Denise Coates House Address, Recent Deaths In Greenfield,ca, Rick Roll Number 2022, Articles M

Meaning: particular, individual, unexpected. Grades and types of brain tumour. What do you most dislike about your appearance?My skin and my swayback. Michael Stipe has curated a longer primer to the bands work, featuring the above alongside other favourite tracks from across his career; you can listen and subscribe to it in Spotify. Here's How R.E.M. Michael Stipe first heard the Velvet Underground when, as an Army brat living in Southern Illinois, he happened upon the band's music in the sale bin. It showed me that I could disagree with someone smarter than myself. It often seemed to me that, as a fledgling songwriter, he was perpetually at war with the obvious, a stance that almost flew in the face of his ability to write great pop songs with big hooks. In The Lifting, she was seeking help, Stipe says. In a new interview for New York public radio station WNYC, Sti The band became internationally famous in 1991 with the Grammy award-winning album Out Of Time. And, as always, it is Stipe's elliptical lyrics that, depending on where you stand, are the most intriguing or the most annoying aspect of the whole. Had we had that conversation at the time, had he said: I feel alone because Bill was the one who was always on time Stipes voice trails off. Since low body weight was often associated with the disease, Stipe's skinny appearance led many to believe he was sick, he told Celebretainment. ", It all sounds, I say, a bit Duchamp. "It's about me going to Neil Young for advice," he replies, as if this was the most natural thing in the world to write a song about. "Well, part of me says 'give them enough rope'," he says, laughing. Michael Stipe wanders into the lobby of the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan, looking flustered. We had done 10 years of touring. "Tune in, cheer up, rock out". You can visit it if you're around the Pompidou Centre [in Paris], free of charge, open daily. singer suffered his third brush with death. Find out where to watch your favourite movies & TV series in Ireland. Calling from Athens, Georgia, in October 2021, Stipe is busier than ever. While attending the University of Georgia in Athens, Stipe frequented the Wuxtry record shop, where he met store clerk Peter Buck in 1980. John Michael Stipe (/stap/; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. "In 1987 and '88 there was nothing to do but be active. [2] He was in charge of R.E.M. He looks momentarily offended. weakness on one side or part of the body. [64][65] The two had previously collaborated on two books, both in 1998: The Haiku Year (for which the two had both contributed haikus)[66] and Martin's book of poetry Servicing the Salamander (for which Stipe took the cover photograph). As a member of R.E.M., Stipe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. The landscape has shifted, and where do we stand?, Strange Currencies came from Stipes ascension into rock royalty: it was inspired by Michael Hutchence of INXS. ", One of his pieces is called My Favourite Ever Edition of the New York Times. He is active in the musical field since 1980. The classic REM lineup: guitarist Peter Buck, singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the brain. I can't even remember them." Grunge had happened, and there was something very freeing in that as well. To not realise, you feel like such a dum-dum. Bryan Wawzenek Published: March 1, 2017. Michael Stipe & Christy Bush. "I've been watching the Empire State Building change colour," he says, gazing dreamily out of the window, as I arrive in the room the record company has booked for the afternoon. Try it now! Everyone I slept with before the age of 27', "How we met: Michael Stipe and natalie Merchant", "Non-Gay Queer Popstar from R.E.M. The grades range from 1 to 4. It was our version of rock music, Stipe says. When he submits his eight favourite REM songs for this feature, there is not one . March 25, 2020. incorporated more politically oriented concerns into his lyrics on Document and Green. In that song, Young imagines himself shooting the breeze around a campfire with Pocahontas and Marlon Brando, who, among other things, was a campaigner for Native American rights. He exudes a certain otherness but one is never sure how much of it is natural and how much learned. This, of course, is very Michael Stipe: arty, playful, even a little bit pretentious. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe . What is your greatest fear? Michael generally didnt finish songs if he didnt like them. Michael Rietmulder Seattle Times music writer Veteran Seattle musician Bill Rieflin has died at age 59. And Michael had the confidence at that point to say yes."