R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe Writes Essay About 9/11, Criticizes Bush Administration

Former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe has written an essay concerning his personal experiences with the Sept. 11 attacks and the way in which the United States responded to it, both politically and culturally. Written for artist Douglas Copeland's book Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything, the essay has been republished by The Guardian today on the anniversary of the attacks.

Stipe was living in lower Manhattan at the time of the attacks, and recalls how he responded to the tragic news:

"I was asleep in my apartment on Jane Street in the Meatpacking District, just north of Ground Zero," he recounts. "I received a phone call saying New York was under a terrorist attack and that I needed to leave as soon as possible. I sat up in bed and heard the sirens outside my bedroom window. I looked down at my naked legs, and said out loud, 'Oh f**k.'"

Stipe also criticizes the Bush administration's response to the attacks, and admits to having mixed feelings about the Freedom Tower which replaced the Twin Towers:

"The Freedom Tower was meant to inspire patriotism and instead embodies the darker sides of nationalism," he says, "The 9/11 attacks and the Bush administration's response, buoyed by the media, and our shock at having finally been direct victims of terrorism, paved the way for a whole new take on 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.'"

Parts of the essay also analyze Douglas Copeland's 9/11-inspired artwork, which is featured in Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything. You can read the entire essay over at The Guardian.

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R.E.M., Michael stipe