Come Out & Play: Michael Stipe from REM
Today’s Come Out & Play post spotlights Michael Stipe from REM.
I sort of always suspected that Michael Stipe was gay. I guess a lot of people did because when he finally came out there wasn’t much of a buzz around it. It was like, “Yeah, we knew that.” But I had never heard him talk about it.
As most of you know, I try to browse YouTube for video Come Out & Play stories because it’s fun and there are so many videos to choose from. I found this one of Michael Stipe. It’s only a bit part of an interview, but he addresses a certain aspect of coming out in the public eye. I think it’s always interesting when a celebrity comes out because there’s another element thrown into the mix. Coming out in front of the whole world is entirely different than coming out to select family and friends. That’s why it’s nice to be able to hear his or her perspective on the matter, whoever the celebrity may be.
Here’s the video. I wish I could have found more of the interview, but this was all that was posted. I’m sure that he had a lot more to add to the conversation. Enjoy it and, as always, leave a comment if you wish.
Tune in every Friday for the Come Out & Play series, featuring coming out stories of celebrities, every day people, personal reflections, advice, tid bits and everything else concerning the complicated world of coming out!Got an interesting coming out story to tell? Contact me and I will feature it in an upcoming post of Come Out & Play.
coming out, come out and play, coming out stories, REM, michael stipe, coming out stories on youtube.com
March 14th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Thanks for this, Lyndsey. I’ve loved Michael and REM since their college radio days. Michael just seems to be one of the most authentic and *real* people in the industry.