R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

Even after they became world superstars, the band R.E.M. never quite followed the pop mainstream.  And a lot of that has to do with the band’s frontman, Michael Stipe. 

Stipe has a distinctive voice and enigmatic lyrics.  But he’s also a photographer and filmmaker.  For 30 years, R.E.M. has released videos that are just as distinctive as the band’s music — the kind that would be more at home in an arthouse theater than alongside the glitzy pop of MTV. R.E.M.’s newest album, Collapse into Now, is no exception.  The band commissioned a short film for every song on the record.  Directors include long-established luminaries such as Albert Maysles and younger talent, including James Franco. (The videos are being released via Youtube.)

Stipe tells Kurt Andersen some of the stories behind the songs on the album: rediscovered scribbles in a notebook, an imaginary conversation with Neil Young, a drunken ramble through Manhattan.  The reluctant pop star admits that performing in front of tens of thousands of fans has allowed him be a little didactic. But he insists he remains painfully shy — he calls his decision to pursue music at 15 “the most courageous act in my life.”

(The audio on this website is an extended version of the radio broadcast.)

Video: R.E.M.'s "Every Day is Yours to Win"
Directed by Jim McKay, Chris Moukarbel, and Valerie Veatch