U Talkin’ U2 To Me? - R U Talkin' R.E.M. RE: ME? - Mike Mills Talkin’ R.E.M.

Episode Date: April 10, 2019

Adam Scott Aukerman are joined by R.E.M. founding member Mike Mills to discuss all things R.E.M. Mike talks early influences, some of his favorite records, and most importantly favorite snacks on the road. 

🎵 From Chronic to Collapse, Town and Indenow respectively, that is, this is Are You Talking? R.E.M. Remy? The comprehensive and encyclopedic compendium of all things R.E.M. This is good rock and roll music.

You remembered the whole thing. I've said it, what, 50 times at this point? 53 times? Plus all the practicing, of course, I do in the shower. Yeah, see, I think, and this is just me. Sure. I think it's because of the practicing in the shower. I mean, I've said it thousands, if not millions of thousands.

What would that be? Hundreds of thousands? When you're in the shower, Scott, and you're practicing. Yes. Do you say it to your penis? Yeah. I usually, I'm getting like a crick in my neck from it, by the way. Yeah.

Just having to look up that high. Jesus Christ. Welcome to the show. welcome back boy we haven't done an episode in uh quite a bit welcome yeah it's been a minute it has been it's been a how many minutes has it been well i've been counting them down uh for at every 60 seconds since we the completion of our last episode i'll, it's been one. It's been two. How does Kulab feel about this?

She hates me. We are officially split up. It's been 900,942. 965,000, three million minutes. Every minute. Every minute, yeah. Did you see that Rent Live, Adam? Wait a minute, who am I talking to? with no culture i forgot yeah as if a live musical on fox is the epitome culture no i did not you did not you a

fan of uh any musical sure not name them i guess not that one list i didn't see it list them in order of your... I really liked Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon, sure. Is there a problem with how I said Book of Mormon? You're talking to me like I'm an idiot, first of all. Book of Mormon. Have you ever heard of this? And then I

was a big fan. You know, when I was a small child, I was... Story time! Was this when you were a candy boy? I was a big fan. You know, when I was a small child, I was- Story time! Was this when you were a candy boy? I was brought to- Oh, candy boy! I was brought to see-

If you haven't heard the story of Adam becoming a candy boy, please listen to our last episode. Go fuck yourself. It was a job. It was a job you're very proud of. I did it very well. Have you done- I saw Brigadoon as a child. Yeah of. I did it very well. Have you done? I saw Brigadoon as a child.

Yeah, and I did not care for it. That is the mystical story of a town in Scotland, I believe, that appears and disappears every 14 years? Yeah, something like that. It was super boring. But I was a little kid. I didn't want to miss it. You were a little kid, and you did not like it.

I don't know if I've told this story, but when I went to New York City, you know New York City. Yeah, it's. The big appell. The big appell. The big windy apple. Right, right. The windiest. The windiest of apples.

The windy apple city. When I was 12 years old, my parents gave me a choice and said, we're going to go see a Broadway show and we'll let you decide it. Yeah. You can either go see Merlin, which was a musical about the wizard Merlin starring Doug Henning, the magician, and a young Christian Slater as a 12-year-old boy, I found out later. And a young Christian Slater as a 12-year-old boy, I find out later. Or you can see this new musical that people say is okay, but it's about a bunch of cats. And I said, Merlin, of course. And Merlin has not stood the test of time.

But Cats has? I don't know. We'll look for it this Christmas. Will you make this promise to me? It's playing down the street right now. I know, down at the Schubert. Will you? Sorry, I have a bit of a cough.

Will you do me? The Schubert. The Schubert. What if I start crying just at the mention of the Schubert? The Schubert. What happened at the Schubert? Or Schubert. Or Schubert. Will you do me a favor and promise me that on christmas day you and i will go see

the new cats movie together absolutely scott thank you my son and my daughter and my wife we'll stay at home gonna have to wait guys i'm going to see cats with scott you know cats uh spelled backwards is stack. Oh, that's crazy. And that's what we're going to bring with us, just stacks of cash. I'm miming, peeling it off, but it sounds like I'm just applauding my own. Sorry, is this an episode of That's Crazy? I think it is.

Hey, everyone. Welcome to That's Crazy. This is Scott. And this is Scott. And we're just talking about things that are crazy. We're trying to ascertain things that are crazy. Is this crazy? Is that crazy?

I don't know. Now, you just said something in the previous show, Scott, that was so crazy. Yeah, what was it? I don't even remember. I don't remember. All right. See you next time. Bye. Bye.

Bye. Bye. Bye. Good app. Yeah, that was a good app. That's a solid show. That is a really, really, really good show. That's like, you know how when you see the primetime lineup in fall TV and you're like, I'm sort of interested in this. I'm not interested in this.

I don't know. Like that's one that you're like appointment television. Bullseye. You know what I love, Scott? I love when September rolls around. The leaves are changing. Oh, I love those leaves changing. Oh, they turn colors.

And you get that new TV guide in the mail with the fall preview. Candy boy, your TV guide is here. That's what the mailman said every single time the fall preview came. Got to see what J.R. Ewing was going to be up to. J.R. Ewing. No, it's just not like you got emotional at J.R. Ewing. Larry Hagman is dead. They don't update us on J.R. Ewing anymore in fall preview issues.

They don't, although from what I understand, Dallas is still on the air? One of my relatives was telling me about it or something like that? Oh, I don't know. Okay. Is this an episode of Oh, I Don't Know? I believe it is. Hey, everyone. Welcome to Oh, I Don't Know.

This is Scott. And this is Scott. And today we're trying to figure out I Don't Know. This is Scott. And this is Scott. And today we're trying to figure out if Adam knows something. Okay, now I'm just going to throw out some things. Sure, anything. And if at ever there's a point where you don't know, you just shout it out, Oh, I Don't Know. I'll just say it. And that's when the show ends.

Okay. Okay, shout it, say it. We don't... I'm not going to shout it just because we're indoors. You have never shouted indoors? this microphone's very bassy you've never shouted indoors no no no no no not even at your children no no no the people that it's okay to shout oh well and my children yeah i scream at them indoors outdoors it doesn't matter doesn't matter that's just sleeping that's just normal Adam behavior. When we see daddy, we know he's going to be shouting.

Go to fucking sleep. Remember that? Go to fucking sleep. Oh, yeah. Sam Jackson. Go to fucking sleep. All right, here we go. Do you know something?

Do you know it? This was a test. Okay. Oh. I said, remember go to fucking sleep? New question, new question. Okay, so you know that.

What about the Thunderbirds? Oh. I don't know. That's our show. See you next time. Bye. That one ended a little sooner than I expected. I think I should have thrown out something a little more common knowledge.

Did you mean the band, the Thunderbirds? I did not. I meant the puppet show. The marionette puppet show. Sure, sure, sure. Oh, well, that's what happens on Oh, You Don't Know. You never know if Adam's not going to know. No, it's called Oh, I Don't Know.

What did I call it? You called it Oh, You Don don't know which is a different that's a different show is this an episode of oh you don't know i think it is hey everyone welcome to oh you don't know this is scott and this is scott and today we're talking about things that you out there in podcast land don't know that's right adam and i are going to list things and if at any point you don't know what something is shout out to your ipod ipad i don't know anymore your car because a lot of shout at your car yeah shout at your car no matter if you're listening to it in your car or not we will hear you we will hear and we will stop the show yeah find your car and yell at it if you're at

work rush outside to the parking lot yell at your car if you're at the gym run outside and yell at it. If you're at work, rush outside to the parking lot, yell at your car. If you're at the gym, run outside and yell at your car. If you're not too tired, spending time on that elliptical. All right, we're gonna list things. Do you wanna start us off? No, you go first. Okay. Borat.

Buttons on your shirt. Whiskers on kittens. Kind bars. A stovepipe hat. A blank sheet of paper. A mailman. Oh, you don't know. Someone didn't know.

All right, that's our show. Bye. Bye. Good up. Yeah. Who doesn't know what a mailman is? I don't know. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Good help. Yeah. Who doesn't know what a mailman is? I don't know. I couldn't tell who it was.

That's a little strange. Stamps.com, though, I'll tell you that much. I don't think they're advertising with us, but if you want to- They sure aren't. Stamps.com. Stamps.com. We love them. Hope you will advertise with us, because we just shouted you out for quite a long time.

And you know what? Even if you don't, you should use stamps.com. Look, they're not advertising with us, but let me tell you, are you tired of taking trips to the post office? Yeah. So am I. I go every day.

How often do you go? It's like having the post office in your butt. Stamps.com. It's that handy. It's like having the post office in your butt. Stamps.com. It's that handy. It's like having the post office in your butt. New tagline. They better use it or I'm going to sue them. Sue their butts.

Yeah, I'm going to sue their butts off and put a stamps.com in them. Adam, what have you been up to? Oh, boy. What have you been up to? Last episode we did was right before Christmas. We talked about the Christmas fan club singles. Did you get a visit from a jolly old Saint Nick?

I love Christmas. Anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas. You do. You love December the 25th. Fifth. I'm not... You might want to check my math

someone needs to someone needs to look this up I think it's the 25th could be wrong I think you might be right though

I know it's approximately 55 days after Halloween yeah no which is my favorite holiday it's 50 55 or 56 days after Halloween Halloween is

October 30 13th no I think you're dyslexic oh 15 after Halloween. Halloween is October 30, 13th? No, I think you're dyslexic. Oh, 15th. It's Rebac to 31st. Got it.

I love Halloween too, but I gotta say, if I had to choose, like if I really, really had to like gun to the head. Gun to the head. Like here's some crazy, some crazy weirdo breaks into your house, right?

And he's got just like Second Amendment. He has just got a glock. A glock. Just right to the back of your head. Christmas or Halloween? Christmas or Halloween? Make your favorite holiday. Christmas or Halloween?

Christmas. No, Halloween. Why did you do that as your ghost? Why? What is your end game? We just showed the kids Holy Grail. Oh, yes. That moment.

Yeah, on the bridge. Yeah, I was wondering. I knew you stole that from someone. Yep. Yeah, Christmas time. Presents. Christmas trees. Yeah. that from someone yep um yeah christmas presents christmas trees yeah um presents and christmas trees getting a christmas tree as a present yeah that is the best present on christmas i love opening up oh my gosh what is this seven foot tall box this must be something extraordinary. Oh, it's another Christmas tree.

Another Christmas tree. Oh, wow. How did it fit under this Christmas tree? There's one right here. Like right here, there's one. And now another one in this box. Wow. Twins, right?

And twins. And twins. If you got one Christmas tree Hey, double your pleasure, double your fun Am I right, my man? Hey, why not? Why not? That's what I always say Why not? Why not?

Why not, bro? So, Christmas Is this an episode of Why Not, Bro? I think it might be Hey everyone, this is Scott And this is is Scott. And welcome to Why Not Bro? This is the show where we throw out things and we see if Adam will do them or not. Yeah. All right, so. If I'll Why Not Bro them? Yeah. Hey, can I stick my finger up your butt? Why not, bro?

That's why. See you next time. Is that an episode of That's Why? I think that show changed titles a lot like valerie's family i think you're right into that's why i think you're right from from why not bro from valerie's family to no no no it started off as uh the hogans no no it ended as the Hogans. It ended as the Hogans. It started out as Valerie. Valerie. Then Valerie's family. Valerie's family.

Because Valerie died. And then. Then the Hogans. Then the Hogans. And Bateman like directed it. Yeah. And Hulk Hogan was not in the mix on that. He's a huge star after Rocky III, right?

That's crazy that. Crazy that Hulk Hogan was not in the mix. I remember watching Entertainment Tonight and seeing that they're like Jason Bateman is the youngest person

to ever be in the Director's Guild to direct an episode of the Hogan's. How old was he? I think he was 42, 43. That's young

to be in the DGA. Usually you're much older than that. He directed an episode. That's crazy. Yeah, he was like 12 or something. Were you jealous

because you were probably like seven or eight at the time? I was like that's what I was like 12 were you jealous because you were probably like seven or eight at the time that's what i'm i'm gonna go direct the hogans what if because you've directed some things right yeah and you know what dreams do come true here i am in hollywood holly weird and i know jason bateman i know that guy you know that guy and you could direct the hogans's if you wanted to. Yeah. Shit. Shit.

You know what? Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's reboot the Hogan's. Let's reboot the Hogan's starring us, directed by us, written by us, certainly produced by us, of course. Why not, bro? That's why. Oh, God.

Oh, God. Oh, boy. So last time we talked was the wintertime, and spring has certainly sprung. You cannot disagree with that. It's gorgeous out. It is gorgeous here in L.A. You know, today, I got to say, there was a bit of a drizzle out today. God's peeing on our heads. You know, there's a rumor that there is hail in

Los Angeles today. Did you hear? Today? I heard about, I saw some snow in it. Today? No. This is an episode of Today? Yeah. Everyone, welcome to Today. This is Scott. And this is Scott. And this is where I throw out current events, current-ish events, and Adam asks whether it happened today or not. Hey Adam. Yeah. Did you hear that Donald Trump tweeted about Kellyanne Conway's wife? Today? Yeah.

Oh. Cool. See you next time. Not sure if that one has legs. Not sure. You know what? We'll find out. We'll find out. We'll find out.

If the fans call for it, we'll stop doing this show and just do today. It's essentially the same title as the Today Show, except there's a question mark. Today Show? Today? Show? Today? Today? You think we'll run into trouble with like Hoda Kotb or anyone like that? Hey, you're infringing on our trademark. I hope not.

They're really good people. They're wonderful. Wonderful. I miss you. I want to see you more. Yeah, man. You know what I mean? I got to see you recently.

Yes. We hung out at a secret undisclosed location. Yep. That was fun, but it just reminded me that I want to see you every day. Is that weird to say? No, every day. Can I tell you something? Something just reminded me of this, and it's a moment in my career when i thought uh-oh and it was when i went and i

was on the today show okay and this is an uh-oh moment for you this was uh-oh and i'll tell you why because i was on the today show promoting hot tub time. Number two, of course. And I was in New York because I... Why don't, you know, when they make a sequel and they call it 2, that's the number of poop. I know. You know what I mean? Why do they do that? Why not just call it the second?

That rhymes with feckened. Oh, and feckened. When you're sliding into second. And you can't speak into feckened. Yeah, and feckened. When you're sliding into second. And you can't speak into feckened. Yeah. I don't know. Why don't they call it like semen?

Right. Hot tub time machine semen. Because that's cool. You're on the Today Show. So I was there because I wanted to do Letterman because I knew he was going to retire soon.

And so this was a reason to be promoting something. I never got on that show or any other show. Continue. So then it was like, you want to do the Today Show? Sure. I wasn't against it, but I also wasn't like super enthusiastic to get out there and promote Hot Tub Time Machine. Using it as a trip to New York to get on Letterman. Yes.

