Michael Stipe and Andrew Watt perform 'I Played the Fool' on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Michael Stipe and Andrew Watt perform 'I Played the Fool' on Kimmel

More than a decade after R.E.M. officially disbanded, Michael Stipe is still moving forward. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on June 2 to perform "I Played the Fool," the theme song for the new HBO comedy Rooster starring Steve Carell. According to Billboard, Stipe performed under green static lighting and was joined by a full band featuring Andrew Watt, the Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, and musician who co-produced Paul McCartney's new solo album The Boys of Dungeon Lane and also composed and produced the original score for Rooster.

A solo path with no finish line in sight

R.E.M. officially called it quits in 2011. Since then, Stipe has released a handful of solo tracks, including "Your Capricious Soul" in 2019, "Drive to the Ocean" in 2020, and "No Time For Love Like Now" in 2020 alongside Aaron Dessner's Big Red Machine project. A proper debut solo album, however, remains without a release date.

In April, Stipe spoke about the record during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, offering only cryptic details. He described one track as having "the sound of a tree hearing itself for the first time," comparing its feel to Daft Punk, and confirmed he plans to include his own version of the sea shanty "Drunken Sailor" on the unnamed LP.

A brief reunion in 2024

Stipe and his former R.E.M. bandmates, Mike Mills, Bill Berry, and Peter Buck, did reunite in 2024 to sing "Losing My Religion" at the Songwriters Hall of Fame gala in New York, the night the band was inducted. Before that, their last full public concert had been in November 2008 in Mexico City, though the four did play a private party in 2016.

For now, "I Played the Fool" serves as a low-key but welcome reminder that Stipe remains an active and interesting presence, even if the solo album continues to exist somewhere just out of reach.