Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy Will Tour R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant Next

Michael Shannon is such an interesting person — a much-loved character actor with a steely persona who lives in Chicago and generally removes himself from Hollywood conversations despite a busy and long-running film career. Also, he’s now the frontman of the world’s most celebrated R.E.M. cover band. Shannon and his indie-rocker friend Jason Narducy recently wrapped up the tour where they played R.E.M.’s 1985 album Fables Of The Reconstruction every night. This led to some big moments. For instance! Every member of R.E.M. reunited to join Shannon, Narducy, and friends in Athens. We didn’t post it, but Michael Stipe sang with Shannon and Narducy again when the tour came to Brooklyn. So why would Shannon and Narducy stop doing it now? The next time that Shannon and Narducy head out on tour, they’ll cover another R.E.M. album, the 1986 classic Lifes Rich Pageant.

A few months ago, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy promoted their Fables Of The Reconstruction tour by going on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show and covering “Driver 8.” On Monday night, Shannon was back on The Tonight Show, this time as an interview guest and not a performer. He talked a bit about doing the R.E.M. tours and said that he and Narducy will do it again next year. He said that they haven’t figured out the tour schedule yet, but they’re planning to cover Lifes Rich Pageant, R.E.M.’s fourth full-length. That means that Shannon will sing that he is Superman and he knows what’s happening, when we all know that he’s really General Zod.

The interview dynamic between Michael Shannon and Jimmy Fallon is sort of interesting. Fallon, for instance, says that Monster is his favorite R.E.M. album — figures — and he wants Shannon to do that one. Shannon sort of takes a deep breath and says that they’ll have to keep touring for a number of years before getting to Monster. (It’s worth noting that Shannon and Narducy never toured R.E.M.’s sophomore LP Reckoning, moving straight from Murmur to Fables, though most of Reckoning was on their most recent setlist.) Fallon also gets to gushing about Shannon’s upcoming directorial debut, the depressing-looking indie drama Eric Larue, and Shannon says, “Jimmy, take it down.” From his lips to God’s ears. Watch the interview below.

Read our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Michael Shannon here.