Because I thought this might be my last chance. So I go and do the Today Show. And they're like, okay. And it's live. So you get there and they're talking and stuff. And then it's commercial break. They're like, Adam, come on over here. And we step up and get in here.

And they had a hot tub on the set. And Al Roker, I forget who else, but they were all- That's enough for me. They were all in the hot tub with me. In clothes? Yeah. And they just like, I think they shot like dry eyes so it looked like smoke into it

and we're all sitting in the hot tub and and they're like okay I was like whoa what's going on

they're like three two one we're live or whatever and they start interviewing me

about this movie and that's when I was like that is a total oh yeah that's don't they have to

confer with anyone regarding that idea I don't I don't know I don't

but if it's good enough for Al Roker why isn't it good enough for Adam Scott? Why not? You know, why not? Why not? That's why.

Do you have any plans for – obviously Easter is coming up. Valentine's Day is in the rear view. Did you do anything fun for Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day. What do you do? You're a man with two kids. Oh, yeah. We, what did we do?

We smooched? Did you play a little bit of kissy face? Why did we, while I try and remember, what did you guys do for the old V-Day? I'll tell you exactly what we did. We went to a Japanese spa that is here in Los Angeles.

We had just gotten back from Japan, by the way, over the Christmas break, where I loved it and loved it and we were there 10 days by Japan. Tokyo and Kyoto. I loved it and we were there 10 days by where japan tokyo tokyo and kyoto yeah i loved it and

we were there 10 days and by day eight i was fairly tired of japanese food for every okay okay but good instagram photos from this thank you yes uh some of my best wonderful country really enjoyed it um had to get a burger on day nine yeah at uh uh shake shack they had a shake shack over there oh why not bro that's why um so but for but we had gotten these reservations months in advance because it's very hard to get into this place cool up made these reservations for a uh for a japanese spa in LA, which is a lot like a Royukan, which is where we stayed in Japan, which is a traditional Japanese spot where, you know, you're sitting on the floor and, you know, all this kind of stuff. And it was also a hotel,

like you stayed there? No, we didn't stay there. We got, you know, couples massages, we ate, they brought in sugarfish and stuff like that. But it was interesting because we got the reservation way before we planned to go to Japan because we went to Japan relatively last minute. And so it felt like, you know, just a month later, we were like doing the same kind of stuff. But it was really fun. And is that – is it like a really awesome place? Like it takes a while to get a like you need to make a reservation

yes because they only have five rooms or whatever and it takes like it's an all night thing you get there at seven go do it bro we'll give you the

you know you and I should just do it together yeah let's go let's go right now let's go right now kick out whoever is in one of those rooms get the fuck out

kick them in their butthole get out butthole get out okay what if you were Whoever is in one of those rooms. Get the fuck out. Kick them in their butthole. Get out, butthole. Okay, what if you were getting a couple's massage with your wife or husband, and suddenly the door swings open and it's Adam Scott from Ghosted and nothing since. Yeah. And he says, get out, butthole. Would you get out? Would you get out? Would you pull a Jordan Peele, get out, butthole. Would you get out?

Would you get out? Would you pull a Jordan Peele and get out? The eternal question, would you get out? I remember what we did. We did a little staycation in town. Nice. In a different part of town? Did you go to a hotel?

Is that what it was? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the hotel shall remain nameless, but it's very like- But there's six of them at least. What do you mean? The Motel 6. Oh, yeah. The Motel 6 shall remain nameless. This hotel, people tend to stay there on holidays, if that gives you any indication.

They tend to stay on holidays in the hotel of course but we were eating dinner there and we we were eating and i was talking to naomi and out of the corner of my eye i looked and i saw a mouse um wow walking around and was the, to be fair, it was like. Did it have a top hat on? Yeah. It essentially was like sitting there with a menu and smoking a cigarette. It was so psyched. With like a table made of a cork from a wine bottle. There is not a better place to be if you're a mouse than a fucking restaurant.

Dude, that's where you want to be. They made a whole movie about Ratatouille about it. Yeah. Did you alert anyone to it or did you like mouse go ahead and be on your way that's nice of you i didn't i'll tell you two stories about uh about that on our honeymoon cool cool yeah sorry okay on our honeymoon cool op and i we get to hawaii uh kawaii the islands yeah kawaii kawaii is the best wonderful place to spend a honeymoon love it get there it's you know travel we get there at uh at night you go up to hanaway and no stop asking

sorry questions sorry and uh we get we we the hotel has this beautiful pick your nose yeah cool and my friend's nose they say you can't do it but um we we get there and it's it's this beautiful. Did you pick your nose? Yeah. Cool. And my friend's nose. They say you can't do it. But we get there and it's this wonderful restaurant that has like all these streams and it's on the water and everything. And we get our food and suddenly a rat jumps out of the water and dies right next to our table. What? And then we're like, excuse me, there's a rat that just died right next to us and the the the person working there maybe doesn't know what to do sweeps it back into the water like the water of their hotel pond or whatever we're like you probably shouldn't do that and then they the person told whomever was in charge and they're like that's unsanitary we got to fish it out so

then they're fishing a dead rat out in front of our meal. That's paradise. But, you know, if you call something good luck, like you'd go, I bet that's good luck. Yeah. Anything can be good luck if you call it that. I'm curious though. What's the second story?

It launched itself out of the water and passed away right in front of you. Yeah, yeah. Isn't that crazy? Like jumped through the air? Yeah, through the air like a flying fish. Do you think it was like a predator was rejecting it? Yeah, it could be. Maybe it was dead already and a shark spit.

Is that what you're thinking or a whale? Probably a blue whale. It sounds like blue whale. Orca, maybe. Or a beaver. Could be, yeah. A Hawaiian beaver. Could have been a beaver, yeah.

Wouldn't be the last beaver I saw on that trip, if you know what I mean. I was trying to figure out. So my second story is my mom. I just saw my mom, and she told me what she did over the holiday, which was she went to a white elephant gift exchange. And the long and short of it is she kept getting like a good gift and someone would take it from her and and then she ended up getting a vase like a very cheap vase that you get when flowers are delivered to you yeah and uh she looked inside it and there was a dead mouse jesus

christ that's like the person didn't even know they were giving the ultimate like white elephant gift yeah exactly so she got she yeah um we were eating at some italian like chainy. And I can't remember. It used to be all over the place. Macaroni grill, I bet. No, and not Olive Garden. But it wasn't as prevalent a chain as Olive Garden. It was, anyway.

That's why I said macaroni grill, but go ahead. Yeah, like who cares, right? If it was macaroni grill, I would say so. Okay. Yeah, you're not afraid. No. And even though they may be a sponsor of this, should we call it macaroni grill?

Yeah, let's just make sure. Yeah. It wasn't them, but let's just make sure. Let's make sure, yeah. So I ordered a Caesar salad, and my Caesar salad comes. Oh, that sounds good. And on top of the Caesar salad,

placed in the center as if it were a garnish, was a giant dead cockroach. Just sitting. Just sitting there. On top. Like upside down with its legs like curled and up, you know, up in the air. Up in the air, the Clooney special. Oh, man, I love it. I called the waiter over and I remember-

Excuse me, Garcon. I was so like grossed out. I called him over and I pointed at it and he looked at it and I looked up at him and I go, yeah. And he goes, yeah. And we just got up and walked out. Was this an episode of yeah, yeah? I think it is.

That's disgusting. And up and walked out. Was this an episode of Yeah, Yeah? I think it is. And you just walked out. Were you drinking an iced tea or something that you should have paid for? I think those yeahs meant go ahead, your Diet Coke or whatever is on the house. I will say another mouth story is back when Paul F. Tompkins and I did a show together up in Oregon at the Gorge at that music festival, which I'm not sure if it's still there anymore. We ate at the wonderful hotel where our rooms overlooked the Gorge. It's an incredible hotel.

But we ate at the restaurant there called Tendrils. And Tendrils is a weird name, yeah. And a mouse died in front of us at that place. It was Tig, me, Kulop, Janie, Paul F., Maria Thayer. Where are these robots dropping dead in front of you? Well, I mean, when you think about it, you're at the gorge. This hotel is like overlooking. And so when we said, hey, a mouse just died in front of us thinking it was going to be,

they went, yeah, that'll happen. We're like sitting here in a restaurant on top of the gorge. Nothing taken off the bill in that case, my dear fellow. How did you know it died in front of – Because it literally like fell out of the ceiling in front of us, staggered around as if like, that was a big fall. You were indoors. We were indoors in this restaurant.

And they didn't – did they clean it up? They're not animals. They cleaned it up, certainly up certainly didn't seem like it was a big deal yeah i mean that would be worse if they were like yeah there's dead mice all over this place this lays there but so we often when my mom told this story to me and kulop she immediately texted the tendrils crew and uh recounted this story of another dead mouse. Oh, that's crazy. And this has been years past, but we always talk about Tendrils. Is Tendrils a current restaurant? It may be over there by the gorge, yeah. Sounds like they don't give a shit about the mice, so they don't care about this story.

Well, they're not playing the long game. They didn't realize that Paul and I were going to be famous, famous podcasters, perhaps even two faces upon Mount Podmore, if you will. Yeah, no, I, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And that we would, we would have such a platform to be able to shit talk tendrils

in such a manner. Tendrils, what a name. Tendrils. So we, we have a very special show today this is a should we talk about it pretty big deal pretty big deal now look we're no strangers to working with some of the brightest stars that shine in the heavens absolutely the brightest stars in the universe i mean let's go down the list of some of the projects that we've— The list is too long.

It's too comprehensive. It's too—it's just too— You know what it is? It's vast. It's vast. Tell you what, check out either of our IMDb pages and just start doing a cross-ref. IMDb.com, Scott and Scott, you'll get the idea. IMDb professional account if you

if you want to really get a good sense of what we're all about IMDB pro yeah where I live essentially every day

get up and check it hey where's my star meter what's my star meter boom what am I at 86 hundred thousands

how many credits do I have boom I can find out not a big deal but but we have someone on the show

coming up here in our next segment that is a pretty big deal. And I'm a little freaked out because sitting down and being able to just chat with a member of the band

that this guy is a part of is something... We're not giving anything away. No, not giving anything away. Is something I've wanted to do for so long. And now it's about to happen. It's about to happen. I'm a little freaked out.

But I think we've had some training in this regard. That's right. With our previous show. That's right. That you mentioned on the Letterman show, as I recall. I did right with uh our previous show that's right that you mentioned on the letterman show as i recall i did you mentioned our previous show he brought it up he was like what what is this thing you do what is that thing you do yeah and you're like that's a tom hanks But we have on a member of Herium. That's right. We have Mike Mills, a.k.a. Mike Miller.

A.k.a. Mike Myers. Mike Mills is on the show. The groovy one himself. He's on the show. He's on the show. He has agreed to be on the show show and he's agreed to answer any question we ask anything no matter how stupid you know what we need to do though what's that um at some point we need to get him to agree to our backyard barbecue we gotta we know i'm i'm not

joking around we need to do this i was joking but now that I see you're serious, I... You see me smiling? You see me laughing? Well, I'm upside down. I'm hanging from my pull-up bar. Do I have a goddamn Joker's hat on? Yes, stop doing pull-ups. Do you mean a hat that the Joker would wear?

Or do you mean... What's the name of that hat that a Joker wears with the bells on it? The Paijon. Paijon? Oh, Paijon. There is a name for this hat. I joker wears with the bells on it the paisean paisean oh paisean there is a name for this hat i can't recall what it is a plinko a forge is that what you're talking about that type of hat no a hat with a hat that the joker would wear with like the heath ledger like a trucker hat oh picture of oh i see i see trucker hat with a picture of heath led. Not as the Joker, just Heath Ledger.

No, just Heath Ledger. Right. I gotta get one of those. We should sell those. I have three in my trunk, in the trunk of my car. A trucker hat with a picture of Heath Ledger that says,

are you talking to R.E.M.R.E.V.? That would be rad. These are gonna be very popular. Oh, totally. But we gotta ask him about this backyard barbecue. Yeah, well, we gotta get it. So far, we've made no headway. No, we gotta get this thing together.

We got to make it happen. Look, summer is coming. I mean, I've heard of Game of Thrones. Winter is coming. Yeah. This is the opposite of that. Yeah, this is summer, bro. This is summer.

Summer's coming, and this is prime backyard barbecue weather. Or backtar barbecue. Backtar barbecue. We got to get a commitment from at least one of the members, and maybe he can take it back to the others. But that's the thing is with contracts like this, you get one agreement, it essentially binds all the others. Yeah, exactly.

If you get one, the rest will fall. We already have contact with Burtis Downs, with their attorney. So he'll, and he's a pushover. Yeah, we'll get the ball rolling with mike everything i've heard about the their negotiating style pretty much seal it up with burdice yeah soon after and that'll get the the other three as well on board yeah yeah this is okay so we got pretty much done actually pretty much yeah yeah it'll probably but by the time mike gets in here bring it up this is a formality Just a formality at this point.

Yeah, that's the way I look at it. This is just formality. We may not even tell him the details. We don't even have to have him come in here. We can just be like, hey, this is a release for the episode and just get him to sign it. You know what? That's actually a good approach. It's probably not bad.

Or we can tell him it's like a- Valentine. A Valentine's Day card. Yeah, to our wives. From him. To our wives. Yeah, to our wives. From him, to our wives. Yeah, for next year, from him. Or a petition to give money to who?

To children? Any children. Yeah. To all children. This is money for all children. Just a petition. Like, we think we should give money to all children. Yeah.

Who wouldn't sign that? Who wouldn't? What kind of monster? Oh, no. I said, don't say that? Who wouldn't? What kind of monster? Oh, no. I said don't say that word. God damn it. Oh, God. I'm creeping myself out just thinking about it.

But we got to ask him about this. Yeah. I also have to say one, give one shout out to someone who sent us a really nice piece of mail. Lance Harding, thank you so much for sending us something. You sent us a really nice cassette as well. Appreciate that. All right, we need to go to a break, if that's okay.

When we come back, this is incredible. We have a member of the band, Hariem, Mike Myers himself will be here. We'll be right back with more Are You Talking R.E.M., Mike Myers himself will be here. We'll be right back with more R.U. Talking R.E.M. Remy. Welcome back.

Are you talking R.E.M. Remy? Adam Scott across from me. Yeah. You know, this is a pretty... Shut up for a second. Okay, sorry. I wanted to say that this is a pretty big deal for the show. That's not what I was going to say.

What were you going to say? Because you started off really well. You said something to the effect of, I don't even know. I was going to say, this is a pretty water glass. Oh, it is very pretty. It's very clear. Yeah. Sorry.

