Verse Chorus PressA new book titled Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years, focusing on the influential alternative rock band's formation and rise to stardom, will be published on May 14.
The biography, which was written by Robert Dean Lurie, profiles the early lives of R.E.M.'s members -- singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry -- while also sharing accounts of how they met, and details about their first gig, their initial tours and recording sessions, and much more.
The book also delves into R.E.M.'s relationship with, and place in, the music scene of its adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia, and how the American South influenced the group.
Begin the Begin -- named after the first track of R.E.M.'s album Lifes Rich Pageant -- includes interviews with various people associated with R.E.M. whose perspectives have not appeared in previous biographies about the band.
You can check out excerpts from the book, including recollections of some of R.E.M.'s first shows, at DangerousMinds.net.
Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years is available for pre-order now at Amazon.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.