Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and Friends Shift Focus to R.E.M.’s ‘Lifes Rich Pageant’

Actor and singer Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate) have collaborated together in the past, playing entire albums live by some of their favorite artists such as Neil Young, the Modern Lovers, Bob Dylan, the Smiths and T. Rex.

But for the past two years, they’ve shifted their focus to just one band: R.E.M. They’ve toured the country performing iconic albums by R.E.M., and last year’s run honored the band’s famed 1985 album, Fables of the Reconstruction. The four original members of R.E.M. even joined Shannon and Narducy on-stage at their two shows in Athens, GA., and the tour was hailed as “mesmerizing, not only to those of us who consider ourselves longstanding, diehard enthusiasts of R.E.M., but to those who were actually in the original band itself” (Vanity Fair).

Now, again with R.E.M.’s blessing, Shannon and Narducy, alongside Jon Wurster (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Dag Juhlin (guitar) and Vijay Tellis-Nayak (keyboards), will tour this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic album, Lifes Rich Pageant. The tour will see them opening with the album, in sequence, followed by deep cuts from R.E.M.’s catalog. In this Zoom call from his Evanston, IL home, Narducy talks about the upcoming tour.

You and Michael Shannon have collaborated for a few years now. Talk about how you know each other?

It’s been 12 years ago. [Singer-songwriter] Robbie Fulks was based in Chicago and had this Monday night residency at the Hideout. It was a cool series. Every Monday, it was different shows and he called me to do a Lou Reed record called The Blue Mask, which is an odd record. I was brought it to play bass, and Michael was brought in to sing it. That was the first time we met. We practiced at my house and the night before and did the show and it went really well. Michael and I chatted a little bit. I think we had a discussion about some indie rock bands we liked. It was friendly but we didn’t exchange numbers. We did another show with Robbie at the Metro doing T. Rex shows. Robbie moved to LA., and Michael wanted to keep doing shows. He called me to book a band to play the Smiths’ album The Queen Is Dead. It became an annual thing. We would do a Bob Dylan or T. Rex or Neil Young or Modern Lovers. It was fun for me. I was putting together Chicago musicians. It’s such a vibrant music town, and there is plenty of talent. It’s good to keep that muscle working out. You learn a lot of songs quickly.. I enjoyed it and enjoyed working with Michael. A friendship blossomed with Michael. In 2023, we did an album project with [R.E.M.’s] Murmur. It got a lot of traction. There was a lot of chatter about it. Promoters around the country asked us about it. We did a short nine day tour. I think Michael had trepidation, but it went really well. After it wrapped, he was very positive about moving forward with it. Fables from the Reconstruction went well, and we’re trying to do it again.

With [R.E.M. singer] Michael Stipe’s tendency to mumble his way through songs, figuring out lyrics can be challenging. Narducy focuses on guitar parts but admitted that the group was stumped by the backing vocals on “Hyena.” 

I just texted [singer-bassist] Mike Mills because I couldn’t figure out was he was singing, and it’s different from show to show on live recording. He responded that he had to think about it. He changed it from show to show. I thought that was great because I couldn’t mess it up. He sent me a version that makes sense. He said I could use all of it or none of it or some of it. There’s some freedom there. Fortunately, most people who come to these shows want to revel in these beautiful songs that this band wrote. It’s not Rush. It’s jangly pop songs and very moving slow tempo songs and an amazing catalog of songs. Hopefully, the way we present them in a way that people enjoy.

When did you start listening to R.E.M.?

My first introduction was in 1985. A guy I went to high school with saw them on the Fables from the Reconstruction tour at USC. He played either “Driver 8” or “Can’t Get There From Here.” I didn’t go right away and buy a record. It wasn’t until Document came out. I bought it the week it came out. When I heard “Finest Work Song,” I had chills. It was the type of music I like and I went backwards. Of the records, Life’s Rich Pageant resonated the most. I don’t like lists. I don’t listen to music in that way. Top to bottom, it was the one I listened to the most when I was younger. Every time I listen to it, I hear new things. I love the density and emotional depth. It sounds amazing. It means so much to me.

You’ll be just steps away from the Cuyahoga River when you play “Cuyahoga” in Cleveland.

We love that. When we did the Fables tour, we met Adam from War on Drugs that night. He asked if he could come to the show when it was in L.A. where he lives. We asked him if he wanted to sing a song with us, and he said, “Yeah.” He must be a massive fan. He wanted to sing “Cuyahoga.” We did not have it on the setlist. We didn’t want to do it, but we learned the song, and it went over great. By the time we get to the UK, it turned into a fan favorite. The crowd would sing the chorus louder than us. It’s a good idea of how much the record resonates. We have talked about the location of that show and how important that song will be for the set.”

What deep tracks are you going to play?

We haven’t figured out what we’ll play. We don’t do the big songs. We’re about the deep cuts and B-sides. It says so much about this band that they have songs that will just knock you out that were never singles or hits. They learned throughout their career that the biggest ones often don’t sound like singles. It’s all about storytelling and the compelling nature of the instrumentation. Michael Stipe’s voice is other worldly. It’s a beautiful thing. I love album rock bands. This was when bands would release a record a year. That doesn’t seem to happen anymore. I appreciate AC/DC and Cheap Trick. They would tour the world and record a record every year. I have a lot of appreciation for that.

Talk about how strange it is to have an actor fronting your band. 

I completely understand the trepidation people would have. It can be tricky to describe it to folks. Michael Shannon would be the first to tell you that he despises actors who think they are singers.  I like how researched he is. There are some similarities. He will do a ton of research. When it’s time to roll, you go on instinct. You let the research do its thing. He had a unique talent and knack for being a frontperson. We are fortunate to have someone who is so hard working and has a tone of humility and love for the music. When the person at the top of marque is that like, it makes it easy for the band to follow.

Photo credit: Nathan Keay