R.E.M. discusses band’s breakup, friendship and Songwriters Hall of Fame honor

REM began as a college band and quickly became a supergroup, taking indie rock to the top of the pop charts with an exceptional catalog of songs. 15 studio albums. On Thursday, the band will be recognized for its achievements by being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The iconic group – with frontman Michael Stipe on vocals, Peter Buck on guitar, Mike Mills on bass and Bill Berry on drums – decided to disband in 2011, after a long run.

In a rare interview, the group talked about how they formed, found their sound and what led to their breakup.

Group meets for rare interview

For the first time in almost 30 years, the four original members of REM sat down together for an interview with “CBS Mornings.”

“You know, we live or die by our songs. So this is a huge honor,” Buck said of being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside other peers. 2024 honorees Hillary Lindsey, Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley, Dean Pitchford and Steely Dan. Country music star Cindy Walker was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year.

“It’s the hardest thing we do. And it’s the thing we’ve worked on the most since the beginning,” Mills added.

The band was formed at the University of Georgia in Athens. Early in their career, Berry said they wrote songs as fast as they could “just to put food on the table.”

Finding your sound

But the quartet quickly found its sound. Most of his compositions were written in the same rehearsal space in Athens.

“It felt like destiny to me. When it happened, it felt right,” Stipe said.

They showed up at the studio every afternoon with a list of ideas and to see if it inspired any of the band members. Mills, Buck and Berry would write the music and then leave the lyrics to Stipe, who Mills called one of the best “melodists” in the world.

When asked about the pressure from record companies to write songs awaiting the next release, Stipe joked that Buck was always waiting for the next REM album.

“Someone has to drive the train, and we were all more than happy to have Peter as our motivator,” Mills said.

“More than happy” might not be the phrase I would use,” Buck said.

“Looking back,” Stipe said with a laugh. “There’s a job that wouldn’t exist if you weren’t pushing us as hard as you are.

Some songs came easily – like “Losing My Religion”.

Buck jokes that he still doesn’t play the mandolin and Stipe can’t remember the inspiration behind the lyrics, although he remembers that the chorus lyrics were originally written as “It’s me in the kitchen – not the center of attention”.

Stipe said he loves the song, but the group never imagined it would be a hit. Mills said he never should have been one.

“It’s like a bee. They shouldn’t be able to fly. This song shouldn’t have been a hit,” he added.

Amicable separation from REM

In 1995, Berry suffered a double brain aneurysm on stage in Switzerland. He recovered, but left the band two years later. REM continued, but never fully regained its footing before disbanding in 2011.

After Berry’s departure, Buck admitted that the band had difficulty coming to terms with things musically – from the type of song, how to record it and whether to tour, among other decisions.

“We could barely agree on where to go for dinner. And now we can just agree on where to go for dinner,” Buck said.

But the band members are excited to reconnect to celebrate a huge milestone.

“We are also here to tell the story and we are sitting at the same table with deep admiration and…lifelong friendship,” Stipe said. “A lot of people who do this can’t claim that.”

Ultimately, the bandmates said they never thought about leaving when they did — all except Berry, of course.

“That was a strange time for me,” he explained. “And I made it awkward for these guys too.”

But his bandmates said they respected his decision. Berry explained that his brain surgery and recovery had reduced his energy level and that he didn’t have the same motivation as before. So, he decided to leave, which he didn’t regret until later in life.

“I think we gave up at the right time. This is a great place to end, you know – great tour, great album, go home,” Buck said.

Although they’re reuniting to celebrate their illustrious catalog, don’t expect a REM reunion tour. When asked what it would take to get the band back together one last time, Mills joked “a comet.” His band members agreed that there was nothing that would make them reconsider their decision.

“It would never be this good,” Buck said.