HOME: Chronic Town, Little America.

AGE: College drop-outs.

PROFESSION: Talking about the passion.

HOBBIES: Incorporating so many influences that it’s impossible to second guess them; gardening at night; searching for incredibly cool cover songs; supporting Radio Free Europe; sometimes sitting still but mainly shaking through.

LAST BOOK READ: The Sound And The Murmur by William Faulkner.

LAST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Their guitarist saved CREEM’s senior editor from getting his head bashed in by an irate concert security guard.

QUOTE: “Mumble, mumble (indecipherable)”—Michael Stipe.

PROFILE: This fab foursome met at the University of Georgia in Athens, moved into a big church together and began playing mainly for the fun of it. Two LPs, one EP and numerous singles later (not to mention the top position on nearly every critics’ poll of 1983), our heroes are still having fun as one of America’s most respected and accomplished rock ’n’ roll bands.

BEER: Boy Howdy!