Music

Watch Ted Leo interview R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

by Nicole Villeneuve

Musicians interviewing other musicians can be so great, especially when those musicians are Ted Leo and Michael Stipe. So much credibility! So much cool!

It’s clear from the first charmingly rambling two minutes of the interview that Leo’s rather enamoured with the icon, contextualizing Stipe’s vocal progression with a detailed discussion of almost his whole career before asking if it was a conscious change. It took place at the IFC House at SXSW in Austin last week.

The two go on to premiere a new R.E.M. short film as music video for the band’s “All the Best,” and talk about some of Stipe’s current faves such as Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga.

It was just announced that Stipe and other R.E.M. members would participate in the second all-star collective performance of Big Star’s Third.

The Ted Leo Michael Stipe interview can be watched below.