[74] After what Stipe has referred to as "The Dark Ages of American Politics" [The Reagan/Bush Years], R.E.M. Im really a little embarrassed by the term rock star. [55] He endorsed Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Your skull, which encloses your brain, is very rigid. REM in 2001, with Peter Buck on the right. "What's so super weird about this song . H alfway through Volume 1, a new book of photographs and other imagistic mementoes by the former R.E.M. I had to examine that., The original longlist of songs Stipe gave to the Guardian for this feature contained three from Around the Sun. Yes, it's true - John Michael Stipe was born in Decatur, Georgia on January 4 th, 1960. When I realised I had written Daysleeper from the perspective of a woman, I had to challenge my own sense of feminist positioning, he continues. Years after, Stipe was a teenage Boy Scout, according to The Express, when he somehow got lost and wound up alone on the top of a mountain. Personal Life: Affair, Girlfriends, Wife, Kids. Lightning strike, 1986," he said. frontman, who came out as gay in 1994, said he believed the other members of the band knew about his sexuality long before he came out. 8. It was a very difficult time to be honest and frank about one's sexuality. It also meant learning what being in a group entailed. Does he now consider it his home? The band signed to I.R.S. But when Monster came out in 1994, it seemed as if it was by a different group entirely. I allowed sentimentality to creep in, which is something I really run away from. Were there not already a Spike Jonze film called Being John Malkovich, (produced, incidentally, by Stipe's company, C00 Films) one could easily imagine one called Being Michael Stipe. An ex of mine died in a car wreck and I was really trashed when I found out about it and I couldn't cry. He responded with the following: Not that I can tell. When I met Andy Warhol, he called me a pop star. Rollins returns to Northeast Florida, bringing the whole world along", "Michael Stipe Reflects on R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. He does seem to be a whole lot more comfortable now with his sexuality. "Well, going to see a Brancusi show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with Patti, when she was on tour with Bob Dylan in 1995. 's Michael Stipe Avoided Death Three Times. For decades, he fronted one of the biggest and most influential rock bands in music history and often had to field questions about his sexuality, once calling himself an "equal-opportunity lech," according to Irish Times. Common symptoms include: headaches (often worse in the morning and when coughing or straining) fits (seizures) He planned to collaborate with Kurt Cobain before his death. Photograph: Steve Pyke for the Observer, Michael Stipe: 'I often find myself at a loss for words', ichael Stipe wanders into the lobby of the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan, looking flustered. 4. None of the albums are bad, Stipe says. Geography and a sense of place has always mattered to Stipe, not just for his writing, but in his life. Existential., Michael Stipe: Who would I say sorry to? Has he actually done that? Im not sure we ever quite achieved that, Stipe says. It kind of terrifies me. I introduce myself and he tells me he has had "heating problems" at his apartment. Stipe and Martin had previously collaborated on a poetry compilation, The Haiku Year, and the latter later confirmed that the novel was indeed a fictional delineation of their relationship. Another wobble occurred in 2001 when guitarist Peter Buck was arrested for drunkenly assaulting two British Airways stewards in a violent struggle over a pot of yoghurt on a flight to London. That will change, however, as Stipe has offered an update . He recorded a song with Miguel Bos on the album Papito, "Lo que ves es lo que hay. songs had definite lyrics that Stipe wrote with care. It was a reaction to Around the Sun. We didnt have LED screens, so I started dressing in brighter clothes on stage. He soon began experiencing symptoms of hypothermia, including hallucinations and uncontrollable shivers. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. [43], Photography has long been a passion for Stipe and he has been carrying a camera with him since his teenage years when he photographed shows featuring Ramones, The Runaways and Queen. They even became . [7] He was a military brat; his father was a serviceman in the United States Army whose career resulted in frequent relocations for his family. He has not lost his facility for arresting titles. R.E.M. "Oh God, yes, no question," he says, laughing. Symptoms also might depend on how fast the brain tumor is growing, which is also called the tumor grade. He was cleared, having pleaded "non-insane automatism".). Both Stipe and REM guitarist Peter Buck have been vegetarian for decades, but Stipe claimed that he started eating everything again when I was 40. These days, he says he is vegan 'most of the time'. Nina Simone and Etta James. [35] A new recording from Stipe and featuring Courtney Love was revealed in 2013. Oh my God!'