Mike Mills: The Story Of R.E.M.

[@steve1751]

Mike Mills was R.E.M.’s secret weapon. Everyone knew Michael Stipe but Mike Mills could absolutely do it all. Great backing vocals, piano, bass, songwriting etc. He is a true genius and really put R.E.M. over the top! Excellent interview from Rick as always.

[@sucote100]

My friend just told the same just now

[@markdaly1648]

Mike Mills was the taciturn member of the group.

[@allthings2allmen]

Ya know I remember thinking back in '87-'88, and it wasn't really like I dwelt on it, but whenever I saw the band in a video or performance, it seemed to me that Mike Mills was the 'smart' one. It could have simply been the glasses.

[@jhiramboggs]

I knew Mike Mills

[@DouglasOwnbey]

He always had some really great bass melodies. Talented guy, for sure!!

[@nickblood7080]

Rick Beato has become the Ken Burns for good music of the past 100 years. What a legend. Thank you for this.

[@dvdiii]

Great analogy!

[@DinnerHighFive]

Agreed!

[@boyfromoz7]

100% agree

[@nancysmith8626]

You are so right!

[@mindeloman]

I can see a time when all these videos will be preserved by the library of Congress, and I ain't joking. The level of information being obtained is sensational. Some have argued that Rick is not an interviewer but a conversationalist. Regardless, he's getting a lot of great information a day some of it from artist that will not be around for too much longer.

[@drvee1983]

Mike Mills is a cool nice guy. Sitting at the beginning of an Atlanta Braves game he sat down next to me with a more elderly woman, and we watched the teams walk out pre game. Then he got up from his seat, spoke to the woman, and left his seat. Moments later he appeared near the pitchers mound with a mic, and sang the National Anthem at Turner Field. It was great! He then appeared back in his seat, we gave each other " thumbs ups " with smiles and he left with the elderly lady. I found out later it was his mom. She was very proud, and he was Beaming. The crowd roared.

[@rockturtleneck]

Great story! MM is a stand up dude

[@brianmiller8508]

Love it!

[@drvee1983]

Not in our section. 10th row between home and first. I think that's what private suites are for. Being famous can be annoying in public.

[@todddonaldson2822]

I miss Turner Field. That place had a easy laidback Southern feel.

[@TheMitchmills]

She WAS proud, and we miss her every single day.

[@TheMitchmills]

Hey Rick, I'm Mike's younger brother. Great interview, and I love your videos. Mike produced my band's record, "ThreeWallsDown", Album was "Building our House". I'm in Clarkston, just outside of Atlanta. Keep up the great work.

[@philippalmer7686]

Love that record. I am a former Athenian.

[@jeff7764]

Wow! I didn’t expect to see Mike Mills brother in the comment section. So cool, I’m gonna go check out your band

[@JimmyG773]

Awesome, the power of social media eh!

[@dmlevitt]

hey Rick, I will check out your music. Greetings from Athens, GA. cheers.

[@briansalkas349]

😮😮

[@ByloBand]

Thank you Mike, my wife and I actually met online on an R.E.M. fan site so R.E.M. will always be a MASSIVELY important band for us! I grew up in the PNW during grunge and for most of my formative years, R.E.M. was my favorite band, your bass playing was absolutely the best.

[@DontLetTheOldManIn]

Mike’s bridge singing on, “fall on me”, is one of the most beautiful lines in a rock song I have ever heard in my life, still brings me to tears to this day.

[@NolalanD]

Yeah that's definitely an REM highlight. Just listened to that record again on a road trip. Full of bangers.

[@batuksri]

It wouldnt be sky anymore.

[@SuperStrik9]

For me it's Nightswimming. Such a beautiful song imo. Automatic For The People is a special album.

[@wildmercuryfilms]

No, it doesn’t. It brought tears to your eyes a couple times, but not now.

[@NolalanD]

@@wildmercuryfilms You know the OP?

[@00bigduce]

Best years of my life were spent with R.E.M. playing in the background.

[@eperot]

There’s no reason that can’t continue.

[@Tusitala1967]

Right on.

[@cmfranklin1079]

Yeah, those 80s albums take me right back to high school and memories of my friends back then.

[@greensombrero3641]

great comment

[@just2comment2]

Same, one of my favorite bands ever.

[@bmwmpower8655]

The level of engagement and interest that Rick is able to get out of these artists is unlike any standard media interview. They genuinely want to be there! As viewers we learn so much about the music and the people behind it. Bravo Rick!

[@deketk]

You are right about that! Daniel Lanouis sat with him for over 3 hours! And he typically does not do long form interviews

[@shawnmcvey7789]

The way he speaks about his former bandmates is pure class.

[@ricardorodriguez5549]

They’re the rare band that truly loves each other as brothera

[@MarcoNegrisEye]

​@@ricardorodriguez5549 Off the top of my head, the only other band I can think of in such terms are the Manics. And considering the tragedy that still hangs around their necks...

