A Rant About Collectors It really doesnt matter what you collect, it just happens that you collect records. Well let me tell you something. Since we started walking upright the human race has always collected something. Granted in the beginning it was trivial things like food and wood and in some cases, other humans. http://www.airsicknessbags.com Now that you have looked at those sites you should be very pleased with yourself for choosing something to collect that ....
However, you must be aware of the physical dangers you will come across while collecting records. Getting trampled under foot is always a risk especially if your local record shop / 2nd hand store / charity shop is in the process of putting out a dead grandparents collection of original jazz records from the 50's for a $1.00. or an uncles collection of original prog from the 70's. Ok, so this is not a regular occurrence but you have been warned. You are guaranteed to need glasses in the not to distant future. This is due to the fact you analyze every prospective purchase with the gaze worthy of an electron microscope in the hope that you will spot a mark the seller has not, therefore allowing you some bargaining power over the price of the record you have been searching for for years. Blisters, the bain of any cratedigger worth their salt. There is nothing worse than turning up to a store that has just put 6 crates of fresh sale records out and there is you and one other digger there. You look at your fingers that are raw from digging the previous week and begin flicking through the first crate, you strike gold!! woo hoo you think. You look over and realize the other digger has no blisters on his fingers and has already gone through the other 5 crates and has amassed a huge stack of records you just know should be yours. There are upsides to collecting records...Yes, It's not all bad... Your sense of touch will be unbelievably enhanced. Years of handling covers and inners so as not to crease them as well as touching only the edge of your precious record will pay off. However be careful, as I explained in the blister section this is reliant on you not going into a feeding frenzy while cratedigging. Your aural skills will be better, through listening to music as it was meant to be heard..on pure beautiful vinyl. Your sense of history will be impressive due to the extensive reading you have done thanks to the long lost art of liner notes. Your social skills will be impressive as you will be able to bamboozle your friends with intimate knowledge of their favorite musician. It is strange to see how much attention you are paid at a party just because you actually know the value of your hosts record collection and easily identify the "rare" record they have played to impress the party. (just a suggestion, but it is in your best interest to overvalue their collection and pretend that their "rare" record is just that..) You will be emotionally well balanced as you have a record to suit every mood. Yeah right!! You will be healthy as you are constantly out and about, generally walking between record stores carrying piles of heavy vinyl. Not only is this a good cardio workout but it builds a commanding physique. So there you have it. A total tongue in cheek look at the sub-culture we inhabit. I decided not to mention fashion sense in either grouping as I firmly believe that everyone has their own sense of fashion. But I will say this ..Cardigans are NOT cool and Trucker hats should be worn by truckers. Other than that who really gives a crap about what you are wearing. It's what you are listening to that's important..right?? |