R.E.M.

Small collection of musicians re: R.E.M.'s effect on them.  The thing that jumps out to me is Bob Mould:

I spent many late nights hanging out with Peter Buck, witnessing his unbridled excitement as he played records I'd never heard.

I've read a million articles on R.E.M. and even a bunch of books about them, and every single person who has ever hung out with Pete Buck tells the exact same story of being treated to all-nighters of him excitedly playing 45 after 45 for them.

Also what I think is true HERE re why they mattered so much:

R.E.M. were more than just a band; they represented an aesthetic preference. In contrast to U2, the kings of secular sincerity, R.E.M. made themselves vulnerable in a very human way. They were a smart band who stood for substantial things and weren’t afraid to be totally, delightfully weird. The group’s stubborn unorthodoxy resonated with the  kids who didn’t fit in -- the ones who were too smart, too unconventional, too geeky, too philosophical, too artsy. Hardcore fans naturally gravitated toward one another: If you saw someone wearing an R.E.M. shirt, you just knew on a subconscious level you’d probably be friends.