Stipe interview; Murmur book

Here is a transcript of an interview Michael did with Australian TV personality Andrew Denton on his "Enough Rope" interview show. An excerpt: "I have never thought of myself as a very cool person. I think a lot of people that wind up being public figures, there might be some degree of insecurity that leads you to desire that kind of attention. I consider myself to still be kind of a nerd and not particularly talented, attractive, interesting, intelligent or anything else. I used to wonder why my friends hung out with me."

Also, book publisher Continuum will be releasing on May 1 "R.E.M.'s Murmur" as part of its 33 1/3 series which takes an in-depth look at the making of seminal albums. Here's the description: "R.E.M.’s debut album, released in 1983, was so far removed from the prevailing trends of American popular music that it still sounds miraculous and out of time today. J. Niimi tells the story of the album’s genesis – with fascinating input from Don Dixon and Mitch Easter. He also investigates Michael Stipe’s hypnotic, mysterious lyrics, and makes the case for Murmur as a work of Southern Gothic art." More details.