Bryan Wawzenek is a freelance journalist who writes for Diffuser.fm and Ultimate Classic Rock. He learned more from a three-minute record than he ever learned in school. His mind is racing, as it always will. Don't start him talking, he could talk all night. The sunshine bores the daylights out of him. Don't touch him, he's a real live wire. Most things he worries about never happen anyway. But he's been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come.
Bryan Wawzenek
Michael Stipe Wrestles with Writer’s Block to Complete ‘Man on the Moon’
The song was ready. Everything was there: Bass, drums, guitars. There was only one slight problem. It didn’t have a title, or lyrics, or vocals.
R.E.M. Get Kind of Blue on ‘New Orleans Instrumental No. 1’
Taking inspiration from the Big Easy, and some wine, R.E.M. created a late-night atmosphere on 'Automatic''s lone instrumental track.
R.E.M. Find a Hollow Center in ‘Sweetness Follows’
A meditation on loss, the quiet, pulsing "Sweetness Follows" might be the centerpiece of 'Automatic for the People.'
R.E.M. Show Some Soul on ‘Everybody Hurts’: The Story Behind Every ‘Automatic for the People’ Song
R.E.M.'s R&B-influenced ballad took an uncharacteristically direct approach to the subject of suicide.
25 Years Ago: Soul Asylum Become a Runaway Success with ‘Grave Dancers Union’
Soul Asylum were a decade into their career when "Runaway Train" got them signed to a new label and then became the hit that made their next album a smash.
25 Years Ago: R.E.M. Create a Melancholy Masterpiece With ‘Automatic for the People’
Initially planning to make a big rock record, R.E.M. decided to focus on acoustic sounds and dark themes on their eighth and, perhaps, most celebrated album.
20 Years Ago: The Verve Stumble Toward Elegance on ‘Urban Hymns’
Despite a sampling controversy and a troubled dynamic within the band, the Verve had their big moment with their third album, released in September 1997.
25 Years Ago: Alice in Chains Play in the ‘Dirt,’ Create a Dark Masterpiece
Drugs, war and daddy issues came to the fore on Alice in Chains' second (and most successful) album, released in September 1992.
25 Years Ago: Stone Temple Pilots Battle Copy-Cat Claims on ‘Core’
As STP released their debut album in September 1992, the California band encountered monster success, along with perceptions that they were grunge poseurs.
30 Years Ago: Pixies Reveal Themselves on ‘Come On Pilgrim’
A handful of songs from the Pixies' hastily recorded demo tape were put out as the band's first EP, which was only released in Europe in September 1987.