I've got quite a few stories but I'll start with one of my faves.....
Early 90's...Got a tip that a guy had a house filled with records in Corsicana, Texas about 40 miles South of Dallas...found the house which stood on about 10 acres and knocked on the door.....this old guy in his 70's comes to the front door, no shirt on and a trail of burns on his chest where his cigarette(s) had apparently fallen....his skin was yellowish like a guy with serious Liver disease.
We tell him that we're looking for records and he yells into his MOTHER(who KNOWS how old she was and what she looked like!!!) that he was going out to the Barn.
We follow him around back and as we walk we can't help but notice that there are about 100 trees and nailed up to every single tree is a page out of Gay Porn magazines!!! And tied to the branches of each tree are 100's of empty gallon milk containers. One of us got up enough nerve to ask him what it was all about and he said...."Oh, that's just my hobby"!! No clue what was going on with this guy but we scored about 500 cool 45's and got the fuck out.
About 3-4 years later I passed by and the house was burned down to the ground!!
im crying thats so funny! "Oh, thats just my hobby!" is my new favorite phrase! hahaha
video game dude and kid at local flea market: their store is just a load of overpriced used video games but they keep a few records in the corner, sometimes has suprises. the guy plays dr. mario on nes for hours. i hilariously found silk degrees and sealed endless flight next to each other in the same box quote: "all games are guaranteed to play" every 5 minutes
Are you talking about the guy indoors, at the fairgrounds??
video game dude and kid at local flea market: their store is just a load of overpriced used video games but they keep a few records in the corner, sometimes has suprises. the guy plays dr. mario on nes for hours. i hilariously found silk degrees and sealed endless flight next to each other in the same box quote: "all games are guaranteed to play" every 5 minutes
Are you talking about the guy indoors, at the fairgrounds??
I've actually found some nice stuff there twice, but thats over a span of what, like EIGHT YEARS?!?
Not worth checking...
You hit up Spikel a week or so ago right?? Still nothing there???
He's in a drought...or rather "Styles" is in a drought. I fear the worst. This is usually about the time he starts resealing Raw Power and Led Zeppelin I in the basement.
Black Bobby/Dreadlocks Bobby/Bobby Dreads, NYC. A tough guy to deal with on records, and can make you very angry. prices are downright silly. but get to talking with him and open him up on NYC clubs in the 70s and 80s, the old record scene, and he is very very deep. Has all kinds of ill photos of him at 54, Loft, Garage, etc.
Iz that the older grey haired dread w/ the glasses?
Carl @ Chelsea flea aka militant gay guy aka cherry picking the good shit. Dude is queer as a three dollar bill and will kick your ass, my ass, someone else's ass, and then take names. Really bad temper, and on the rare occasion he has some incredible shit he will either sell it for dumb cheap or get all aggy when you want to grab six records and not a whole crate. Yelled once "you just wanna come here and cherry pick the good shit, leave me with bullshit for the rest of the day, fuck you, don't buy anything then" and snatched the records out of my hand.
Perhaps the most painful aspect of dealing with Carl is being regaled with tales of his (supposedly) female and (often) much younger bedroom conquests.
I've actually found some nice stuff there twice, but thats over a span of what, like EIGHT YEARS?!?
Not worth checking...
You hit up Spikel a week or so ago right?? Still nothing there???
He's in a drought...or rather "Styles" is in a drought. I fear the worst. This is usually about the time he starts resealing Raw Power and Led Zeppelin I in the basement.
I haven't been in awhile until this past weekend. Nothing mindblowing, as usual. Manfred Mann's first LP $6, Kurtis Blow DEUCE $5, and two relatively recent NC hiphop 12"s that I'd never seen before: Steel Village: Karolina Killas / The Wolves $1 and Showdown: I Love It / Ovaniters $2.
But I got the usual rant against the flea market owners. "They got us open on a Friday during the holidays! Can you believe that!" No mock-Spanishspeak this time though.
But I got the usual rant against the flea market owners. "They got us open on a Friday during the holidays! Can you believe that!" No mock-Spanishspeak this time though.
I get so embarrassed when he starts hollering potentially offensive jibberish in Espanol at random passersby... lately he's been saying he might have to quit selling records and go back to playing drums in barbands
i've been buying from spikel for years... then one day, me and my daughter were out in the yard, and a little red truck stops in front of my house... spikel rolls down the window and yells "guns n' roses!" (i found appetite for destruction doubles in there one time and he has called me that ever since)... he and his mom live like 4 or 5 houses down from me!... he was like "i'm going to go get some beers and come back down here, and we'll hang out"... i was very sketched out about that happening, but he never showed back up... every time i go to his shop he says he is going to come hang out, but he never does
One near my work id always pop in before a shift. These two really nice old ladies we're always there and talking to me in the "you nice boy" type matter. Scored some stuff over the year 50ct steez
but man the people that would go there we're regulars man. There'd be times i show up and it was about to open there was a lineup..a line up in front of the thrift. All old folks from the neighberhood tal;king to each other and about each other. Heard crazy stories and some even befriended me
I miss that stuff in a way but waiting in line to pay while late for work was
On the oher hand meeting plateau chicks digging for vintage clothes
Grand Prairie Joe - Had a spot at a low-rent Flea Market and always came up with records. Committed suicide shortly after being busted for making and distributing kiddie porn of his own daughter!!!
NY Richard(Latanzi) - Had a shop here until a few years ago. Claimed to be born again but kept XXX Gay Porn videos in the store to "Keep the kids out"...wouldn't let you in the store if he didn't like you or the way you looked, dressed, spoke, etc.
