R.E.M.: Murmur of the heart

PALE FROM lack of sleep combined with a terrific hangover, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is perched on a barstool, swallowing aspirin. The employees of the Living Room in Providence are scurrying around, readying the club for the sold-out show; the band's roadies are on stage readying for soundcheck; the other members of R.E.M. — lead voice Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry — wander restlessly in and out of their dressing room.