Michael Stipe names the most underrated punk album: “One of the most groundbreaking and influential records of all time”
If you look back over the history of alternative rock, the importance of R.E.M cannot be overstated. Following their initial formation in 1980, the Michael Stipe-fronted group pioneered a unique, defiant, and creative style of rock that went on to inspire countless other groundbreaking bands. Like it or not, there is no Nirvana, Radiohead, or even Pavement without R.E.M. Despite the intense commercial success and recognition of the band, Stipe always maintained a punk attitude toward the music industry.
Punk changed the face of rock music indefinitely, putting the means of musical production into the hands of ordinary people for the very first time. Although the genre is far too often reduced to distorted guitars and half-hearted lyrics about ‘anarchy’, the movement inspired many musicians to think differently about songwriting, inspiring the formation of some truly unique groups. Stipe was an early follower of punk, finding solace from the isolation of teenage life in the rebellious tones of Patti Smith and the CBGB scene, which came to dominate New York’s cultural output.
Stipe was destined for musical greatness, but the constant relocation of his family life meant that he was rarely placed long enough to get a band together. As a result of this, the future R.E.M frontman was largely on the sidelines for the golden years of punk rock. It was not until 1980 that the songwriter formed R.E.M while at the University of Georgia, Athens. Although punk might have died down somewhat by then, Stipe never forgot the impact of the defiant records he had loved as a teenager.
One of the biggest influences on Stipe during the early days of R.E.M came in the form of fellow Athens, Georgia, students The B-52’s. The band had first formed in 1976, at the height of punk rock’s early success, but they never particularly adhered to the conventions of the genre. Armed with a flamboyant style, kitsch songwriter, and beehive hairdos, The B-52’s did not look or sound like any other punk group in the world – refusing to conform to the inherently non-conformist music scene.
This dedication to individualism endeared the revolutionary group to a young Michael Stipe, who has always harboured a deep appreciation for their eponymous debut album. During a 2020 interview with Pitchfork, Stipe shared, “That first B-52’s album still hasn’t gotten the recognition that it deserves as one of the most groundbreaking and influential records of all time – most certainly on me and everyone around the Athens scene.”
“When all the punks in New York were still putting safety pins in their cheeks,” the songwriter continued, “The B-52s were like, ‘Well, that’s what you do, and this is what we do, and this is how we do it.’ It was just fucking scorched earth.” According to Stipe, that record was instrumental in forming R.E.M. “Right around that time,” he recalled, I fell into this group of nascent punk rockers in Athens. That was the beginning of R.E.M.”
It should come as no surprise that The B-52’s helped to inspire the early days of R.E.M. After all, the band was vitally important in fostering a local punk and art rock scene during their days in Athens. So much so that they continued to inspire folks like Stipe even after they had fled further afield to spread their unique musical manifesto.
