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John E. Begood
Culture and Society > Personalities > Famous and Historical Non-ascended Sophonts
Culture and Society > Fine Arts > Music
Culture and Society > Fine Arts > Music
 Image from Worldtree and Steve Bowers | |
| A late Industrial Age musician/celebrity. No direct records of him have survived, apart from a song about him recovered from the Voyager 1 probe. Since there are no surviving images of this person, a best-guess image is presented here | |
Even in the Current Era, there are many still unsolved mysteries surrounding John E. Begood and it is quite possible that he was not even a real person, though this is debated by historians. It is also possible that the singer of the song was John E. Begood himself, and the song was an autobiography in third-person. This is regarded as the most likely possibility by historians.
Life
John E. Begood was born sometime before 10 BT. He was most likely born in the United States of America, in a state known as Louisiana, which was located by a sea known as the Gulf of Mexico. His family lived in this state in a forested rural area, near a city known as New Orleans. Begood grew up poor, and was never given a formal education. However, at a young age, he discovered that he had a talent and a passion for playing guitar (an Old Earth musical instrument). He would often practice his instrument in secluded areas in the forest. Several people from his town were amazed by his playing, regarding it as exceptional, and they pushed him to follow his dreams. Among these people were his mother, who was very supportive. It is implied that when Begood got older, he would go on to become very popular, attracting large crowds from all over his area. While it is not known exactly how famous John E. Begood would become, he would become famous enough to have a song written about him, a song that would be deemed notable and culturally significant enough to be put into the Voyager 1 space probe, which would launch sometime around 8 AT. It is unknown when John E. Begood passed away.Potential Reference in Other Pre-Technocalypse Record
A particularly obscure section of a heavily distorted pre-Technocalypse record, from the United States of America and dating back to around the time of Begood's life, also tells the story of a famous guitar player of the Industrial Age. However, this individual is never confirmed to be Begood or even named. The individual is stated as meeting and making a deal with a mysterious figure from "above." This transaction supposedly took place at a region where multiple paths intersected, known as a "crossroads." The mysterious figure could be a reference to mythical xenosophonts, or early Terragen spacefarers or aviators. However, based off the culture of the time and the region, this was mostly likely a religious reference. It is unknown if the individual described in the story is actually Begood, or some other late Industrial Age guitar player.Notable Appearances in Other Media
In the literature piece Ooo by the 3Ca8urs (5832), a character briefly engenerates into Begood. In 6999, a parrot-chameleon provolve under the name "Elvas Bluegrasswing of Tymsquaar" from the Cross Mark star system briefly engenerated into Begood to produce the musical album "Poluphagia," which became quite popular throughout the Cross Mark star system for three decades. Begood appears within "Terragen Fiction", a work created by The Violet in 7866. The character Cariola from the virch show When They Went (8271) is based on a version of Begood. In 8392, the habitat PoiliaPakita voted Voyager 1 as their annual design theme, and Begood was featured prominently, with many inhabitants engenerating as versions of him. In 9421, the original Begood song was featured on the virch show 9ipo, causing a boost in Begood's popularity. In the historical virch show Acow Town (10123), set in a small town in Industrial Age United States of America, Begood is mentioned as president of the United States of America.Related Articles
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Development Notes
Text by MiyuwiAuthor
Initially published on 31 January 2025.
Initially published on 31 January 2025.