. [9][10] Stipe and his family moved to various locales during his childhood, including West Germany, Texas, Illinois, and Alabama. The name of his home town is Decatur, Georgia, United States. [30], Stipe had planned a collaboration with friend Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, in 1994, partly in an attempt to lure Cobain away from his home and his drug addiction. Drummer Bill Berry suffered a brain aneurysm in March 1995; bassist Mike Mills had surgery to remove a benign intenstinal tumour in July, and a month later, Stipe suffered an inguinal (groin) hernia, which also required emergency surgery. She also contributed backing vocals to the 'Monster' track 'Bang & Blame'. For a time I was conflicted by how I was represented, and then Aids came, and that's an era that has still to be spoken about in depth by people of my age. In 2004 he said of his father: "I couldn't relate to my father's experiences, or the troops in Iraq who'd been at war, until 9/11. His senior photo is pictured in the album art work of Eponymous. Bandmates were tired of the music business, not of playing songs, and never really broke up five years ago but dont expect any more records soon, By the time REM split, their guitarist Peter Buck has said, he had come to hate everything about the music business. Lightning strike, 1986. The full name of this Musician is John Michael Stipe. The REM frontman on smoking, Susan Sontag and how it feels to be in love. Barney Rosset and Jean Genet. And then spend the rest of our lives saying, No, we are not going to reform, no, theres not going to be a return concert or a tour. Some guy said to me last night at a cocktail party: I book things for private parties. Has it got worse with the Tea Party? 0 . He also released a teaser of his new song in the rally. I dont like cheesy, maudlin, overly sincere., Out of Time also came in the middle of REMs retreat from touring after completing the campaign for Green, they stayed off the road until after Monster was released in 1994. Although the experience may have been harrowing for Stipe, cars are actually safe places to be during lightning, according to the National Weather Service. However, they did not manage to compose or record anything before Cobain's death. [38] He debuted his first solo composition at Moogfest in 2017. Tell us a jokeWhats brown and sticky?A stick. Michael Stipe and Courtney Love attend the 2011 Creative Time Spring Gala Benefit at Highline Stages on May 5, 2011 in NYC.Credit:Getty. [68] Stipe sings in "wailing, keening, arching vocal figures" that R.E.M. What has been your closest brush with the law? It feels like just another label. And Stipe also decided to clean up his act due to the rising AIDS epidemic occurring at the same time, which "terrified" him: "Also, AIDS had landed and I was terrified. Its precursor, 2018's 'Volume 1', featured his photographs of everyone from River Phoenix to author William Burroughs and his partner, Thomas Dozol (also a photographer). "On a sliding scale of sexuality I'd place myself around 80-20, but I definitely prefer men to women. It doesn't seem appropriate. Brain tumours are graded according to how fast they grow and how likely they are to grow back after treatment. I have interviewed him three times in the past, never to my satisfaction. He didnt like it any more. Gliomas are brain tumors that originate in the glial cells and account for about 3 out of 10 cases of brain cancer. In cinematic mood, Stipe wrote the song as a prequel to Daysleeper from the previous album, Up, about a downtrodden middle manager unable to sleep at night. It was glam rock, basically. In the period 1990-1992 Stipe was involved with the band Chickasaw Mudd Puppies. The band issued its debut single, "Radio Free Europe," on Hib-Tone; it was a college radio success. He once owned a vegetarian cafe and juice bar in Athens, Georgia but now owns the historic building that houses another veggie restaurant, The Grit, in the city. For one half of my life we have had administrations in this country that have used both of those to divide and conquer and to establish their particular vested interests in a way that best suited them and the people that they wanted to see profit. was to write lyrics and devise melodies. The one person to leave this tight-knit group was drummer Bill Berry, who retired two years after suffering a brain aneurysm on-stage during 1995's "Monster" tour. The much anticipated Peter Buck-Luke Haines "All the Kids Are Bummed Out" UK Tour starts tonight in Manchester! Mostly they are