“Carlin writes rock ‘n’ roll lives with a rare blend of documentary authority, narrative verve, and empathetic insight. His unique gift for capturing the sweep and tenor of a cultural moment—in this case, the long transitional moment between punk and the turn-of-the-century flowering of “indie” that was defined by the lifespan and the records of R.E.M.—is here on brilliant display.”
—Michael Chabon, bestselling author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
“R.E.M. is the quintessential indie band, a juggernaut of mumbled poetry and jangly guitar that revitalized the landscape of American music at a moment when we needed it the most. Peter Ames Carlin captures it all in this richly detailed and revelatory book—the fertile Athens scene, the alchemy of a great band bursting into life, their ambivalent rise to superstardom, and the tragedies and triumphs and surprises along the way. If you care about R.E.M. or indie rock or American popular culture, this is the book for you.”
—Tom Perrotta, bestselling author of The Leftovers
"Peter Ames Carlin's artful tour through R.E.M.'s remarkable lifespan portrays a band early on choosing to substitute distortion for clean jangle, an aesthetic decision entirely radical in a scene rife with punk rock noise. The fact that they remained true to the communitarian ideals of the underground, regardless of their mainstream success, will always be their most significant strength. And their songs were things of beauty."
—Thurston Moore, author of Sonic Life and founding member of Sonic Youth
“Carlin has compiled, culled, and documented R.E.M.’s life-long, yet ongoing, journey using their own distinctive maps and legends. The book takes an unparalleled deep dive into the individual lives of each band member, from reluctant college kids to unlikely international Rock and Roll superstars. A strangely familiar, yet fresh read. The story ends, but the music never will. Long live R.E.M.”
—David Lowery, founding member of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven
"Indie rock fans have long held up R.E.M. as a reflection and a goal: typical weird kids who found each other in art school or the aisles of a record store, old souls reborn as young punks, lovers of the American arts who tore them apart and built something fresh from the rubble. Peter Ames Carlin, one of our most thorough and insightful music biographers, recognizes the complexity of the R.E.M. story and honors it at every level: personal, musical, cultural. Longtime fans will love the deep dissections of the band's musical process and the way Carlin weaves their story through the bigger tale of indie culture and politics in the 1980s and beyond. Newcomers will appreciate his deft perceptions of four very different personalities and the creative dynamic that produced some of the late twentieth century's most indelible music."
—Ann Powers, NPR music critic and author of Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell
“In the spring of 1983, I saw R.E.M., a band I had never heard of, open for the English Beat in Boston. It is no hyperbole to say it changed my life. It was an electrifying sense of discovery. Reading Peter Ames Carlin's book is like rediscovering R.E.M.. Peter masterfully spins the story and captures the magical chemistry of the most significant band of the 1980s.”
—Bill Janovitz, author of Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History
“Catnip for Gen Xers who came of age listening to these eccentric, groundbreaking musicians.”
—AARP
“Carlin brilliantly captures how a ‘spunky alternative band whose singer spoke in riddles’ became a powerhouse that brought alt rock into the mainstream. . . Vividly bringing to life the political and cultural ferment of the 1990s. . . Carlin examines how R.E.M. balanced their ‘countercultural’ ethos with the commercial appeal it brought them, touching on what it means for rock when the “rebels” become the ‘dominant culture.’ Kinetic prose elevates this perceptive portrait of one of America’s most vital bands.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Astute. . . A pageant of riches for R.E.M. and Michael Stipe fans.”
—Booklist
