Michael Stipe

I'm tired of being this solemn poet of the masses, the enigma shrouded in a mystery.

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When you meet a stranger, look at his shoes. Keep your money in your shoes.

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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.

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We toured that record for a year, which turned out to be the culmination of ten years of being constantly on the road. We were sick to death of touring.

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

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There was a point in the '80s when I looked out at my audience and I saw people that - were I not on the stage - they'd sooner slug me as they walked by me on the sidewalk. And I realized that I was way beyond the choir.

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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.

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Quotes by Michael Stipe