As clear as the water that resides inside of it. Yeah. No, it's gorgeous. As gorgeous as the water. It's of it. Yeah, no, it's gorgeous. As gorgeous as the water. It's really pretty. Oh my God, it's so pretty. It's really, it's like sexy too. It's like pretty in a sexy way, you know?

That's very hard to pull off sometimes. It's like pretty in a, yeah, it's sexy, but it's also like it's sort of ugly, but in a beautiful way. But in a beautiful, like it doesn't know how pretty it is yeah you know what I mean it's like

oh my god if you would just like let me clear the smudges off of you yeah you would be beautiful and I'm the only one

that sees that I want to tell you how beautiful you are but I can't yeah because you're a glass you're a glass yeah

don't fall in love with the glass Adam I will not I will try it's a good tip for all of you listening don't fall in love with the glass it's easy to do so. I will try. It's a good tip for all of you listening. Don't fall in love with the glass. It's easy to do.

So you were saying this is a pretty big deal. This is a pretty big deal. This is pretty exciting because we've been doing this show now for... 15, 16 years? As long as Bonanza was on the air, it seems like. That's right. By the way, is that a... Oh, I don't know that.

No, I know Bonanza. You know Bonanza. Okay. I'm really realizing all of my references are from the 50s today. It's very weird. But this is exciting because we've been doing this show for a while now, and we have, look, we've talked about it. We've wanted to, look, we've hypothesized about the band, Hariam. In every way you can imagine.

Every way, and you cannot imagine any other way that we have not. No, we've hit them all. We've hit them all. Every way that you can discuss Hariam, we have discussed them. Minus one, the one that we've wanted to do is we've wanted to talk to the band members themselves. And we have yet to do that And we have yet to do that. We have yet to do that.

Unless you are from 15 seconds in the future, when I have already introduced our incredible first guest and only guest of this episode, but our first guest from the band itself. That's right. We have Mike Mills from REM right here. Hey, that's Mike Miller. Mike Miller. Sorry. Yes, Mike Miller. Get it straight. Mike Miller, Mike Myers from the band R.E.M. Welcome to the show. R.E.M. Thank you very much. Thank you for doing the show, Mike. This is crazy. It's a honor to be here.

Yes. This is a really big deal for the show, but also for me personally. Adam has not seen you in a while. Yeah. Well, no, we all talked to you up in Portland. Yes, briefly. Which we did episode seven or so back last year. That was actually before the show had aired,

we went up and, or had been put out, we went up and saw you guys perform. For the lay person. If aired is too complicated for you, Adam's reducing it down to put out. But isn't it technically not airing? It's kind of pushed out into the world. No, Adam, you're right.

I'm just being a jerk. And saw the show you guys did for Scott McCoy, which was incredible. Incredible. And we talked to you a little bit backstage. That was the first time you and I met. But Adam, I don't know if you realize this, met you back in 1993

two do you know that I don't know that I was one of the extras Adam had a wonderful conversation with you oh that's right at the drive shoot yeah we didn't actually meet but what it was was you guys were cool enough to just sort of hang out and let people like pepper you with questions.

Do you remember that? Yeah. Well, there wasn't anything else to do. Midnight at the Sepulveda Dam, there wasn't a lot going on. That's right. And I drive by the Sepulveda Dam all the time. And every time I do, I remember that night. I think it was two full nights. Two very long late nights. So do you remember what, I mean, maybe you've heard the episode, what Adam asked? Was it to Mike personally?

It was. It was stupid. Here's what I said to you. We couldn't believe you guys were kind of out. And so we were all trying to think, my group of friends and I, trying to think of things to ask you guys. And all we had heard so far about the new record were kind of rumors. And we had heard about John Paul Jones being on the record.

And so I asked you, and this, by the way, Adam, his point of view at the time, he's so into alternative music. That's right. Like it changed his life hearing document, right? And now he's totally into alternative music. And this has happened to a lot of us. I don't know if it happened to you. Sure. I'll maybe ask you if it happened to you after i finished my incredible story but uh it happens to a lot of us where

where i remember uh selling off all of my huey lewis cds and cars cds and like anything that wasn't like the cure or rem or you know like anything that and it's such a such a fine, it's not even that much of a difference between like the cars, which are essentially new wave. But they were like, to me, they were AOR, they were AOR like classic rock. So I think that when you get into that sort of headspace of like, no, alternative music is where it's at. I think that's where Adam was, where he was thinking anything classic rock was like lame or from a decade ago or something. I had gotten rid of all of my Zeppelin, uh,

Eagle. I, I just sworn off everything that wasn't like right then. Hold on. I want to ask him if this has ever happened to him. Mike, has it ever happened to you? That,

that, that alternative music changed my life? Yeah. Um, yes. Um, uh, well, Has it ever happened to you? That alternative music changed my life? Yeah, sure. Yes. Well, you're one of the purveyors of alternative. I guess, yeah. I mean, by participating in it, it certainly changed my life.

Do you consider harium to be alternative rock first, or do you consider yourself to be, what would you say the style of music is? I always say rock and roll uh just because anything else takes too much explaining um i mean alternative i guess it meant something at one time in that it was the alternative to what was on commercial radio yeah right but that became just as limiting as anything else oh they're alternative what does that sound like well i don't know what it sounds like but you won't hear it on the radio that's how i felt about and you're not going to care about this but that's how i felt about alternative comedy i don't know what it sounds like, but you won't hear it on the radio. That's how I felt about, and you're not going to care about this,

but that's how I felt about alternative comedy. I don't know if you like comedy. I do. But people would ask me what is alternative comedy because I was there from the beginning of alternative comedy pretty much. And I would say it's just comedy done not in a club. Like it's not what's being said. It's not the style of's not what's being said. It's not, you know, the style of comedy. It's just, it's the venue. And I think that's what for us alternative music was, was you

wouldn't hear it on the radio. Right. Like when I lived up in Santa Maria, California, there was one station that would play alternative music on Sunday between 11 PM and 1 AM. And I would just like, that would be the only time I would listen to the radio because everything else was just the same old classic rock songs that you'd heard before. Anyway, does that have anything to do with what you're saying? Well, yeah, sure. I mean, it's niche. It was niche stuff at the time. You know, even MTV had a little niche for it.

And, you know, the radio had a little niche for it. And, you know, the gay club in Augusta would have New Wave Tuesdays, you know, the night that nobody else came for anything. You could put a new wave band in there and get a crowd. So, yes, it was niche music at the time. But you guys were influenced by more, I guess, more, not classic rock necessarily, but things like, I don't know, the Raspberries and, you know, like 60s sort of bands. Big Star and stuff like that. Yeah, I mean, our most obvious antecedents are things like, you know, the Raspberries and Big Star and, you know, kind of power poppy type things also.

But really, it runs the gamut. I mean, between the four of us, you name a type of music and one of us probably liked it at one time or another. Yeah, I mean, early on, you guys would do like sunny and share covers and and yes and all you you would do anything essentially did you ever have fights about like if you would like something or a style of music that the other band members didn't like and you would say hey i want to do something like this would people say like no that's too too led zeelin-y or too much like this? We never had fights over that. I mean, we were all very – we tried to be very accommodating of each other's wishes and desires.

So hopefully it never got down to fisticuffs, which it never did with us. Have you ever hit – any of the members ever hit any of the other members no yelling or hitting don't yell or hit so no we didn't hit too bad

that would have made a great story it's not that we didn't think about it we could have broken some news did you ever like get in each other's face

and say I want to hit you yes okay yes that happened okay good a couple to me and from me

but it never deteriorated any further. Adam, you wanted to say something? Well, I was just going to say before we forget the stupid thing I actually said to Mike back then, which was, with all of this as backstory, I had sold all my Zeppelin CDs and everything because it wasn't what was happening right now. Did you keep your Grateful Dead CDs? I probably kept Working Man's Den at American Beauty. Okay. Do you regret selling those Zeppelin CDs? Yeah, because I had to buy them American Beauty. Okay. Do you regret selling those

Zeppelin CDs? Yeah, because I had to buy them all back. That's the thing. Because they're incredible. Yes, they are. So at the time, I remember us hearing John Paul Jones was on the new record and my group of friends being like, wait a second, John Paul Jones? That doesn't make sense. Like, why?

What? And so what I asked you was, hey man, john paul jones like as if we're friends and you're gonna be like yeah yeah lame classic like this guy that we invited to do incredible string arrangements on our record of course he sucks yeah random dude so you said you were like oh he's great i like, okay. And then quickly had to come up with something else. Asked what the new record was like. And after creating one of the great records of all time, this is how you described Automatic for the People,

which was being more modest than modest, you said, oh, you know, lots of keyboards and guitars, more of the same. More of the same. Well, I put a lot of thought into that answer, clearly, and I just didn't want to raise expectations too high. Good Lord. And then it was like the Abbey Road of our time. Did you think it was kind of more of the same?

Were you surprised that it struck such a resonant chord with people? Oh, very surprised. I mean, it was very much a departure. Green kind of bled into it a little bit. But the fact that it was so acoustic and so generally slow and so much about death and dying and mortality that we didn't – nobody saw that coming. Even Michael didn't see that coming. It just morphed into that sort of, you know, reflective, moody kind of record.

Yeah. Morph, by the way, is a technology, for those of you listening who don't know what it is, where it's a computer graphic technology that James Cameron pioneered with Terminator 2, Rise of the Machines. Was it Rise of the Machines? I believe that Michael Jackson's Black or White was the first. Black or White was the first.

Yeah. Let's not talk about that guy. Maybe. Canceled. Maybe not. So the other thing I wanted to ask you based on this, and I know we're jumping around a bit and we'll go backwards a little bit. I've heard your podcast. I expect nothing less.

Hey, I didn't come here to be nicked. You playing the game on me? If you look up tangential in the dictionary, there's a picture of you two guys. Yes. Yes. I'm in the dictionary. Yes. But when you give him an answer like that, are you just tired of talking about music? I was thinking the other day when I was writing about and talking about music is so tough because especially like when I go on a site like Stereogum or Pitchfork or something. Stereogum, by the way, has been on fire lately, I got to say. Really? They do this column.

They are taking every number one record from the beginning of the Billboard charts to the end of them and writing a long article about everyone and then rating it. I have to read this. Today is about Stevie Wonder's Superstition. Amazing. Singles or LP? Singles. Singles. So they're doing all the singles and this guy is just like incredible.

He does all the research about how it was put together. Who is it that's writing this? I don't know who it is. I don't care about writers or stuff like that. Who cares? It's the product. No, but when I read Stereogum, I think the hardest thing must be writing about music without someone being able to hear the music. You know what I mean?

Yes, that's why people use references. That's why you're always compared to this or that and the other because there's really no other way to have any frame of reference about what music sounds like without comparing it to something you already know. And you know, I think that's what continually blew my mind about you guys through the years is that over and over again, I would listen to whatever the new record was and say, I've never heard this before. What is this? This is new music. I've never heard bass and guitar and drums together. And what is these weird vocal noises someone seems to be making?

I listen to acapella records. I listen to bass solos, drum solos, and guitar solos. But together? Together. But, and again, with Up, again, it was like, this is brand new. Like, what the hell is this? So trying to describe REM in words is a difficult thing. It's interesting.

It is like Martin Muller, Frank Zappa, one of them said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Yeah. Has been attributed to many people I first heard it as Elvis Costello and then was surprised that he didn't write it. I think Zappa. Yeah, exactly. But when you tell this punk kid over here,

it's just more of the same. Is it just like you being like, I don't want to talk about the differences of what this record, it's about dying, it's about, God, let me get him off my back. No, I'm guessing it was just more like we were getting pummeled by a fire hose and I didn't have time to get in depth

about the nuance of Automatic for the People. But also it seemed just very modest as well that you guys weren't going to go and tell one of your fans that it's the greatest record of – like what are you supposed to say? Well, we weren't aware of that at the time. Yeah. I mean that came later. So I didn't have that bullet in my gun to watch. Yeah. Was it – you say that you were a little like i don't think people not that people weren't gonna like it but have you ever been in

that situation where you're like oh this one's a stinker well not a we knew it was good but you know it's it it was kind of a downer record i mean i i really thought that people would would you know that we'd go back to our sort of original fan base with that one and all the people we'd picked up over the years would be, oh man, I don't want to think about mortality and death and sadness and all that crap. I want joy, I want happiness. And well, too bad.

You have to go to another band for that. It was a really bold first single too. Drive, yeah. Yeah. That being the first thing that... Adam's style, by the way, you'll notice, is what we call compli-questions, which they're not a question. They're a compliment. And then you have to decide what to say after he says this.

It's really awkward for you. No, as long as you include a compliment, I'll answer any question. Oh, great. That's good. Mike, you look incredible thank you today um yeah so let's go backwards a little bit to the uh pre this uh incredible meeting between two wonderful people uh back in 1992 um and let's go backwards uh to first of all a lot of times uh when we're talking about the band um we've divided the what we call the three stages of the band to us okay and and for us it's because uh it's based on the records right so it's based

we we talk about the irs years we talk about the warner brothers years uh with bill and then we talk about the warner brothers years without bill do you divvy up the band in any certain, like time periods of the band in any certain way in your mind? I mean, when it comes up, yes. Because those are pretty good delineations. You know, when Bill left, that's why Up is so weird because we didn't have a drummer. And we had been planning to make a kind of machine-oriented record anyway. That was already in the works. And then when he quit, we had no choice. But yeah, I'd say, you know, breaking it up between, you know, Warner Brothers and IRS and then pre

Buckberry and post Buckberry, it's pretty solid. Do you ever think about any other delineations like, oh, this is when we were touring a lot and this is when we're not, or this is before we were signed or anything like that? No, I mean, there's no, that's all a blur. Yeah. A lot of it is that, but I mean, I kind of separate the last two records in a way because, um, when we made around the sun, it was, uh, it was a tough process because what we learned is that when you start to make a record, you finish it before you do anything else. And we tried to write a couple of songs for Greatest Hits and then go out and tour on that Greatest Hits and then try to come back and finish the record. And that just doesn't work.

You lose your focus. The songs on that record are great. But I think in just terms of our ability to stay focused on it, we lost that when we toured. So I always see the next two as kind of a little small set of their own because it was us saying, okay, we got to focus. We got to make two great records and see where that puts us. Yeah. And I think for a lot of us too, those last two records are, here's the compliment. Here it comes. Those last two records are incredibly strong, and it sounded like the beginning of something. I have to say that when Collapsing the Now came out,

I immediately picked up. Adam's very proud of this. I really am. I immediately picked up that you guys were saying this is our last record. You're one of the few. I know. He was on an REM website. What was the website? Murmurs. He was on an R.E.M. website. What was the website?

Murmurs. He was on Murmurs, and he was on the message board. And he wrote that, that, hey, guys, I think the band is telling us they're breaking up. And everyone pummeled him and was like, shut up. They did. You're wrong. You're wrong. Because all the best couldn't be clearer.

