Michael Shannon’s Deep Connection to R.E.M.: A Lifelong Soundtrack

Michael Shannon has been making headlines again, this time thanks to a throwback snap shared by director Zack Snyder, showing Shannon in his role as General Zod from the 2013 reboot of Man of Steel. While the film itself copped mixed reviews, Shannon’s take on the villain was widely praised. Most punters who caught the film can still picture him, eyes blazing, neck veins popping, threatening Superman with all the intensity of a bloke who never got his way as a kid. Despite the critics’ split opinions, the film was a box office smash and still sits as the second highest-grossing superhero flick ever. For Shannon, who’d already been in the acting game for two decades and scored an Oscar nod for Revolutionary Road in 2008, Man of Steel brought a whole new level of attention.

In the years after, Shannon kept the momentum going. He picked up a Golden Globe nomination for 99 Homes, then landed another Oscar nomination for his role in Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals. He wasn’t slowing down, either. In 2017, he starred in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, which ended up nabbing Best Picture at the Oscars and racking up thirteen nominations in total.

Music on the Side: From Acting to Performing

Shannon’s creative streak doesn’t stop at acting. In 2018, he popped up in a music video for Memphis band Lucero’s track ‘Long Way Back Home’. There was a bit of family connection there, as the band’s frontman is the brother of director Jeff Nichols, a frequent collaborator of Shannon’s. But it also highlighted Shannon’s genuine passion for music. He’s got his own indie outfit called Corporal, and while they play their own tunes, Shannon’s also known for touring with full cover sets of R.E.M. albums, digging deep into classics like Murmur and Fables of the Reconstruction, as well as tackling Neil Young’s Zuma from 1974.

Shannon calls these gigs “glorified karaoke”, but he doesn’t try to mimic R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. Instead, he brings his own style, driven by a real appreciation for the Georgia band. Speaking to NPR, Shannon admitted,

“…when we were talking about, you know, the dark ages of my life, I took a lot of solace in the music of REM. And it feels like this band made these songs just for you, when you listen to them, to help you, like, navigate the pain and absurdity of existence”.

He went on,

“And there’s so many people that feel that way. And yet it – you – that’s the thing about really incredible music, I feel, is that it’s very public and very private at the same time.”

On Tour with R.E.M. Covers and a Dream Come True

Shannon and his bandmate Jason Narducy, who also plays with Bob Mould from Sugar, took their R.E.M. tribute show on the road in the UK just last year. Things came full circle for Shannon in February when he played a gig in Athens, Georgia—R.E.M.’s hometown. During the show, Michael Stipe himself jumped on stage to sing ‘Pretty Persuasion’ with them. As if that wasn’t enough, R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry, who was in the crowd, also joined in. Given that R.E.M. officially called it quits fifteen years ago, the moment caused quite a stir among fans.

Later this year, Shannon’s set to appear in Buddy, a horror sci-fi flick alongside Cristin Milioti from The Penguin. He’ll also reunite with director Jeff Nichols and star with Margaret Qualley in the horror film King Snake.