Mike Mills hates listening to R.E.M. music

R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills finds it difficult to enjoy his own band's music.

The musician says he works so hard alongside singer Michael Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck to create their hits he can't distance himself away from the music in order to appreciate it during his time away from the band.

He said: "The trouble for me with this band is that I very seldom listen to it for pleasure because I'm too close to it, it's too much like work."

However, the 54-year-old admits that has all changed with their new album 'Collapse Into Now' as he finds himself enjoying some of the tracks.

He added: "Having said that, I really do enjoy 'It Happened Today', which I think is fantastic, 'Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I' is a very moving song to me, and I really enjoy 'Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter' with Peaches singing on it."

Mike also revealed the band never plan an album before they start working on it because he thinks it ruins the creative process.

He told the Huffington Post: "It's almost better not to plan that at the beginning because you find yourself forcing things to be a certain way. We just let this record become what it wanted to become, and as the end result, there is a certain cohesion about it that I really like."