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R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe has been spotted around New York City while hobbling around on crutches, the result of “a go-carting accident about two weeks ago,” according to the New York Post. (The picture of Stipe here was taken at an event at Big Apple auction house Sotheby’s last night.) Unfortunately, those whip-smart folks at the Post have already taken the hilarious Accelerate/acceleration joke, so we’re just going to sit here and hope that this accident hasn’t lessened Stipe’s zeal for taking Vespa rides around New York City with his orange-clogged pal Mario Batali. [Page Six / Photo: Getty Images]
Michael Stipe Standing In The Place Where He Lives (With A Little Help)
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He had it easy, it could have been Marc Almond’s moped accident.
Maybe he crashed into his own ego.
(Note to self: Lay off the Michael Stipe=douche jokes until after you hear Accelerate.)
As seemingly the lone Stipe defender here, I will say that he has never been anything but cordial, witty, and kind in my dealings with him. He’s a great guy who does a lot of good. How he became a “douche” in public perception is beyond me.
@LucasJensen:
I totally agree – he is a sweetheart & a brilliant lyricist. Leave Michael Alone!
@Lucas Jensen: He was a total prick the time I got to meet him a few years ago. I guess I took it pretty hard because he was my teen idol. It would be easier to forgive if they weren’t making such awful records.
I never though he was a douche, but I do feel like they’ve been phoning it in for close to ten years now. I’m hoping accelerate is good.
Go-kart accident, eh?
That was Keith Richards’ excuse, too. Lay off the smack, Michael. Seriously.
@extracrispy: Sorry to hear that. It could have been the context within which you were meeting him, maybe?
@SuperUnison: I don’t see how Up could ever be considered phoning it in. They really tried some new stuff (for better or worse) on that record.
@SuperUnison: Wait. That WAS nearly ten years ago. Cripes. I’m getting old.
That great new simple song and video have had the great effect of making REM seem relevant. Huzzah! Plus, if all the comments here and elsewhere re: the greatness of the new LP can be believed, we can all have a nice REM summer AND know for certain that time needn’t be wasted backtracking over the last 14 years’ releases because they were all terrible (and even “Drive” back in 1992 was stupid, their “Batdance”-style harginger of slow slide into total irrelevance).
@NickEddy: Wait wait wait–are you suggesting that Diamonds and Pearls was sub-par?
The new R.E.M. album is the first really special R.E.M. album in quite some time. If you’re an R.E.M. fan, you’ll be very pleased.
As for Stipey being a douche, he’s just an awkward teenage boy trapped in the body of a 47 year old man. Cut him a break.
@tigerpop (reply doohickey seems to have amscrayed): Great Tevin Campbell’s ghost, no!
That Batman record was the harbinger of “Chaos and Disorder!”
@NickEddy: I kinda liked C&D! For what it was, anyway (a pissed-off-at-the-label comp of throwaways). The Batman soundtrack came just prior to the N.P.G. era, hence the confusion.
@Lucas Jensen: Yeah, it felt weird when I counted in my head.
He was hysterical at Shoot the Messenger. I got to meet him and found him to be not at all douchey. The clip is here: [www.shootthemessengernyc.com]
Stipe comes on about 5 minutes in.