Vinyl

[Gol Dernitt]

I feel a little bad about this, but most of my record collection is bought online.  I like putting on records.  I don't like collecting a bunch of records that I will never enjoy spinning, and the ones I'm looking for will not show up in a record store in my city.  I got drunk and spent 60 bucks on eBay on a replacement The Love Language record, which I originally bought for 10 bucks and leant to a friend, I guess forever.  When I finally got it, (from Russia), I considered not opening it for about 10 minutes before I spun that record, collector's value be damned.

I'm not making a record collection because I think collecting records is cool.  I just like to use my record player, I like actively spinning/flipping records, I like listening to albums all the way through.  A lot of people roll their eyes at me when I say my record collection is small, focused, and full of 220 grams.  I get it, I'm not part of the real vinyl appreciation culture, I don't pretend to be.  It's not exploratory for me, I do that on Spotify, YouTube, and via some trusted friends.  But I feel a little bad that I can't turn around and have a beat up Dylan or Prine or Baez padding the collection, just as credentials.

But I like that hard copy of the music I'm into.  It's less transient and harder to misplace than cassettes or cds.