In his new memoir, U2 lead singer Bono wrote fondly of his time with R.E.M., after the two bands toured Europe together in 1985 – a friendship that still endures today.
Bono’s memoir “Surrender,” released on November 1, recounts the megastars experiences through the music industry, his personal life, and the artists he has worked with – one of the most influential of them all being the bandmates of R.E.M.
The two bands collided and became close after they first met on a European tour in 1985 and in the ninth chapter of his memoir, Bono wrote about how R.E.M. changed U2’s perception of the United States.
“R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe’s lyrics changed the way we see America. He also has one of the great voices of any geography.” Bono wrote, adding, “this was a band that made the whole world want to visit Athens, Georgia.”
U2 and R.E.M. band members even formed a hybrid band called Automatic Baby, with Michael Stipe singing lead vocals of the U2 song, “One” at the 1993 MTV Rock the Vote inauguration event for then-President Bill Clinton.
Bono Wrote of the event, “It was a special moment for these Southern musicians to have a Southern president.” Other artists who also appeared at the inauguration were En Vogue, Boys II Men, and The Eagle’s singer Don Henley.
U2 has long had a love for the American South and especially Georgia, thanks to R.E.M. and the band’s admiration for Atlanta born Martin Luther King Jr, who was the inspiration for the song “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
Bono’s memoir “Surrender,” released on November 1, recounts the megastars experiences through the music industry, his personal life, and the artists he has worked with – one of the most influential of them all being the bandmates of R.E.M.
The two bands collided and became close after they first met on a European tour in 1985 and in the ninth chapter of his memoir, Bono wrote about how R.E.M. changed U2’s perception of the United States.
“R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe’s lyrics changed the way we see America. He also has one of the great voices of any geography.” Bono wrote, adding, “this was a band that made the whole world want to visit Athens, Georgia.”
U2 and R.E.M. band members even formed a hybrid band called Automatic Baby, with Michael Stipe singing lead vocals of the U2 song, “One” at the 1993 MTV Rock the Vote inauguration event for then-President Bill Clinton.
Bono Wrote of the event, “It was a special moment for these Southern musicians to have a Southern president.” Other artists who also appeared at the inauguration were En Vogue, Boys II Men, and The Eagle’s singer Don Henley.
U2 has long had a love for the American South and especially Georgia, thanks to R.E.M. and the band’s admiration for Atlanta born Martin Luther King Jr, who was the inspiration for the song “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
