A Quick Check-In

I haven't written anything in here for a long time.

So what's new?

Muddling by day-to-day under the Trump regime, bracing myself with every bat shit crazy executive order he makes and every certifiably nutty word that comes out of his mouth. All while no other elected official has the guts to stand up to him.

Sorry, I'm not gonna provide you with any deep and nuanced political commentary, just expressing my frustration with the state of the United States. Of course, none of this insanity happening now surprises me. 

So when I'm not depressed about authoritarianism, how have I been spending my time this month?

I have been reading The Name of This Band is R.E.M. : a Biography (by Peter Ames Carlin). I am enjoying it a lot, and am about halfway through. It's much, much less of a slog than the last book I read.

R.E.M. was good when it came to self-mythologizing, or maybe just messing with interviewers. I wouldn't call them liars--that is much too strong a word, more a matter of "don't let the truth get in the way of a good story." So, it's quite illuminating to learn that Michael Stipe loved to sing as a teen--at one point, a teenaged Stipe is described as singing Aerosmith's "Dream On" at the top of his lungs in the backseat of a friend's car--and played in bands in high school, or that Peter Buck picked up the guitar as a teen and practiced religiously for years. In interviews, Michael would have you believe he liked bubblegum pop as a kid and then tuned out music for years until he discovered Patti Smith, while Peter insisted he didn't pick up the guitar until his 20s. Self-mythologizing, obfuscation, or simply fucking with the press. Maybe all three.

What does remain unchanged is that Mike Mills was a confident go-getter from the very beginning, as well as accomplished musician. Bill Berry was the guy who studied the music industry closely and had intentions of becoming an entertainment lawyer. Mike and Bill DID start off as childhood enemies until music made them thick as thieves.

As of this writing, I'm at the point that R.E.M. is touring behind Green in 1989. I was pleasantly surprised to read a two-page description of the Green Tour show I attended, April 5, 1989 at Detroit's Cobo Arena. 

That's about all I have for you right now. I'll return to reading and try to avoid doomscrolling.

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