[@markaprill6501]

This has not been my experience in life but I assume somebody out there actually likes each other.

[@TerribleEnglish]

They're good friends

[@burnedbytheword]

The way Mike is playing in perfect tempo from memory at 10:50 is SICK. Thank you, Rick, for making this happen and for giving REM some light in 2024 (and beyond).

[@anneyven579]

Soooo true

[@globalmonkey007]

From his melodic bass lines to the way his voice blended with Michael's, Mike Mills was always the secret sauce in R.E.M.

[@andywindes4968]

A fun, informative conversation between two articulate, intelligent men. This sort of content is the reason we all love Rick!

[@KevinCreighton]

Oh heck yes. He's like a good utility infielder, he makes everyone on the team a little bit better.

[@kaisersoze9880]

Can't get there from here

[@urbangorilla33]

@@KevinCreighton If I can offer a little different sports analogy, I'd say the "glue guy" on a basketball team, who defends, rebounds, makes the right pass, etc.

[@samreiser5759]

I really like the sauce in rem their like my favorite band. It’s tuff when they get the sauce back (or the ritz as they say lol) but yeah the sauce really makes the songs work!

[@bilbobaggins4462]

I saw REM at a tiny club in Ottawa, Canada back in the 80s. Michael Stipe came out and started singing Moon River a cappella. It was incredible. Some drunk guy in the front row started heckling him and Stipe stopped singing. Peter Buck stepped forward, took off his guitar and invited the guy up on stage to fight. The heckler was removed and the rest of us enjoyed an amazing show.

[@fayesouthall6604]

I first saw them in the early/mid 1980’s also in a small club in the U.K. watched them dozens of times after last time in a huge venue in London.

[@brinsonharris9816]

Saw Stipe do the Moon River thing at a show once, and he hit a clinker right in the middle of it. He just broke up laughing and the whole audience roared with cheers. Great unrehearsed moment.

[@zoltanszabados8445]

Michael Stipe is a man of such immense talent, he’s worth fighting for. Only the lowest of the world’s scum could not be captivated by what he has to offer in favor of mocking him for how he might be perceived.

[@MartinMCade]

I saw them in '87, I think. They were playing bigger arenas by that time. I didn't know much of their music, but I had a date who was a huge fan. The opener was some little-known act called 10,000 Maniacs.

[@daryladerholdt1204]

Saw them in 84 or 85 in miami they were opening for big country...people were booing them and yelling for big country so michael started singing "somewhere over the rainbow" to jeering crowd..i thought that was awesome

[@bensanders1082]

As a University of Georgia student in the 80s who literally saw this band on a field behind my dorm i can't tell you how amazing this interview is. What a blessing to have had them as a part of my college experience and what a great interview. Thank you Rick and Mike,

[@michelleflora2957]

Wow! you were so fortunate

[@sparky6086]

I remember REM playing a frat party in Athens near Sanford Stadium around 1981. It stood out, that they played all originals. Also, they had a multimedia presentation as part of their act. I remember speaking with Mike & Peter about their equipment, as I nerded out on musical instruments, amplifiers, etc. They didn't mind engaging in conversation. They hadn't "made it" yet, but it was easy to tell, they were going places.

[@sagnier]

Please share some stories! As a 14yr old discovering them in 1991 they had this long and obscure history that I was OBSESSED with. Of course, this history only stretched back about nine years - and now they’ve been split up even longer!

[@chrisbligh2970]

Yes! Me too, I was in Myers Hall and would always go down to Legion Field whenever bands were playing there. The early 80's in Athens was awesome ... something GREAT musically happening all the time.

[@joeski734]

Man were you in the right place at the right time. I would imagine that you could go out and hear 3 or 4 really good bands every weekend.

[@pistolstarpaulkimble2653]

Mills is a 100% awesome human being. We toured with them in 95 for 3 months, and they couldn't have been any better/nicer to us. In every possible way, MM is a great human being. He does like Budweiser, but I try to overlook that.

[@mikelebischak658]

I love that Mike has answered these questions (for the most part) about a billion times but treats the interviewers (for the most part) like it’s a fresh question.

[@kenp9073]

You continue to top yourself Rick. Keep them coming. What an archive for future generations.

[@paulianhodgson]

Absolutely!

[@neilashton9459]

I think Rick is waiting to score the Jimmy Page interview. Then he can retire having reached the top of the mountain.

[@mateuszmattias]

@@neilashton9459 Great as that would be, quite honestly I'd be more thrilled by a John Paul Jones interview if we're in Zeppelin territory.

[@fordbeebe3964]

Amen.

[@darkogst]

@@neilashton9459 Paul McCartney interview, you mean? ;)

[@collinrust2641]

“Sitting Still” still gives me the chills. It’s absolutely perfect.