cryptic, impressionistic, introverted and often wilfully elusive in their meaning. The live versions have much more energy; theyre faster, theyre probably better. Electron Blue, Stipe says, is about a drug dealer who sells a man a drug made of light. [2] Stipe often harmonizes with Mills in songs; in the chorus for "Stand", Mills and Stipe alternate singing lyrics, creating a dialogue. baanpruksahatyai > > Uncategorized > michael stipe brain tumor. Anybody who looks gaunt, for whatever reason. Please try again later. When he submits his eight favourite REM songs for this feature, there is not one from the first six albums (and none from 1992s Automatic for the People, the album he is ostensibly promoting for its deluxe reissue). Stipe has made a number of acting appearances on film and on television. On Tuesday (March 24), Bill Rieflin passed away after a long battle with cancer at age 59. Then, I threw up. ", Last edited on 16 February 2023, at 09:09, One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys, I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico, Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, To Understand: The Early Recordings of Matthew Sweet, Stipe, Carrey Duet On R.E.M. The REM frontman became addicted to narcotics as he rose to fame, but he beat his demons in 1983 and has since turned his back on substances. My colleagues from Star Trek, with one exception, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Michael Stipe. Frontman Michael Stipe", "R.E.M. Astrocytoma . [33] Also in 2006, Stipe appeared on the song "Broken Promise" on the Placebo release Meds. [40] Stipe released the solo song "Future, If Future" on March 24, 2018,[41] followed by "Your Capricious Soul" on October 5, 2019. I ask Stipe what his Marlon Brando song is about. seizures. According to Dave Domizi, bassist for TBE, "The band is incredibly proud of this work, and hopes that it brings some love and light Continued Born in Georgia in 1960, according to Biography, Stipe was a military brat who moved around from base to base with his family as his father's job duties took them here and there. Michael Stipe Was Afraid Of Getting The HIV Test [13] He was raised in and came from "a place of faith," as previous generations of his family were Methodist ministers. Heads turn. The taste of Spanish sugar cookies lingered as Michael Stipe lit a stick of incensea Shoyeido-brand varietal . For a start, he's too intelligent for that. By 2004, when Around the Sun was released, the status REM held in the early 90s had vastly diminished. Stipe insisted that many of his early lyrics were "nonsense," saying in a 1994 online chat, "You all know there aren't words, per se, to a lot of the early stuff. ", Stipe collaborated with Lacoste in 2008 to release his own "holiday collector edition" brand of polo shirt. "Our political activism and the content of the songs was just a reaction to where we were, and what we were surrounded by, which was just abject horror," Stipe said later. What would your superpower be?Global destroyer of weapons and rehabilitator of weapon-mongers. He speaks quietly in small, quick flurries of words that often do not cohere into sentences. So we went for something completely different, something more circus-like and over the top. The first song on their first album "Radio Free Europe" off 1983's Murmur set the pace for what turned out to be a 30-year presence on the Billboard singles and album charts. In 2006, Stipe released an EP that comprised six different cover versions of Joseph Arthur's "In The Sun" for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund. Was he troubled by it while he was growing up? For the record, Stipe currently lives in a spacious Tribeca apartment with his partner, Thomas Dozol, an art photographer. "[71], "That voice. Gore Vidal and Liza Minnelli. John Michael Stipe Age and Birth Information Do you know what is the age of John Michael Stipe? I was trying to be as smart as he was in his lyric writing. The band had formed in 1980, so you could say it was eight years in the making, he adds. It's entirely made up, but it's sincere. And too curious. 