Michael Stipe quotes - page 2

Michael Stipe is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band R.E.M. His distinctive voice and poetic lyrics helped shape the sound of alternative music in the late 20th century. He has also been active as a producer and visual artist. Here are 34 of his quotes:

I've always felt that sexuality is a really slippery thing. In this day and age, it tends to get categorized and labeled, and I think labels are for food. Canned food.

Michael Stipe

And I don't expect anyone can bring about a revolution in the way that Bob Dylan did - and really didn't - in the 1960s.

Michael Stipe

They always want me to play myself and that's a big snooze.

Michael Stipe

But I think the one thing that I can say about us is that we're very consistent about certain things and part of that is our desire to do the very best work that we can and not rest on our laurels, or not allow formula to come into what we do.

Michael Stipe

I think there were early critics who wanted us to change the world because the Sex Pistols failed.

Michael Stipe

We're absolutely American and distinctly so, I think. That's part of what people respond to outside of this country, part of the reason that we're such a huge band outside of the U.S., where we're not so popular now as we were 10 or 12 years ago.

Michael Stipe

But we're very much an American band and that's that. I think that's part of the appeal outside of this country and it might be part of the reason people turned away from us within this country, because familiarity breeds contempt.

Michael Stipe

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

Michael Stipe