R.E.M. founder and drummer Bill Berry has admitted that he "sort of regretted" leaving the band back in 1997 — a decision he reached after suffering a brain aneurysm two years prior.
Berry opened up about his exit while joining the other three founding members of R.E.M., Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, for an appearance on CBS Mornings.
During the show, Berry admitted that he had second thoughts about leaving the band.
"That was a weird time for me, and I made it weird for these guys, too," he said.
The idea to leave R.E.M. was planted in his mind after collapsing on stage due to a brain aneurysm in 1995. He rejoined the band after recovering but said the incident affected his enthusiasm for being in the band.
"I'm not gonna use that as an excuse," he continued. "Maybe, it reduced – maybe, that thing in Switzerland — brain aneurysm, and successful surgery — it may have lowered my energy level. I was type A, hyperactive until that, and I just didn't have the drive I once did to do this."
Initially, Berry said that when he left he felt no regrets due to his health and changing attitude to performing with the band. However, he later admitted to feeling some remorse.
"Yes [I had to give it up], and I didn’t regret it at the time," he explained. "I sort of regretted it a little later. That was a long time ago. That was over a quarter of a century ago."
R.E.M. reunited in 2007 to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The gig came ten years after their last show. On Thursday, the band reunited once again to perform together at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, according to The Los Angeles Times.
"Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of — that is out there for the rest of the world for the rest of time — is hands-down the most important aspect of what we did," Stipe told the audience.
"We are four people who very early on decided that we would own our own masters and we would split our royalties and songwriting credits equally," he continued. "We were all for one and one for all."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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