It really couldn't. And all the best is probably the clearest indication on there. The cover, it's the only time our faces were on the, all three faces were on the cover of a record.

Yeah. That had never been done. Was there, I guess, what are the times that just one of your eponymous? Well, there's half

of Bill's face is on Life's Rich Pageant. Right. Michael is, there are three images of blurry Michael on the cover of Around the Sun. And let's not talk about that one record where you put that really scary.

Oh, then there's the live record from Dublin with the weird Michael face. Oh, yeah. Oh, and he's on the cover of Document, isn't he? Putting something. Yes, I guess he is, yeah. It's super obscure. You're right. Obscure is our middle name.

But that scary record where you put that scary face on it. Oh, yeah. It's super obscure. You're right. Obscure is our middle name. But that scary record where you put that scary face on it. Oh, yeah. We can't save the title of it because it frightens us way too much. It's too scary. But the orange record that you put out in 1995, I believe. Oh, with the Tilly Bear? Yeah. Please don't even mention it.

It's too scary. It's too frightening. Why is the bear so scary? Well, it's the title of the record and the bear and everything combined is just very frightening to us. It's just so frightening. And we don't like to talk about it. Okay, well, we won't talk about that one. Even though it's being reissued this year.

It is. Oh, God, oh, God. It's coming for you. Watch this. Monster. Please don't reissue it in October because that's the scariest month. Scariest month of all. Right.

Let's go backwards then to pre-getting signed, I guess. And let's just remind everyone how you started. When was the first time you heard of REM? The first time anyone ever heard of REM as that was the night sitting around the living room at the church. And, I mean, the story is true. We were literally opening a dictionary. Michael was poking his finger at something and saying, how about this? How about that?

How about this? And so, like, the fourth or fifth thing he said was REM. And we said, what does that mean? And he told us, and we said, okay, we'll take that. And our pictures weren't in the dictionary yet. No. Under tangential. You were not yet

fully uh become what you were not formed so wait that was the actual night in the church that you played the gig or that was before no that was after it was actually after the game we didn't have a name uh when we did the first show the first show you had it was just like hey these guys are gonna play something well you know basically we're like just a band. Peter wanted to call us Twisted Kites, and nobody else really wanted that, especially me. Do you think about what would have— Cams of Piss, one of the other ones? Well, we had a party where—because this decrepit old deconsecrated church, basically this guy had built a plywood house inside the church. And so these just cheap old plywood walls, we had a party, and all of our friends came over to—we gave them all chalk and said, write your ideas for names on the church. And so these just cheap old plywood walls, we had a party and all of our friends came over to,

we gave them all chalk and said, write your ideas for names on the walls. And Cans of Piss was one of those. Slugbank was one of them. And, you know, there was completely nothing useful. I like Cans of Piss. I do too. If we were a punk band, it would have been great.

Do you think about what life would be like if you had named yourself, not even Cans of Piss, because who knows, but Twisty Kites. That's, it's a fine name. It maybe says something like a little different than what you guys ended up being. Well, the point of REM for us was that it doesn't say anything. I mean, you hear REM and you don't know what that band is going to sound like. For example, the Circle Jerks. Well, I love the Circle Jerks, but you kind of know what you're going to get.

And the point of REM was that you just had no idea. Right. You're talking about the band right now. Circle Jerks. Yes. Okay. That's not what we're going to do in 20 minutes. 20?

How about now? I was hoping we'd put our headphones down immediately. I thought we had an agreement here. Is a story like that about the first gig and the church, that's something that you guys are asked about all the time that you've told that's been kind of trod upon so much over the years. Was that night that the show happened in the church, is that something that was as romantic and cool as it sounds or has too much been made of it do you feel the answer is probably yes to both questions um it was it was a super fun night um because because of the innocence i mean there was no scene per se nobody knew anything about anything except that we were there to have a lot of fun and And that's what everyone did. And there was obviously, you know, right away, there was clearly some sort of chemistry between

the four of us. And, you know, when Bill and I brought in our songs from Macon, Georgia, from the stuff we'd done before and gave it to Peter and Michael to play, it was obvious right away that they brought something to it that was really special. And so, yeah, that night was amazing. And people were going insane. People were dancing like idiots. And we were playing a lot of great covers. And everybody was completely fucked yeah, that night was amazing. And people were going insane and people were dancing like idiots and we were playing a lot of great covers and everybody was completely fucked up and it was

wonderful. So fun. And was there anything, did you guys all sort of land upon your roles in the band? Like, Hey, you know, did you say, I'm going to, I'm going to sing, I'm going to sing backups or, you know, did everyone just sort of – or, I mean, a lot of you guys switch instruments a lot, too. We did later. Well, no, this was kind of obvious because Bill and I had been in bands in Macon. I was a bass player.

I could play, you know, everything else, but I was a bass player, and Bill was a drummer and a percussionist and, you know, guitar player and songwriter as well, all those things that Bill does. But, yeah, that sort of initial slot fitting was right there. And then everything, a lot of things, we morphed again, as it were. Thank you. Black and white, Michael Jackson.

Back to him. I think of the John Lennon and Yoko thing from that video. Do you remember when they had their two faces on either end of the circle? Oh, that's right. They became the same. Yeah, that's the pre-morph morph. Yes. We can reference them instead of Michael Jackson.

No, thank you. Okay. Let's keep thanking Michael Jackson. I found that when I was trying to be in bands when I was young, a bass player is very hard to come by. Was it sort of currency for you? No one owned a bass everyone wanted to be a guitarist, you know what I mean? Right, right. I guess

I never had any trouble finding people to play music with but I was always drawn to the vibration. That was the thing that did it for me was making people's asses vibrate so for me it was easy but Just like Michael Jackson Jesus Christ

I'm leaning towards Johnny Yoko here Just like Johnny Yoko So for me, it was easy, but just like Michael Jackson. Jesus Christ. I'm leaning towards Johnny Yoko here. Just like Johnny Yoko. Just like Johnny Yoko. And did you hear Ryan laugh to that one? No. Now he's shaking his head saying no. Cut.

Edit. So an incredible beginning. You guys were a party band sort of as, as it was known in Athens. Uh, you know, you were very, very entertaining and people would say that you were, you were like, uh, the best at, at, at playing gigs and playing parties back then when people just like have fun and have a good time. Athens was all about that because there were, uh, there were no clubs that would play live music unless it was, you know, Southern rock or old folky rock or whatever, you know,

that had been around forever and ever. So, you know, the B-52s who were a little preceded us by a bit, they were just playing parties, house parties, and that was all there was to do. And then when we started playing in various places, the, this guy, Mike Hobbs who ran a place called Tyrones realized that, that, you know, he could get a hundred, 150 150 people to come in there and maybe some of them would drink a Budweiser and he'd make a little bit of money. And that was really sort of our jumping off point was Tyrone's OC in Athens, Georgia because there were a lot of people – because there was nothing to do. There was nothing to do in Athens, Georgia except go to parties. And then there was this club you could go to.

So that was what everyone did. And kind of right off the bat, you guys were packing the house, right? Yeah, it happened pretty quickly. As I said, there was nothing to do. So here's a band of people playing accessible music with a bunch of covers that people recognized. And even the things that weren't covers sounded vaguely familiar. And Athenians loved to dance. They really loved to dance.

So it was always a big dance party I miss that in shows now you know what I mean like getting up and dancing around like a jerk

we went to the Beck show like six months ago danced the whole time why didn't you why didn't you invite me just the two of you no I went with just people

I'm closer with than Scott hey no sorry there's no one I'm closer with than Scott. Hey! No, sorry. There's no one I'm closer with. Oh, thank you. I know that's true.

No, I went with Naomi and you should have come. Yeah, you never invited me. Jesus. So those early years, when you get there and finally you're going to make a record, you go to IRS, you get a deal. How do you decide what you want to do? Did Mitch Easter have a lot to do with sort of helping you out to figure out even what songs you were going to pick? Or did you guys go in knowing, like, we're going to do this, this, and this. We're going to do these five songs, and it's going to be an EP. We knew the songs we wanted.

We probably didn't have more than five songs at that point. I don't know how many others we could have put on there. But between the four of us, we had a lot of ideas. We always had a lot of input from each other. But the idea is to pick a producer that you trust and that you want his input and you want his suggestions. And Mitch was very useful in that way. And we really enjoyed working with him. You know, his little studio was in his garage.

It was called the drive-in studio because it was in his garage. Wow. Yeah. Did anyone ever like – I don't know if he was married, but did his wife ever just like suddenly drive into the garage and like forget that you were all there? He lived with his parents at the time. Oh, okay. So he was not married. And his parents were totally cool and stayed out of the way.

The dog would wander in and bark. So it was his parents' garage? Technically, yes. I guess it was his parents' garage. Wow. Crazy. Yeah. And the dog, did the dog ever get on record?

I think he might have made a noise or two, but I don't know that it's still there. There are crickets on there from when Michael sang Outside once on a song. I think you can, if you have headphones, you can hear the crickets, but I can't remember which song it is. Now, I know it was a gradual thing for you guys, but you were pretty popular in Athens right away. When was the point, was it around Chronic Town or after Murmur and got some attention, around Chronic Town or after Murmur and got some attention when you guys really kind of looked at each other and were like, okay, this is like a thing we can do. This is a career, not a – There was one day Peter and I were walking down the street together, and I can't remember what triggered it, but we looked at each other and said, you know, we might can make a living at this. Of course, now making a living in that – I mean Bill and I split a three-room part of a house for $120 a month.

And so— What year is this? Is this 70? This is 79, 80, 81. So standards were— Standards were low. The bar was low. And speaking of bars, that's—you know, if we had girlfriends that worked in bars, they would slip us slices of pizza and beers.

And so we could eat on the cheap. They would slip us slices of pizza and beers, and so we could eat on the cheap. But, yeah, we were playing enough around the South and getting popular enough to where Peter and I realized that we could at least take a shot at making a career out of that. Wow. And did you ever make more money than just to pay for pizza and beer? Not really. I don't remember having any more money than that. Pizza and beer just got more and more expensive over the years.

What if everything that you just started buying the world's most gigantic pizzas with all your money, you're like, this is what we spend money on. You guys got pretty much more popular with each record, you know, in those early IRS years. I mean, every year, and you guys were touring every single record and putting out a record every year, which is a grueling kind of schedule in a way, but it's also fun when you're that young and you have nothing to do. Yeah, that's the key word is young. I mean, we played live because that's why we were a band. Making records was really the first few things we did was just to get people to tell them we were in a band and here's what we sound like so we could get more shows. But we toured constantly, youred constantly just because that's what we love to do, and that's why we were extant was just to do that. When you guys stopped touring, was it because it – does it just wear on you after a while or is it because you're getting older or –

Any answer you can think of probably applies. I mean we toured constantly, you know, at least once or twice every year up until after 89. And then 89 was a record. I mean, it was, it was, I've looked back at how many shows we did and it was, it was just massive. It was solid for like 14 months or something, wasn't it? It was, it was at least, it was about 11 or 12 with a little couple of breaks in the middle of it, but it was, and then, uh you know i've told this story before we went we played singapore in 89 and we went back in 95 and we walked i walked into the dressing room and

there was this mountain of alcohol and there was there were just cases of beer and cases of wine and two bottles of vodka and two bottles of kvassier and all this stuff i'm like what the hell is all this liquor doing in here and then i I remember they had the 89 rider. It wasn't the 95 rider. It was the 89 rider. And I said, this is why we stopped touring after 89. Because it was just, I mean, it was great. We were young and we can handle it. We had a great time.

And, you know, it in no way diminished the shows at all. But, you know. But it's, yeah. Five, six years down the road. Keeping that up is very tough. You can't do it. I remember seeing you guys right at the beginning of the Green Tour in Oakland and then right at the end in Mountain View at the Shoreline place. And the one at the end was a different show.

It was a really great kind of more explosive show. But you could tell because Michael's hair was then completely like a, a Mohawk with a ponytail. Like it looked like you guys had been around. That's 89. 89. Yeah. Yeah.

That was, that was a long one. It was, but you know, you gotta, you gotta strike while the iron's hot as, as the cliche goes. And,

and we were loving it. I mean, we had a great time, but you know, we got to basically did America three times. You play the primary, then the secondary, then the tertiary markets. And,, we had a great time. But, you know, we got to – basically, we did America three times. You play the primary, then the secondary, then the tertiary markets. And we got to Shreveport. This was at the tail end of everything, and we were just wiped out.

I mean, you know, the shows are still great, and we had a great time. So we got to Shreveport, and the mayor's daughter was a big fan. So she came to the show, and we met her before the show. Hey, thank you. She goes, look, she said, we don't really – we don't have a key to the city here in Shreveport, or I'd give you one, but we do have a key chain. And it's giant, like the key to the city? No, no, it's just a regular, it's just got a little medallion on it. It's a Shreveport, Louisiana. So I have a key chain to the city of Shreveport. Amazing thing to have. What is more grueling though, doing the pre-show

meetings with people or doing the show itself? Oh, well, the meetings are harder because you want to do them less. But, yeah. You got into the business. You got into the local radio guys and stuff. Is that usually what it was? For a long time, yes, you would do because the radio station would be the co-promoter. And you relied on them to not only play your records but to promote the show and let people know that you were coming.

And, you know, I didn't mind. I mean, as a kid, I loved DJs. I mean, in Macon, Georgia, this is how little there was to do in Macon, Georgia. It's just like American Graffiti. You know where the little brick building where Wolfman Jack is doing his thing? Well, we had one of those in Macon, Georgia, WNEX, and the DJ was Cary Sandifer. And the kids would go, if you were old enough to have a car, you'd pull up next to that, and we'd sit there and listen to the radio station in our cars from 10 feet away from the radio station. And he'd leave the door open, and we'd wander in and watch him do his thing.

And I just remember being really impressed that he spoke like this, Cary Sandifer, WNEX. And I was like, oh, radio voice. I love it. When I was young, radio, or DJs, radio DJs sounded like the coolest guys in the world. And they all had voice. And they were all like, I was like, man, to be that confident and cool. And you imagine them wearing a like a leather jacket. And just, you know, he was wearing a leather jacket and he was confident and cool.

And we all wanted to be him. And it was just amazing. Carrie Sandifer, if you're out there, we remember you. So guys coming backstage before the show, you were it was cool because you like those guys and it's just amazing. Carrie Sandifer, if you're out there, we remember you. So guys coming backstage before the show, it was cool because you liked those guys and it's a part of your childhood. In a way, yeah. But the thing is, by that point,

some DJs, DJs got a little entitled. Because there became so much corruption and so much the bribery got so pervasive. And they felt they had all this power. And you guys benefited from that, from all the payola and became a huge band, right? Well, you know, I mean, we were told at one point, no names here, but I was told after a show that the record company thought we could make this single a hit, but it was going

to take 10 grand from the band to do it. No. And I'm sitting there, and I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I'm saying it anyway. And the other guys were gone. And so here I've got this decision to make. It's like, oh, my God, this is the future of the band is in my hands. If I say yes, we become part of this corrupt procedure. System, yeah.

