• Stephen Colbert Sells R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe for 25 Cents on Second-to-Last 'Colbert Report' [WATCH]

    Tonight, Dec. 18, marks the end of the Stephen Colbert era on Comedy Central. For nine years, "The Colbert Report" gave its politically hilarious host a forum to vent his frustrations with America and poke fun at the people running it. Guests ranged from top political figures to authors to actors to musicians. When Colbert's favorite band, R.E.M., broke up in 2011, the host gave frontman Michael Stipe a spot on his "Shelves of Honor." But since the show is coming to an end and Colbert is moving to CBS, he decided to have a yard sale to get rid of his excess junk. As Colbert introduces the skit, Stipe complains about not being dusted in a while. "Hey! That's you in the corner, it's me in the spotlight! Read your contract," the host says, referencing R.E.M.'s 1991 hit "Losing My Religion."
  • Michael Stipe Talks R.E.M. on 'CBS This Morning' [WATCH]

    When R.E.M. disbanded in December 2011, we figured there would eventually be a huge box set or greatest hits package in the works. This year, the group dropped REMTV, a 6-DVD set that focused on Michael Stipe and co.'s music videos and television appearances. He stopped by "CBS This Morning" to talk about it.
  • Early Dave Grohl Song 'Hooker on the Street' Surfaces After Appearing in 'Sonic Highways' [LISTEN]

    A song from Dave Grohl's early solo work has surfaced and it's downright funky. "Hooker on the Street" is one of 40 tracks Grohl wrote toward the end of Nirvana. The song played in Friday, Nov. 28's episode of the singer's HBO series "Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways" in which his current band visits Seattle, Washington, "Consequence of Sound" noted. The song shows off Grohl's ever-present sense of humor while offering an impressive look into some of the singer's influences. The Foo Fighters frontman does his best James Brown over a Jane's Addiction melody, and he even busts out some Glenn Danzig during the tune. Check it out below. During the episode, Grohl recalls Kurt Cobain's reaction to some of his early demo work — some of it would be featured on the debut album for the Foo Fighters in 1995. "Kurt heard that, and kissed me on the face, as he was in a bath," Grohl said. "He was so excited. He was like, 'I heard you recorded some stuff with Barrett [Jones].' I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Let me hear it.' I was too afraid to be in the same room as he listened to it."
  • 'MTV Unplugged's Best Performances: The Obvious (Nirvana, Eric Clapton) and Less Obvious as Well

    November 26, 1989 marked the first airing of MTV's Unplugged series, a showcase that took some of the best bands across many generations and gave viewers a new look. The performers themselves often praised the program due to its live nature and its promotion of differing from the same ol' songs that get repeated so often. Squeeze was the first band featured but many other high acts jumped on the bandwagon over the years. Music Times chose eight classic performances worth revisiting.
  • R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel, Drive-By Truckers Rally for Music Landmark

    Some of music's finest acts, including R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel, Drive-By Truckers and Widespread Panic, are rallying to save the legendary church steeple in Athens, Georgia, that stands as tribute to the community's bustling music scene. As The A.V. Club points out, the steeple used to be part of an entire church where Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry performed their first gig in 1980 as R.E.M. The church was brought down in 1990, "Rolling Stone" notes, and the steeple has been threatened to be demolished in recent years. Nuçi's Space, a health and music resource center that works for the prevention of suicide, has partnered with musicians from the area to help save the landmark.
  • 8 Albums The Flaming Lips Should Cover Next

    This Wednesday, Oct. 28, The Flaming Lips will be releasing their full-length tribute to The Beatles's legendary "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," which will be their fourth reinterpretation of a classic album, following Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" and The Stone Roses's self-titled debut. If they ever plan on making anymore of these tribute albums, here are eight suggestions, including The Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin.
  • Michael Stipe Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Coming Out as 'Queer' with Essay

    Twenty years ago, in the autumn of 1994, R.E.M. was one of the world's biggest rock bands. Having recently dropped "Automatic for the People" and "Out of Time" on everybody, the group made another big wave when lead singer Michael Stipe came out as "queer," a term he used to classify his attraction to both men and women.
  • 7 Indie Bands Who Had Incredible Major Label Debuts

    A major label deal may seem like a dream come true for any musician, but for many independently minded artists, major labels have often suppressed their true creative voices, resulting in sub-par work. These seven artists, however, still managed to deliver incredibly strong albums for their major label debuts.
  • 9 Album Covers That Depict The Artist's Hometown

    Plenty of musicians love to pay tribute to their hometowns in song lyrics, but these artists took these tributes a step further, by using album covers that depicted images of their hometowns.
  • The Replacements' 'Let It Be': 11 Songs Ranked For Its 30th Anniversary

    Today, Oct. 2, marks the 30th anniversary of the Replacements' classic album Let It Be (which was, in fact, named after the Beatles song and album of the same name). Though initially formed in 1979 as a punk band, Let It Be saw the Replacements expand their sonic palette by incorporating elements of folk, blues, jazz, and even unhip arena rock, and in the process pioneered the fledgling genre of alternative rock. It's largely considered to be the Replacements' best album, and one of the best rock albums ever made, so to celebrate, here are the album's 11 tracks, ranked from weakest to best.
  • R.E.M., MTV Team Up for Expansive DVD Collection 'REMTV'

    Way back in the day when MTV played music videos instead of Teen Mom 2 and Teen Wolf (ask your grandma about it!), the network had a special connection and relationship with R.E.M. Now, three years after its break up, the "Man on the Man" band is releasing a commemorative box set with Unplugged sets, old interviews and more with MTV, fittingly called REMTV.
  • R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe Writes Essay About 9/11, Criticizes Bush Administration

    Former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe has written an essay concerning his personal experiences with the Sept. 11 attacks and the way in which the United States responded to it, both politically and culturally. Written for artist Douglas Copeland's book Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything, the essay has been republished by The Guardian today on the anniversary of the attacks.
  • 12 Legends Covering Songs By Other Legends [LISTEN]

    It's pretty common for an up-and-coming artist to cover a song by a legendary artist to get themselves going, but there have been many times where these covers of classic songs have come from other legendary artists. Here are 12 legendary artists who have covered other legendary artists.
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