Description

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Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, R.E.M. released their first single, Radio Free Europe, in 1981. By the time the band broke up they had recorded fifteen studio albums, 63 singles, sold more than 85 million records, signed the biggest recording contract in music history, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Tony Fletcher’s biography of the enigmatic quartet from Athens, Georgia, benefits not only from Tony’s long association with the band but also by the co-operation of the band itself. Discussing fame, fortune and sexuality with the same keen eye he casts on the group’s astonishing musical catalogue, Perfect Circle is neither blind fan worship nor jaundiced critical cynicism, but a balanced and thorough telling of one of the most compelling rock stories of our time. Drawing on dozens of interviews with friends, associates and the band members themselves, this is not just the story of one group’s rise through cult status, but the story of American rock. This is edition is fully updated.

About the Author

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Tony Fletcher is the bestselling author of major biographies on Keith Moon, the Smiths, and R.E.M., as well as a memoir, a novel, and a history of the New York City music scene. Born in northern England, and raised in South London, where he started his own music magazine, Jamming!, at the age of thirteen, he emigrated to New York City in the late 1980s. When not traveling with his family, he makes his home near Woodstock in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. A contributor to Salon and the Wall Street Journal, his writing has also appeared in Mojo, Rolling Stone, the Face, the New York Times, Spin, and Newsday, and he has contributed to a host of other publications, radio, and television shows worldwide.