There is always something of the writer in the work but I don't think Melville had to be swallowed by a whale to write a great novel. If I had lived the lives of all the characters of the songs I've written, that would truly be an extraordinary story.

Michael Stipe

Categorized in : Character Song Writing

Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious.

Michael Stipe

confused reality thinking

Be yourself. Follow your heart. I know it sounds obvious, but it's the best advice at anyone ever. Take advice from other people, but take from it what feels right for you.

Michael Stipe

being-yourself heart people

A wise man once said, 'The skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.'

Michael Stipe

party wise men

Super casual music listeners. That's most of the people in the world. And you have to understand, that's why Top 40 radio exists. It's not there for people who seek out music and who love music.

Michael Stipe

radio people world

I've never written a song that's hopeless. I'm not a hopeless person. I'm crazily optimistic. I crazily see the good in people. I crazily see the way out of a terrible situation. I crazily try to be the diplomat. If there are two warring factions in my life, I want them to agree to disagree at the very least.

Michael Stipe

optimistic song two

The only thing to fear is fearlessness.

Michael Stipe

fearlessness fear

There tend to be two different drives that lead young people toward music. One is that music provides an escape; it takes you away from the unhappiness or torture of where you are and makes you feel less alienated-you believe there is a place you fit in somewhere else. The other is a sort of transcendent, spiritual feeling in the purity of music.

Michael Stipe

spiritual two believe

Love, love will be my strongest weapon

Michael Stipe

strongest weapons love

Once I reached my 40s, I thought to myself that if I'm going to play live now, I need to really mean this. I can't go out and be a little bit, for one moment slovenly in my choices as a performer. I mean, these people have paid a lot of money to be here, they've been through the nightmare of getting here, starving themselves waiting for us to get on stage, so I'm going to give them what they came here for.

Michael Stipe

giving mean people

Anybody that walks can sing.

Michael Stipe

walks

Links have become the suburbs of the real world.

Michael Stipe

real links world

When I write, I tend toward melancholy, and the few times that I've tried pure joy in music, it doesn't really work that well. The joy can be through catharsis. I think that's what I do well, and observation.

Michael Stipe

writing joy thinking

I was vegetarian, trying to eat from fast-food restaurants without meat. I didn't know how to eat properly and I was starving. I was adrenalized to the eyeballs from performing. I was afraid that I was sick with AIDS. We were playing five shows a week. I even went through a period of abstinence where I didn't drink and stopped having sex. Which is crazy. Maybe I'm answering too many questions at once here, but this is where my mind was at the age of 25.

Michael Stipe

sick crazy sex

My feeling is that labels are for canned food... I am what I am - and I know what I am.

Michael Stipe

i-am-what-i-am labels feelings

By nature I will find hope in everything. Even if it's the most incredibly hopeless situation or circumstance. That's just me... I'll never be able to see things any other way.

Michael Stipe

able hope way

Sometimes before we make a record I go back and listen to a few. It's equally humbling and uplifting.

Michael Stipe

records music uplifting

For every great thing we did, there is a very public moment of falling on our faces. But everything that came through us as a band was a distinct vision of R.E.M.

Michael Stipe

band vision fall

So, when you divide the world into music lovers, music fans and then those people who are just very casual about their music, it's wallpaper to them, it's elevator music, it's just the thing that's playing in the background that helps them through their day.

Michael Stipe

fans people world

The song "Sing for the Submarine" presents my dream world, which is way different from my waking world. It's set in the future and it's post-apocalyptic.

Michael Stipe

different dream song

We don't get groupies.We get teenagers who want to read us their poetry.

Michael Stipe

groupie teenager want