Remembering R.E.M.

AP/Warner Bros.

R.E.M. in 1994

R.E.M.'s low-key announcement Wednesday that the band would "call it a day" after 31 years generated an outpouring of memories from generations of music fans for whom the Athens, Ga., band was a beloved gateway to all the music beyond the pop charts. Salon asked other pioneering musicians for their reflections on the band's legacy -- and we'll continue to update this story as more contributions arrive.

Bob Mould

H?sker D?, Sugar, author of the memoir "See a Little Light:?The Trail of Rage and Melody"

Over the years, I've found a handy and trusty way to separate the great bands from the good ones. Are they real fans of music?

The strongest memories I have of R.E.M. revolve around their deep knowledge of popular music, fandom and respect for their predecessors, and unconditional support of fellow players. I spent many late nights hanging out with Peter Buck, witnessing his unbridled excitement as he played records I'd never heard. I watched Michael Stipe discover and nurture new artists like the late Vic Chesnutt and Magnapop, while simultaneously remaining a devoted follower of Patti Smith. Even the folks who worked for R.E.M. were giving and helpful -- opening spots on shows, loaning equipment when passing through Athens and sharing professional advice and contacts.

The music they created was often paradoxical -- literate, yet visceral; pioneering, yet reverential; commercially appealing, yet deeply personal. The influence they had on 1980s American college rock, and the waves that rippled from their stone hitting the water, is immeasurable. It's hard to know when to give up the ghost. The consolation is that R.E.M. were able to pick the time and place, and to exit with grace and dignity. Godspeed R.E.M.

Mac McCaughan

Superchunk &?Merge Records co-founder

R.E.M. validated the South as a source of alternative music. In high school, we became such R.E.M. fans with "Murmur" to the point that when "Reckoning" came out it was a big deal, probably the first time we knew the release date of an album and then went and got it immediately and wanted to be the first to know it inside and out.

The band played around here a lot. They did two nights at Page Auditorium in Durham on the Duke Campus after "Reckoning" came out and the shows were loose and epic. You knew everyone in the pit. Definitely felt like, "Well, this is the last time we'll see them in a place this small." I got my "So. Central Rain" seven-inch signed at the Record Bar in-store they did. I wrote about those shows in a short-lived zine I put out complete with terrible dark photos from the pit.

Being from the South, I think fans around here felt like R.E.M. belonged to us in some way. We were listening to hardcore and R.E.M.

Dean Wareham

Luna, Dean &?Britta, Galaxie 500, author of the memoir "Black Postcards:?A Rock &?Roll Romance"

I met Peter Buck in 1988 the night Galaxie 500 played the old 40 Watt Club in Athens; he kindly invited us all to stay at his house, which was nice because we couldn't afford a hotel. It was a fun night. They were always very supportive of younger bands.

A year or so later Peter jammed onstage with us at the Point in Atlanta, but had to endure a couple of heckles from the indie police, who didn't appreciate a rock star sharing our stage.

I congratulate R.E.M. on breaking up; that's what bands are supposed to do.

Vanessa Briscoe Hay

Lead singer of Pylon, the Athens, Ga., band whose song "Crazy" was an R.E.M. live staple and appeared on "Dead Letter Office"

R.E.M. surprised me today. I thought it was Leonard Cohen's birthday! Shopping day! The equinox! Then came the news. My friend Maureen ran upstairs to tell me and soon I was checking my email and Facebook -- and yes, it was true. The R.E.M. website had crashed. That said even more.

Today the sky in Athens, Ga., is threatening rain at one minute, with sunshine pouring down the next. I have mixed feelings, just like that sky. Sadness on the end of an era. No more shows or records to look forward to. Happiness that it was not something sad that caused their demise. They chose to end their career on their own terms. Without movement or change, there is the true death.

I remember the first time that I saw them perform at the church for K.O.'s birthday party. (R.E.M.'s first show in April 1980.) Girls screamed and ran to the front of the stage. It was sweaty, hot and dark. The vines were growing through the walls of the sanctuary. Up on the stage, R.E.M. had that something extra right away. That mysterious thing. I watched from high in the rafters of the church as they shook it down. They never gave it up or sold it out. Let's remember them as one of the great bands of all time, and count ourselves lucky to have been there too. Thank you, R.E.M., for 31 great years. You have made the world a better place.

Craig Finn

The Hold Steady

I spent most of my high school days completely obsessed with R.E.M. All my friends were too. I knew some of their stuff from the radio but really got into them in ninth grade on the "Fables of the Reconstruction" record. Quickly working backward I came to "Reckoning," which remains one of my favorite records ever. I still connect the song "Harborcoat" with entering a new school that fall; it brings back the smell of the hallways, my red plaid scarf and my cassette Walkman. Their music had a sense of mystery to it, the hazy jangle and the mumbled words. I think this was a huge draw for me. They were deliberately vague, and it pulled me in. I spent hours on the floor looking at the record jackets for clues as to what it all meant. I videotaped their television performances and studied them for nuance. As a young Minnesotan, the Southern influence of their music and lyrics came off as so exotic to me. R.E.M. never explained to you exactly what they meant. That's cool.

I saw the "Life's Rich Pageant" tour from pretty lame seats in the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, so when they came through for the "Document" tour, I was not going to be in the balcony. My friend Eddy and I camped out for tickets at the Southdale Dayton's ticket office. It was a brisk fall night, and it was freezing. It was worth it, though; we got pretty great seats. The show was amazing, and we saw it from right up close. Since then, R.E.M. has put together a career that is impressive on 10 different levels. They always mattered, and never embarrassed themselves. In rock 'n' roll, that is no small feat.

Source: http://www.salon.com/ent/music/2011/09/21/remembering_r_e_m/index.html

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