the songs could be as esoteric as the troubled start, andy kaufman. it is was alternative rock. do say this same of the causes that they championed. -- you could say the same. they fought for environmental, feminist, and human rights causes. are they for real or just celebrity liberals? >> they were lumped in with the charity rock aristocracy, they kept to an esoteric agenda as well because you had michael stipe supporting any number of causes and he genuinely believed them. his heart was in rather more than stain, shall we say. than sting, jal we say. to take this kind of music and fill stadiums with it is no easy feat. >> the in idiosyncratic michael stipe marked their breakup with a new video. did they throw in the towel after david cameron picked one of their tracks? >> did you decide it was just over? >> it was a long moment. we took a while to figure out that we wanted to call it a day. >> why? you could come back a bit. you could do like the rolling stones. >> it was an opportunity for us to walk away on our own terms. this is something that very few bands have had their