Michael Stipe’s take on the possibility of an REM reunion won’t make fans of the rock band bright and happy.
The former frontman put it bluntly in an interview on WNYC’s “All of It†on Tuesday: “We will never meet.†(Listen to the segment at the 24:00 mark below.)
Host Alison Stewart, interviewing Stipe on the 10th anniversary of the band’s split, mentioned that Rolling Stone had already put the odds of an REM reunion at 30%.
“It’s wishful thinking at best,” Stipe replied. “We will never meet. We decided when we broke up that it would be really cheesy and probably profitable, which could be the impetus for a lot of bands to get back together. We don’t really need that. And I’m really happy that we just have the legacy of 32 years of work.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the band’s “Out of Time†album, which featured the hit song “Losing My Religionâ€.
“Birthdays mean a lot to me,†Stipe told WNYC, per Variety. “It’s been 10 years since REM had its last word, and of course it’s bittersweet for all of us. But I’m really proud as a band and as good friends that we decided to do what we did when we did. It’s strange for me to think it’s been a whole decade since we called it a day.
The band’s recordings have surfaced in large public places lately but without approval. REM fought last year to get then-President Donald Trump to stop playing the band’s music during his re-election campaign rallies.
“It’s a licensing issue and there’s nothing we can do except respectfully ask him not to do it,” Stipe told “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
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