REM rocker Michael Stipe credits pal Bono for helping him overcome a debilitating period of writer's block.

The gay singer reveals he once struggled to find the right words while trying to pen lyrics for REM and he turned to the U2 frontman for advice.

Stipe says, "What he said was, 'Just keep writing, just do what you do' - in other words, quit f**king thinking about it, shut up and let the unconscious voice take over.

"It sounds so simple that it's dismissible, bit it's not. That advice was well taken - it worked. I lost a preciousness about the process."

01/11/2004 10:48