Which ‘08 prez candidate did R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe recently claim to be weirdly, conflicted-ly smitten with after a late-night TV appearance? The one who’s hellbent on denying him his civil rights, among other hilarious schemes to upend our way of life once he beats the lady or the African-American guy.

“I can’t think of probably a single issue in which I am even remotely in the same universe as that guy … and yet, he was kind of charming and … self-deprecating,” Stipe told Jane Radio host Jane Pratt, a day after watching Huckabee’s Thursday appearance on CBS’ “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.”
“He was actually kind of a good sport, and funny, and I don’t know what that means. Maybe it’s a good thing that’s he’s being lauded right now by the right. He’s an evangelical. May God bless all living creatures but my god … how weird.”

Oh, Stipe. No. “But he’s a nice guy…” relativism is the slippery a-political slope that leads outspoken pop stars straight to Bono. Resist! (Also Reuters, does listening to the radio now require a “reporting by” credit? In that case, this post featured additional reporting by Maura Johnston, who copied and pasted the link to me.)

R.E.M. Singer “Charmed” By Huckabee [Reuters]