Begin the Begin

I've created this blog completely on a whim. Mostly, I'm running from schoolwork. This page's creation was directly precipitated by the many options given me for how to identify myself when posting a comment on someone else's (science fiction author Alastair Reynolds, you should check him out) blog post. I decided in that instant of time that I would create a page of my own.

I am a third year college student and this is me procrastinating:

As this blog is named after an R.E.M. album, I thought my first post would be about something R.E.M. related. Since this is the first entry, here's a song about beginnings (on a different record than the one this blog is named for): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rePNg6MmdEQ 

The album this is from, "Lifes Rich Pageant" (yes, they intentionally left out the apostrophe in the title), marked the start of a new-found confidence for singer/songwriter/frontman Michael Stipe. Gone were the opaque and barely discernible (but totally awesome, just in a different way) lyrics of the first three records; "Begin the Begin" opens the album as a driving mission statement.

"Life's rich demand creates supply in the hand of the powers... the only vote that matters.
Silence means security, silence means approval
Watching Zenith on the TV, tiger run around the tree, follow the leader
Run and turn into butter"

Also, can we talk about that awesome guitar fill by Peter Buck? It's so simple, but it works so well. I may write an entire post on Buck. He and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Mike Mills (who would also get his own blog entry) are one of the greatest guitarist/bassist duos in history.