It was last month when REM told the world of their decision to split, with Stipe commenting at the time that: “A wise man once said–’the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave. We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it.”
And now Mills has told Mojo magazine that the break from REM after nearly three decades will give Stipe the chance to pursue various other interests away from music.
“I don’t think that music is where his passion lies,” he explained. “I think he wants to be in the visual arts. I imagine Michael will do a lot of sculpture and photography. I think those are his big interests now.”
REM will release a Greatest Hits compilation, entitled ‘REM, Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982- 2011‘ on November 18th. It will include three new tracks, ‘Hallejulah‘, ‘A Month Of Saturdays‘ and ‘We All Go Back To Where We Belong‘.