It's a familiar story. College student music nerds meet at a local record store, decide to start jamming together for fun. A few months later they play their first show, their still-unnamed band gigging in a former church for their friend's birthday party. The police break up the party at 2 a.m., but the band will go on play together for the next 32 years. After considering several names (most of which you can't say on the radio) they settle on R.E.M., and the rest is history, but it all began April 5, 1980, when Stipe, Buck, Mills, and Berry played that first show. R.E.M. would become one of the most important American bands of the '80s - and we'll feature them this week on Teenage Kicks.

Segments

Playlist, hour 1

Playlist, hour 2