[@herrent]

Yes, that song is amazing, one of their best

[@herrent]

“We all agree”

[@condor7810]

@Collinrust: Totally agreed...one of my favorite REM songs of all time. Purchased Murmur on vinyl in 1983 as a 16 year old and saw them live in the 80's. That song has mesmerized since the 80's...just fantastic.

[@E.C.2]

"Let me in" is one of their best songs.

[@madyogi6164]

"I Believe"!

[@grant1133]

What I love about your interviews is that you really listen, it never feels like you're just waiting for the guest to finish talking so you can ask your next planned question.

[@rodrigowebler9152]

Being an R.E.M. fan in Brazil in the 80's/90's was not easy. We really had to look hard to find anything about our favorite band. Couldn't fathom that one day I'd listen to such an amazing interview - more like a conversation between awesome musicians. Keep rocking, Mr. Mills (and Mr. Beato).

[@ResidentRob]

Automatic For The People is a masterpiece, it's one of the of those albums which is more than just the music, it captures the emotion of a certain period of your life when you go from being 'young' to being 'middle aged' and realizing you life and the way you see it is changing.

[@Charlie-f4q4o]

No your rong

[@dabu73]

I was 18 when that came out and was obsessed with their early albums so it felt at the time like they were losing their edge. But now that I’m severely middle aged myself I can absolutely agree with you.

[@sdalt001]

Perfect description, and the exact reason I love REM, and that album.

[@chrisdegoya]

Totally agreed

[@GoldGauntletComix]

My surprise was KRS being on it!! I listened to KRS 1 and REM. I never expected to hear him on an REM record

[@InvisibleBandMember]

My young family & I were at Glastonbury festival in '99 when R.E.M. played, down near the front with our 4 year old daughter on my shoulders. When they performed "Everybody Hurts" & reached the part when the song shifts into "Hold on...", the whole band stopped playing & 100,000 people all sang it a cappella as one. What a powerful moment, the tears... I will never forget it. 💜🤘🏻🕉

[@dudeomondo]

I adore moments like that You just gave me full body goosebumps...

[@edwardhartley1429]

It wasn't until I heard "Everybody Hurts" live--at Madison Square Garden--that it finally dawned on me that it was a pop standard.

[@morganormrod1622]

There glasto 99 set is beautiful

[@NigeSavage]

I was there too and you're right - an absolutely spellbinding moment.

[@stevet603]

So you're the arse blocking my view :)

[@paulg123]

R.E.M., the soundtrack of my college years. Such an incredible library of music. One of the greatest bands ever!

[@AS-mm3wi]

Mike Mills...my favorite backing vocalist of all time.

[@lomarsweed6604]

Who's your 2nd?

[@everythingiseverything6740]

Yes, he was such an important part of the REM sound

[@sejuyz]

reading that is so reassuring lol

[@AS-mm3wi]

@@lomarsweed6604 Not sure if you meant that as a joke but I'll reply. There are so few where the voice is distinct enough that you'd miss their BV's if they weren't there. I'd have to say Michael Anthony of VH. I don't know if he counts because he's a producer and not a member of any band he produces but I always like Mutt Lange's backing vocals as well.

[@ericspagnoli1594]

Definitely

[@markendicott6874]

Glad to see Mike getting his due these days, his harmonies and bass style are so integral to REM's sound that he's practically 50% of what makes them special.

[@DB-gz4xs]

What a nice decent and humble human is Mike Mills. It's so cool to hear him talk about about his bandmates and realize how much he admired them. Kind of guy I would pay a beer to!

[@BlakeBlackstone]

Just finished watching CBS Morning's 40 minute interview with REM then I saw this recommended. This is a great day.

[@urbangorilla33]

To have then both drop in the same week is amazing.

[@davidgena2667]

Embarrassed to admit that I never gave R.E.M. the time of day for my first 68 years of life, not until my eldest son bought me “Murmur” and, as they say, the rest is history. One of the most interesting and unique bands ever.

[@Tusitala1967]

Man I envy you. I bought it the day it came out and wore that album out between the ages of 15 and 16. Now go and listen to Reckoning. 🙂

[@liorap5636]

And Eponymous. And Dead Letter Office. And Life’s Rich Pageant. That’s where my fandom ends.

[@leamanc]

No shame there. Murmur has won many people over for the last 40 years!

[@MT-kx2uc]

I listened to murmer today on my old Walkman!

[@mhisalive]

Never too late. Took me 39 years to listen to Fables

[@seanobrien9166]

I didn't know Fall On Me had the love that it did, I thought I was the only one who was so fond of it! Magic song. REM were the first band I really loved, great interview, thank you!

[@pammoore3447]

Love this song. One of my favourites.

[@Stratomaster989]

My #1

[@waxeatingguru]

My wife and I saw Mike waiting patiently for his bags at the ATL carousel last July. We walked over and said “Hello” and took a selfie with him. Couldn’t have been nicer or more pleasant.

