After a 31-year career, R.E.M. announced their split. It happened on September, 21 and the world was in shock.

Now, weeks after and with a just released “best of”, super hip online magazine Pitchfork published a long and deep interview with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. The main subject is R.E.M.’s career explained through a bunch of topic songs.

One of the most touching passages is from Mills, who says: “Our legacy is not about bands sounding like us as much as bands realizing that they can take their own path to success. There are prescribed ways to do things with record companies and management and what have you, but we showed that you don’t have to do that. Your happiness and success are best found by making your own decisions“.
On the other hand, Stipe starts speaking his mind and describing his feelings after the band’s end: “It would be a lie to paint 31 years of trying to do this incredibly difficult thing with these other people as anything but everything– it was everything. [...] In a month, I might go stark raving mad. But right now it feels all right. There’s some sadness, but we’re all really comfortable with this decision“.

You can read the whole feature here.