The Most Heartfelt and Goofy of R.E.M., According to Mike Mills by Devon Ivie

I consider myself lucky that my tenure as a student in college radio coincided with the time that R.E.M. were still making great records. My longtime appreciation for the band has extended in the era after their wholly respectable dissolution as a going concern, in large part because of the expert curation of their own legacy that they’ve seeming taken on with the same collective respect for each other and their fans that defined their career. Among other things, they are obviously very comfortable reflecting on their past work, always doing so with exactly the right balance of humility and nostalgic admiration. For Vulture, the online culture shingle of New York magazine, writer Devon Irie draws engaging stories out of Mike Mills, R.E.M.’s bassist and crack utility player, covering the most memorable songs and experiences from back in the day.

Aaron Rodgers Is Broken And The Jets Are Back In The Mud by Tom Ley

In general, my interest in the National Football League begins and ends with sussing out game time for the local team so I can schedule my grocery store trip while everyone else is yelling at the television. My roots are in Wisconsin, though, so the Green Bay Packers exert a gravitational pull that I can’t quite escape, so I’ve been all too aware of the self-generated soap opera around the team’s recently departed quarterback. I’m also a fan of cosmic comeuppance, so Tom Ley’s story about Aaron Rodgers’s disastrous regular season debut in a uniform with lots of green but not so much gold makes for a highly entertaining read. This article is published by Defector.