[@wildmercuryfilms]

My Brother, Please don’t ever use the word “Selfie.”

[@squidmeta]

@@wildmercuryfilms🤓☝️

[@andygreenwayguitarplayer6074]

Bill Berry’s drum sound at the end of “The One I Love” is one of the best in modern music. So heavy for a band like R.E.M.

[@engaturk]

What a treat… the Mills sung middle 8 (bridge) in Fall On Me is one of my favourite pieces of music from any band. Great interview, thank you Rick

[@HighLordDave]

I see Mike Mills & Rick Beato. I click.

[@FuzzyBuzzBoy]

Iknow and I Love!

[@drn13355]

In 1987 I was 13 years old. I still remember hearing "The One I Love" and I was absoluety mesmerized. My dad got me the album and within like a week I had all the REM albums.

[@Issicra]

I was like that when Fall on Me was on regular rock radio. My best friend in high school and I played Life's Rich Pageant over and over after I got it for him for his birthday. Before long, we had all their albums between us. I'm pretty sure I got Document the day it came out.

[@zyxwvut4740]

Picking "The Best" R.E.M. song is stupid. It's also "The One I Love".

[@mitchweiner]

I was 16 years old and that song blew my mind!

[@urbangorilla33]

@@Issicra I got Document a week after it was released.

[@NolalanD]

@@zyxwvut4740 Yeah and they made great full Lp's too, which is becoming a lost art.

[@annwrog]

Native Maconite here. I'm a couple of years older than Mr Mills and went to one of the other high schools than he did. No, I have not ever met him, but I certainly enjoyed his recollections of the high school bands in Macon and WNEX!! I enjoyed listening to all the things that were on there also. A wonderful interview with a great musician and artist!

[@edwardyazinski3858]

Macon here. Not native though. Much has changed.

[@mentorgjurgjiali1753]

This is one of those interviews where you see how nice goes the conversation when both participants are smart. Mike Mills is very smart as a musician, and his rhetoric shows his intellect... Great job Rick!

[@billminor3712]

I played with a band called “Shyanne” in Athens from 1978 - 1982 and we were the house band at T.K. Harty’s, Poss’s, Dingus Magee’s which changed to Harry’s - and played at a lot of other clubs in town. Mike and REM had just started playing down the street at a place called Tyrone’s. They had a big following mainly from the local and art community and we had a big following mostly Sorority and Fraternity crowd. They went huge - we didn’t, but GOD it was so much fun! Probably the best time of my life! Really happy for Mike and R.E.M - it was an honor to be in the Athen’s music scene during their incredible rise to fame! 🫡❤️

[@TheMitchmills]

I remember your band.

[@sparky6086]

I remember those days in Athens. It was a non-stop, out of control good time!

[@frankmarsh1159]

The first time I ever saw R.E.M. was in May of 1980 when they opened for the Brains at Tyrone's. Tyrone's was the spot for original music in Athens. Pylon, Love Tractor, Method Actors and the Side Effects and many others all played Tyrone's regularly. Saw XTC at the B&L Warehouse and R.E.M. was the opening band.

[@eperot]

My favorite band of all time, hands down. Their music is the soundtrack of my life from age 13 to today, 46.

[@AndrewSowerby]

We're of a similar vintage and ditto... Soundtrack of my life too.

[@monteheadrick426]

​@@AndrewSowerby Same. 46 yo discovered them around Document era through my older sister

[@boognish94]

My all-time favorite band too! There isn't a close second.

[@eperot]

@@monteheadrick426older siblings are good like that. I, however, turned my older brother into an REM fanatic with one song…Texarkana. Before that he was all Def Leppard and such. 😂

[@ongogablogian8568]

64 here, not my favorite but definitely in my top five. They are outstanding on every level.

[@stratkitten]

I just turned 45, and this band has been in my musical DNA a Very Long Time. I will sing Mill's counterpoint in ' Fal on Me' Every. Damn. Time. Thanks for posting this :-)

[@hgoodin1013]

And Bill's part behind Mike's "It's going to fallll...". Just brings the goosebumps.

[@danrice2528]

With the Songwriters Hall of Fame Award performance, CBS Mornings interview and this great interview... it's been a wonderful R.E.M. weekend I wasn't expecting! Thank you Rick!! Long live R.E.M!!

[@wha1ever69]

sure was a great week for REM fans

[@dongray2349]

I was in the Marine Corps in the 80s and I remember requesting REM at the E club. To this day REM brings so much peace in my mind. Thank you.

[@zenothestoic638]

A band calling it a day on a high note is something amazing, and so rare that it makes you appreciate their music more.

