REM Upset That 'Sad Little Men' Used Its Song

A Washington, DC, rally against the Iran nuclear deal brought together GOP hopefuls and conservative stars, including Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty—and infuriated REM in the process. Trump took the stage at the Tea Party rally to "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," prompting REM singer Michael Stipe to say, in a statement tweeted by bassist Mike Mills: "Go f--- yourselves, the lot of you—you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign." Mills said that was Stipe's opinion and that he personally hates giving attention to the "Orange Clown."

In a statement on Facebook, the band said that while it didn't want its music used at the event, it urges voters to look at the "bigger picture" instead of "grandstanding politicians," the Guardian reports. At the Capitol rally, the crowd booed when politicians like John Boehner were mentioned and cheered when Trump told them that he had never seen a deal "so incompetently negotiated as our deal with Iran" and that we "are led by very, very, stupid people," the AP reports. The Wall Street Journal reports that the rally also featured a rare appearance from Jim Gilmore, who is running for president but hasn't cracked the top 15 in the polls. (Kim Davis has been told not to use "Eye of the Tiger" again.)