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Michael Stipe (actual name John Michael Stipe, born January 4, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia) is the lead singer and frontman of rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known (and occasionally parodied) for his mumbling style and complex, surreal lyrics, as well as his social and political activism. Stipe and the other members of R.E.M. have become godfathers of alternative rock and are perhaps the first such band to achieve mainstream success.
Stipe met Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills in 1980 (see 1980 in music) while studying photography and painting at the University of Georgia. They formed R.E.M. that year and issued their debut single, "Radio Free Europe", on Hib-Tone. The song was a college radio success and the band signed to I.R.S. Records for the release of the Chronic Town EP one year later. Beginning with 1983's Murmur (see 1983 in music), R.E.M. released a series of critically acclaimed albums with limited mainstream success. A few hit singles and growing visibility as a social activist eventually made Stipe a star and also earned him a devoted fanbase. The late River Phoenix was among his friends.
In 1998, Stipe published a collection called Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith and worked on Single Cell, a film production company which released several arthouse / indie movies (Velvet Goldmine, starring Ewan McGregor, as well as Being John Malkovich, American Movie in 1999, American Psycho in 2000 and Saved! in 2004). The company as a whole recently purchased the rights to Canadian author Douglas Coupland's All Families are Psychotic and are considering it as a film.
In a 2001 Newsweek interview Stipe described himself as a "queer artist". In previous interviews he has described himself as "an equal opportunities lech" and said he doesn't define himself as gay, straight, or bisexual, but that he was attracted to and had relationships with both men and women. Michael Stipe was once very close to fellow singer Natalie Merchant and has recorded a few songs with her, including one entitled Photograph which appeared on a pro-choice benefit album. He has been with his current boyfriend over 5 years.
He wrote haikus to a book published by Soft Skull Press called "The Haiku Year".
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