R.E.M Sings For Obama

[Hope And Change]

Stipe Sings For Obama

Stipe admits the band has decided to play those songs on their current tour in support of Democrat leader Obama.

Monday, July 14, 2008

http://www.star987.com/iplaylist/artist/116437/">R.E.M. has shown support for presidential candidate Barack Obama by playing a set of political songs over the weekend.

Frontman Michael Stipe says the band played some rare tracks from their back catalog at Scotland's T in the Park festival, including numbers written about George Bush Sr.'s government in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

And Stipe admits the band has decided to play those songs on their current tour in support of Democrat leader Obama.

The singer says, "In the U.S. (on tour) I felt the need between songs to have some kind of running commentary about the more political songs and how they resonate. I don't really feel the need to do that in Europe, what we've been going through.

"(Barack) Obama seems to represent an outsider, he's not one of those career politicians, and that seems to have more resonance."


http://www.star987.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?article=3950999">Link

[Common Sense Party]

1. Which songs? n/t

[Hope And Change]

2. I wonder that too.

[Common Sense Party]

3. Perhaps "I Believe" or "Begin the Begin"?

[CottonBear]

4. REM is from my town. The band is very involved in local, state, regional and national politics.

They donate money to local, state and national Democratic candidates for office as well as to numerous charitable organizations here in Athens (and I'm sure in other cities as well.) A few years ago, REM performed a free concert on the courthouse steps to support green space preservation in our county! I saw Michael Stipe introduce Al Gore to an audience of thousands on the UGA campus back in the early 1990s when Al was running as Clinton's VP candidate. It was thrilling! Al came on stage to the tune of REM's "I Am Superman."