7. R.E.M. That's what it's about, really. Michael Stipe attends the premiere screening and party for truTV's new comedy series "At Home with Amy Sedaris" at The Bowery Hotel in New York City on October 19. That friendship gave Yorke someone to turn to in times of need. There's even a New York song on the album, which you can discover for yourself. I dont know which songs are on which record, Stipe says, noting that he had forgotten Man on the Moon was on Automatic for the People until last year. Speaking to Billboard, the former R.E.M. The relationship between a band and their devoted fan base is awe-inspiring. nausea and vomiting. With the success of the albums Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), R.E.M. We own a warehouse with tapes and stuff that I havent even seen. [70] Stipe commented in 1984, "It's just the way I sing. But it took a while. Download & Donate. Brain tumor grade. Peter became very frustrated with the amount of time it took to make the record. Everyone I slept with before the age of 27, orn in Georgia, Michael Stipe, 60, became REMs frontman in 1980. I'm very proud of him for that. Kevin Spacey eventually made it his, of course, but Stipe told Alec Baldwin on his podcast that Fincher had approached him, but he had to turn it down because REM were due to tour 'Monster' at the same time. Some of the most common types of brain tumors include: Glioma. ", The band, all teenage friends from Athens, Georgia, survived that particular trauma, as well as the departure of an original member, drummer Bill Berry, who quit in 1997, a few years after collapsing from a brain aneurysm onstage in Switzerland. It's an extraordinary voice," said U2's lead singer, Bono, in 2003. "It is what it is. Not good. After the Guardian suggests it might be nice to have the 1980s represented, Stipe relents, and includes World Leader Pretend, from 1988s Green. Like her, he has become a polymath of sorts, though his approach to the making of music and art is altogether more, for want of a better word, postmodern than Smith's. Michael Stipe, formerly of R.E.M., turns 60 on January 4th and he'll be releasing his second solo single 'Drive to the Ocean' on the day. The first encounter was way back in 1988, when REM's sixth album, Green, was just about to cross over into the mainstream charts. He spends every Christmas with them. [49] He was also credited as a producer of the 2004 film Saved![50]. Last October, Stipe released his first solo song, Your Capricious Soul, with proceeds going to Extinction Rebellion; he has just released another, Drive To The Ocean, via his website. "[71] In the mid-1980s, as Stipe's pronunciation while singing became clearer, the band decided that its lyrics should convey ideas on a more literal level. What did you want to be when you were growing up?Archaeologist, pop star, store cashier. When the interviewer asked Stipe what's the closest he's come to death, he gave a terse answer with no exposition. On January 19, 2023. in is cranberry glass valuable Posted by . Stipe is not rock'n'roll in the way that Smith is, though, lyrically, he shares her facility to tap into the unconscious and let the words and images flow out as if unedited. All four members of R.E.M. [44] In 2018, Stipe released a book of his photography entitled Volume 1,[45] which featured 35 photographs of such celebrities as River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain. It took years for that to land on me but the impact when it did was incredible. [37], Stipe inducted the American grunge band Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014. Time stops. will never reunite", "To Understand: The Early Recordings of Matthew Sweet: Music", "The heartbreaking song R.E.M. ", He pauses and thinks for a while. [31], Stipe was once very close to fellow alternative rock singer Natalie Merchant and has recorded a few songs with her, including one titled "Photograph," which appeared on a pro-choice benefit album titled Born to Choose, and they appeared live with Peter Gabriel singing Gabriel's single "Red Rain" at the 1996 VH1 Honors and a few other times.[32]. 's 1995 world tour wasn't just the band's . Its easy for that to prey on your insecurities. 's Bill Berry. He co-produced and featured on their two albums: White Dirt (1990) and 8 Track Stomp (1991). These tiny garden creatures, sometimes known as pill bugs or armadillo bugs, are not actually bugs at all, but small crustaceans that feed on decomposed plant . It contained, he said, everything except writing songs, playing songs and recording them. And I do have something to offer but it's just in a different dialect, a different language. [58][59], In 1983, Stipe met fellow musician Natalie Merchant of the band 10,000 Maniacs; the two started a friendship, and eventually had a romantic relationship for a period of time.[60]. R.E.M. Michael Stipe's Cate . broke up in 2011, and more than a decade later, frontman Michael Stipe still hasn't released a solo album. On his lapel, a little metal badge says Michael Stipe. I think there's a line drawn between gay and queer, and for me, queer describes something that's more inclusive of the grey areas."