Known for roles in sitcoms such as 30 Rock to films like Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, veteran actor Alec Baldwin has been getting plenty of attention lately for his impersonation of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. While we could take or leave his sendup (don’t most of SNL‘s sketches run on a bit too long?), Baldwin’s Here’s the Thing podcast, where he chats with entertainers to business types, is really good. This week Baldwin presented an interview with former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, who discussed the alt-rock band’s disbanding in 2011. Toward the end of conversation Stipe, who had taken a hiatus from music, described how he came back to writing by unexpectedly producing and co-writing New York City electroclash outfit Fisherspooner’s upcoming album.
“About a year and a half ago a friend called me — Casey Spooner from the band Fisherspooner — who was working on an album for a couple of years and got really stuck — and said, ‘I need help with this song; can you help me?’ I went in and it was very clear to me what had to be done and I told him,” Stipe told Baldwin. “But there was another piece of music playing while we were talking and I said, ‘Can I comment on that one as well?’ Long story short, I wound up producing the album and co-writing every song on it. And so as a producer and writer I’ve kind of come back to music through Fisherspooner.”
He added the album will be released in the spring.
Stipe has had a long relationship with Fisherspooner. Decades ago he dated Spooner and even suggested Fischerspooner cover unreleased R.E.M. song “Fascinating” on Fischerspooner’s 2009 album Entertainment.
Listen to the full podcast below.