And if I say no, we might not ever have it hit single. I said, well, that's a pretty easy answer. I said no. And it became, you know, a quasi-hit, and it didn't seem to slow us down a lot. It was only $2,500 apiece, though, when you think about that. It's like at the time, it's like a used car, basically. Yeah, yeah, that's true. But, you know, what price your soul?

Yeah. You know, there's one thing at the second the second time I saw the green world tour, I, after the show, you're just bragging about shows you've seen. I saw it twice. I've seen tour film like eight times. Right.

Not a big deal. I went around to the back of the shoreline because we wanted to see you guys walk out to your, to the, to the bus and like take off and stuff. Because nothing is more thrilling than watching the band get on the bus. Watching some guys in their late 20s get onto a bus. But the guy at the door was like, what are you guys waiting for?

And we were like, oh, we just want to see the REM guys come out. And he's like, dude, they're in the bus and down the road by the time the the lights come up is that true uh so was he just trying to get rid of adam uh i i it could have been either one um sometimes we did runners uh depending on the type of venue and how hard it would be to get out so there's a name for it it's called a runner a runner yeah you literally we as soon as the as soon as you finish the last song you're off stage into the van they wait a hard it would be to get out. So there's a name for it. It's a runner. A runner. Yeah. You literally, as soon as the, as soon as you finish the last song,

you're off stage into the van. They wait a few minutes to turn the music on and the lights up so that nobody, so that you could get, yeah. I mean, it's, it's not, it's not a,

it's not an elitism thing. It's literally, you can't get out. Oh yeah, of course. I always heard that about Tony Bennett. Like when he plays the Hollywood bowl, he goes hard.

It's ever. This go. He, he, he ends it. He walks immediately off stage. he goes Hard in San Francisco that was close he ends it he walks immediately off stage and right into a limo and is gone

yes and I just thought that was show business that is probably true yeah that's what I wanted to do I didn't love him because I liked

hanging out after and talking to people decompressing yes yes I'd rather decompress backstage than in a van with six other sweaty guys but sometimes.

Who is the person that showed up backstage over the years of being in REM that just completely blew you away? You couldn't believe they were there. Is there anyone that comes to mind? Oh, man. Oh, wow. I wish you'd prep me with that. I could have probably come up with a answer. Tell you what.

We'll give you 20 seconds. 20 seconds? All right, Adam, let's you and I give you 20 seconds 20 seconds alright Adam let's let's you and I talk for 20 seconds talk amongst yourselves let me think hey man

one two you're just gonna count sorry sorry sorry I just I don't know how to tell time unless I count oh okay go ahead

oh I know oh okay that wasn't even 20 it was before the show Weird Al came back hey awesome it was after the show

and it was Weird Al and I was shooting tequila at the time and after about can we call Al let Weird Al, and I was shooting tequila at the time. And after about— Can we call Al? Let's call Al and get him on the phone. Well, after five minutes, he excused himself, said he had something to do. That sounds like Al.

I may be the only guy that's ever driven Weird Al away. I feel bad about that. That's hilarious. That was before a show. I think it was after. I didn't shoot tequila before shows. Was it pre-spam or post-spam? Pre-spam.

Pre-spam. Spam, of course, was Al's parody of your song Stand. You know, he played at least one, if not two, of your songs on his last tour that he just did last year, I believe. I saw that tour at the Cherry Festival in Northport. Now you sound like him. I aspire to be him. So what can I tell you? Yeah, so,

no, I saw Weird Al's show and he's got, you know, he had Michael on the video a couple of times and I know he did a little medley of spam

and something else. All right, yeah. He did a tour last year. Now I'm just talking about Weird Al Yankovic. But he did a tour that was his deep cuts, not his big popular songs. Oh, that's cool. And every night he did a different cover song based on whatever city he was in.

Oh, wow. And so I think when he was in Georgia, he did an R.E.M. song. Oh, that's very cool. And, yeah, it was an unironic, not a parody, just like he would do. Really? Yeah. Like a straight version? Yeah, just a straight version.

And he did, I think he did, because he had 76 shows or something like that. So he did a different song in each city. And then he strung them all together for me and sent them to me. I wonder what REM song he did, like a straight cover of. Yeah, I can look it up if you give me a fucking minute.

Yeah, look it up right now, please. 20 seconds. Right now. 20 seconds. Speaking of giving everyone a minute, we need to give everyone a minute to take a break, if that's okay. You can stick around. I'll stick around.

All right, great. We are going to come right back. This is Are You Talking R.E.M. Remy. We'll be right back with more Mike Miller. Welcome back. Adam's air guitaring, so you know it's a jam. In front of Mike Mills. Air guitaring near wild heaven in a room with Mike Mills. In a room.

As one does. That's insane. That is, of course, your voice singing what I call lead vocals. Close enough, yes. Let's talk about that. Was there ever a time when you guys thought, like,

maybe you would be the lead singer? That only happened when Michael either couldn't come up with anything or didn't like the song, maybe you would be the lead singer. That only happened when Michael either couldn't come up with anything or didn't like the song, but we all liked it enough to finish it. Tex Arcana was that way. Michael gave it a start and

just hit a wall and couldn't finish it. And I had some ideas, and so I threw it on there. Superman was a cover we did that Peter and I really loved, so I sang that one. Near Wild Heaven, I don't know why I sang. Listening to the demos of the reissue, isn't there one song that he does kind of attempt and do some versions of, and then you end up singing?

The demos of Tex Arcana are on the reissue, so you got to hear Michael's version of it, which was amazing to hear that after so long. But he just kind of disengaged at a certain point? You stepped in and said, oh. It happened, yeah. Not a lot, but sure. And people would say, why don't you sing more? I said, well, because

I'm one of the best singers in the history of rock and roll in the band, why do I need to say, you know, can you move over so I can do this a little more? What about doing one side for Michael, one side for you? Oh, no. The old Scorsese, one for you, one for for you oh no the old scorsese one for you one for me um the people the people would not not go for no they would not uh let's uh move then into the i just had a quick question about like speaking of uh like the demos and stuff are there any like

because on um automatic there was that one song, Devil Rides Backwards, that was really cool to hear. Are there any others that were kind of unfinished gems that you wished you guys had? Or finished gems. There are tons of them. Some of them you've heard if you listen to the demo things. Some things just never made the light of day.

Are you going to put these things out? What's on the horizon for the reissue campaigns? So Monster's coming out this year. Monster, the reissue of Monster is coming out. There will be, I think they're probably going to be, I don't know what's on the alternative disc at this point. Maybe some demos, although we kind of milked the demo cow already. And, you know, the great thing was Automatic had so many really cool demos lying around.

I don't know what we've got sitting around for Monster. But, yeah, I mean, I love letting people sort of see into the process of how things go and how they start out and how different that is from how they finish. disciplined about it while you were a band and didn't really let us peek behind the curtain that much, which is, I think, really great for a band because a little too much of that kind of pulls the mystery away a little bit. You guys were really good about that. So now it's time to peek behind that curtain. It's really fun to be able to do. Now it's time to tear down the curtain, like give us those demos.

Just like the Wizard of Oz. Yes. Yeah. Exactly. Cool guy. We can all agree on that. Oh, yeah. Great guy.

Right? One of the best. I don't know how it works. Yeah. One of the greats. We love him. Wonderful person. Whose job is it to go through all that old stuff?

Is it anyone in the band or do you have sort of a curator? No, it's primarily Kevin O'Neill, just a great human being who works in our office, and he does the bulk of the work on that stuff. He can't get enough of R.E.M. He just listens to every tape out there? He will do what we ask him to do. That sounds ominous. He's superhuman. Well, in that aspect. He's superhuman, and he does like his job, I guess.

And, you know, I mean, it's fun stuff. I mean, if you're any sort of fan at all, you get to hear things that nobody else has heard, and you get to hear them before a lot of other people, which I guess is kind of fun. And does he have the taste? Is he the one making the choices of saying, this is worthwhile, this is not worthwhile? He does that. He will rate it and say, you know, he gives us the ones that he thinks. And he does it with Burtis Downs, our manager.

They sort of go through it together. Shout out to Burtis Downs, our manager, that they sort of go through it together. Shout out to Burtis Downs. Shout out to BDD. Sent us a nice letter. Yeah, he sends us stuff. It's really cool. Nice guy. Oh, good, good.

Yeah, he's a great guy, and we were very lucky to have thrown in with him early on. Yeah. So let's go to the, oh boy, let's, sorry, I'm stifling these coughs. Let's go to the mid period uh you sign with warner brothers and uh this is a huge huge deal you guys are like i mean you're sort of immense rock stars at this point although you you've only had one number one hit at the time uh the one i love is that right oh no it wasn't anywhere near number one i don't know top 10 i don't know that we ever had a number was it two number two no not the one I love? Is that right? Oh, no. It wasn't anywhere near number one. I don't know. It was a top ten hit. I don't know that we ever had a number one single. Or was it two? Number two? No, not the one I love. Maybe ten.

It might have gone to ten. Top ten. Okay, it was top ten. Does that sound right? You're the... It was like seven, eight. Really? Something like that, yeah. It was a top ten single, but it wasn't Crowded House, Don't Dream It's Over and Prince's Kiss

around the same time listen to that top 10 songs Prince Crowded House R.E.M. eventually the stereo gum is gonna get to

Prince's Kiss yeah that was number one that was number one and Crowded House only got to number two because of Prince's Kiss wow

anyway I know things yeah so but you guys signed with Warner Brothers. Your previous record, you had a top ten hit, seven or eight maybe. And now you guys are sort of big rock stars. I mean, certainly it was a huge monetary deal, but now you have to deliver, right?

You have to, like, follow up with, you know, a huge album, and you come out with Green, which delivers. Yeah, the pressure was there, but it was nothing more than the pressure we always put on ourselves to make the best record we could. I mean, that was there from day one. We were very much about the songs themselves as much as anything else. You have to have good songs. And one of the things that made it work for us was that since we, unlike a lot of other people, wrote the music first, we had to have music that was interesting and entertaining to myself and Peter and Bill. So we wouldn't give Michael, you know, generic music for him to put words over. So we had to

have the songs were already good and interesting on their own before Michael ever got a hold of them. So I think that really helped us a lot. As far as going into Green, it was – at that point, we'd made good records. We were on a roll. We felt like we were doing good work. So no pressure for you. It was just like, let's do it. No, more than usual.

More than usual. I mean, we weren't – it's not like we got this massive chunk of money. The deal itself was a step up, but it wasn't like all of a sudden I had six Rolls Royces. You had five. Seven. So why would you write the music first and then? Just because that's how it worked. I mean, Peter and I and Bill, too, to a slightly lesser degree, but we'd sit around and play guitars all the time.

I mean, that was just what we did. And you're constantly creating songs. And then we'd go into rehearsal and work these songs out. And there was no real reason for Michael to sit there since he didn't play an instrument. There was no reason for him to sit there while we hammered out all this detail and structure and all that stuff for the songs. And he trusted us, and he knew we would give him good stuff. So it was really kind of a two-part process and it it worked for us and with green you really you really hear the kind of more the quieter more acoustic stuff really kind of bubbling up that really kind of

takes over out of time was three mandolin songs is that right yeah yeah you are the everything and hair shirt wrong child and wrong child that's right um yeah well peter was at that point you know peter was looking to to expand his palette i think he was getting a little tired of electric guitar uh here's a guy who he he he didn't really play very much earlier than when you guys were in a band right he taught himself how to play he taught himself how to play and and from early on yeah like five years later he's one of the best and he's tired of it he's not tired of it he. He's just – you just want to – you want to try new things. You want to see if you can take whatever talent you have and apply it to a different instrument or to a different type of song and just keep it interesting.

Yeah, so that stuff is coming up on green. At one point, it was planned on being like half acoustic or something. Like one side acoustic, one side electric. Is that true or is that lore that is not true? I don't remember that. Okay. That doesn't mean it isn't true. Okay.

That's a good answer for almost everything we're going to ask you. Yeah. It's sort of bullshit, sort of not. I can neither confirm nor deny that. That's my favorite. And then it kind of turned into this. I find green to be sort of underrated in a weird way, which is weird to say because it's a very popular album. But when – there's so much kind of discussion of automatic and murmur and out of time.

And Green is this really interesting record. It's also interesting where it fell in the band's career. It made you, I mean, you started doing stadiums from it. So it's super popular. Arenas. Arenas, sorry. We never really did. Oh, you never did stadiums, sorry.

Only as part of a festival, as a rule. We just, we didn't want to do stadiums. Like Glastonbury or something? Yeah, yeah. Any sort of big festival, but we didn't want to play stadiums. Like Glastonbury or something? Yeah, yeah. Any sort of big festival, but we didn't want to play stadiums. Yeah, so Green is almost like a bridge record. Yeah. Between the IRS stuff and then the later, I mean, you can tell from Green they were kind of shifting a little bit.

Yeah. From, as you say, from all the electric guitar stuff, primarily electric guitar all the way through Document. And then Peter's starting to experiment with, with, with, you know, mandolin and, and just different, uh, stringed instruments. And then that, then that leads into the, the, you know, complete anything goes of, of out of time and, and, and the acousticness of automatic. Yeah. Even the electric songs on green, like pop song and get up have this, this feel to them that's unlike anything else in the whole catalog. They're this bouncy pop with, up till that point,

kind of new guitar sounds for you guys. This is what I mean about it's hard, especially for Adam, but for anyone to talk about music. Yeah, it's because you end up sounding stupid. No, you're right. There is an odd sort of optimism and bouncy pop. That's not a bad descriptor for what's going on,

even the guitar rock songs on up. I mean, on green, it is sort of, it's a happy kind of record, unless you listen to the lyrics. Yeah, that's true. That's up to you. Yeah, for sure. And then you go to Out of Time, which, as you put it, is sort of anything goes, a lot of different styles, not like incredibly consistent in sound in a way.

