“I’ve had a long interest in what we would call outsider artists or untrained artists. I grew up here in Athens, Georgia, surrounded by them and integrated that into the work that I did as the visual deputy for R.E.M., bringing work from several people who are part of the show into the artwork for … Continued
“These artists were, whether by choice or not, fiercely independent in their vision. And R.E.M. was fiercely independent in our vision, for the most part, and I’m really proud of that.” Michael discusses his collection of works by Southern artists in this feature at the NY Times.
“For years, Michael and I would say this was our favorite R.E.M. record,” says Buck. “It was a weird, chaotic year, and we all sat down and wrote songs all year long, and made a record that kind of encapsulated what was going on with us, and the tour, and everything else.” – Peter Buck … Continued
The band is honored that the Canadian figure skating team of Vanessa James and Eric Radford skated to a stunning rendition of “Shiny Happy People” by Reuben and the Dark at the Beijing Olympics. Michael said, “Im so proud! Congratulations to Vanessa, Eric and their whole team.” Read more about Vanessa and Eric in this … Continued
“A lot of bands simply wanted to fit in, but R.E.M. always wanted to be themselves. I guess a correct way of putting it would be ‘cocky.’ They were like, ‘We rule. Here we come, so get out of the way.’ It wasn’t so much a careerist mindset; rather, it was their insistence on pure … Continued
Mike has contributed backing vocals to “On the Floor,” the new single, from Chapel Hill’s Superchunk. The band has a new LP coming out later in the month via Merge called Wild Loneliness, and they’ve also got a tour in the offing. Listen to “On the Floor” here and read more about SC’s tour dates … Continued
From Monday night’s show at the Georgia Theatre in Athens when Mike joined Jason Isbell and his band on stage for a rousing version of “Driver 8” from Fables of the Reconstruction. Jason also covered “Nightswimming” during the show… both songs were featured on his Georgia Blue LP which was released in October 2021.
Chris from Eyelids touched base earlier this week to give us the lowdown on the Portland band’s new 7″ single, Peter’s presence and influence in the studio, their new LP (out soon hopefully), and the band’s upcoming spring tour:
Friday, January 7, at 7.00 pm GMT (2.00 pm EST), Michael will join Martin Parr for the next Martin Parr Foundation Photochat Live event, coinciding with Michael latest photobook (Damiani, 2021). This untitled publication is the third in Michael’s series of photobooks. The work presents portraits of resilience and vulnerability, with QR-linked audio of … Continued
Athens GA: Registration is open for the 2022 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter Seminar and Workshop Series named in honor of the late great brilliant singer-songwriter from Athens. The opening seminar is scheduled for Thursday, January 13th on Zoom at 7PM Eastern and features participants Caroline Aiken, Ben de la Cour, Mariah Parker, and Tomi Martin & … Continued
We wanted to share this sweet photo of Michael and actress/comedian Betty White from May 2011 in NYC.
“Well. This is unexpected. Thank you to TCM for the honor, and thanks to Bill Berry for bringing this to my attention. We also extend our gratitude and love to include and salute our friends Joan Didion, Jean-Marc Vallée, Betty White, Mick Rock.” -Michael
Some December photos of Peter recording in the studio last week in Seattle, finishing up the Hector Tellez album. Peter played guitar and mandolin, Krist Novoselic played bass, and Barrett Martin played drums as well as producing. A real Seattle super-session! By all accounts, Hector Tellez Jr. is a fantastic singer and guitarist from Havana … Continued
“There were moments when R.E.M., my former band, were hugely popular,” says Michael Stipe. “And we were able to really push the boundaries of what’s acceptable within mainstream culture. KCRW and Deirdre and ‘SNAP!’ were doing the same thing.” Listen to KCRW’s “Half A World Away” episode 8 of Bent By Nature: Deirdre O’Donoghue and the Lost … Continued
“When Michael Stipe was lead singer and lyricist for R.E.M, it was clear he had talents and interests beyond music. He was deeply involved in crafting the album covers and other aspects of the band’s visual identity. In 1998 he published his first photography book with Patti Smith, and in recent years he’s published three … Continued