[@fullario]

I’ve been a huge REM fan for over 20 years and I think them calling it quits when they wanted is such a huge positive. Most bands push on way too long. I’ve had the opportunity to see some of my fav bands from the 80s lately and their shows are just sad now…reading lyrics from iPads, low energy, etc. I was privileged to see REM live in 04 and 08 and the shows were incredible.

[@kjames460]

R.E.M. has been my favorite band since I first heard Chronic Town in 1982 (senior in high school). My dad had just left my mom and I was heartbroken and lost, and soon after Murmur was released and Murmur got me through it all (especially Talk About the Passion and Catapult and Moral Kiosk). I have been waiting for this sort of in-depth interview with any of the four guys, so I'm so grateful for this. So much info I never knew. Thank you sincerely for this, it makes me tear up a bit.

[@JohnColapinto]

Absolutely marvelous. Slightly choked up listening to this. But then I am 65…. Discovered REM when my late friend Jim brought Murmur home from the pile of free promotional LPs from a music mag he was working for. No one had ever heard of them. We were….floored.

[@gdwlaw5549]

I drink to your friend. Big hug

[@lnorie2001]

I was selling records in my early 20s (early 80s)...a single copy of Murmer came as an 'auto order'. I thought the cover and song titles looked interesting, so I opened that single copy, tossed it on the store turntable and I was completely blown away. I told the owner we needed to order 5 copies for sale and started turning friends and customers on to REM. My partner at the time, and I drove from north central British Columbia to Sacramento to see them live.

[@ESBmusician]

I was born and raised in Sacramento. What venue did they play?

[@SajjadAliOfficial]

As a singer-songwriter in pakistan for the past 45 years, iv been dealing with these issues all the time and you addressed them really nicely!! ❤

[@jeffgoldman2119]

56 years old. Lifetime music fan who thinks I have decent taste and exposure to decades of talent and styles. R.E.M. is on my Mt Rushmore, easily. What an equistire band. Thank you.

[@Chief2112]

Maybe not on my Mt Rushmore but I can’t argue against it. They are up there. Great great band and great energy and vibes.

[@JackMcLeodJr]

An original and unique style and sound, you gotta admire that 100%

[@1REMfan]

I’m also 56. The first time I heard of them was 1985 when local radio played Driver 8. They’ve been my favorite band and the soundtrack to my life

[@jeffgoldman2119]

@@1REMfan Not a bad soundtrack to a life for sure! Even in 1985, a year with so many memorable artists and songs, they stood apart.

[@matthew4694]

I wouldn’t say that they are ‘equistire’. Mostly because I don’t know what that word means.

[@zingleraster9124]

Automatic for the People is in my top five albums of all time. Such a fantastic album from beginning to end. An all time classic. Great interview Rick. Keep them coming.

[@mrance]

I agree. Automatic for the People is the most superb REM album of them all, IMO. Every song kills!

[@intrapareto]

Rick, of all your deep-dive interviews, this instantly becomes my favourite--not just because of REM's centrality to my musical (and life) journey--which is undoubtedly true--but because Mike's answers to your questions so epitomize what REM is all about: honest, thoughtful, and utterly unwilling to provide a stock, chichéd response. Oh yeah--and I learned a tonne too! A++

[@ronbock8291]

I’m very emotional. I put off watching this one because I knew it would hit me very hard, and it did. All I can say is thank you Rick, and most importantly, thank you Mike. You are the reason I picked up the bass and have enjoyed a lifetime of playing music with my friends. There really aren’t words to express my gratitude.

[@MattGeer147]

Wow, what a genuinely brilliant guy Mike Mills is. Musically brilliant, likeable and very humble. It’s always so refreshing to see someone who genuinely just loves what they do, and go about it in the best way. Great interview as always Rick.

[@AlexSilva1976]

This one hit right in the heart. R.E.M is "MY" band. I grew up as a person, as a music lover, as an amateur musician alongside those guys. I got old as they got old. Got all their records (and then some) cover some of their songs in my college band including some mentioned here (The one I love, Driver 8, Try not to breathe, Drive, Find the river and... my favorite, Country Feedback). Love them. I just love them. Thank you Rick, for this amazing moment.

[@dust4magnet]

So Central Rain on FM was a song that hit me so hard I almost drove off the road. For years I couldn't comprehend why R.E.M. wasn't an immense band. Every release was like begging for a Superbowl win. When they did hit it big, I actually had mixed feelings at the time. But in the long run, I'm immensely proud of them.

[@mattpotter8725]

I'm from the UK, born in the 70s, and everyone around, including my parents, when they were putting out singles, putting out albums, knew them (I know they were big in the Athens, GA scene before beginning big commercially worldwide, but you can only discover them when you discover them - I've gone back and listened to all their music that is available now). I don't think they were seen as superstars in the same way as some bands were because they didn't want themselves to be the product, they wanted their music to be that, which comes across in this interview, but I have to disagree, they were an immense band and their music has stood the test of time, which is why their music is still being discovered by youngsters today and loved, hopefully growing more interest in them.

