Michael Stipe is getting more and more comfortable doing stuff in public again, and that's good news for us. Earlier this year, Stipe returned for his second Simpsons guest voice role and sang R.E.M. songs with Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy's all-star tribute band. In April, Stipe debuted a new song on a late-period Colbert episode. On Tuesday night, Stipe was back on late-night TV, singing his Rooster theme song on Kimmel.
Earlier this year, Andrew Watt, the big-deal producer who twiddled the knobs on the most recent Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney albums, added Michael Stipe to his roster of aging legends. Stipe and Watt got together to record "I Played The Fool," the theme song to Rooster, the HBO dramedy where Steve Carrell plays a bestselling writer who becomes a college professor. On the record, they were joined by an all-star band, including Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and Travis Barker on drums.
When Stipe and Watt performed on Kimmel last night, it was there first time doing "I Played The Fool" in front of an audience. Travis Barker wasn't there. Instead, Chad Smith rejoined his former Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmate Klinghoffer. (I didn't recognize the other guys in the backing band, but I bet they're at least famous-ish, too.) Stipe's voice sounded strong, and his beard looked cool. More than that, it's cool to see him returning to his role as a public figure, something he's been reticent to do since R.E.M. broke up. Watch the performance below.
I still haven't watched a single minute of Rooster. My wife informs me that it's good but that I would hate it, which seems like a pretty accurate read of my whole deal.