You know, you have the one kind of mandolin, the big hit, Losing My Religion with a mandolin and rock, and then you're doing stuff without drums, and then you're doing like super happy, super poppy, shiny, happy people type stuff. Was that a conscious choice, or did you look back at the songs you had at the end of it and said, okay, this is an album? How did you decide that was a record? You know, you just, you try to pick, you record as many songs as you think are good, and then you try to take the best ones and finish those. And hopefully that makes a record. And you, you know, you usually finish one or two that don't make it on there. There were a couple

that I think were for out of time that didn't make it. Fretless? Fretless is one that's really cool that it didn't, it didn't see anything until we put it in the Vim Vendors movie. And then there's another really good one that I kind of wish we'd put on there. And actually, I think we all kind of wish we'd put it on there but it it didn't it didn't get heard until it got in the conehead soundtrack yes one of the best it's a free world baby yeah when i listen to that i go what a great song it's awesome it's a great song now we're getting to where i like to talk about which is re-sequencing records so like this is a passion of mine like what should go on the record what

shouldn't and in what order in what order we talk about this extensively on the show so this is a passion of mine. What should go on the record? What shouldn't? And in what order? In what order? We talk about this extensively on the show. So now we're in our wheelhouse right here. It's interesting because there's so many iconic records. And when they were out, it's when people were listening to records. In order. And listening to them unfold.

So I can't even imagine Document or Green or any of these albums being in some different order. But I'm sure at some point, Begin the Begin didn't open Life's Rich Pageant when you guys were putting it all together. Well, maybe not, but sometimes it's just obvious what needs to happen. I mean, there is a whole lot of making a cassette at the time, later obviously CDs, and going sitting out in the car. You go out in the car and you run it and you try not to think about it. You just put it in and you just sort of sit back and drift and listen to the order. And if something leaps out and takes you out of the moment, that's how you really sort of know. If everything flows and you don't really notice anything special, then you feel like you've done a good job. But if something leaps out and then you go,

oh, that's jarring. Yeah. So sequencing is hard. Could that sometimes take you guys weeks of just pouring over it and figuring it out? It did later sometimes, but no, not weeks. I mean, usually just, we didn't have weeks by that time, you know, you've got to, your mixing is very, very difficult and that takes a long time. So by the time you you're finished mixing, you're pretty much up against it and you've got a day or two to sequence the thing. But usually, you know, you can look at it and you write, you see the songs all together and you say, okay, this sounds like a good sequence. It looks good on paper. And then we go listen and maybe you make some adjustments. But it's a lot of times it's pretty clear what song, you begin to begin.

That's a. Yeah. It says begin. It says begin in it. You're going to put that at the end it's pretty obvious do you remember any of the different sequences of that that almost made it of any of the records you know i would for you i would like to remember damn but i'll give you 20 seconds no because because by you know they were only considered for a little while for a brief moment and then now these things are written in stone for 20 years. So it's hard to imagine it.

Well, it's hard to imagine, yeah, like stuff that like when I'm putting out shows or whatever, sitting there making editing choices that are so important to you at the time

and then like you watch it now and go, did we have another scene? Did we care if this was... Did I give a shit if this was good? Yeah. That's where I'm at

in my career. We have resequenced a couple REM records and have gone through, I don't know if you've ever heard that, but gone through song by song each of our versions of some REM records that we felt needed to be re-sequenced a little bit. You're being very kind.

But it's so fun and you drive around re-listening to the album yeah I would do that I would blast it I wouldn't drive around because I was in my house although you know

I guess I could drive a house but really yeah but just blasting it and going like does this segway work yeah like we would have

a lot of fun with that and Adam by the way gets very mad at me for ever trying to re-sequence it he would call me ridiculous. But the one I think that you thought was really interesting was on up starting. I thought the,

the, the record should start with, uh, what's the one that's credited to, uh, songwriting. Cohen. Yes.

The Leonard. Yeah. Yeah. Hope. Hope. I still think of it as Suzanne. Right. no,

up was, up was a, that was basically a fuck you to the world. It was my idea to put Airport Man on there first. Everybody's like, are you nuts? I said, yes, I'm nuts. This is because, you know, the band was, had undergone the most radical change, you know, it could undergo. We lost our drummer. And, you know, not lost, but he decided to remove himself from the band. And we were like, okay, well, nothing matters now.

Nothing matters. We're making, there's one song with drums, maybe two songs with actual drums. The rest is machines. Who gives a damn what we do with this? So I'm like, okay, you know what? At this point, it was like, we're just going to make it as difficult for the fans as possible.

We're going to put the most obnoxious song we've ever made, and we're going to put it first. Instrumental. You know, pretty much. Yeah. Yeah, pretty much, yeah. Yeah, pretty much, yeah. Yeah,

right? There's only like one vocal line in it and it was like, okay, if you like the band, you're going to have to prove it because here it comes. Oh,

I remember the moment listening to Up for the first time and just being like, what the hell? Holy shit. What the hell? It really, Airport Man being first

is really like, we're doing something new, everybody. And listening to the wrong choice of a first song can turn you off of an album sometimes. Oh, it did. A lot of people hated it. I put on, by the way, calling back one of our previous records,

I've been on a Neil Young kick, and I've listened to Harvest, I've listened to all of his first ten albums or whatever, so he was upset that I'd never listened to Harvest all the way through. Do you have After the Gold Rush? I have them all now. Oh, good. Yeah. I saw you guys play with him in 98, too, at the Bridge School.

Yeah, yeah. That was amazing. But back to my point. Yep. I listened to the last Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young record. American Dream? Is it American? I can't remember the title, but whatever was the very last one that they put out.

And man, that first song is like, I was like so turned off by the record. I was like, I don't know about this. Oh, I don't know what. And then I listened to track two. I was like, oh, this is great. It just was that first song is such a, it's so hard to figure out sometimes what the first one should be. You know, I mean, we knew that this was going to be, you know, Upsetting.

Disliked and upsetting, yeah. But at that point, it was just, everything was topsy-turvy and everything was upside down. And, you know, we're just going to do it backwards, kind of. No, it's bold. That's normally, that's a last track. That is an end of the record track. In my re-sequencing, that is the last track. And, you know, rightfully so.

Thank you so much. I'm right. You're wrong. I don't remember what I put first. I don't remember, but it was interesting. We have a lot of fun doing it.

We love, I mean, that's, you know, that's what this show is all about, is like passionate about the music and trying to like, you know.

And, you know, any artist that's going to get his knickers in a wad about that is just too full of themselves. I mean, it should be fun

to deconstruct a record and put it back together the way you want to. There's nothing wrong with that. What are some of your. I mean, it should be fun to deconstruct a record and put it back together the way you want to. There's nothing wrong with that. What are some of your favorite records of all time? The first two big star records, Pet Sounds. Gosh, there are 19 million others. But those are the ones that are always at the top of my list.

Do you remember the first time that you kind of even figured out what a record was when you were a kid and maybe something your parents had and I got a like a little close in play when I was really young and the only 45 I had

was a very abused copy of Go Where You Want To Go by the Fifth Dimension the first record I ever owned and I listened to that thing so many millions of times

what was your question? Do you remember what the B side was? I've gone off on a tangent. No, I don't. I don't know if I ever turned it over. Really? You just love the A-side so much.

I just love that song so much that I just played it and played it and played it. That is a great song, isn't it? It really is. And I didn't know Papa John wrote that until Papa John Phillips. Oh, he did? Yeah, that's a John Phillips song.

That's a lot like me with the first record I bought, the Footloose single. You know, why turn it over and play? It's not even a Kenny Loggins song on on the back it's something else from the soundtrack i think mine was party all the time by eddie murphy that was my first you're like i love him in comedy he's probably great i'm not so sure now about his comedy even yeah Yeah. So we- Oh, you know what? I just remembered something.

I want to say it before I forget. Yep. There was another time when I, when some friends of mine and I, I think I told this story on the show. We, a friend of mine worked at a coffee shop on Sunset. And we did this a couple of times with a couple of different places places we would all go over and

put on the um the smocks that you wear at this coffee shop it was not a chain it was but they had these green smocks and we put them on and made a bunch of coffees put them in the holders and went over to um the where you guys were mixing monster or recording Monster on Sunset. What is the name of that? Ocean Way. Ocean Way. Yes. Went to Ocean Way and- Pretended you were dropping off coffees. Pretended we were dropping coffees off. That's brilliant.

Did it work? It sort of worked. There was this back door. I don't know how we knew this back door and it opened and we were all standing there with coffees and peeking in. And what I remember is seeing you guys just kind of

at a mixing board just sort of of course not caring about the someone knocking on the door and getting coffees but you guys were all busy

and I remember hearing the kind of tremolo echoey guitar from what's the frequency Kenneth?

It's tremolo isn't it? Tremolo Did I just call it tremolo? In English it is We've had a disagreement on the show of, Kenneth? It's Tremolo, isn't it? Tremolo. Did I just call it Tremolo? In English it is. We've had a disagreement on the show of what it is. It's Tremolo. Tremolo as far as I know.

Okay, thank you. But Tremolo works for me. I'll never say it again. It's probably the English pronunciation. But it was months before What's the Frequency, Kenneth came out, so we were all like, what is it? What is this music? Like, this is crazy.

Yeah, yeah. And they took the coffees, but did not invite us in. Do you think that he's, like, weird and creepy and a stalker now, or are you regretting being here? Like, when you hear these stories? Well, I am sitting close to the door, so I feel like. That's right. You can exit at any time. close to the door so i feel that's right you can exit it anytime when i think back uh about out of time i mean i was in college at the time not to brag but higher education and uh you know hanging

out with college girls and you know the usual um but uh i think back uh to those times and that was really when you guys were super super political. You were doing the rock the vote stuff and Clinton, you know, got elected during those years. And that was that seemed to be one of the times to me when you were either most outspoken or just like the world was paying such close attention to what you were saying that that outspokenness was amplified. And politics has always been a big part of your outlook. I remember, you know, I mean, I grew up with listening to you guys. So when I would go to concerts with you or Hugh too, I would, you know, everyone would be Hugh.

Bonobos would be out there. You know that guy Bonobos. He'd be up there like talking about, you know, El Salvador or whatever. And I'd be like, and you guys are larger than life. And it's just like, yeah, yeah, this is. And I think. He'd tell Fedge to play the blues. To play the blues.

But it would inform a lot of, you know, my political views. Hearing, you know, you guys and other bands of Uriel talking about politics. Is that something that, oh boy, do I have a question or am I just saying something? I just saw that occur to you. Yeah, that I have no idea what the second half, by the way, if that's the first half, we are in trouble. But do you have, is that something that you ever felt like

was going to be an issue with the band? Were you ever afraid of turning people off? Or did you think that you had a responsibility with a platform like what you guys had? Woo! Got through it. Good one. Good one. Excellent.

Nice second half. I don't know about responsibility. It was just something we cared about. I mean, you know, young people, they all get all caught up and agitated and swept up and annoyed and angry. And it's a great thing. And we were pissed off. There was a lot of – there were a lot of things going on we didn't like. And we felt we're detrimental to ourselves and to other human beings.

And, you know, we had a platform and we used it. And I feel good about that. People, you know, now on Twitter and even – or other things. We did the Vote for Change tour and all that stuff. People are like, oh, shut up and sing. It's like, well, why don't you go away? Because – People still say that.

Still say that, yeah. When we saw you two at Madison Square Garden on this last tour, people right behind in New York, in Madison Square Garden, they're saying, shut up. And it's like, have you not heard of this band before? Well, and people say rock stars and musicians shouldn't talk about politics. Well, who should? Only politicians. That's how I feel. Which gets us where we are today.

So, no, I think everyone should talk about politics and everyone should care about politics. And as a band, if you have a platform and you want to – and, damn it, young people should be progressive. Young people shouldn't be regressive and conservative. Young people should want things to change. The world sucks when you're young. The world is going to change from young people's activism. It's the only way it's going to change. And so therefore, you know, we were young people and we wanted to rally as many young people as we could to care about the process and make a difference.

Well, it worked because like Scott, I also, I even became a vegetarian for like two months after I heard Michael was a vegetarian. I never went that far. His farts were so stinky. It did not last long. Get up. Get into it. Get involved, as James Brown said. So speaking of politics, though, something happened recently I saw on Twitter with Trump in the meme,

Something happened recently I saw on Twitter with Trump in the meme, like using everybody hurts and using it like to slam Democrats. Some other guy did it. Some guy who does a lot of dumbass memes put one out there and Trump retweeted it. And he used too much of – I mean it's deep weeds when you talk about what's fair use and what isn't. But he used too much of everybody hurts. You can use a snippet of it here and there I guess and and what isn't. But he used too much of Everybody Hurts. You can use a snippet of it here and there, I guess, and get away with it. But he used too much of it. And we, through ourselves and the record company, we were able to get Twitter to take Trump's retweet down, which was – Oh, that's awesome.

That's very satisfying. I didn't hear about this. Oh, yeah. It was a really – because what the guy did, he played Everybody Hurts over – Like Schumer crying or something. Or Democrats sitting there. It was the Democrats at the State of the Union. Right.

Sitting there not enjoying it. Not being happy about it, which they shouldn't because the devil himself is on the podium. And then he showed – for some reason, it was all Democrats and Mitt Romney. And it was this weird – Oh, yeah. They hate Mitt Romney now. Yeah, they really do. And it was just – it was really stupid.

It was just the bad use of our song. And when Trump, we tweeted it, we said, that's it, you're done. I hate it when like politicians use your songs. I hate it. No, do you hate it when politicians use your songs to like walk out on stage, you know, like politicians that you don't agree with? Are you ever just like, this is not what our music is about? It's obviously deaf, tone deaf, and ham-handed, and really stupid. When you had, I guess, was it Reagan or Bush that was playing Born in the USA?

Yeah. And that is not a patriotic rally kind of song. But they don't know that because they only hear the one line, Born in the USA, ooh, that must be good. It's a protest song. It's a protest song. Of course it is. And so is, you know,

End of the World in its own way. But people don't think. They just want something that connects them with the audience. Did Donald Trump use End of the World

as we know? Someone did recently. He did early on at one of his rallies. Do you put a cease and desist on that? Do you like call up someone? Well, we can't stop them

because a lot of the venues, the venues will buy a blanket license from the right from the publishing company and therefore people they can play whatever song they want we can't legally stop them we can we can make our feelings known and we do as does every other artist but you can't legally stop somebody from doing that i loved the statement michael released uh uh when that happened i remember it i don't remember what it said, but it said something like- The moronic charade. Yeah, he said, fuck you.

Stop playing our fucking song, or whatever it was. It was like, yeah. Don't make us part of your moronic charade. Yeah. Let's tell Donald Trump to fuck off more often. One last question about politics before we move on. Some people call Donald Trump the commander-in-chief, but I think he's more like the tweeter-in-chief. Don't you think so?

I think it's horrifying. Is that too harsh? No. Well, he put 50 tweets out last weekend alone. Oh, yeah, that was crazy. You know, how can any man spend that much time on the toilet is what I want to know, but I guess he does. Tweets.

A little storm alert. Speaking of spending time on the toilet, we need to take another break, so it's time for everyone to drop to, uh, uh, uh, drop a whiz. If you, if you got one, uh, we are going to be right back with more Mike Mills. This is, are you talking REM Remy? Oh, there it is. Welcome back. Are you talking Ari Emre Me, Adam Scott. Talking with, safe to say, our good friend, Mike Mills. Absolutely.

