Common Sense	Common Sense Archive

I was listening to the radio the other day; actually I listen every day of my life. It was a pop station aimed at aging boomers. The DJs will often give little histories of the song or artist they are about to play. In this instance it was Michael Stipe, long of R.E.M. The jock noted that he was about to play the song that Stipe has said he wished he had never written or perhaps recorded. The song was "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight." He then played it. Funny thing is that, over the years, I have heard this song on occasion and just loved it and knew it was a Stipe song but did not know its title. Now I did. But what is a "sidewinder"? My Webster's: "1. a kind of small rattlesnake. 2. [Colloq.], a powerful swinging blow of the fist, delivered from the side." Oh dear, perhaps we're already in too thick.

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Why did Stipe regret writing this silly song? All writers regret something they have written in their sordid pasts; I know I have, but I forget what it was. I, of course, ran out and bought a CD in which this song was included. I have listened to it many times. It strikes me that it begins as homage to the 1961 multi-week chart-topper, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," by The Tokens, as you can tell by Stipe's opening wailing falsetto whoops as well as the title's echo. Then Stipe segues into pure silliness, not a familiar signature of the band. I still cannot understand all the lyrics-- what is he singing in the refrain? I do recall the advice to pop singers given by the great Little Richard: never let your audiences know exactly what it is you are singing about. That's certainly one strategy, and what clearly separates the pop world from the folk world, wherein clarity and narrative are primary points of presentation. In pop world, a good guitar riff will cover many deficiencies. Stipe works hard on the song, getting as many words out as fast as possible, even if in an Edward Learish mode. I also think you can hear him laughing on the track, a plus, though a rarity for R.E.M.

Such being the times, I turned my thoughts to Michael Stipe's "Coming Out." Which, as it turns out, I don't think he ever did. I haven't followed the music press for years, but Stipe was never in the press like George Michael, who accused Boy George of trying to out him for years. George Michael, of course, had his own various public outings. I know: these are stories from the Pleistocene era of Pop Music. The point is that Stipe is known as a gay man and apparently he did not have to go through the press trauma dumped on others. Lucky guy. He got to control his own story.

Thus the segue to Sir Elton John. The British put him through the wringer. Many times. One difference: Stipe is part of a band. John was always a solo act and famously outrageous. I do not know what heat famous public performers get from their labels, studios, etc., to avoid controversy. But Sir Elton did marry a woman once, briefly, in the Rock Hudson manner. And that didn't work out. As it wasn't supposed to. Elton went on his way and just recently had a ceremony in which he committed to his male companion, David Furnish. (When Liza Minnelli last got married, Sir Elton was asked what wish he had for her. "That she might marry a straight guy!") Elton and David had their commitment ceremony 21 December 2005. I do not know if England has full same-sex marriage legal arrangements as we have here in the state of Massachusetts, but it was whatever their equivalency is; Furnish refers to himself as Sir Elton's husband. (And to drag Boy George back into this narrative, I noticed that in the English press, George berated John for walking down the aisle.) But I did wonder: if Elton is a Sir, what designation should be conferred on Furnish. The English are usually quick to adapt; I have not read anywhere that Tony Blair or folks in his government have addressed this issue. Shall Furnish be called "Sir-ette"? Or "Sir-Two"? Surely, the appropriate accommodation will be made. The British press, I think, is much more vicious on their celebs than the press in the USA is on ours, excepting maybe the Dixie Chicks who seem to have made a swell rebound from their last hiccup of controversy.

If Michael Stipe married a man, would it cause the same press tempest as that with Sir Elton? Stipe is probably ten to fifteen years younger than John and grew up in different circumstances. John was music-hall-meets-standard-pop-meets-glam-rock; Stipe came out of the culture of alternative rock and college radio before the Big Break Out. A different career path.

But there's still a problem here. I just went to some site that hosts lyrics from R.E.M. songs. I read-- but could not print out-- the lyrics from "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight," and, you know, with a few lines of text exempted, it's still not what I hear when I play the song. Do I need new or better ears? Or did Stipe wing it to begin with and then rue the day? It doesn't matter; I love the song and Stipe but still hear the constant refrain as "Owning Jamaica." The song's a mess and a fun one, one of the reasons the rock world was invented. Thank you, Michael. And if it's any consolation, my friend Nanci assures me that in not too many years, Athens, GA, will feature the R.E.M. museum. I think she's right.

Author Profile:  Mitzel
	Mitzel was a founding member of the Fag Rag collective, and has been a Guide columnist since 1986. He manages Calamus Books near Boston's South Station.
	Email:	mitzel@calamusbooks.com
	Website:	calamusbooks.com