Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his career with R.E.M. (1980–2011), as well as during his subsequent solo career, Buck has also been at various times an official member of numerous 'side project' groups. These groups included Arthur Buck (with Joseph Arthur), Hindu Love Gods, The Minus 5, Tuatara, The Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, Tired Pony, The No-Ones and Filthy Friends, each of which have released at least one full-length studio album. Additionally, the experimental combo Slow Music (which also features Fred Chalenor, Hector Zazou, Matt Chamberlain, Robert Fripp, and Bill Rieflin) have released an official live concert CD. Another side project group called Full Time Men released an EP while Buck was a member. As well, ad hoc "supergroups" Bingo Hand Job (Billy Bragg and R.E.M.), Musical Kings (Michelle Malone, Peter Buck, John Keane) and Nigel & The Crosses (Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Buck, Glenn Tilbrook and others) have each commercially released one track. "Richard M. Nixon", a band Buck founded in 2012 to support the release of his solo album with live gigs, has never issued an official recording. Richard M. Nixon consists of Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin, the same three musicians who comprise The Venus 3.[2] Buck also has a career as a record producer including releases by Uncle Tupelo, Vigilantes of Love, Dreams So Real, The Fleshtones, The Feelies, and The Jayhawks, as well as a session musician (for the likes of The Replacements, Billy Bragg, Decemberists and Eels).
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 6, 1956 (69)
- Oakland, California, USA
- Actor, also composer
- 3 on Motif · 24 credits in all
What are Peter Buck's films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 1
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Peter Buck's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 3 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Peter Buck's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 3 with a Motif page; 35 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
R.E.M. - Automatic Unearthed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
R.E.M. - Out Of Time (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)
R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)
R.E.M. at the BBC (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)
R.E.M. Live from Austin, TX (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
6 Days (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)
R.E.M. Live (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
R.E.M.: When the Light is Mine (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)
R.E.M. : Perfect Square (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)
R.E.M.: MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)
Man on the Moon(1999)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
R.E.M.: Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre 1998/10/18 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)
R.E.M.: Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre 1998/10/17 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)
R.E.M.: Road Movie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)
R.E.M.: MTV Unplugged (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
R.E.M: Shocking Club, Milan, Italy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
R.E.M.: Pop Screen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)
The Simpsons(1989)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
R.E.M.: Live at The Capitol Theater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)
Left of Reckoning (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)
R.E.M.: Live at the Raleigh Underground (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)
R.E.M.: New Adventures In Hi-Fi (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 24 titles, 23 of them dated from 1982 to 2017.
How do Peter Buck's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 2; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
Shape of the crowd
1 of their 3 titles is Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser1
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Peter Buck work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peter Buck's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Stipe shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Michael StipeShared titles: This Is Not a Show: Live at the Olympia in Dublin (2009), Man on the Moon (1999), R.E.M.: Rough Cut (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Stipe
- Mike MillsShared titles: This Is Not a Show: Live at the Olympia in Dublin (2009), Man on the Moon (1999), R.E.M.: Rough Cut (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Mike Mills
Mixed roles
- Bill BerryShared titles: Man on the Moon (1999), R.E.M.: Rough Cut (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Berry
