REM’s Stipe will ‘sing again’

Former REM frontman Michael Stipe says he’ll sing again but it won’t be with his old bandmates.

The band split in 2011 and the singer has been quiet since. But he reveals seeing other artists live makes him want to perform again on stage.

He tells CBS: “When I go to see bands perform live, that’s when it’s hard for me. I look up on the stage and think, ‘I wish I was there.’ But I did that for 31 years. I gave everything I had to it – I gave myself completely and I just needed to step away for a while. I think I’ll sing again.”

He gives no indication when that’s likely to happen but ruled out a reunion with Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills.

Stipe adds: “No, it will never happen. There’s no point. I love those guys very much and I respect them hugely as musicians and as songwriters. But I just don’t want to do that thing that people do. I despise nostalgia.”

A six-CD retrospective titled REMTV featuring live performances and interviews from their MTV years has just launched. Despite their global success, bassist Mills recently said the band never planned on having hit singles.

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