It's record store day and it would appear that the 3 LP Singles released by R.E.M. are about as rare as an entry on this site.
 
I will not write some "That's It I'm Out of Here" post but I have to say that over the years of following R.E.M., collecting their bootlegs and listening to their music there is not much that I feel I can "Grow", in terms of writing about their music. I have followed them, applauded, criticised them when I felt like it but the comments at some point just become the same revolving themes over and over again.
 
I had begun this site with trying to bring an element of discussion back into the forefront. Speaking frankly as a fan with my own obsessions, it was as much about me as the band and that fateful connection to their music and my life took me along many different turns. I wrote about plans and ideas and some of them never came to fruition. Quite honestly, it's much more difficult when you are doing something out of passion rather than getting a paycheck to do it.
 
I love writing because I honestly believe that I suck at it. I read stuff by Mr. Marrone, my cohort for a bit and outside of his weak attempts of trying to put me down find him a better writer. I speak at about a 35 words per minute rate, figure my vocabulary was derived from a Cliffs Notes dictionary and would probably drive any editor up a wall.
 
I write because I try to figure it all out. When it appears on the screen I can read it and think about it again, maybe make a couple backspaces or erase it altogether.
 
I write because being a fan of a band like R.E.M. is not a certification that you have to renew every year. The music that drove me to this place had a passion and I wrote to try to figure that all out. It was a premise to figure out why I liked or disliked the music.
 
I have realized over the past couple years that my tastes have shifted, my criticisms have become multiplied and it's stopped being fun. After the R.E.M. album was released and all the fanfare around it subsided, I wanted to continue to write and while my other site is miniscule compared to this one, it's brought a level of joy that this one has not. Writing about something that you might not be all that familiar with brings it's own challenges but it's challenges that I want to take.
 
This site is not going anywhere. It will not be deleted. It will still be here and you will be able to read any posts that you deem important.
 
For those that want to follow me, I would encourage you to go to The Zimmermann Note (http://thezimmermannnote.com). If you follow me on Twitter you can still follow me there.
 
Thanks to the few of you that have read this site and I hope that it has encouraged you to think about your own passions for R.E.M., good and bad.