Michael Stipe Is Happy He Never Hid His Personal Life - Noise11.com
R.E.M. Photo by Ros O'Gorman, noise11.com, music news

R.E.M. Photo by Ros O'Gorman.

Michael Stipe Is Happy He Never Hid His Personal Life

by Music-News.com on November 13, 2019

in News

Michael Stipe is proud he never pretended to be straight to further his music career.

The former R.E.M. frontman officially came out as queer in 1994, and in 2001 revealed he had been in a relationship with a man for three years.

Michael believes the band’s fans knew about his sexuality long before he made the official announcement, however, he takes pride in the fact he never truly concealed his sexuality, unlike some music stars.

“I was never closeted,” Stipe told Billboard. “That’s the thing that’s beautiful about it and I’m so proud of. You can never find a single picture of me pretending to have a girlfriend or being somebody that I’m not.

“I was never that guy. Any longstanding R.E.M. fan who had not figured out I was queer before that point wasn’t looking very hard.”

R.E.M. split in 2011 with little fanfare and no farewell tour, a decision he believes was the right one and in keeping with their understated image.

“Encapsulating the creative work of the band by disbanding allowed us, and I think the rest of the world, to take a step back and look at it for what it was,” the 59-year-old added. “We were not the guys who were going to always be there, and I think that did us a huge favour, honestly.”

music-news.com

Noise11 on Instagram

You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter

Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook

Noise11.com

Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio

Related Posts

Beyonce Cowboy Carter
It Looks Like Beyoncé Has Covered Dolly Parton

Beyoncé has released a tracklisting for her upcoming album ‘Cowboy Carter'.

7 hours ago
50 Cent photo by Ros O'Gorman
50 Cent Confirms Diddy Doco

50 Cent has confirmed he will release a documentary detailing the sexual assault allegations against Diddy.

21 hours ago
Incubus photo by Shawn Hanna supplied
Brandon Boyd Says Incubus Were Three Albums Deep When They Found Their Sound

Incubus released their first album ‘Fungus Amongus’ in 1995 and second ‘S.C.I.E.N.C.E.’ in 1997. Both stiffed. At that point it looked like it wasn’t going to happen for the band … but then it did. Brandon Boyd

1 day ago
Taylor Swift at the MCG Melbourne 16 February 2024 Photo Credit TAS Rights Management
Taylor Swift’s Father Will Not Be Charged By Australian Police

Australian police will not be pursuing charges against Taylor Swift's father Scott Swift over an alleged clash with a photographer in Sydney.

2 days ago
Jason Singh
Jason Singh Wins Two Year Taxiride Trade Mark Battle Against Fellow Band Members

Taxiride co-founder Jason Singh has won a two-year legal battle against fellow bandmates Tim Watson and Tim Wild over the Taxiride Trade Mark.

2 days ago
Bjorn Again To Head Back To The UK

ABBA tribute show Björn Again is heading to Hampton Court Palace Festival on Saturday 15 June.

3 days ago
The Cat Empire photo supplied by MSO
The Cat Empire To Perform Melbourne and Sydney Orchestra Shows

The Cat Empire will perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in August and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in September.

3 days ago