huddled in front of
Peter will be Djing with Liz and Lance of Permanent Records on August 25 at Ace Hotel in LA. Bring your dancing shoes and get ready for a night filled with garage, soul, funk and beyond.
More information here
American Songwriter Magazine’s lyric of the week feature is R.E.M.’s track, “Nightswimming,” from 1992’s masterpiece Automatic For The People.
Read about it here
The NY Times has a feature on Michael’s Ten Favorite Books. Check it out here:
August 11, 1995: It was twenty years ago today: the third time really was a charm. After postponements occasioned by Bill’s brain surgery in March and Mike’s gut surgery in July, R.E.M. FINALLY got to play their show in Prague (although Michael was not exactly feeling fine during the show);
It was twenty years ago today: R.E.M.’s only show ever in Israel. Security was tight. First time for that kind of stuff for us. Mike and Peter had been to Israel three years earlier for promo for Automatic. They’d visited the Dead Sea. We saw a Ben and Jerry’s on
It was twenty years ago today: R.E.M. played its only show ever in Sicily. Our beloved friend, the late Francesco Virlinzi, was our host and a great ambassador for the city of Catania. He is remembered today, as every year, by a special anniversary cconcert celebration
organized by his
Congress is considering the Deny Americans the Right to Know — or DARK — Act, which would block all states from requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods.
Big Food lobbyists — including the industry front group Grocery Manufacturers Association — are pulling out all the stops to get this bill passed.
I think last Thursday night was the seventh time I’ve seen the entire R.E.M. By MTV, Alexander Young’s terrific documentary about the three-decade path of R.E.M. on MTV. I once again enjoyed it and noticed how well he chose songs to help tell the story throughout the film. “Monty Got
Recently, while digging around in the R.E.M. archives looking for lost treasures, a real gem presented itself in the form of a 1988 recording of Peter and Mike’s appearance on “Sound of the City,” a local music themed program on WUOG, the radio station on the campus of the University
As a kid, I played two happy years of Little League, and dreamed of growing up to be a baseball player. While my life has turned out just fine, I never lost that love of baseball (notice the band I’m in, the Baseball Project). Now, thanks to the folks at