The year is 1989. Ronald Reagan has just been succeeded as President of the United States by George HW Bush. There is a certain smell in the air, a certain aura of change and tension. The Berlin Wall has been destroyed and the communist grip on the Soviet Union begins to loosen. Television news stations report that the Exxon Valdez spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Alaskan Sea, giving the water's surface a shiny shine. This is a potentially devastating disaster for the animals that call the area home. However, in Georgia, something else is happening. Thousands of people gathered in an arena, all crowded together in the darkness. The suspense is building; something will happen soon. Suddenly the flickering of a projector is heard and thousands of people look towards the stage. "HI. Welcome to the show. We are the REM band (as you know). It's great to be back here (name of your city here). Are you ready for rock and roll? Great. “It lasts for a few moments, then turns black. A dark figure hovers in the center of the stage. A light comes on, coming from behind the figure, creating a silhouette. Three more exit, each taking an instrument. You climb onto a large platform, sitting behind the drums. An orange light at the front turns on, slowly increasing in intensity. The figures, now illuminated, are easily identifiable. From left to right: Mike Mills (bass), Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar) and Bill Berry (drums). Stipe wears a white suit with black eye shadow, his eyes appearing like bottomless pits. He holds a megaphone in his right hand and purposely steps closer to the microphone. "This goes... to the Exxon Corporation," he declares, and to the right...... center of the paper ......there is a notable absence of guitars. In a conscious act of cultural resistance, Radiohead released the most anti-commercial album possible. In 2006 Radiohead once again threw a wrench into the music industry by releasing their album “In Rainbows” completely free. In a cultural experiment, fans were asked to pay whatever they deemed necessary for the album. Some paid twenty dollars, others nothing. REM's small acts of cultural resistance paved the way for other bands, like Radiohead, to do the same. Thanks to REM's hard work and dedication, it is now possible for a band to be more than "just a band" and a singer to be more than "just a singer". Popular Music 23 (1993): 33-41. Print.Duncombe, Stephen.The Cultural Resistance Reader. `: Verso Books, 2002. Print.Kruse, Holly.