R.E.M. go festively insane for Electrolite video 1st December
R.E.M. have been filming the video for the release of their next single, Electrolite, and as you can see from these pictures, it is a bit bizarre. The band made their way to the lobby of the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. It was the eve of the presidential election, and Michael Stipe was on the spot where Robert Kennedy was shot in 1968. Thing is, this spot was filled with a sea of inflatable Christmas reindeer, hanging upside down from the roof while Stipe bounced and punched his way through the cuteness. "We'll do pretty much anything so long as we don't look like total prats," said Mike Mills, who was soon to don an Afro wig and play a guitar-shaped keyboard, which doesn't even feature in the song. But then, neither do the bongos that Bill Berry was to play whilst wearing checked trousers with huge flares. Mills continued: "What people have missed about R.E.M. over the years is the sense of humour. We're always laughing but people miss the smile that's behind a lot of what we do. So, it's great that we're making a video that makes no linear sense." And what better time to go mental than Christmas? A change in costume (from a green leopard skin shirt) leaves Stipe wearing a garish tanktop and a box-shaped hat, the elastic of which cuts a sad maniacal grin into his face; this is horror movie stuff. The single is out tomorrow in Europe.	pics: Kevin Westenberg, Vox