Go at it Boldly

I received Reed magazine yesterday and was struck by the article about the Reed 11 (September 2011), specifically by the interview with Jessica Gerhardt ’11, as I also graduated in psychology and also planned to spend the following year pursuing music. I did in fact do that and spent much of the following years playing in bands (including Rachael Sighs and Tesseract) in Portland area bars, making (and trying to sell) independent records, and selling guitars in a music store on Southeast 39th Avenue. Reading Jessica’s interview made me excited all over again, imagining the prospect of just coming out of Reed and going for it as a performing musician. I wish Jessica all success and I pass on the following advice: “Go at it boldly, and you’ll find unexpected forces closing ’round you and coming to your aid” (William Benjamin Basil King, Anglican minister and author, 1859–1928).

—Larry Dunn ’74

New York, New York