[@MrDubyadee1]

I had the same experience. I had tickets to a concert by them in Tallahassee in 1985 (I think) but there was a hurricane. Before that they did a free concert in Gainesville on the UF campus. Suddenly in the 1990’s they were huge. I was proud to have been a fan before they became “famous”.

[@thetruthexperiment]

Drive off the road. That’s what it was like when I heard Radio Free Europe. My brother bought document and I liked green a lot and then Out of Time came out and around that time 120 minutes played Radio Free and i was like… THAT IS MUSIC! I became obsessed after that. I like their new stuff fine but wow.

[@neilashton9459]

@@MrDubyadee1I was at that UF concert! I remember it started raining on the audience but not on stage (or something like that). Great show regardless.

[@RockPopMandolin]

Same here. That was the first R.E.M. song I ever heard... on the air at my college radio station. It blew me away and I was hooked on the band. For life. Listening to that song still gives me chills.

[@AutismRocksOfficial]

"Lifes Rich Pageant" by R.E.M. Was the first CD I ever purchased. (I had the cassette tape that I wore out before I got a CD player). Love love LOVE R.E.M. 🔥

[@maryloukylis235]

What a wonderful interview! Well done! This band will always own my heart and i am SO proud to be a fan!!!!!!!!

[@SlickerVideo]

Rick never heard of this channel. Watching from Ireland.. REM brought me here. Great Interview..

[@cheaptricked]

I remember the first time I lived on campus at Oklahoma State in the mid 80s; I reluctantly decided to live in the dorm and was assigned a roommate named Shannon Sixkiller. The first day I was moving in, he was blasting RADIO FREE EUROPE. Coming from a classic rock background, I was floored. It hooked me immediately. Never heard anything like it. I ended up getting my own room a short time later, but that moment was ingrained and never forgotten; a definite turning point in my musical journey.

[@tmkreh8635]

THIS is the interview I've been waiting years for. An amazing musician from an amazing band. Thanks so much Rick, for getting Mike into the studio.

[@urbangorilla33]

Me too.

[@ricktheexplorer]

Even his speaking voice is very unique; the golden voice behind Stipe. We are so blessed to have been captivated by this Brilliant Band.

[@marckhachfe1238]

Agreed. They were a force to be reckoned with. Beautiful, powerful, original...wow

[@larrysmith5249]

That was an outstanding interview. My favorite so far. Thank you Mike and R.E.M. for all the great music over the years. R.E.M. is one of the most listened to groups by me in my lifetime. Those songs still amaze me.

[@glantont]

Apologies Americans, soccer analogy coming in. Mike Mills is the midfield magician. Involved in every play, switches from offence to defence in a heartbeat, sets the pace, can do everything and do it excellently. His humility and grace are astonishing because that man is among the greatest musicians and songwriters of his generation, but he did it by being a phenomenal team player. Mike Mills, you are, and always will be, a legendary human being.

[@andybasic1761]

That is actually a great analogy. Thinking outside the box is a display of genuine intellectual curiosity and engagement.. Well done!

[@woodycarr]

Thank you Rick for doing this interview with Mike Mills. GREAT interview! I was a raft guide on the Ocoee and Chattooga rivers in 1981. We had a couple of guides that would drive up from Athens, Georgia to help with weekend trips. Those Athens folks brought a cassette tape of new band that wanted to share. The band was of course R.E.M. I was hooked from the first time I heard Radio Free Europe. What a great band! They've provided a lifetime of memories for me.

[@brettliebermanmusic]

During the COVID days, I started listening to the entire catalog in order of some of my favorite artists. REM was one of the bands. Their albums are brilliant. So different than anything else jn 1980s. Just genius.

[@RobRoane]

I’ve met Mike twice. I was obnoxiously drunk both times. He was gracious both times in spite of it. Solid human.

[@julian65886]

Another gem of an interview. Rick asks the questions all of us want to ask.

[@brainstormgfx]

I've seen REM almost a dozen times. It's not enough. IMO they are America's top rock band. Longevity. Originality. Unmistakable sound. Prolific. Find the River and Daysleeper can reset my perspective even today. Berry. Buck. Mills. Stipe. Fin.

[@Tubbknuckles]

Dead

[@tablethome3653]

Their music is so unique. As if they saw something that none of us ever could. It touches you the way no other music does. “I have seen things that you will never see”.

[@MitchCrane]

I remember when I heard Radio Free Europe for the first time. I was in an old Cadillac with nonfunctioning A/C, sitting in traffic on Windy Hill Rd. in Smyrna, GA, sweating my ass off and listening to WRAS 88.5. I was so blown away by the song. I have been an R.E.M. fan ever since.

[@fg3901]

My wife and I were on our honeymoon in D.C. when we first heard it.

[@gagefraw3182]

This just makes me want a Paul Westerberg interview even more!

