Why Michael Stipe wasn’t a fan of The Beatles: “It’s not something I’m personally drawn to”
Beatlemania may not have the world in its clutches like it did back in the 1960s, but the Fab Four still boast a mammoth fanbase in 2024. The fruits of Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s songwriting partnership have proven timeless, as Beatles songs continue to resonate with audiences today. Beyond the enduring nature of the music, the band have accrued an unparalleled legacy for their contributions to production, culture, and the wider music industry.
Fans of The Beatles no longer consist of screaming teenagers but rather of music historians and budding bands who recognise the band’s impact on music history. Still, they’re no less devoted to preserving the band’s legacy. Voicing any form of dislike for The Beatles is still a bold move, one that will likely be met with protests and evidence as to why they are the best band of all time.
Still, that hasn’t stopped R.E.M frontman Michael Stipe from sharing his less-than-complimentary thoughts on the Fab Four. The singer was born in 1960, the same year the band formed, meaning he just missed the boat on Beatlemania. By the time he was old enough to engage with The Beatles, it seemed that they had lost their cool status.
“I’m not really a Beatles fan, though,” Stipe once divulged during a conversation with Pitchfork. “I acknowledge their genius, but I’m just not the generation that grew up with them.” Though many would consider his ambivalence towards the Fab Four as blasphemous, it’s easy to see how an appreciation for the band may have passed Stipe by.
When Stipe reached his teens, when many of us discover our sonic tastes and interests, The Beatles had already broken up several years prior. Rather than finding his love for music through The Beatles’ experimental works or countercultural impact, Stipe discovered a love for punk and post-punk. He was inspired by Patti Smith and David Byrne rather than McCartney and Lennon.
“It’s not something I’m personally drawn to,” Stipe shrugged, though he acknowledged that this opinion has landed him in “trouble” previously. When the budding punk came to take his first steps into making music, it was easy to feel the influence of the more alternative rockers he had favoured in his youth.
With R.E.M, he would secure his place as an essential figure in the alt-rock scene, helming some of the genre’s most successful tunes, including ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Losing My Religion’. The jangly guitars and imprecise vocals showed off the influence of the post-punk bands Stipe had grown up on.
Still, if you look hard enough, you might just find the influence of The Beatles somewhere in between. Stipe certainly wasn’t an outright fan of the band, but there are elements of R.E.M that could be compared to the Fab Four, such as the warm guitars. The influence of The Beatles continues to bleed into bands across genres and generations, even those who proclaim themselves not to be fans.
Though Stipe’s disregard for The Beatles may have got him in some hot water with Beatlemaniacs, it’s easy to see why he never quite fell in love with them. He was part of the wrong generation, born to be an alt-rocker.
