Michael Stipe on the rock star who “raised the bar”
There’s no proper way to categorise a band like R.E.M. Although the band fit into the style of college rock during their prime in the 1980s, they spent the rest of their career toying with what made them one of the biggest acts in the world, from the pop hits garnered off of Out of Time to being thought of as the progenitors of grunge on albums like Automatic for the People. While Michael Stipe would always channel his innermost feelings whenever he sang, he was just as influenced by the other frontmen around him.
Before looking at what Stipe could do on the live stage, though, it was nearly impossible to decipher what he was saying. Throughout the era of Murmur, Stipe’s borderline incomprehensible tone of voice left many wondering what he was getting at in his songs.
Rather than go down the traditional route of lyrics, Stipe preferred the listener to add their own experiences to the songs, challenging his audience to make their own rules about the music. As he became more articulate during the second half of the 1980s, though, Stipe found another muse when listening to INXS for the first time.
Featuring different dance textures between their love of classic rock, the Australian rock band would become one of the biggest names in music off the strength of albums like Kick. The grooves on a song like ‘Need You Tonight’ and ‘New Sensation’ were unlike anything on the radio, and Stipe was drawn to what Michael Hutchence was getting at in his lyrics.
Still far from the mainstream, Stipe talked about Hutchence setting a standard for him and their contemporaries, U2, telling The Guardian, “He raised the bar for both myself and Bono. He was such an amazing rock star”. Even though R.E.M. was going through some of their most emotionally wounded material at the time on Automatic for the People, Hutchence inspired the frontman to embrace rock and roll again for their next outing.
By comparison, Monster remains one of the most feral R.E.M. albums ever put to tape, featuring songs that borderline on punk because of how dirty the guitars are. While Stipe was always looking to quote his heart whenever he performed songs, he admitted that one of the songs on the album is a direct lift from what Hutchence did.
When talking about the song ‘Strange Currencies’, Stipe admitted to ripping off INXS for the tune, explaining, “The middle eight of that is completely taken from INXS and from Michael”. As much as Stipe may have appreciated the physicality that Hutchence brought to every song, no one would mistake the track for anyone except R.E.M.
The smooth texture of the middle eight is undoubtedly reminiscent of the intense side of INXS, however, the sound is entirely different whenever Stipe opens his mouth, coming through with his trademark voice. A band like R.E.M. might try to co-opt someone else’s sound whenever they can, but even when they completely miss the mark, they still end up delivering some of the best material of their career.
