While Buck professed being a fan of the group, he admitted he initially criticized the band simply because he was tired of fans asking him if he was influenced by Marr, whose band had in fact made their debut after R.E.M. Buck generally eschews guitar solos; he explained in 2002, "I know that when guitarists rip into this hot solo, people go nuts, but I don't write songs that suit that, and I am not interested in that.
Selvom Buck har bekendt sig som fan af gruppen, indrømmede han at han oprindeligt kritiserede bandet, simpelthen fordi han var træt af at fans spurgte om han var inspireret af Marr, hvis band først havde haft deres debut efter R.E.M. Buck tager generelt afstand fra guitarsoloer; i 2002 forklarede han at "jeg ved at når guitarister starter en vild solo, går folk amok, men jeg skriver ikke sange der passer til det, og jeg er ikke interesseret i det.