If you’ve been hoping that Athens’ most famous part-time resident would weigh in on the 2016 democratic primary, wish no longer: R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe tells Rolling Stone he is supporting Bernie Sanders for president in a new interview.
Says Stipe:
I’m a feminist. I’ve marched, supported and fought for black rights, privacy rights and LGBTQ rights. I’m deeply concerned about the environment. I’m completely freaked out by fracking… Sanders takes positions on all of these issues that have [outshone] any other candidate that I’ve seen—and I have looked, believe me. I identify with him.
Sporting a massive grey beard, Stipe reiterated his pro-Bernie stance in a video provided to the magazine:
Stipe continues:
Let’s be unabashedly progressive in our approach. Who do we see ourselves as? What can we do to uplift our generation, to mark our time here, define our legacy? These are high ideals, I know. Sanders feels like the candidate who would inspire the best in us, but could also talk straight—and not in circles—about the very serious issues we need to tackle, at home and abroad.
This isn’t the first time Stipe has weighed in on the 2016 presidential race. Last September, the members of R.E.M. expressed anger that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was using one of their songs, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”, at his yuge, beautiful campaign rallies.
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