Best friends. Adam's had several encounters with him. That's right. The candy boy himself. That's right. He ever deliver any taffy to you? Toffee, not taffy. He's delivered toffee.

Very good. Always,'s delivered toffee. Very good. Always, always delivering toffee. You said during the break, you said that you wanted to talk about something that you're about to do tonight. Well, it's just funny. I think after we finish our fun time here, I'm going to go get a bite to eat. And then I'm going to the sleep center to do a sleep study because I'm not getting enough oxygen. R.E.M. sleep. Are you serious? I'm serious.

Wow. That's crazy. Yeah. Is this like UCLA or? No, it's just some. Okay. So you go and you have your night's sleep at this place? Yes.

Night's sleeping. Right? So you're all wired up to electrodes and they see how often, if you have apnea, you see how often you wake up. And then they decide if you're eligible for one of those face-clinging things from Alien. Yes, yeah. You get that on your face. I'm not excited about that. If you need it, you need it though.

You know what I mean? I know someone who needed it and did not use it, and you got to use it. It's not a point in paying for it if you're not going to use it. Yeah. So what drew you to it? Are you just tired and you're thinking you're not getting the right kind of sleep or what's happening? Yes. I think that I'm not waking up as refreshed as I should.

Interesting. And I know that I have woken myself up in the middle of the night by snorting or snoring or whatever sort of ugly noise our faces make at night. And so I just want to go see if I can make it better. Yeah. My friend got this and found out he was waking himself up every 45 seconds. That's what I'm afraid of. And you don't really wake all the way up. You just channel up out of the good part of sleep, and then you go back down.

You're up and down. It's not good. What I like to do when I sleep is I go to bed. I shut all the, what do you call them, the blinds. And lights. Lights. Lights. All those.

This is about 4 p.m. And the type of sleep I like is I like to just be out and I don't even remember any dreams. I just wake up the next day at like approximately 11 a.m. or so and just out. And that's what I like to do and that's what I wish for you to have. That's what I'm shooting for. It's really nice when you get your full 15 hours of sleep. That takes me a week. Yeah, I know.

The amount of sleep we should be getting is, what are you supposed to get at this advanced stage we're all in? I mean, there's a person, I'll tell you who it is, a very famous person who told me something unbelievable, which is that he gets 11 hours every night. And I was like, how do you function outside of sleep? Like in the real world, 11? And I was like, every single night?

Do you believe them? I mean, this person wouldn't have reason to lie to me i don't think i mean i don't know i don't know them yeah but that would be great i would love that yeah it's very weird but i mean they say like nine is is eight eight or nine is great yeah that sounds amazing i know yeah had uh three last night life is working out great for me. That's nice. That's a good solid number. So let's get to the period where Bill leaves the band.

This is the later one. And we've danced around it a little bit with Up and with the final two records. What are just general impressions of that period of the band for you? Is it still fun? I know it's very kind of heart-wrenching to have, you know, this great guy leave the band and you don't know what you're going to do, but that's sort of what it's painted at from the outside for us. Is it still fun, though, being in a giant rock band?

Yes and yes. The answer is yes, but there were a lot of questions that had to be answered at that point. It's like, everything, the world as you know it is no longer extant. It's the end of the world. It's the end of the world as we knew it, and we had to figure out how we felt.

So, like Michael said, is a three-legged dog still a dog? Yes, it is. It just has to learn how to run differently. I don't – see, I disagree. Oh, you disagree? It's not a dog? I think three-legged dogs should be shot.

Well, I'm glad you weren't in charge of our career at that point. I just mean dogs. I don't mean metaphors of dogs. So we thought about breaking up a lot and Bill said no you guys if you guys are going to break up I can't quit the band

because I'm not going to be the guy that broke up already did you ever call him on that and said okay fine don't quit we thought about it get back here Bill

you don't want some guy there who doesn't want to be there that's no good so yeah it was a tough time we made this really weird record with very little drumming

on it and you know it was kind tough time. We made this really weird record with very little drumming on it. And, you know, it was kind of just to throw nothing. All the rules were gone at that point. I think we put some lyrics on that record for the first time ever. Oh, yeah, you printed the lyrics. Yeah, so all the rules that we know no longer existed, which is why you put Airport Man first and put some lyrics on the record. And all of that stuff.

You're basically trying to say, we're REM and we don't know what we're doing anymore. We're totally reinventing. And therefore, you have to make up a whole new set of rules or just decide to go on without rules at all. Did you ever think, should we change the name? No. No. No. That was never.

Branding. That's smart. Well, a record company wouldn't have been real happy about it either. When looking back on that period of time. Back to cans of piss. That's smart. Well, the record company wouldn't have been real happy about it either. When looking back on that period of time. Back to cans of piss. Slugbank. By the way. We have an idea for the next record, guys.

We've decided, Bill quit the band. We want to go back to our first love. Cans of piss is who we are. I remember around the Monster period, Peter saying, you know, we're like a big band now. Our contract is so good, if we really wanted to, we could put out a record with a picture of a big hairy penis on the cover, and they would have to put it out. That sounds good to me. You guys should do that. That would be awesome.

Cans of penis. How often did Bill come back and see you guys? Was he still in communication with you? Yeah, yeah. We were still friends. I mean, he wasn't gone. He was just out of the band. I think the first time was a couple of tours later.

He came up to North Carolina and got on stage for a few songs. And he's done a few things with us since then. Yeah, we saw you guys. The Portland thing. Yeah, he played with you up in Portland, which was amazing. How was that particular concert for you guys? It was the three of you with various guest singers. And then of course you singing the songs that you sang. Did it feel great? Yes, it's great. I mean, it's funny how the nuances from one musician to the next. I mean, we played one of the songs.

I can't remember which one it was, but we played it with a different drummer, and it was fine, but it just wasn't right. And then Bill got on it and played it, and it was, oh, well, that's how it's supposed to sound. It was very strange. Like, there was, just in terms of those things, there was a song where Bill played bass on it,

and I tried to later play bass on that song, and it just didn't sound good. It didn't sound right, because I play it differently than Bill, and it just wasn't right. It's not about the notes. It's how you play the notes. Exactly.

I remember one embarrassing thing I used to do in high school is get people to listen to You Are The Everything and tell them they need to listen to the bass line and You Are The Everything. That's the one. That's the one I'm talking about.

Yeah. But he used to say- You have to listen to this guy, Mike Mills. He's like- He's the best. What did you say?'m talking about. Yeah. But he used to say – You have to listen to this guy, Mike Mills. He's like – He's the best – What did you say? He's a modern –

I would say he's like the Paul McCartney of right now. You listen to this bass line, and then later find out it's actually Bill on that song. I thank you anyway. Yeah. He used to wander around putting headphones of your music onto other people. Good. Yeah. That's great, right?

I was doing viral marketing for you guys in the eighties. He's on the street team. It was exhuming McCarthy. I would make people listen to it. When you look back on the period post bill and kind of now bird's eye view years later, looking at how long do you feel it took you guys to really figure out how to be a band again? Or, or do you, did you figure out how to be a band again? Or do you feel it? Did you figure it out by the time you put the record out? Or did it take you a few records? I think it was Reveal came together pretty well.

I mean, like Up is just this weird pastiche of there's some great songs on there. I like it. I mean, I like all our records. But Up is its own thing. It's a record that kind of stands by itself. And it's another sort of bridge record, except it's not a bridge. It's an island. It's a record that kind of stands by itself. And if there's, you know, it's another sort of bridge record, except it's not a bridge, it's an island. It's more of an island record.

But I think by the time we got to Reveal, we were working and rocking again. We had Joey Warnker on drums and he was great. And we made it in Ireland, which is really super great, wonderful place to make a record. And we felt good about it. Cool. Yeah.

Cool. Well, it is. It is. And we felt good about it. Cool. Yeah. Cool. Well, it is. It is. It is cool. I agree with Scott. I'm sorry. It's just cool. Do you – now, you still perform.

You still put out records. You did the record with the Baseball Project. you did the record with the baseball project. But, you know, we've often talked about how, you know, the songs that you sing on the records are some of our favorite songs. And they're the ones that still, even off of Collapse Into Now, you know, the song that you sing is, it reminds me of the early party band days.

You know what I mean? Like you just have one of those voices and the songs that you sing are the like ones that you want to get up and as you say, you know, move the asses around with your bass. Some writer described my voice once as a sunny Yelp. And I said, man, that's great. That's good.

It reminds me of an app. Yeah. It's pretty accurate. Yeah, take that. An orange drink, sunny Yelp. So do you want, are there plans to put out a solo record? We want you to put out a solo record. Yes, someday, yes, I will.

Someday? What is this dithering with the someday thing? Total candy ass dithering. What if you had a deadline and we're willing to give you one? I could probably use one. That would do it. You know, and just like 10 songs. That's all we're asking.

Because you're a songwriter. So the band ends. And where do you put that? Because you're a songwriter. Yeah. Well, some of it I did. I'll give you the capsule story. I grew up in high school with a good friend named Bobby McDuffie, Robert McDuffie, who is now a world-class touring classical violinist.

He tours all over the world with symphonies in America and everywhere. Came to me four years ago and said, Mike, I want you to write a – he said, I'm tired of playing music by dead, white European males. He said, write a half-hour concerto for violin, rock band, and string orchestra. I said, well, are you sure you're talking to the right guy? And he said, yeah. So I said, all right. So we did.

And it's out there. So basically, it's sort of a song suite more than a true classical concerto. I'm not a classical composer, and I didn't try to be. So I wrote basically sort of six movements that are really kind of six songs, one of which is Night Swimming. And I worked with an arranger to turn it into something for violin and string orchestra behind a rock band. And it's something we do a lot, and we're trying to get a tour together for the fall. And it's pretty cool. So do you go around city to city using local orchestras? When we do the tour, we'll bring our own orchestra. But when we do the one-offs,

and we do a lot of those, we do it with the local symphony. We just played in Fort Worth a few weeks ago with the Fort Worth Symphony. And it was amazing. And people love it when they see it because Bobby's just such an amazing violinist and a great showman and uh you know and he gets to do something without wearing a monkey suit and he really enjoys that right it's awesome yeah so that's that sounds amazing and and i think you could also do like put out one record a year of like 10 songs that you write and you sing and uh you know like every on our label yeah that's what we're trying just created just now scott scott scott records yeah of course isn't there uh the scotty brothers records already we could call it ss records yes oh dear maybe not that's actually a really bad idea but um you know

just uh like you the is is the pressure off for you you or would the pressure be on if you put out something? You know, I'm putting pressure on myself because I haven't done it yet and I should have and I will. It's pretty lame that I haven't. It's not lame. We wouldn't call it lame. I would call it lame. But I will. You know what?

Maybe you guys are the impetus I need to get my ass. We want to hear it. If you put out a solo record, that would be huge. The greatest. And sometimes I feel like artists need to know that people want to hear the art in order to kind of get the fire. You know, like I feel like back in the days when I started comedy, the fact that there was a show every single night made me write a lot of comedy. You know what I mean? Right.

You've got to produce. Yeah. You know, and just opportunity creates such a passion in the artist to go like, well, people are going to listen. We are going to listen.

We want to hear it. Within a year, I will have done it because of you guys. Yes! Oh my God. Very good. I want to hear some

Mike Mills pop songs. This is incredible. That's exciting. And we also want to sequence it, but we'll talk to you. We'll talk to you about that. We can do it on the air. Oh, good.

Just an episode where we're just listening to snippets of tracks going, I don't know. What do you think the weirdest pairing was over the years with you guys and another band, either them opening for you or you opening for them? Oh, there have been a few. Was there a band from Canada called Rough Trade? Does that sound – That sounds –

I remember the label Rough Trade. Yeah, I think there was a band from Canada called Rough Trade. Was it R-U-F-F? No, unfortunately. Too bad. We did that here at the palace, the old palace down there. That was an odd pair. It was an MTV show

with a revolving stage and it was very strange. Were they like a metal, hair metal band or something? No, they were kind of like 90s shoulder paddy kind of hair, poking up hair kind of thing. Yeah.

New wavy. New wavy, yeah, new wavy. Do you remember who played right before you at, say, Glastonbury? No, I don't. I should, but I don't. It's kind of those things. You're just so – You're just like being led somewhere.

It's like you have your finger in an electrical socket the whole time you're there. Everything gets wiped out. What's the most fun type of show to play? Small, small club? Arenas? Or something in between? between you know they're all fun in different ways um really uh there's the the the the massive amount of energy that comes out of 90 000 people that you can't even see them all they're so far back is is brilliant i mean it's but then again the the super compressed energy of a small club with with 150 maniacs is is hard to beat as well so i like them why choose

yeah exactly you know if you if you have the opportunity to do them all you should i love uh arena shows i i stadium shows are too big and it's a stadium i don't like no i'll give you that now the big outdoor shows that are festivals, like it just depends on the festival. Slane Castle in Ireland was one of the most exciting things ever. And that was 90,000 insane Irishmen, which is always a good thing. Yeah. I saw the police when they reformed at Dodger Stadium.

And I was in the back as far back as you could get, up as high as you could get. And I was still enjoying it, but it was, you know, the distance is bad. That's no fun. And then there was a guy next to me. They start playing Every Breath You Take, and he goes, yes! I'm like, you didn't think they would play Every Breath You Take? They did it!

What a deep cut that is, man. That's cool. What about the favorite snacks on the road? What did you guys need to have backstage to snack on? We heard about the Courvoisier. Well, that was our tour manager. It wasn't us at the time. Gosh, you know, I know there's something, and it's tickling my brain,

but I can't think of what it is. There was, what did we like? I don't know. Mountain Dew I liked a lot. Mountain Dew. Yes. Do the Dew. Well, I go back from when it was made by and for hillbillies.

You know, the original Mountain Dew had the hillbilly on there with the jug. Oh, yeah. It'll tickle your innards. Because it just had a ton of caffeine in it. Tons of caffeine and sugar, and kids loved it. What about like Cheerwine? Is that something? I don't like cherry-flavored things.

What's cheer wine? It's like a soda, the cherry-flavored soda. It's a cherry soda. It's a soda. Yeah, it's like a southern thing, yeah. I'm just going to say, if I had a writer, one of my snacks backstage would be dried apricots with those sesame stick things that you can get at Trader Joe's.

