The September 11 (01) terrorist attacks brought Michael Stipe closer to his father - because it enabled the rocker to relate to his dad's experiences of war.

The REM frontman's father was a US Army helicopter pilot who served in Korea and Vietnam in the '50s, '60s and '70s.

Stipe says, "I couldn't relate to my father and uncle's experiences, or the troops in Iraq who'd been at war, until 9/11. My father was a career army man, having been to Vietnam twice and Korea once.

"I'm very proud of him for that. But yes, we agree on Iraq. Politically, we are almost down the line."

05/10/2004 21:11