ISBN 0-56025-177-8 (Paperback, 176 Pages)

Attempting to do what some R.E.M. fans believe to be impossible, author Craig Rosen examines the stories and inspirations behind each of the songs released by the band R.E.M. in the hope of deciphering some of the more enigmatic lyrics that the band has come up with over the years.

While R.E.M. were recording Monster, Stipe lost two close friends. The first, actor River Phoenix - to whom the album is dedicated - died of a drugs overdose on Halloween night, 1993, at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California. The second, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, took his own life with a shotgun blast to the head in his Seattle home in April 1994 after years of battling with heroin, the pressures of stardom, and personal demons. Stipe has said that he felt a deep connection with both of the young artists. They reminded him of himself when he was in his early 20s and beginning to grapple with the pains that often accompany stardom. Crush With Eyeliner Following the death of Phoenix, Stipe said that he didn't write a song for five months. When he finally got over that depression-induced case of writer's block, 'Crush With Eyeliner' was among the first songs he wrote.

This reference book is generously illustrated with numerous photographs, including not only pictures of the band but also subjects who have influenced them. These include photographer Carol Levy, comet Kohoutek and towards the end of the book, a full page photograph of River. Wearing his red sneakers and a blue Hawaiian sheet decorated with countless flowers, it's from a collection of shots taken during a photo-shoot in New York's Central Park.

So Fast, So Numb The song, a play on the old rock'n'roll cliche "live fast, die young," seems to be a wake-up call, with Stipe warning someone that they're "moving so hard, so fast, so numb" that they "can't even feel." Two of Stipe's close friends, River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain, lost their lives due to drug abuse and their loss was reflected in the songs of Monster.

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