As the frontman for R.E.M., arguably the most important and influential American rock band of the post-punk era, Michael Stipe transformed himself from enigmatic cult hero into mainstream icon. Famed for his confoundingly opaque lyrics and notoriously mumbled delivery, the once-introverted Stipe translated his growing fame into an outlet to champion his social and political concerns, emerging as one of popular music’s most respected figures, as well as the acknowledged forefather of the alternative rock movement. Born John Michael Stipe in Decatur, GA, on January 4, 1960, he was a military brat whose life was forever changed by Patti Smith’s Horses album; Television’s Marquee Moon and Wire’s Pink Flag were also massive influences on his musical sensibility, and during high school he joined a punk cover band. While studying painting and photography at the University of Georgia, Stipe befriended aspiring guitarist Peter Buck, and with bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, they formed R.E.M. in 1980. Honing an atmospheric, jangly pop sound often reminiscent of the Byrds, R.E.M. toured relentlessly prior to issuing their debut single, “Radio Free Europe,” on the tiny Hib-Tone label in mid-1981; the record’s success on college radio attracted the attention of IRS Records, which released the band’s Chronic Town EP a year later.
R.E.M.’s first full-length album, 1983’s Murmur, cemented their reputation as critics’ darlings and made Stipe an underground icon — his cryptic, often unintelligible lyrics were analyzed with Talmudic fervor, and his thrift-store image was copied by countless acolytes. Despite little mainstream airplay, 1984’s Reckoning reached the Top 30 and with the darkly beautiful follow-up Fables of the Reconstruction, the band earned increasing MTV visibility for the videos “Can’t Get There From Here” and “Driver 8.” Stipe himself directed the video for “Fall on Me,” the lead single from R.E.M.’s fourth LP, 1986’s Lifes Rich Pageant; thanks to producer Don Gehman, Stipe’s vocals resonated with newfound clarity, revealing a growing awareness with sociopolitical concerns (among them environmental issues and American foreign policy). 1987’s Document was R.E.M.’s commercial breakthrough, buoyed by the Top Ten hit “The One I Love”; with Green, the band’s debut for new label Warner Bros., Stipe for the first time ever allowed one of his lyrics (“World Leader Pretend”) to be reprinted on the jacket sleeve. Released on Election Day 1988, the album was R.E.M.’s most pointedly polemic to date, although the hits “Stand” and “Pop Song 89” also reflected the band’s wry sense of humor.
Following the Green tour, R.E.M. took an extended break, during which Stipe focused on his film company C-00, produced material for local discoveries like Vic Chesnutt and the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, and lent guest vocals to a variety of projects. R.E.M. returned in 1991 with the chart-topping Out of Time, which generated the Top Ten hits “Losing My Religion” and “Shiny Happy People”; the elegiac masterpiece Automatic for the People followed and as alternative rock took over the pop charts, the band (and Stipe in particular) was widely acknowledged among the chief inspirations behind a generation of new artists. While touring in support of 1995’s Monster, Stipe was temporarily sidelined by hernia surgery; he returned to complete the tour and two years later, R.E.M. resurfaced with New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Outside of his musical activities, in 1998 Stipe published the photo collection Two Times Intro: On the Road With Patti Smith; he also worked with his new feature film production company, Single Cell, which in 1999 yielded the acclaimed Being John Malkovich and American Movie.
In 2006, Stipe released an EP that comprised six different cover versions of Joseph Arthur’s “In The Sun” for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund. One version, recorded in a collaboration with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. Also in 2006, Stipe appeared on the song “Broken Promise” on the Placebo release Meds. Continuing his non-R.E.M. work in 2006, Stipe sang the song “L’Hôtel” on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg titled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited and appeared on the song “Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano” on the New York Dolls album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This. He recorded a song with Miguel Bose on the album Papito, “Lo que ves es lo que hay.”
Stipe collaborated with Lacoste in 2008 to release his own “holiday collector edition” brand of polo shirt. The design depicts a concert audience from the view of the performer on stage. He appeared with Chris Martin of Coldplay live at Madison Square Garden and online to perform “Losing My Religion” in the 12-12-12 concert raising money for relief from Hurricane Sandy. A new recording from Stipe and featuring Courtney Love was revealed in 2013.The song, “Rio Grande,” is taken from Johnny Depp’s pirate-themed album, Son of Rogue’s Gallery. Stipe also created the soundtrack for The Cold Lands (2013), a film by Stipe’s friend director Tom Gilroy.
Stipe inducted the American grunge band Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014. He debuted his first solo composition at Moogfest in 2017. Later that year, he performed with Fischerspooner on the new song “Have Fun Tonight” from their 2018 album, Sir. Stipe released the solo song “Future, If Future” on March 24, 2018, followed by “Your Capricious Soul” on October 5, 2019. “Drive to the Ocean” was released for his 60th birthday on January 4, 2020.
Photography has long been a passion for Stipe and he has been carrying a camera with him since his teenage years when he photographed shows featuring Ramones, The Runaways and Queen. In 2018, Stipe released a book of his photography entitled Volume 1, which featured 35 photographs of such celebrities as River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain. A second volume with Douglas Coupland, Our Interference Times: A Visual Record, was released in 2019.
In 2019, Stipe collaborated with Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon’s band Big Red Machine on the single “No Time For Love Like Now.” The song was finished and released in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stipe has made a number of acting appearances on film and on television. Stipe appeared in an episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete as an ice cream man named Captain Scrummy. Stipe has appeared as himself with R.E.M. on Sesame Street, playing a reworked version of “Shiny Happy People” called “Furry Happy Monsters,” and appeared in an episode of The Simpsons titled “Homer the Moe,” in which R.E.M. was tricked into playing a show in Homer Simpson’s garage. He also appeared as a guest on the Cartoon Network talk show spoof Space Ghost Coast to Coast in the episode “Hungry.” Stipe made several short appearances on The Colbert Report.
Stipe voiced Schnitzel the Reindeer in the 1999 movie Olive, the Other Reindeer and appeared in the 1996 film Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day.
In March 2018, Stipe joined the “March for Our Lives” rallies to advocate gun control after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. He also released a teaser of his new song in the rally.
In 1983, Stipe met fellow musician Natalie Merchant of the band 10,000 Maniacs; the two started a friendship, and eventually had a romantic relationship for a period of time.
Stipe lives with his long-term partner, the photographer Thomas Dozol, in New York and Berlin.
Stipe possesses a baritone vocal range. His role in the songwriting process for R.E.M. was to write lyrics and devise melodies.[56] While each member was given an equal vote in the songwriting process, Peter Buck has conceded that Stipe, as the band’s lyricist, could rarely be persuaded to follow an idea he did not favor.[57] Stipe sings in “wailing, keening, arching vocal figures” that R.E.M. biographer David Buckley compared to Celtic folk artists and Muslim muezzin.[2] Stipe often harmonizes with Mills in songs; in the chorus for “Stand”, Mills and Stipe alternate singing lyrics, creating a dialogue. Early articles about the band focused on Stipe’s singing style (described as “mumbling” by The Washington Post), which often rendered his lyrics indecipherable. Stipe commented in 1984, “It’s just the way I sing. If I tried to control it, it would be pretty false.”
“That voice. It’s an extraordinary voice,” said U2’s lead singer, Bono, in 2003. “I often tell him I think he’s a crooner, and he doesn’t like that very much. But it is sort of one part some sort of Bing Crosby ’50s laid-back crooner, and one part Dolly Parton”.
Ref: All Music and Wiki
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays Michael Stipe. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/
Check out Michael Stipe: