I’ve loved R.E.M. since the first time I heard “So. Central Rain” back in the 1980’s.
My Dad used to listen to WBRU, Brown University’s radio station. They used to call it “The Cutting Edge of Rock” and it was fantastic. I was a lucky kid to be eight years old and hearing R.E.M. emerge as this thing that was all its own. They were a revolutionary band. They were so new that the first listen to any song, I hated, the second, I heard, and the third, I adored.
I read today that they broke up. It seemed a little weird, as I’d just gotten used to them being statesmen of rock music. Saying they “broke up” is bizarre. Sure, they’re not retiring, as each will continue individual projects and continue to be musicians who write and perform. But “breaking up” is something that teenagers do. This is not befitting enough an epitaph of the band. They haven’t a number to retire.
I’m at a loss. We don’t get to see bands come to a natural end, often, especially the great ones. Consider the 27 Club. Conversely, consider the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, who have been through the tannery of fame, drugs, and rock and roll to tour endlessly so that one more generation can say, “Yeah, I saw Keith and Mick live. They still had it… ” There’s nothing wrong with it, but it is a bit more like watching a celebration of a band’s career than it is hearing the magic their known for in the first place… No coda in sight.
And here’s R.E.M. – the cutting-edgers of rock, iconoclastic and jingle-jangly guitars and loose harmonies all at once – retiring. True to themselves as they ever were, they’ve achieved as fresh and unexpected an end as they did a beginning and a middle.
Smart, yes. Thoughtful, definitely. Great music, undoubtedly. Thanks, fellas.
