Photo: Stephanie Augello/Getty Images
Sometimes you just have to heed your own advice and gain momentum. Have we learned nothing from Ben Wyatt’s attempt at claymation? Michael Stipe has made little progress on his debut solo album since his first single was released back in 2019, and in a new interview with Times of London, he says the delay is owing to his fear that the album won’t be as good as his work with R.E.M. (Okay, that’s fair.) “Covid didn’t help, but I’m finishing it,” he explained. “When the band split, I just needed a break. I took five years but I got pulled back into music. It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing. I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.” Stipe still has to finish lyrics for eight songs on the album — which he joked will be titled Meet THE Michael Stipe — and is aiming for a release by the end of the year. “It’s taken longer than I wanted,” he added. In the meantime, 2026 has already brought a cornucopia of tasty surprises for Stipe fans: He recently performed a duo of R.E.M. songs at one of Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s ongoing tribute shows in addition to singing the theme for Steve Carrell’s new HBO comedy. If only Stipe felt like rounding third and joining Mike Mills and Peter Buck’s baseball band.
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