Just for you, Stypee: Farewell REM.

[JoshRode]

They were one of my favorite bands until they got boring. That was in 1992. "Automatic For the People" was their last album that didn't double as a collection of lullabies. See ya in Athens, Berry Buck Mills Stipe!

[mkiker2089]

Agreed. People give U2 a hard time about letting politics destroy their music but I think REM lost sight long before. With U2 you got politics in the songs but mostly between them and at appearances. With REM it's like they forgot who they were. The songs themselves weren't overly political (usually) but they didn't have the same feel either. Almost as if making music had become their weekend gig and other things were just more important.

[Andrew Forbes]

Anybody hear from Stypee lately? Dude sounded like he was in a rough situation, and he hasn't been to the site for two weeks. Now with R.E.M. breaking up...

[JoshRode]

Yeah, I expected him to be all over this...

[Steve T Power]

I think he has a dame or something now... He's got no time for us guys anymore... jerk.

[Chris_Sax]

Everybody lives under a deck sometimes.

[Steve T Power]

Everybody lives under a deck sometimes.

How many times do I have to explain this to you. It's not proper when the deck belongs to a single elderly woman. It's just sick, Chris!

[stypee]

I came here to start my post on the greatest band in the universe and you all beat me to it..

I was at my other-half's apartment when my best friend texted me the news. I was, to say the least, in shock. There was a reaction that frightened my partner since the understanding of my passion for R.E.M. has yet to be cemented in our relationship.

I'm at a loss for words. Seriously, I'm having a hard time getting over this.

I started posting "memories of R.E.M. and how they changed my life" on my facebook page, none have cared. I described what that particular song meant to me and the impact it had on my life.

I have a shrine in my apartment and I've been playing their music on and off since the break up... It is a difficult time in Stypee's life.

... and, of course, more bizarre news regarding my idol. Michael Stipe.. He was in the tabloids just a few days ago flashing his pee-pee out the window of some hotel. You can check "unratedperez.com", I was equally depressed over that and I'm hoping Michael hasn't gotten even nuttier than he was before - which is why I love him so.

I'd list my favorite albums, my favorite songs and even the listing for the greatest moment I've ever experienced in my 30's, seeing the band in Philly back in the summer of 09'. Yes, I was like a 12 year old at a Bieber concert, cried like a baby - that's not a joke, it was a deeply spiritual experience for me.

I really wish we could post youtube videos here on the Verdict, I'd share the songs with you and explanations of what relevance they had in my life... Many of you would give up on the thread others would feel the need to call a "special place" for me to get help.

Regardless, R.E.M. has now gone and Stypee is dying a little bit more inside.