I would make sure those are there. Did you guys have dried apricots at all? No, we had cheese, deli plates. I still to this day can't eat – I have trouble eating lasagna because when you get to that mid-period of where you get no food at all and before you can bring your own catering,'s that mid-period where they just bring in a sheet of lasagna so they give you the thing with the greatest common denominator which is generally lasagna right and to this day pizza is the other one that i found that we would get a lot on tour is like i can still eat pizza i can still eat pizza but it's like every day we would just take the buyout as they call it which is money and go find yeah vietnamese we had our writer on on the comedy bang bang tour with me paul and lauren we were

like offered do you want to like a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer we were like no could we get like one vitamin water for me and like yeah it was just cat we just wanted and we would always like go they would always always come around, the promoter would say, okay, it's time for the buyout. We would start clapping and go, money, money, money, money, money, money, money. So you get that money? If they don't have to buy you dinner, yeah. What is it, a union thing?

It's just a contract thing. Because they usually have to feed you in some way when you get to a certain point, and they either can provide you with food, or I think they're just as happy to give you the cash and let you deal with it. Right. Yeah. Because it's a pain in the ass for them to have to go track down food. They would rather not.

And doesn't the writer all come out of your pay anyway for the show? No, it's, well, it's built into the thing. It just depends on how good your agent is, I guess. Right. Yeah. I have one of the best. I got one vitamin water. That's incredible.

Like living the life. Not just regular water, but vitamin water. That's incredible. Like living the life. Not just regular water, but vitamin water. Adam, this is your opportunity. You've always wanted to ask questions. I know. It's crazy. There's so many embarrassing things. Go for it.

Do you have any hot gossip before we get to that? Any like gossip about any other band where you're just like, I hate them. Oh, yeah. Fine. You don't want to say it? Well, I'll probably run into them yeah okay

that's alright there are two or three that people go man they're great no they're not they're not great you can tell us off the air

is that something where like you're watching them going oh these guys can't play sometimes that happens it's it's not just

that they can't play although sometimes they can it's just what they do with it it's all a question of you know I'm assuming like punk rock was great. You get

terrible musicians, but they're up there making this beautiful noise, and it's great. It's all, it really is, it comes whatever's inside you is what you like or don't like, not the musicianship. All right, Adam, what do you got? You got these questions. Well, you know, I, it's just,

there's, it's hard to form a question about – the thing is I remember seeing you guys for the first time on MTV with One I Love. That was my introduction. It was a lot of people's. That's when things really kind of expanded for you guys. That was one of those people. And that with the Rolling Stone cover and then my brother got me the cassette of Document for Christmas, that of 87.

So I was learning to drive. I was out with my mom, popped the cassette in that I just got for Christmas. Crashing into Sound of Ides. I'm trying to learn how to drive, and my mom's like nervous about me driving. Why is she letting you drive with loud music on? I pop it in,

and then finest works on starts really loud i had never heard anything like that before like that was so wait i gotta ask the first time you heard this record yeah one of the most important records of your life changed the course of your life also a christmas present yeah you you were driving with your mom you didn't put it on in your stereo when you're at that age and you look for any excuse to of your life, also a Christmas present. Yeah. You were driving with your mom? You didn't put it on in your stereo at home? Well, remember when you're at that age and you look for any excuse to, I'll drive you to the store.

You just want to drive. So I had my Christmas prezzy present. Thank you. And I was, for whatever reason, getting in the car and I was like, oh, I got to listen to this. So this song starts, it sounds crazy. I knew one I was like, oh, I got to listen to this. So this song starts. It's, it sounds crazy. I knew one I love, of course. And then the vocals come in. That sounds like a new thing too. I never heard anything like this before. And then my mom is like, this is,

you have to turn this off. This is crazy. Is that a compliment to you to hear a mom say? My mom, my mom did that once when I put on the Smiths and she came in. And normally, like if I put on the Smithereens, for instance, not to do two Smiths, you know, bands in a row. But the Smithereens, my dad would come in and go like, hey, this is pretty good, which is not a compliment to me. I would be like, shut up, dad. You know, you're ruining it, dad. But I put on the Smiths and my mom walks in and she was like, who is this guy? He cannot sing.

And that was like awesome for me. Thanks, mom. Turn it up. Yeah, exactly. Well, my mom later became a big fan. I actually brought her to see you guys in the Around the Sun tour. Did she say the exact same thing? God, you have to turn this off.

Turn it off. No, she loved it. I've heard that from the audience before. Really? Not surprising. So anyway, that was, and then Green, less than a year later,

I went out on election day and bought it, and that was it. These were my guys. You guys were it. Favorite band, still are. So there are millions of me around the world.

You guys. How do you deal with that? Yeah, like, you mean... So many weirdos. What you did means so much to so many people. Is that something that you wrap your head around? Is that something that... And it's been like that

for years, so you're probably just used to it. Is it a responsibility or is it something that, like, you go, wow, I really made a mark? Or is it something that you're like, eh, who cares? It's all of that except the who cares part. It is a bit of responsibility because people do look to you or did at some time look to you for, you know, a lot of bands conducted their careers a certain way because of the way we conducted ours. What do you mean by that? Well, the fact that we always knew what we didn't want to do

more than what we did want to do. So it was easy to make decisions based on which was the thing you didn't want to do. But we always tried to conduct ourselves with integrity and treat fans well, treat opening bands well, something simple like that. We always made sure that the opening band got a sound check every day, every time.

And most bands didn't bother with that. Really? We opened for enough people to where, you know, the motels were particularly egregious about not. Here's the gossip. Yeah, well. Thank you. We played them with, played at the Clubfoot maybe in Austin, tiny little stage. And they wouldn't strike their drums.

They wouldn't move. And they had these big keyboards and big drums and tiny little stage. And they wouldn't move anything.. They wouldn't move. They had these big keyboards and big drums and tiny little stage, and they wouldn't move anything. So we had to squeeze on. And, of course, half the people left right after they started playing, which was fine with me. Not that they're probably nice people. I don't know. But they were assholes at that time.

So that kind of thing. And so just how you treat the people that you work with, the people you come in contact with, the people who open for you. We tried to treat everybody with dignity and respect. And that sounds corny and cheesy, but it's absolutely true. And you've had so many employees who have worked for you for decades. I mean, we've had Lance on. Billheimer's on. Oh, yeah.

You know, I mean, these people have been with you for so long, it's probably because you treat them. Well, yes. I mean, yes, exactly. I mean, you treat people with respect and, you know, that old golden rule thing is pretty great. And so a lot of that, you know, it's like, you know, Kurt Cobain used to say that he loved the way that we conducted our career. You know, we didn't do payola. We didn't take the easiest way.

You know, we didn't, except for the police tour, which we did for various reasons, we didn't do big opening act things because they're not good for you. People said, oh, you'll get exposed to 50,000 people. Yes, well, 45,000 of them

won't be there yet when you go on and the 5,000 that are there will hate you because you're not the band they came to see. So, you know, we just rejected all that

and tried to do things in the way that felt truest to us. And that made a lot of difference to a lot of people. All the way down to the fan club. I was in the fan club as early on as I could be. And every year it was awesome what you guys would send out. And it was – I think you paid $10 to join and that was it. Then you're in the fan club for life. You would get this just giant thing

with all this really cool, like a vinyl 45 single, these really cool cards and stickers and all kinds of stuff. It was really cool. And you didn't have to do that sort of stuff. No, but we were all fans as kids too. So we knew what meant something to people and how much fun it is to get cool stuff

in the mail from the people you like. That's the thing is right now it might sound a little silly. You know, a grown man talking about getting – A grown-ass man. Getting stickers in the mail. But it meant so much that there was this kind of direct – So why don't you send stickers to our fans? I know.

I really should. I should send out stickers. Let's make some stickers. OK, let's send out some stickers. Tell you what, if you can find the address to

where we record here, we will and you send us something. We will try to send you some stickers. Does Kevin have Kevin's giving us the thumbs up on this? We will make some. Are you talking R.E.M. Remy?

Are you talking R.E.M. Remy stickers? And we'll send them out to people who are. I'll put one on my guitar case. Oh, thank you. Oh, my gosh, that's R.E.M. Remy? Are you talking R.E.M. Remy stickers? And we'll send them out to people. I'll put one on my guitar case. Oh, thank you. Oh, my gosh. That's amazing. Speaking of promises that we want you to make,

you've already promised us two wonderful things. You're going to make a solo record before the year is out. And does that mean calendar year? Or are we talking calendar year? So by December? No, no, calendar year from now. From now. Got it. So 12 months from now yeah so and you've already agreed to put one of our stickers on your guitar guitar case right we have something we've been talking about on the show for uh a

while and we have something that uh a request and it's not a big deal not a big deal at all so we why do i think it's gonna be a big big deal? Here, it's very, very simple. This is all we require. Okay? We need the band, R.E.M., to reunite. All four members, non-negotiable. We need you to play a backyard barbecue at one of our houses. That's to be determined. All right?

You can come look at both of our houses if you want. Decide what's the better way. We're not picky about that. We both have backyards that would accommodate a four-person band. That's very generous of both of you. We just need you to play two two-hour sets. Simple. Sure.

Different songs. You can't repeat songs. Can it be other people's songs? Yeah, sure Yeah, we're into that Yeah, you could play You could play What?

I Got You Babe Right Which we have Yeah, they used to play that In the early days We played it with Cher Right Did you really?

Yeah Do you know that story? No, please No, no, no, no, please We were doing Like a Music Cares Or one of those charities

And it was for Bono Was the honoree Bonobo Bonobos and it was for bono was the honoree bonobo bonobos was the honoree and so we were planning to do uh i got you babe and somebody said well why don't we see if share wants to sing it we're like haha well sure michael said all right i'll reach out to her people and see what happens and and she said yes wow so we we we did we had the show and we did a couple of our songs and we rehearsed it with her a little bit beforehand, and she's amazing. And so we said, okay, this song goes out to Bono.

We're really glad to be here to honor Bono. And the audience is like, they don't know how to say his name. And Bono's sitting there, and he's kind of like, oh. He's getting upset because he's got a temper on him. He knows. He's just curious as to why they're calling me Bono's sitting there, and he's kind of like, oh, God. He's getting upset because he's got a temper on him. He knows. He's just curious as to why they're calling me Bono. So we go into that song, and I sing the – Michael and I do the tradeoff on the first verse. And then for the second verse, Cher comes out of the wings with a microphone. And it's the first time she's done it since Sony – Sony.

Since Sony – Sony Bono. You're so – Sony Bono died. No, it's the first time she's ever sung it since – Right. The tree incident. Yeah're so, yeah. Sony Bono died. No, it's the first time she's ever sung it since. Right. The tree incident. Yeah.

Yeah. So she comes out and Bono just jumps four feet up in the air. Oh, wow. It's really amazing. Nobody saw that one coming. Amazing. Have you seen that video that's going around over the past couple of days of her calling into C-SPAN or something like that? No.

It's really fun. Look it up, but it's basically like the host of a c-span show taking calls and this woman calls in and and he's just asking her oh uh why were you in washington she's like oh i was at a um uh an event she's trying to be very coy about it he keeps pressing her and asking questions getting more and more specific and at a certain point he goes, are you Cher? And it's her? And it was, yeah. Wow.

Is it that guy that John Oliver always shows clips of? I don't know. I'm not a fan. Yeah. So your show. It's your one or two decades. Just two sets. Two two-hour sets. Two two-hour sets.

Playlists of our choosing. Of our choosing, yeah. We choose the playlist. Oh, I see. You can have a little input input into it alright guest list

we're gonna have to talk about that I don't know how many comps do you guys get three or four three or four comps per band member or is that all together

is that how it's done usually we get three or four a piece a piece we can talk about that Mike can you excuse us just for a second? Hold on. Okay, so he just asked for three or four.

Three or four. If they ask for four, that's 16. Exactly, and I think that's fucking bullshit. This is bullshit. We can't accommodate this. We don't have backyards this big. I think that Mike needs to back off. He needs to back the fuck up.

He needs to back the fuck up. He needs to back the fuck off. He needs to like check himself before something egregious happens. Yes. Akin to wrecking himself. And so...

Who's going to tell him? Who's going to tell him? Who's going to have to pass? I think you should tell him. But I think we should be polite about it. Yeah. Totally.

Okay. Yeah. Hey, Mike. Hey, guys. What'd you decide? What's the deal? No. Never. Fuck. Hey, Mike. Hey, guys. What'd you decide? What's the deal? No. Never.

Fuck you. Fuck you to death. Our big comeback just went down because of the guest list. Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. I hate to say it, but yeah, it did. All right, you can each have two.

How about that? You can each have two. You compromise. I'm sorry. That's not going to get it done. Two is not great. Three, not four. Three, not four.

Three for two of us and four for two of us that's my final okay that's fine all right i'm in i'm in okay so we will do this we just spread it around the band we hope to uh uh talk to every member of the band uh on the show uh and then of course you know uh do a live simulcast of the Backyard Show as well. And we'll send out a binding contract for each of you to sign. We want you to sign a contract. By the way, there's no door split. I hope that's cool.

We haven't spoken about money yet, so that's interesting. Yeah. It's not for charity. I know that a lot of times you get together for Scott McCoy's thing. This is not for – everything goes, every dollar goes into our pockets. This is for us. Okay. For our enjoyment, but also to line our pockets a little bit.

And it's not going to be friends at this thing. Like we're charging a lot of money for this. This is like, you know, yeah, like two thousands of dollars per ticket. And so no fee, but a good rider for us. Maybe with some sesame sticks with the dried apricots. Those will be there. No lasagna. No lasagna.

Don't worry, Garfield. And it's a barbecue, so there will be some barbecue. There will be some barbecue. Some cue. Okay, great. Yeah. So how's this sound? Are you willing to spread this to the other members?

Should I ever see them again? Yes, I will. Just take it back to them. That's all we're saying. Just take it to them. See what they say, you know. But we have an agreement, I think. A non-binding agreement in principle.

It will be binding at some point. Take out the non part of it, and I think that's a little more what we were trying to figure out. I think what we have here is an official yes. We have a yes. We have it on mic, and that verbal contract is just as good as— It's not worth the paper it's printed on. Adam, any last questions you want to ask? mic and that verbal contract is just as good as not worth the paper. It's printed on Adam. Any last questions you want to ask?

I mean, I just, I just want to thank you for coming on the show. It's, it really does mean the world. And it actually, finally, after like a year and a half, it actually legitimizes our podcast.

That's what I'm afraid. Oh no. What do you guys, do you, do you, do you like that? There are two weirdos talking about you this much? Yes. No, I think it's wonderful.

Thank you so much. So do we. Mike, thank you so much. It's really wonderful that you would come and do this. It means the world to us. And you're one of the best. And please put out that record. We really want to hear it.

And that's going to be it for us on this episode and we're going to take us out with a song that you wrote I believe this is of course the aforementioned Night Swimming and we will see you next time I don't know when we're going to release another episode

never going to be as good as this one but here it is hard to top and Hard to top. And until then, we hope that you find what you have been looking for. Bye. Bye. Night swimming deserves a quiet night.