R.E.M.

After three decades, still showing the kids how it’s done

“Let’s sing and rhyme, let’s give it one more time,” sings R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe in “All the Best,” a song from the group’s 15th and newest album, Collapse Into Now. “Let’s show the kids how to do it.” Especially coming from a lyricist known for his obtuse wordplay, it’s a loud-and-clear statement for a band in the midst of an artistic renaissance. Following the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1997 the group struggled to adapt to life as a three-piece, reaching a creative low point with 2004’s much-panned Around the Sun. But the veteran outfit came roaring back to life with 2008’s blistering Accelerate, and Collapse Into Now even more compellingly recaptures R.E.M.’s classic sound. “The last two records have been a redefinition of ourselves,” acknowledges bass player Mike Mills.

Mills, Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck, who formed R.E.M. in Athens, Ga., in 1980, recorded Collapse with Accelerate producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee in several very different environs: New Orleans’ Music Shed, Nashville’s Blackbird Studios and Berlin’s legendary Hansa Tonstudio. “The sound really doesn’t change that much when you shift from studio to studio,” Mills says, “because we’re basically using the same equipment, same engineers and same musicians.” Those musicians included multi-instrumentalist Scott McCaughey and drummer Bill Rieflin, as well as guests like Patti Smith (who contributes a spoken-word segment to “Blue”), her longtime guitarist Lenny Kaye and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. We spoke with Mills about writing, revelations and R.E.M.’s latest rebirth.

Where did the title come from?

It’s actually the last lyric that Michael sings in the last song, “Blue.” Patti Smith suggested it, and we gave it some thought and decided that was a pretty good idea.

What does it mean to you?

I’m a person who believes in living in the moment, and what the title is saying to me is that there’s no more important time in your life than right now.

How did you approach this album differently from Accelerate?

With Accelerate we were going for short, fast, loud songs. With this record we had no rules about what kind of songs we wanted. So we just took the songs we thought were best from every one we wrote, and as is often the case with a good R.E.M. record, there’s a nice diversity of songwriting styles.

Why record in different cities?

It’s just more fun for us. It’s more inspiring to be in a city we like. In the case of New Orleans, it’s a city we’ve loved for many years for many reasons. Berlin is a city we’ve always wanted to spend time in but never had the chance. So it’s purely the fact that we draw inspiration from the towns that we’re in, and hopefully that carries over into the record.

Did you do a lot of takes?

Most every song is a first or second take. That’s the way we like to work it. Jacknife and his engineering team [Tom McFall and Sam Bell] have it set up so that even when you’re in there just messing around you get that on tape, and that’s often what you keep.

How did you pick your guests?

We knew we wanted Patti on the record in one capacity or another. Lenny plays in such a different style than Peter that we knew it would add a nice dimension to the record. Pearl Jam happened to be playing in Berlin when we were there, so we invited the guys over to hear the record. While they were there we said, “Hey, Eddie, you want to wail on this song?” He said sure, went in and did his thing—and it turned out beautifully.

Is this a political record?

We never wanted to be known as a political band, but occasionally politics are in your life and they’ll find their way into your songs. But it’s something we don’t seek out. With this record, Bush is out of office, we’re happier with our president and politics matter a bit less in terms of songwriting.

R.E.M. has always shared songwriting credits equally. Why?

Peter made the suggestion at the very beginning of R.E.M. that we should credit all the songs to everybody, because what breaks bands up as much as anything else is a principal songwriter getting all the money. We also knew that it would be all of us contributing. By the time Bill Berry got through with a song, or by the time I added my parts, it was definitely cooperative songwriting, even if one guy had the basic idea.

Do fans read things into R.E.M.’s songs that you didn’t intend?

I would hope that fans would read things into the songs that we don’t think about. I’ve had people suggest things that are often more interesting than what we think the songs are about. The great thing about Michael’s lyrics is that they’re often very nonlinear and leave room for the listeners to interject themselves, which enables you to personalize the song.

Did you ever consider splitting?

With any relationship or business venture or combination thereof you’re going to have your nadirs. We have had moments when we sat down and talked to each other and said, “Do we want to continue or do we not?” That’s healthy for any relationship. It’s good to clarify where you stand and what your motivations are. We’ve had two or three of those over 30 years.

Name R.E.M.’s most underrated album.

Reveal [2001] is clearly our most underrated record. It’s a beautiful record, and if that had been some band’s first or second album I think it would have been hailed as a masterpiece. We set the bar so high that it’s hard for a record to be heard objectively.

Which is your least favorite?

People think Around the Sun is our weakest and I would agree, but not because of the songs. The songs are good. What happened was we tried to do too much. We stopped and did a greatest-hits record [2003’s In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003], we did a tour and then tried to finish the record. That was a disservice to the songs, because it made it hard for us to focus.

What do the older records sound like to you now?

It’s hard for me to listen to our records for pleasure, because I end up analyzing them and dissecting them. I can’t objectively sit and listen. But if I’m talking to friends and they mention something and I want to hear what they’re talking about, I will give a listen. I marvel at a lot of it. We’ve put together an amazing body of work over 30 years. It’s both enjoyable and a bit embarrassing.

–Jeff Tamarkin