What is The Relay?

"Relay" was a song recorded by The Who in 1971. It was released as a single the next year, but it was never appropriately placed in its correct context. That context was an ambitious science-fiction follow-up by Pete Townshend to Tommy called Lifehouse. Lifehouse was about an oppressive future where most people in the cities lived their lived encased in protective suits attached to "The Grid," a virtual world where they received all stimulation through an electronic network.

Townshend in this regard was a true prophet, for "The Grid" is eerily parallel to what we now know as the Internet. This site will be my "grid," my virtual world where I can reflect on the world around me and my place in it.

I hope to use this space to reflect, speculate, and pontificate. If anything, I hope it will give me a forum where I can leave my father in peace from annoying emails about the current thing that enrages me. I will be writing about my life in academia and the issues I'm involved in there, as well as my hobbies, which usually involve three things: sports, music, and politics. Enjoy.

You can hear it in the street, see it in the dragging feet,
The word is getting out about control,
Spies they've come and gone, the story travels on,
The only quiet place is inside your soul.

From tree to tree, from you to me,
Traveling twice as fast as on any freeway,
Every single dream, wrapped up in the scheme,
They all get carried on the relay.

Relay, things are brewing,
Relay, something's doing,
Relay, there's a revolution,
Relay, relay, hand me down a solution, yeah.
Pass it on, come on, a relay.

Someone disapproves of what you say and do,
I was asked to see what I could really learn you,
Don't believe your eyes, they're telling only lies,
What is done in the first place don't concern you.

From tree to tree, from you to me,
Traveling twice as fast as on any freeway,
Every single dream wrapped up in the scheme,
They all get carried on the relay.

Relay, things are brewing,
Relay, something's doing,
Relay, there's a revolution,
Relay, relay, hand me down a solution, yeah.
Pass it on, pass it on, pass it on, hey you, pass it on,
We're on the relay, get a moving, get on a moving on,
The relay, the relay, the relay, the relay.