R.E.M. – Why Did the Band Break Up & What Happened To The Members?
Why did R.E.M. breakup and where are the members at today?
Have a video request or a topic you’d like to see us cover? Fill out our google form!
https://bit.ly/3stnXlN
—–CONNECT ON SOCIAL—–
TIKOK:https://www.tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknrolltruestories
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories
Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com
#REM #michaelstipe
I cite my sources and they may differ than other people’s accounts, so I don’t guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos.
These videos are for entertainment purposes only. READ OUR DISCLAIMER https://rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer/
Hailing from Athens, Georgia the R.EM. would be together for nearly 3 decades and sell over 80 million albums. It’s a pretty massive accomplishment for Four college dropouts who played with first played with each other at drunken party’s and would later go on to become one of the most influential rock acts in history. They exploded into the 90’s with 1991’s out of time and the following year’s automatic for the people both of which went 4x platinum stateside. They were all over MTV and on rock radio, I mean i still here their music played a lot today. If you listen to sirius XM – they’re played a lot on lithium and 90’s on 9. In 2007 they would be inducted into the rock n’ roll hall of fame. In 2007 Stipe would tell Rolling Stone looking back at the band’s career thus far “We didn’t set out for this to be a career. We just knew it was something we wanted to do, and we would stop when we didn’t want to do it anymore.”
The band’s original lineup would stay intact until 1997 when drummer Bill Berry left the group. He collapsed on stage suffering a brain anuerysm and two years earlier and announced his intention to leave the band not wanting to tour or play anymore telling an interviewer. I didn’t wake up one day and decide, “I just can’t stand these guys anymore” or anything. I feel like I’m ready for a life change. I’m still young enough that I can do something else. I’ve been pounding the tubs since I was nine years old … I’m ready to do something else. He would become a farmer and has had some sporadic returns to music over the years. ) R.E.M. had stated previously that they would call it quotes if any of the four original members quit but they were still under contract with warner BRothers. Berry urged the gorup to soldier on after he left
Unbeknownst to the public and their longtime fans the three founding members REM would perform together publicly for the final time in Mexico City in late 2008. The band at the time had released their fourteenth album 2008’s Accelerate. Stipe would tell Salon
“On our last tour, 2008. During that we were kind of going, well, where could we go from here? We could tell we were on an upswing. It was important to us that we didn’t whimper out with our tails between our legs. We wanted to feel we were at the peak of our powers, and the tour felt like that.”
Fast forward to May of 2009,, the band minus Michael Stipe would head to Portland with producer Jacknife Lee to record some tracks at Jackpot! Recording Studio. Buck’s girlfriend lived in Portland at the time. A handful of the instrumentals including All the Best, That Someone is You and it happened today would make it onto the band’s subsequent and final album. But the record would feature many starts and stops as the members had other commitments within and outside of music. They also spent a fair bit of time searching for the right studios to finish off the record. They would eventually spend a good deal of time in new orleans and berlin, germany wrapping up the album, titled Collapse Into Now.
@rnrtruestories
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
If you like REM here’s a story I did on why they hated one of their biggest hits https://youtu.be/wnFgw2Mpkm8?si=72dlIkbBMWyAkccP
@EvergreensGA
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
He said they did pretty good for college dropout, pfhh this guy has been brainwashed. College teaches you nothing at all. The reason they are so good is they spent their time practicing their craft instead of listening to some pathetic instructor and studying books that cost 10 time the price of a normal book that size. College is scam, BIG SCAM. You must go to be a doctor or nurse, but do you know what, that is the problem!!
This guy has no idea what he is talking about
@timtom904
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Such an underrated band. I will always love REM. Secret is their album tracks were always way better than the singles
@lucioalbertogonzalezsanche9128
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Que hueva escuchar un guey que no pronuncia bien el nombre de los grupos
@morganneher8643
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Cash out for 8 figures THEN trash the business 👌
@Ablequerq
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
1:33 it happened in 1995 though
@BBQDOPAMINE
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Not bad at all for a lil college band.
@cmdredstrakerofshado1159
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Please Motley Screw 😂🤣
@Cincyboy56
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
The American Beatles. What…You got a better candidate?
@spencerferrier3857
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
"R.E.M. would explode in the 90's…"
Umm… they had already exploded in the 80's, with Document in '87 and Green in '88, their 4th and 5th albums.
@MisterMikeTexas
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Maybe Kevin Cronin could take a lesson or two on getting along and parting as friends.
@echochambered777
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
R.E.M. was hot shit 30 years ago.
Now they're yesterdays news so hard that kids don't know about them.
@michaelsmith-bn6no
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
i miss the mono-brow
@cjc363636
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
As an older fan in my late 50's, I grow increasingly appreciative of 'smooth' retirements. That R.E.M. knew when the time was right to move on is inspiring to me.
@ronj9448
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Their output quality dropped when Bill retired.
@shaft9000
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
They stopped being REM around 1988 or so, anyways. The magic and je-ne-sais-quoi was traded for "intelligibility" and various political nonsense (i.e. "a career").
@kbz5150
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
I thought it was cool that sone of them showed up and/or gave permission and praise to Micky Dolenz when he released his covers EP "Dolenz sings R.E.M."
@aaronbrewer1742
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
I enjoyed rem music for awhile when losing my religion song was playing every 5 min. However as time went on I felt like Michael Stipe started becoming more and more stupid. Different things that he allowed himself to be pulled into socially and politically. Then at one point I believe he started seeing himself as some kind of spiritual guru. I don't know something changed and now when I hear the rem songs I turn it off ASAP. Same thing with U2. Money, fame, and industry changes people.
@Tom-xj2eh
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
In the 80’s they were a college band but they were also popular with construction workers. The line in their song time after time that said your worth is judged by the hour really hit home. A lot of their songs in the 80’s were about the plight of the workers they quickly became my favorite band. Thanks and good video.
@patriciaknowles2176
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
M
@ramonstein5183
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
I always thought they were a bit pretentious but I do love many of their songs.
@davemanone3661
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Years ago Stipe was on MTV video awards. He had messages on his T-shirts, which all had a different message. One of his shirts said Choice, about the abortion issue, very cool. A few shirts later, it said Gun Control. I realized he was a hypocrite and lost respect for him!
@wbh3952
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
saw them many times back in the day in Atlanta.
@etto48
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
they are so cringy
@leblancgeorges1479
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
The last albums had no hits that played on my radio station at all.Because of this i thought they had flopped.I think that all in all they created more bad songs than good ones.
@MarkTurner-vs7uc
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
Our nation is a freak show
@ZIG4ZAG20
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
😂”What’s the Frequency Kenneth?” It’s over🎉🤘🖖✌️🎸🎤🥁🎹
@harrydai1862
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 am
They sucked
Comments are closed.