#Michael Stipe Chats on Seth Meyers, Pens Guardian Op-Ed

Michael Stipe guested on Late Night With Seth Meyers yesterday, where the pair chatted about the “failed midtown real estate developer” in the White House and his “bloviating, puff-adder sack of lies” (Stipe’s words), as well as get-out-the-vote initiatives aiming to unseat him in November. Watch it happen below. 

Coincidentally, today The Guardian published an op-ed by Stipe, urging Athens, Georgia, officials to ramp up the city’s coronavirus response. Headlined “Athens, Georgia, was my home. Its leaders are letting Covid-19 wreak havoc,” the piece alleges a negligent response by city officials, blaming weak leadership for a recent surge in cases linked to university communities. He outlines a series of measures the city should implement, such as shrinking the maximum size of public gatherings, streamlining the testing process, and limiting bars and restaurants to outdoor seating. 

“I am calling on the University of Georgia specifically, and Governor Kemp, to step up, and step up now,” Stipe concludes. “The measures I have mentioned are easily within our reach, and this week is the time to implement and embrace them before further disaster.” Read the full piece at The Guardian.

In June, the R.E.M. frontperson stopped by a remote episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon!, where he performed “No Time For Love Like Now” with collaborator Aaron Dessner of the National and Big Red Machine. His debut solo single, “Your Capricious Soul,” came out in 2019, and was followed this year by “Drive to the Ocean.”