See R.E.M. Grow Up in ‘R.E.M. by MTV’ Documentary Trailer
Alt-rock icons R.E.M. formed in 1980; a year later, MTV made its inaugural broadcast and soon began reporting on the Athens, Georgia-based group’s career. Now, a new feature-length documentary, R.E.M. by MTV, compiles decades of footage that the network had stored in its vaults to tell the group’s story. It will be included in the upcoming six-DVD box set REMTV, out November 24th, and will premiere simultaneously on MTV and its sister networks VH1 and Palladia, in late November, according to NPR, which premiered the trailer.
“It was a typical Athens story,” drummer Bill Berry says in the clip about how the group came together. “Four guys meet at a party and want to play other parties and drink beer and have fun.”
The doc contains footage of the band from its college-rock infancy up through its peak “Losing My Religion” period and the group’s eventual breakup in 2011. “We worked really hard,” singer Michael Stipe says later in the trailer. “We had a lot of luck. It turned out good – in fact, great.”
In addition to the doc, the REMTV box set contains both of the band’s Unplugged appearances, including outtakes that didn’t make the original broadcasts in 1991 and 2001; its 1998 VH1 Storytellers appearance; and footage of performances form as early as 1983. Also included are the group’s many MTV award show appearances and several full concerts.
Earlier this year, the group put out Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions on CD and LP. It also put out two massive compilations containing more than 150 rarities from throughout its career.