Peter Buck on an R.E.M. reunion: ‘It’s just not going to happen’

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Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM

Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, and Bill Berry of R.E.M. attend the 2024 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction and Awards Gala at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 13, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Joy Malone/Getty Images)

R.E.M. called it quits in 2011, and while some fans may be holding out hope for a full band reunion, guitarist Peter Buck tells Mojo they really shouldn't.

“When we decided it was the end, I felt fine with it. That was the story – it had a beginning and an end,” he says. “I was happy with the whole arc, and we were all young enough to go off and do other things, and we all have been.”

“And unlike every other band in the world other than The Smiths, we’re not going to be doing the famous album reunion tour or any of that crap,” he adds. “It’s just not going to happen.”

Buck says he has no desire to “do a tour so we can make more money or be famous.”

“I just don’t want to be the legacy act at Glastonbury playing our 40-year-old hits,” he says. “It’s great that we did all that stuff when we did it, and I’m really proud of the performances. I don’t want to cheapen it by going out there just for ego and money. I don’t need the money, and my ego? Well, I’ve had enough applause to last 10 lifetimes.”

R.E.M. announced their split in September 2011. All four members — Buck, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry — reunited to perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024. They also reunited in February 2025 for a performance of “Pretty Persuasion” at Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s show in Athens, Georgia.