On this day in 1984, R.E.M. played the second of a two-night-stand at the Mad Hatter Ballroom in Athens, supported by Nightporters. Thereafter, the band were too big to play the Athens venues and future shows took place outdoors or were performed under pseudonyms or with minimal promotion.
09.03.2026 10:31 — 👍 19 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
On this day 15 years ago, R.E.M.’s fifteenth and final studio album, Collapse into Now, was released. In 2021, Mike stated his belief that the album, produced by Jacknife Lee, is in the canon of their finest works.
07.03.2026 11:53 — 👍 30 🔁 4 💬 2 📌 0
On this day 40 years ago, Mike and Bill (amongst others) debuted as The Corn Cob Webs at the Uptown Lounge in Athens. One of the songs they worked up was The Clique’s ‘Superman’, which R.E.M. subsequently recorded for Lifes Rich Pageant.
07.03.2026 11:50 — 👍 17 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
On this day in 1984, Peter and Mike appeared on WUOG to debut Reckoning tracks ‘Letter Never Sent’ and ‘Second Guessing’. They also each chose a Pick of the Week to be played. Peter opts for George Jones and Ray Charles’ ‘We Didn’t See a Thing’, while Mike went with the Gap Band’s ‘Party Train’.
06.03.2026 12:05 — 👍 21 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 1
On this day in 1992, R.E.M. appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
05.03.2026 11:28 — 👍 31 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0On this day 35 years ago, on NDR in Hamburg, Germany, the band gave live debuts to ‘Half a World Away’, ‘Fretless’ and ‘Radio Song’. ‘Losing My Religion’ was performed live for the first time with all band members present.
05.03.2026 11:26 — 👍 31 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
On this day in 2000, Scott McCaughey answered some questions for ‘We Talk’ at www.murmurs.com.
28.02.2026 12:51 — 👍 17 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1In 2023, Warner Bros. executive Jeff Gold told me on Twitter: “We actually got the motor voter bill passed because R.E.M. let us put a petition postcard on the back of their long box. A proud day for me, RTV and R.E.M. Clinton thanked us!”
28.02.2026 12:44 — 👍 14 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
On this day in 1994, R.E.M. received Rock the Vote’s first annual Patrick Lippert Award in recognition of their support. 1/2
28.02.2026 12:43 — 👍 13 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0We aren’t R.E.M. HQ, FYI. They just copy a lot of our posts.
28.02.2026 01:32 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0"I spent most of my time figuring out what Ceefax was on the TV - there were only three or four channels." Bill expanded on the television content: “There were only about two channels, and one always had snooker on while the other was showing a sheep-herding contest.”
26.02.2026 11:01 — 👍 17 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1On this day in 1985, the band began recording Fables of the Reconstruction at Livingston Studios in Wood Green, London. “It was a very bleak period in our lives. We’d been touring forever, we were in London where we knew nobody, had no money to do anything." - Mike in 1999
26.02.2026 11:00 — 👍 27 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 0On this day in 1992, R.E.M. won three of the seven Grammys they were nominated for: Best Pop Performance by a Group with ‘Losing My Religion’, Best Alternative Album with Out of Time and Best Video with ‘Losing My Religion’.
25.02.2026 10:30 — 👍 24 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0On this day in 1985, although they were physically and mentally exhausted from being on the road almost constantly, R.E.M. flew to London, without informing I.R.S., to begin recording their third album in as many years.
25.02.2026 10:28 — 👍 17 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
On this day in 1981, R.E.M. played the 688 Club in Atlanta. This is the earliest known video footage of the band playing live (with sound), from the archives of Wuxtry’s Dan Wall. The full footage was made available in November 2012.
20.02.2026 10:17 — 👍 33 🔁 6 💬 2 📌 1
Happy 70th to the legend that is Peter Holsapple (@halfpear.bsky.social).
19.02.2026 13:02 — 👍 18 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0On this day 30 years ago, Michael performed at the Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. ‘Low Desert’ was given a live debut.
19.02.2026 11:29 — 👍 12 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0“We thought, ‘How many mandolins do you hear on the radio right now?’” said Mike. “Not very many. So, you know, we’ll just put it out and we won’t tour, and we’ll probably fade into obscurity, and no-one will ever hear of us again.”
19.02.2026 11:27 — 👍 19 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
On this day 35 years ago, ‘Losing My Religion’ was released as the first single off Out of Time with ‘Rotary Eleven’ as the B-side.
19.02.2026 11:27 — 👍 29 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0“We thought, ‘How many mandolins do you hear on the radio right now?’” explains Mike Mills. “Not very many. So, you know, we’ll just put it out and we won’t tour, and we’ll probably fade into obscurity, and no-one will ever hear of us again.”
19.02.2026 11:26 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The fab Jim Hawkins and Electro-Acoustic Systems. (Knew this old card would come in handy one day.)
17.02.2026 16:40 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0On this day in 1997, Stipe performed at the annual Tibet House Benefit, held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. ‘E-Bow the Letter’ was performed live for the first known time, with Patti Smith joining in on vocals.
17.02.2026 12:16 — 👍 17 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0On this day in 1985, R.E.M. went into Electro-Acoustic Systems, on Broad Street in Athens, with their new producer, Joe Boyd, and Jim Hawkins. The demos recorded were released on the 25th anniversary reissue of Fables in 2010. ‘Throw Those Trolls Away’ was later renamed ‘I Believe’.
17.02.2026 12:12 — 👍 20 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0On this day in 1983, the band was in the closing stages of recording Murmur at Reflection in Charlotte, North Carolina. Seven tracks were recorded to two-track: ‘There She Goes Again’, ‘That Beat’, ‘Pretty Persuasion’, ‘All the Right Friends’, ‘Tighten Up’, ‘Moon River’ and ‘White Tornado’.
17.02.2026 12:09 — 👍 12 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
On this day in 2008, the band's guitar technician, Mark ‘Microwave’ Mytrowitz, died, aged 52.
15.02.2026 22:56 — 👍 14 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0On this day in 1995, R.E.M. kicked off the European leg of the Monster World Tour in San Sebastian, Spain. ‘Departure’, for which the lyrics were written on the inbound flight, was performed live for the first time.
15.02.2026 22:54 — 👍 21 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Negative.
14.02.2026 00:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
