R.E.M. Singer Says ‘Go F**k Yourselves’ to Trump, Tea Party for Playing Song at ‘Stop Iran’

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Getty Images
Kipp Jones
Washington, D.C.

Members of the band that tried (and failed) to make the mandolin look cool nearly a quarter-century ago have come out swinging on Twitter at GOP frontrunner Donald Trump for using one of their signature tracks at an event and ironically accused him of being desperate for attention.

At Wednesday’s Stop Iran Rally on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Trump entered to the sound of R.E.M.’s 1987 track “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”.

Naturally, the band’s members did not approve of Trump’s unauthorized use of the song and decided to join a long list of other artists who have publicly scorned Republicans for using their music.

The band wrote on its Facebook page:

While we do not authorize or condone the use of our music at this political event, and do ask that these candidates cease and desist from doing so, let us remember that there are things of greater importance at stake here. The media and the American voter should focus on the bigger picture, and not allow grandstanding politicians to distract us from the pressing issues of the day and of the current Presidential campaign.

Member Mike Mills then took to Twitter to refer to Trump as an “Orange Clown,” who will “do anything for attention.”

He added, “I hate giving it to him.”

Mills then got his old pal, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, involved. Stipe also called out Trump for “grabbing attention,” while also describing, presumably Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, as “little men.”

The irony of a musician nobody has heard from in more than a decade accusing others of seeking attention had apparently not fallen on Stipe, who also happens to be considerably shorter than both candidates he accused of being “little.”

(Perhaps Stipe meant “petty,” in which case, his “Go f—k yourselves” opener likely set out to demonstrate his superior intellect… How insightful, right?)

Check out the duo’s rants below:

Whether R.E.M. peaked as a group in 1987 or 1991 is debatable. What is not debatable is the fact that only Jimmy Page can pull off a mandolin. Also, unlike the members of R.E.M., Page could actually navigate above the twelfth fret on a guitar, and his licks can still be heard on FM radio.

While speaking of the Iran Nuclear Deal at Wednesday’s rally, Donald Trump said, “We are led by very, very stupid people… I’ve been doing deals for a long time. Never, ever, ever in my life have I seen any transaction so incompetently negotiated as our deal with Iran. And I mean never.”

Watch Trump’s comments below:

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