In The Name of This Band Is R.E.M. (Doubleday, Nov.), journalist Carlin traces how the rock group shaped the genre.
Why did you decide to write about R.E.M.?
They’re an amazing band that created this deep catalog. When they broke through, the sense was that they had never sold out; they didn’t move away from the ideals they had starting out. In a way, their contribution is how they continued to focus on their artistry without losing themselves in the mainstream. As I point out in the beginning of the book, they wouldn’t write songs with traditional structures, or lyrics that could be interpreted literally. The focus on music also sets them apart from other artists of the time, like Bruce Springsteen; they were articulate and eager to talk about their work, but they made a point not to discuss heir personal lives.
What was it about Athens, Ga., in the early and mid-’80s that produced bands like R.E.M. and the B-52s?
A lot of it had to do with the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, where many of these folks, like Michael Stipe, were students. There was a bohemian subculture that filtered through the school, and many of the professors were interested in music or involved in making it. The shared aesthetic in the school was easily applied to music, focusing on expression and experience rather than mastery. Catharsis in art was more important than perfection. At the same time, the punk movement was taking place, and the music focused on expression rather than mastery. So a bunch of different currents came together: punk, with its idea of being able to do it yourself, and the school’s focus on folk art and expression.
What might readers be surprised to learn about the band?
They were very serious about getting their message across and having a big audience. As they got more popular, people would say they’d sold out, but that was the project from the beginning. I was also a little surprised to learn from Scott McGaughey—the fifth or sixth member of R.E.M., depending on how you count it—that the whole time the band’s popularity ebbed in the U.S., it never did in Europe. R.E.M. was filling stadiums in Europe in the early aughts while they were playing smaller venues in the U.S.
Is there a message you hope readers take from the book?
I’d like people to remember that R.E.M. made music because they had something important to say. I hope people will see that R.E.M.’s success grew out of music that expressed the same hopes that their fans had in the possibilities presented by events such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the election of Bill Clinton. I hope readers will remember their music as full of art, creativity, and joy.
