Michael Stipe: I’m Gay – I Thought It Was Obvious
March 18th, 2008
R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has confirmed that he is gay, saying that after decades of media speculation, he felt that now was the right time to publicly discuss his sexuality.
Stipe, 48, said he thought it was “pretty obvious”, and that he had never sought to deliberately conceal his sexuality.
"It was super complicated for me in the ’80s. I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends, and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious,” he told the April issue of Spin magazine.
"I didn’t always see that. But I see now, of course that’s the case, of course that’s needed. I’d just never felt strongly enough about a particular relationship to say, ‘Yeah, he’s my boyfriend, that is what it is.’ Now I recognise that for public figures to be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere."
In the interview with Spin magazine, Stipe reveals that his songs often referred to his sexuality.
"There are songs I wrote in the past that were gender-specific. ‘7 Chinese Brothers’ was about me breaking up a couple – and then dating both of them, a man and a woman, which is a terrible thing to do, but I was young and stupid,” he said.
Stipe also revealed that he feels much more comfortable about his writing ability now that he is older.
"At the time I was writing about what I knew, and what I knew was myself. I found out I’m not that kind of writer. I think I’m better when I write about things that are not me."
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Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone. Taken by Mark Seliger.
