Behind The Song: “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” with Mike Mills


“I remember sitting at the kitchen table on Little Oconee Street in Athens, (Georgia),” Mills explains. “There’s a turnaround in the song that’s inspired by part of a Simon & Garfunkel song (“Mrs. Robinson”) that I heard, and I started building the song around that. Sometimes the first line is the hardest line and once … Continued

Bonus Weeks of Our Touring Days


Back in the olden days, helping to plan a tour of Europe was always among the funnest endeavors of my role with the band: way ahead of time, a year or more, always with our agent Bob Gold, in London off in a room with lots of air, great lighting and old (hardcopy) maps.

Slane Reflections


Gazing at this photograph taken from above the grounds of #SlaneCastle and the epic R.E.M. concert 25 years ago Wednesday, I have a few memories flashing across my mind. It was the first show after the brief stoppage of the tour in central Europe

Listen: Mike & Michael Interview on “And The Writer Is” Podcast


Mike & Michael sat down for a chat with Ross Golan in NYC last year on @AndTheWriterIs on the occasion of the 25th anniversary release of Monster–they covered a lot of ground from the early Athens scene through Monster’s release. Listen here. #andthewriteris

A Stirling Performance Screens on YouTube, 7.19 – 7.21


On July 19th – 21st, 1999, R.E.M. played three nights of concerts at Stirling Castle, Scotland. No band this globally renowned had played Stirling Castle before. These concerts were documented in “A Stirling Performance.” As well as interviews with the band , the documentary offers an affectionate insight into the historic city & charming people … Continued

Michael “On: self”


Michael is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Masthead Magazine where he talks about a topic we can all relate to: “self.” “I believe the difficult but necessary changes we are in the midst of now will bring us closer to a version of ourselves as caring, community-based, empathetic creatures, with a … Continued

Read Mike’s Rolling Stone Interview on Big Star’s Legacy


“I discovered Big Star through Peter Buck’s record collection. They had made two of the best records ever made by a band, as far as I’m concerned.” – Mike Mills Rolling Stone has premiered the Craft Recordings episode of The Memphis Masters on Big Star, which includes interviews with Mike and Jody Stephens of Big … Continued

Listen to Michael’s Glasto Anniversary Interview with Jo Whiley


“Every time that we played Glastonbury I think the band really stepped up. It’s such an august, and such a beloved, and such a legendary event that whatever stars are aligned for us, personally and as a group, we managed to show the best of ourselves at each of the shows we played there.” – … Continued

Glastonbury 50 Virtual Weekend


In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury Festival this weekend, the BBC has announced plans to showcase “some of the greatest Glastonbury performances since BBC broadcasts began in 1990”, including highlights from R.E.M.’s headline performances. Tune in from 8PM this Sunday 28th June, live on BBC Two TV & on BBC iPlayer. More details: … Continued

Video: “No Time For Love Like Now”– The Tonight Show (6.23)


Tuesday night, Michael & Big Red Machine (Aaron Dessner) shared this music video for “No Time for Love Like Now” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Check out this review from RollingStone.com about the performance.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRWgIFE0CJ0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3ms_Z0OsNi6x1Fo97u2BhKoWXCY-8loZMFBHHm8hnMSBeHWp0Pj2BIT6c

Read Mike’s Interview with The Athletic


Check out this great interview with Mike and David O’Brien of The Athletic, on sports, fandom, rock ‘n’ roll, learning to play the banjo during quarantine, and a lot more.