Michael Stipe Says That R.E.M. "Will Never Reunite"

"I'm really happy that we just have the legacy of the 32 years of work that we have"

BY Alex HudsonPublished Sep 22, 2021

R.E.M. broke up a decade ago yesterday, on September 21, 2011. To mark the occasion, Michael Stipe has spoken up to reiterate that they will never reunite, while the band have shared a retrospective playlist.

In an interview with WYNC's All Of It with Alison Stewart, he threw shade at bands who reunite for money. He said:

We will never reunite. We decided when we split up that that would just be really tacky and probably money-grabbing, which might be the impetus for a lot of bands to get back together. We don't really need that, and I'm really happy that we just have the legacy of the 32 years of work that we have.

Meanwhile, the official R.E.M. Instagram account marked yesterday's anniversary by reposting the band's breakup message from 2011. They also shared a playlist of highlights from their storied career, which decidedly emphasizes deep cuts over hits. Check it out below.

R.E.M. are reissuing their album New Adventures in Hi-Fi on October 29.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by R.E.M. (@rem)

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