I am somewhat hesitant about introducing myself so thunderously, but I could not locate a proper introduction thread via the "Find" function, and I strongly believe in Regina's words "If you never say your name out loud to anyone, they can never ever call you by it," so...here I am.

My name may or may not be Henry Gale and I may or may not have crashed here in a balloon. My interests apart from Regina include reading the classics (Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Joyce are among my favorite authors) and watching Lost (which would be evident to a fellow fan based on various components of my post and profile). I am currently a college student living in North Carolina, and I proudly announce my location because I've noticed that a couple of people here are also situated in North Carolina. I find it most reassuring to know that there are other people afflicted with reginitis so close to me. My case is assuredly a severe one, and it worsens with each new song I listen to and each new interview I read or watch. The disease truly manifested in me around two months ago, although I first discovered Regina in June.

It was her awesome name that led me to her, incidentally. I was doing research on another Regina when I happened to see "Regina Spektor" pop up as a suggested search. I was immediately compelled to look her up, based on how cool that name was alone. What I assumed would turn out to be a comic book supervillainess with powers over the undead was, evidently, a musician of unparalleled talent and class with the voice of an angel and an appreciation of classical music. Intrigued by the excellent appraisals of her music (and, admittedly, captivated by her striking features), I embarked on a voyage to the familiar waters of Youtube and decided to sample some of her work.

The first taste of Regina I had was, by chance, the music video for a little number called "Fidelity." My internal organs had been completely liquefied by the time I had finished watching it, and my brain was reduced to nothing more than warm Jell-O sloshing around in my skull. I was absolutely floored. This woman was ethereal. I could do nothing more than sit in stunned silence as my useless, gelatinous, now orange-flavored gray matter attempted to process the spectacle I had just witnessed. It could not, and to this very day, it still holds such a power over me. My soul, however, had been enlightened, and drove me to search for more (which I did, once my organs had regained their shape and function).

"Laughing With" was my next song, and through it I discovered how profound and true Regina can be, in addition to her emotional impact. After this, I thought it wise to "take it slow," or I'd find myself overwhelmed by the sheer number and depth of her songs. I managed to survive on Fidelity and Laughing With alone for a couple of weeks, which I could not keep away from, and then I slowly went through more and more of her work, soon realizing that watching her in concert footage or recordings of television appearances was even more fulfilling than merely listening to her perform. Long story short (hardly), I wound up here after losing control and going on a binge near the end of August until I had become familiar with a great many of her songs and the endless wit, humor, kindness, quirkiness, and brilliance of the wonderful person who writes and performs them. She has been a very powerful positive force in my life, and transformed me from a bitter cynic who hated virtually everything and wouldn't listen to music written after 1989 into an individual with much faith in humanity and an appreciation for the finer and simpler things in life.

I realize that I have effectively written a novel in lieu of what was intended to be nothing more than a simple introduction, but what point is there in joining a forum if you aren't going to express yourself?

Welcome to stix Henry and you'll be glad there's much more Regina to enjoy check out the spektography

I am indeed in awe of the sheer number of songs she's written, and with such staggering variety! I'm very happy to see such a convenient, organized list of her works!

Welcome Henry! That was a great first post Enjoy the Stix

Thanks, Lilly! And believe me, I already am!

Welcome to the best forum you will ever join ever! These are some of the kindest, polite, and nice people you will ever meet. Enjoy.
We may or may not have the same first name.

Many thanks! That sentiment sure is seeming to hold true! I've seen my share of forums that are more comparable to those war-torn cities you see in post-Apocalyptic cinema that are run by lawless street gangs with cyborg musclemen than areas of discussion.

And had I known that your first name was Henry before I registered, I would have chosen a different display name to avoid potentially confusing anyone, regardless of whether or not Henry Gale is my actual name. Apologies if you ever end up suffering the consequences of my horrendous actions by a case of mistaken identity, or anything like that.

No worries! It may or may not be an awesome name!

I may or may not agree completely!

Also, from where I'm looking at things, it would appear that someone replied to this topic earlier, but their reply mysteriously disappeared right when I responded, so I deleted my response to avoid giving off the impression that I was talking to Harvey the invisible rabbit. If it's just some problem on my end, I would like the poster to know that I'm not ignoring you at all, and am merely under the impression that no one can see your post or that you withdrew it for maintenance or some other reason.

Welcome Henry! Your post was a really enjoyable read.

quote:

Originally posted by baby jesus:
Welcome to the best forum you will ever join ever! These are some of the kindest, polite, and nice people you will ever meet. Enjoy.
We may or may not have the same first name.

Hihi, that sounds like a we're a sect/cult!

I tend to erect monolithic citadels of text whenever I type, particularly when recounting or describing something, so I'm quite happy to know that someone enjoyed reading it!

If this place is a cult, then I'm perhaps even more excited to be a part of it! ...But are we Regewish, Registian, Regislam, Reguddist, or Regatheist? I'm open to anything!

quote:

Originally posted by Appt:
Welcome Henry! Your post was a really enjoyable read.

quote:

Originally posted by baby jesus:
Welcome to the best forum you will ever join ever! These are some of the kindest, polite, and nice people you will ever meet. Enjoy.
We may or may not have the same first name.

Hihi, that sounds like a we're a sect/cult!

Appt, you mean we're not a cult???!!!!!!
Just kidding, I don't mean to creep you out in anyway. We're not a cult. I just want to let Henry know how awesome everybody is here!

quote:

Originally posted by baby jesus:
Appt, you mean we're not a cult???!!!!!!

shh, nobody can know or they won't come! jk

Don't worry, it just made me smile.

Henry. Based on your vocabulary and talent of expressing yourself, I'm thinking yoiu might enjoy this thread:

Name that Reg Tune... in other words

welcome!!

Now that looks like an interesting game! I doubt I possess the talents to effectively mask her lyrics from the experts on this forum, but I can sure give it a try...