R.E.M. is one of the biggest alternative rock bands of all time; with their mammoth records and tours, the Georgia-based band shocked many with their disbandment last 2011.
Peter Buck, the lead guitarist and co-founder of the band, more than a decade since their disbandment, has finally spoken up to address one of the fans' most burning questions to date - when will R.E.M. reunite?
Speaking to Classic Rock Magazine via Louder Sound, Buck, who founded the Richard M. Nixon band in 2012 shortly after their unfortunate announcement in 2011, has reaffirmed a longstanding thought that he had since.
For him, it was the idea that the band went so massive and the members got tired of the celebrity life that tipped their split.
"When it got really big, I don't know if anyone really enjoys that," he admitted. "When the non-musical stuff became so intense, it took away some of the pleasure for me. It's just the stuff where you kind of wake up and goes: 'God, I don't really want to have my picture taken today. And I don't really want to pretend to be an actor in some video where I can't act.'"
In 1999, one of R.E.M.'s biggest moments was when they performed at the Glastonbury Festival, singing their Grammy-winning song "Losing My Religion."
"I loved playing Glastonbury and playing in front of lots of people and selling multiple millions of records," Buck furthered. "But it was never the reason I did it. And when we got to the point where we decided that it was the end, it felt like a great shared experience. I wouldn't change it, but I'm not gonna go back to it.
11 years ago, R.E.M. shocked millions of fans around the world with their decision to disband:
"As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment, at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening," the band said at the time.
The band was composed of guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, lead vocalist Michael Stip, and drummer Bill Berry.
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