Ah, the dog days of August, when the news cycle is so slow, Michael Stipe's profession that he "very publicly despise[s]" George W. Bush is worthy of a headline. I suppose it could be worse, though—he could be
coming out for the 38,584th time. [
6music]
Along with his Foghat purchase, Michael Stipe revealed in his
Death & Taxes interview that he still has a hard time listening to Nirvana albums following Kurt Cobain's suicide. "It was all written, it was all right there and it was so obvious where he was going, and then he didn't make it. I still have trouble—I can't listen to an entire Nirvana record." Can you? I'm not suggesting that less than regular play shows a lack of appreciation, but I'm curious if others find themselves less than likely to put
Nevermind or
In Utero on for entertainment, due to the nature of Cobain's passing or not. Has it been ages since you heard "On A Plain" or did
"Heart Songs" inspire you to play the album with a baby on it who was naked on it?
Dear everyone getting all excited about the "Michael Stipe comes out" story: Um, this is news? Sure, he apparently told
Spin that he'd "just never felt strongly enough about a particular relationship to say, 'Yeah, he's my boyfriend, that is what it is,'" but that claim would seem to be at least
somewhat contradicted by this 2001 quote from
Time: "Stipe says he's 'phenomenally overworked' but happy. He says he's been 'in a relationship with an amazing man' for about three years (he says his partner isn't a celebrity). In the past Stipe avoided questions about his sexuality, but he's now more comfortable discussing it. 'I was being made to be a coward about it,' he says, 'rather than someone who felt like it really was a very private thing.' He now readily describes himself as a 'queer artist.' " I know, Lexis/Nexis is expensive, but you'd think that semi-real news organizations would at least spend
some money on, like, actual research! [
Us / Photo: AP]
Idolator
Ever in tune with fashion's shifting winds, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has moved on from being a shirtless Marc Jacobs model to designing limited-edition, 150-euro polos for Lacoste. (That's $192.72 at current exchange rates, FYI.) Yes, now you too can wear the same shirt worn by people who sneered at "college rock" in the '80s, only this time it's OK because the guy who put black bars over his nipples in the interest of making a statement about MTV came up with the design. Is this an example of irony, or is it just the circle of life? I can't tell anymore.
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