[@davidzack8875]

Yes yes yes!

[@chadcottle9953]

Yeah, best KZbin comment this year.

[@joehynes2964]

Great call. This needs to happen!

[@ebeyslough]

One hundred percent. Paul and Tommy.

[@HitRayMedia-vg2jj]

And Bob Mould!

[@gerrwalshmusic]

my teenaged heart explodes with delight at this interview, REM were everything to me as a young man falling in love with the possibilities of music and this conversation is exactly what elder me wants to know about those magic moments. Thank you!

[@peb2398]

R.E.M. was the soundtrack of my life

[@Steve-wp6qk]

Are you deceased?

[@jthatcher962]

These interviews are a true legacy. Keep it up Rick!

[@EdwinHeida]

Try not to breathe. Goodness. I adore that song. I am such a huge fan and first I got surprised by the interview of all four together, then I see a clip of them performing together, and then this interview. Bill being there was very emotional for me. Oh Rick, thank you.

[@RoadTripsWithYogi1968]

What a fascinating interview. Always a R.E.M. fan, but never heard such an in-depth interview with Mr. Mills. Thank you Rick for making this happen!

[@chancellor9000]

I don't know about you guys, but I'd go see R.E.M. live again in a heartbeat! I think I've only grown to appreciate their music more as I've grown older. Music that filled the airwaves of my entire early life.

[@lodragan]

I loved this interview - Mike is well spoken, humble, with an overlay of sly humor that is infectious.

[@maxpeck4154]

Pete Buck and REM had more influence on me as a guitar player than anyone else. Period. I cried when they called it quits and respect the hell out of them for stopping when they did. There was nothing like them before or since.

[@Scriptease123]

There's something to be said for going out on top.

[@maxpeck4154]

@@Scriptease123Absolutely.

[@jimferris9447]

There was no bigger fan of REM from the first EP for probably their first 20 years. I saw them live 5 times. Then they lost me. I thought I’d be upset when they broke up, but they’d lost me several years previously. Not unlike the last time I saw Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 2004 or ‘05. We and many others left before the end of that show which I seldom do. I still love their early/first half or so of their catalog, and loved seeing them live.

[@NolalanD]

He's so tasteful at working within rock n roll but avoiding cliche. Both him and Johnny Marr are on my Top 10 guitar heroes list. .

[@johnpresnell]

Wonderful! I’m so glad to see Mike Mills on your show. I remember clearly the day I first heard “South Central Rain” - it changed my taste in music overnight! Immediately, I went out and bought all their albums, which at the time were only three, plus an EP. From that point on, I stopped listening to the radio and began relying on word-of-mouth or “hip” magazines to help me discover new music. REM really were a game-changer.

[@jeffshadow2407]

I sold Oldsmobiles for many years and I always bought my customers a CD of their choice at the local Tower Records in Lakewood, California, around the corner from the Cerritos Auto Square. While the buyer was in the finance department and the new car was being detailed for delivery, I drove to the record store and purchased the CD. In 1994 I sold a new Oldsmobile Aurora to a lawyer for the Coco's/Carrows Restaurant group. She selected R.E.M.s' "Monster" (What's the Frequency, Kenneth?). She was so happy to play the new REM the afternoon she got that Aurora V8!

[@gdwlaw5549]

That’s a f’ing cool story

[@mikecausey5860]

In 85 or 86 REM came to Jsckson, Mississippi with Fetching Bones opening up. After the show we all went to W.C.Dons, our local dive bar. In walked REM & Fetching Bones. They played with the House band & it was incredible. They were still playing at 3am when we left to drive back to north Mississippi. Great memories!

[@Retroearthling]

Mike if you are reading these comments...just want to say THANK YOU for all the great music. Electrolite is genius btw. Never got tired of that beautiful repeating piano. Just gorgeous.

[@GuildOfTheBlackCrow]

I know that R.E.M gets stick for some of their later albums but, to me, they've always been artists that demand that you listen to them differently everytime. The best band in the world and the soundtrack to my entire youth.

[@noan3795]

REM is my favorite band! It's been almost 15 years since I listened to it day and night! I was looking forward to this interview, thank you Rick!

[@jeromegigon6184]

Oh yes, R. E. .M. is the best rock n roll band ever!!!!! Great musicians for great songs!!!

[@outofabook]

Awesome interview, I realize now I don't think I've ever even heard Mike Mills speaking voice before. "Find the River" is my favorite REM song so it was cool to hear that it was a demo basically unchanged from how Mike Mills wrote it. I listened to that song on so many 5 hours road trips driving between where I went to school and where my parent lived in Atlanta. I hope you can get all REM members on this show eventually just like you did with The Police. All of the Police members had such interesting and unique perspectives that it was never repetitive.

[@JessePerryHooray]

Fantastic as always... REM is underrated at this point. They were wonderful.

