Where to Buy the New REM Biography

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

In the Dec. 1987 cover story, a full four years before the release of their signature hit “Losing My Religion,” Rolling Stone called REM “America's Best Rock and Roll Band.” REM would continue to record music for two more decades, and while many bands flame out or become nostalgia acts, REM made the nearly unheard-of decision to simply walk away, amicably calling it quits in 2011. That's not to say there weren't ups and downs, which are chronicled in a new biography from Peter Ames Carlin titled The Name of This Band Is REM.

Carlin has written biographies about Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon. In The Name of This Band Is REMreleased last week, takes readers to the beginning, detailing the events that brought the quartet from small-town Georgia to the forefront of the alt-rock scene.

According to the publisher's notes, “critically acclaimed author Peter Ames Carlin looks beyond the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll to open a window into the fascinating lives of four college friends – Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry – who stuck together at any cost, until the end.”

Despite having been broken up for over a decade, REM is enjoying a recent surge in interest. Two of their songs were included in FX's The Bearand all four members reunited in June to perform “Losing My Religion” at the Songwriters Hall of Fame, marking their first live performance in 15 years. Last year, the band also marked the 25th anniversary of Up with a deluxe 2-CD reissue.