It's been a cruel, cruel summer for the boys of R.E.M. (Michael Stipe had a

hernia, Bill Berry had a brain aneurysm, and Mike Mills went to the hospital

with abdominal pains.) But they're back in the U.S.A. and feeling fit as

fiddles. Stipe took time out from the bands' Monster tour to talk to

Out magazine about those scurrilous rumors regarding his sexuality.

In a nutshell: "I don't really feel like a part of the gay community, and I

never really have...," he told Out. "I presume that a lot of people

just thought I was %100 homosexual. That's not really the case. Nor am I %100

heterosexual. Nor do I adhere to or appreciate the label bisexual." Further

revelations include Stipe's upcoming role in Color of a Brisk and Leaping

Morning, in which he plays a gay train engineer, and the fact that he

was very open about his sexuality with bandmate Peter Buck ever since the

time they were roommates in their early 20s. "With people who are near and

dear to me, I've always been very open about my desires for men and for

women," said Stipe. "But I just felt like there were some things that I had

to keep to myself, that could come out through the music, or could manifest

itself in other ways. I just wasn't that comfortable talking about it." Maybe

not, but he sure is articulate in the interview. We think he must be a

formidable poker player. You can catch the wily card shark himself, along

with his R.E.M. mates, real soon. Hence, the latest R.E.M. tour dates:

Oct. 13 & 14; Philadelphia, PA; Spectrum

Oct. 16 & 17; Washington, DC; US Air Arena

Oct. 18; Bristow, VA; Stone Ridge Amphitheater

Oct. 20; Lexington, KY; Rupp Arena

Oct. 21; Cinncinati, OH; Riverfront Coliseum

Oct. 22; Ann Arbor, MI; Crisler Arena

Oct. 24; Ames, IA; Hilton Arena

Oct. 27; Las Vegas, NV; Thomas & Mack

Oct. 28; San Diego, CA; Sports Arena

Oct. 30 & 31; Anaheim, CA; The Pond

Nov. 1; Los Angeles, CA; The Forum

Nov. 3; Devore, CA; Glen Helen Blockbuster

Nov. 4; Phoenix, AZ; Desert Sky

Nov. 7; Memphis TN; Pyramid

Nov. 8; Knoxville, TN; Thomas Boling

Nov. 10; Chapel Hill, NC; Dean Smith Center

Nov. 11; Greensboro, NC; Coliseum

Nov. 12; Charlotte, NC; Coliseum

Nov. 14; Tallahassee, FL; Leon County Civic Center

Nov. 15; Orlando, FL; Orlando Arena

Nov. 16; Charleston, SC; N. Charleston Coliseum

Nov. 18, 19, & 21; Atlanta, GA; The Omni