[@nyccolm]

“How they conduct themselves… treat their crews well…” etc. Fabulous answer and a fabulous interview as usual. It’s so much fun and so educational listening to these guys talk.

[@dmorga1]

Grew up in Atlanta, my brother was a DJ at WRAS, and we had all the REM albums on vinyl. As always, what a great interview, Rick. I also love the concept of having it up when you're done, not when people tell you you're done.

[@seanjudge4675]

I saw REM for the first time on a rainy night in Boston at the Metro club in 1982 with Let’s Active opening. There were maybe 500 people in the club and it was one of those unforgettable gigs right at the beginning of their career that will stay with me forever.

[@DavyRayVideo]

The only thing that Rick did not emphasize was the amount of live playing that REM did. My wife used to see them at a little pizza joint in Greensboro. They toured relentlessly. Nothing makes a band good faster than playing gigs live.

[@eperot]

Lucky bastard. I was 5 at that time.

[@gracegeek4678]

Mitch Easter, Let's Active!

[@marktait2371]

yeh us same 83 think opener was the minutemen no one cared about my brother had a few cds so iknew them same 500 or so sadly d.boons accident just a few months later ironically only time i ever saw them.lets active was at a smaller club in va. around same era

[@bobm.172]

Man, Let's Active! Now there is another GREAT band!!!!!

[@danieljulian4676]

Bassists: The glue that holds the universe together.

[@albeech5157]

Along with the drummer, it’s the engine room.

[@lancebaldock6233]

'What key are we in?' Ask the bass player 😃

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@lancebaldock6233 As if he'd know!

[@jamiesmith6918]

What an amazing and insightful interview. As a music obsessed aging Gen Xer I am fascinated with the fact that this is the same young Mike Mills I watched over and over on a VHS recording of R.E.M.'s MTV Unplugged episode in 1991. Time stops for none of us, and this is a beautiful moment for reflection. Thank you both for this wonderful conversation.

[@MrFraccobaldo]

the great things about this interviews are that Rick is really happy to share the tableand stories and facts and memories with Mike and they listen to songs like I did (and do) with my friends..."ehi listen to this...and what about this part?"..fantastic!

[@YT1300PILOT]

This is my new favorite interview. I still have my ticket stub from seeing R.E.M. September 15 1989 at Great Woods Performing Arts Center in Mansfield Massachusetts . 👍🏼

[@marcmueller4601]

My Charlotte NC buddies, Fetchin Bones, supported REM at the start of the Lifes Rich Pagent tour in '86. One of the major highlights of my musical journey. The band treated us so well during our 13 shows with them. Thank you, guys. All the best. Sincerely, Marc Mueller - FB Drummer.

[@dbone1110]

Loved your band-saw that show in Nashville I think it was at the new Grand Ole opry. Sticks and stones -Fetchin Bones!!! Saw you all in Athens too. Your band was awesome ❤🎉

[@JeffWok]

I started playing bass in 95 because nobody else wanted to play bass. I play bass everyday because of people like Mike Mills. Thank you both.

[@anatol1204]

The best band of the last 40 years period.Thank you Mike Mills !

[@GontltsufOgrpwr]

The best REM related interview of all time

[@adrianl5899]

This (then) shy kid across the pond wore out the cassettes and re-bought on CD - the only band I've done that for! And now my teenage son has R.E.M. records to enjoy too. Thank you, Mike, for your role in creating something so special and for being part of what inspired me to learn to play and write songs. I respect your output and how you've carried yourself in a world not often known for such grace and integrity.

[@brettdavis6151]

Dang! This makes me feel a little old! Been a fan of R.E.M. since the ‘80’s. Mike’s right - it’s a different world now. No college scene/college radio, no young DIY bands like that now, touring relentlessly… But we DO have social media, Spotify, navigation on all our phones, etc. Don’t know if the world’s a better place because of all of this, or not… I suspect not. Missing the old days…

[@simoncarswell3515]

Arguably there are MORE young DIY bands now. Bands who don't want or need a record contract, just producing music in their homes and distributing it themselves. For all the bad that social media has wrought on the world it's made it far easier to get your music heard. It's still incredibly hard work (the best at it have to be relentless in their publicity) but it's far more doable now.

[@brettdavis6151]

Noted. I guess I just long for the days when it was more ‘real’ in nature, and less virtual… a virtual scene doesn’t do it, for me…

[@Texpantego]

Just hearing these clips reminded how fricking good this band was. Going to have do a new REM marathon.

[@Bradybrandwood]

Wow another amazing interview! Mike Mills is a huge talent and hugely intelligent and well spoken about life and the workings of the music industry! Another great interview and sharing!

[@frankeberhart265]

As a person who was born and bred in Athens, GA, who still lives here today, I have a deep appreciation for R.E.M. and their humble beginnings here in Athens. Thank you Rick for a fantastic video sir!