Michael Shannon has toured the country playing R.E.M.‘s debut album Murmur in full, but if you ever catch him at a karaoke, he won’t be singing “Radio Free Europe.” The two-time Oscar nominee recently spoke to Dune: Part Two star Austin Butler for Interview Magazine about his love of jazz, hosting Saturday Night Live (he’s cruelly never been asked), and karaoke.
“Well, if I really want to make people uncomfortable and anxious, which is by and large what I like to do at karaoke anyway, I’ll sing ‘Russians’ by Sting,” Shannon said. “I’m always amazed when they actually have ‘Russians’ as an option on the karaoke machine. It’s a very difficult song to sing because it’s very hard to sing like Sting. But the most fun song to sing for me is ‘Wild Wild Life’ by Talking Heads. That’s a burner, man.”
Talking Heads is a popular pick at karaoke, but Sting, as opposed to The Police, not so much. “Russians” is from his first solo album, 1985’s delightfully titled The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, and it begins, “In Europe and America / There’s a growing feeling of hysteria.” Yup, it’s about the Cold War. Here’s the chorus: “We share the same biology / Regardless of ideology / What might save us, me and you / Is if the Russians love their children, too.”
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” it ain’t.
Butler didn’t reveal his karaoke pick, but let’s assume it’s something by Elvis.