[63]. A bunch of people died around that time and she was one of them," he tells Interview magazine. In 1998, Stipe published a collection called Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith. He also appeared as a guest on the Cartoon Network talk show spoof Space Ghost Coast to Coast in the episode "Hungry." But I dont think about it much., REM interview: 'There's a good chance we'll never play together again', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. He even found himself shooting down rumors that he had AIDS. Finally, in 1986, the R.E.M. Now 51, Stipe has been lead singer of REM for just over 30 years. As the clamouring of Radiohead's rapidly expanding fanbase grew louder and louder, Stipe offered him advice on how to stay grounded and, perhaps more importantly, how to stay sane. Now its name-dropping. Jason Kempin/Getty Images. But not before extracting a promise from his band mates that they would continue on as R.E.M. He remembers buying her debut album, Horses, the day it came out. He has campaigned for Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and REM have espoused environmental, feminist and human rights causes. He is wearing a reefer jacket, jeans, work boots, an ethnic-looking scarf, a snug woolly hat and a full beard. "About five years ago I sat bolt upright in bed and said to myself, 'I want to make sculpture'," he says, growing visibly excited now that we have gotten the album out of the way. "[48] Stipe and his producing partner, Sandy Stern, have served as executive producers on films including Being John Malkovich, Velvet Goldmine and Man on the Moon. That's an example of something that just hit me, then I became fascinated with it, and then it became enough of a nagging obsession to be turned into a piece.". What or who is the greatest love of your life?Art, absolutely. Those who read the 'About' page were given a believable account of the American singer's passing: " At about 11 a.m. Yeah! "For me, the great weapons used against the American people are fear and ignorance. What do you consider your greatest achievement?Deciding what I wanted to do at 15 and, against all odds, doing it. [61], In 1994, with questions remaining, Stipe described himself as "an equal opportunity lech," and said he did not define himself as gay, straight or bisexual, but that he was attracted to, and had relationships with, both men and women. Were just not making records or touring. He was charming but elusive to the point of cryptic like his songs, in fact. It was going back to T Rex and Mott the Hoople and pulling it forward into where grunge was, post-Achtung Baby. Nijinsky and Nureyev. The Times is always great on a Thursday. His real name is John. [14], At age 14, Stipe was turned on to punk rock by an article in Creem magazine by Lisa Robinson on the CBGB scene. Like the elusive, oddball actor, Stipe gives the impression of existing entirely inside his own self-contained universe. Reveal, REMs 12th album released in 2001 opened with The Lifting. Even more intriguing is "Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I", a kind of meta-pop song that references a Neil Young number called "Pocahontas". Any growth inside such a restricted space can cause problems.. ", Today though, he seems relaxed, reflective, talkative, which is a relief. That seemed odd, because it is probably REMs least loved album. No one would ever know about it. I said: Theres not enough money in the world. And he said: Thank you Im a huge fan, and I wanted to know you couldnt be bought. And I thought, thats cool, and thats manipulative, and fuck you. We own the masters to our Warner Bros records. Their second album, Reckoning, followed in 1984. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?My ego and selfishness. 22 Years Ago: R.E.M. Even his father, a seasoned military man, thought his teenage son was dead, Stipe said. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. In addition to co-producing most of R.E.M. He once gave himself a hernia from singing. ", As has been pointed out before, Michael Stipe is not your regular rock'n'roll star. He is running late for his, Michael Stipe: Queerness is a state of mind brought about by understanding, REM: the band that taught alternative rock how to grow old with dignity, Michael Stipe: Are we that warlike, that childish, thatafraid?, REMinterview: 'There's a good chance we'll never play together again', Watch REM's Uberlin, starring Aaron Johnson - video. As much as we love each other and love what we did, it just shouldnt happen.. Michael Stipe: Age, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity The singer currently lives with his long-term partner, the photographer Thomas Dozol, in New York and Berlin. [42] "Drive to the Ocean" was released for his 60th birthday on January 4, 2020. Michael Stipe "I'm working something out for sure. Last October, Stipe. During his appearance at Logo TV's Trailblazers event, which airs Thursday night and honors pioneers in LGBTQ equality, he used part of his allotted time introducing Ugandan civil rights activist. A brain tumor is a collection, or mass, of abnormal cells in your brain.