"Disappoint is into us absurd" R.E.M. Call It A Day
The official statement from the band reads: "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.
After reading that, along with the thoughts of the individual members, this is obviously about a choice made by the band. Where some artists choose to continue performing live (B.B. King, at age 86, toured Europe this past summer) or release new material to a dedicated fan base (Deep Purple is reportedly working on their third new album of the 21st century) R.E.M. has chosen to write the last line of its history on its own terms. Highly commendable, indeed.
And at the end of the day, a band who no longer records together, especially one of R.E.M.'s stature in the annals of popular music, is never truly gone, even after the sound from the amps has decayed to electrical hum. Guys, thank YOU for what you have created and poured your lives into these last three decades.
Share your R.E.M. memories in the comments. Here's mine:
First song that grabbed my ears: "The One I Love" from Document.
First (and only) time seeing them perform live: October 19th, 1989. The Green Tour
Under-appreciated song I encourage you to hear: "Disturbance at the Heron House"
My favorite R.E.M. memory is when I first saw the music video to "Losing My Religion". I loved its lyrics but the imagery used in the video struck me as being so odd. I liked how such lyrics could be entwined with surreal images to make a lasting impact on me.
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