Leonard - Deceased legend of psych digging and outrageous tales. Rumored to be homeless at times, would set up at The Austin Show with an armfull of records he'd carry down on a bus and someone said they saw him sleeping under a bridge in Austin during the show. Was famous for the quote "I've got your Badfinger Straight Up right here" while giving you the finger. R.I.P.
Biker Buddy - More of a collector than a dealer, Buddy had been in a Biker Gang in the 50's-60's and HAD to be the dumb guy you see in every sleazy Biker Flick that does whatever the gang leader tells him..."Duh, OKAY Boss I'll jump off the roof head first". Weighed about 400 lbs. and had over 400 tattoos. My brother and I once made a short 15 minute film where we interviewed Buddy and asked him to tell us stories about his favorite tattoos. After we realized that he had the SAME EXACT Fred Flintstone tattoo in 7 different places we asked him what the story behind them was.....he said "Well dudes, it was time to get a tattoo and I didn't have anything in mind so I told the guy ...Ahh, just gimme another Fred Flintstone" 6 TIMES!!! Buddy passed away 1/04....R.I.P.
Black David(Foreman) - One of the truly good guys in the record game. Many of you may have run into him at a variety of Shows. Is referred to as "Black David" by the redneck dealers down here. Always has good shit, will deal with you like a Mofo and is a genuinely nice guy.....I've known David longer than just about any dealer and I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him. Top Notch!!
Record Ralph - Cranky guy that acts as if he hates records, people, and possibly life itself. Moved to Arkansas some years back and I haven't seen him since...used to pull big 45 heat!!
And to add to AP's list of great seller nicknames... we've had.... Davey Dylan Tousan The Village Idiot Bootleg Bob Skeebo The Teacher Cajun Harold Freddie Fargo(Part Time Record Dealer/Part Time Wrestling Manager) MexiMike Squeaky(Never bought a record that he didn't complain about the price)
Frankie: Dude has a whole floor, four rooms filled with records, my favourite dealer in PR. He's an old radio dj and his doo-woop collection can compete with many big time dudes. He does a history of PR rock'n'roll show once a year that is unbelievably good. This dude has encyclopedic knowledge and always tries to get me to buy disco 45s and says "ehh" when I buy a bunch of salsa lps. He is also a very devout christian, but is not preachy, super-solid dude. Everyone gets together at his house on Saturdays to wheel and deal. Other dealers at his house: Winston: His radio dj partner, Winston doesn't have a good memory because I've had to introduce myself over ten times even though I use to see him a lot at Frank's house. He always promises trades but forgets from week to week. Will talk for hours on end about Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Santini: Brother to San Juan's mayor and succesful exterminator, he also buys collections with Frank and Winston to resell. The most fun dude in the PR collecting game, always has jokes and is very friendly.
Pablo: The sterotypical pack rat, every room, except the bathroom, in his house is filled with records and other assorted newspapers and magazines. I'm talking full, like there are small passages to walk through and thats it, stading room only, no couch, chairs or tables that do not have a lot of stuff on them. Always talking about orgabnizing his set-up but has never actually done it. If I hadn't pulled serious heat out of his house I would never return because there must be a disease breeding in his house form the mold and dust and dirt. Every time I go to his house he says, "Oh shit! I didn't know I had that in here!"
Jose: Great guy, trades me laserdiscs for records, although he wrote me an email recently saying he's done with laserdiscs! Dude only buys mint records and loves Paul Anka. He is always at the flea markets at the crack of dawn and is a master bargainer. Dude is thorough with his.
Me and magnetic buy records from this lady named marie, she has a store in kingston called be-bop records. That was one of the only places that had records so we were hyped about going there the first couple times. Needlees to say the uselessness of her collection quickly occured to us. I copped a few "gems" (you all my view them as regular dollar bin finds)from her. Best record i can remember getting from her was cecil holmes music for soulful lovers. Ok condition i guess. The fact that i didn't get the record in a sleeve and the back cover was completely eroded from what seemed to be water didn't bother me much. She was ill though. She'd have one price on the records, and if you seem too excited to cop it she mysteriously doubles the price. What i couldn't understand about her was she'd save the best stuff for herself. I know she doesn't listen to jazz so why would she be stashing roy ayers heat. Anyway, we'd ask her for soundtracks and when a soundtrack does turn up, it would be in her pile, not for sale. I guess she was in a good mood once when she allowed us to go into the back room to look through what she had, not the most impressive stuff.
thats one of the only places to get records out here though so when i get money i try to stop by. Magnetic is always there so i guess he could give you some better stories. All in all i think we got the better stuff she had already so going back may be pointless but what the heck.
there was a place called the zebra door, run by dottie, a chunky black woman with a mustache. it's been gone for a bit, but she had TONS of heat. i stashed a whole bunch behind some junk because i ran out of money. when i went back some weeks later, her doors were closed. i believe i had stashed the parliament with the iron on.
there is another guy prime and i buy from, he always wears a USFL hat of the philadelphia stars. he looks like someone put a cigar out on his cheek. (not to be confused with half cigar guy) he's got about 20 boxes of 45s every week, plus about 4 stacks of lps. i've been through every box. when we ask if he has anything new, he always points to the same boxes.
this next guy is not a seller, but rather another digger. i know most of the diggers around me, as we're pretty much the only peopel that dig for what we dig for. so this guy gets to the funk and 90's hip hop 12" before us. he tries to divert us from digging further, by saying: "yo son, that dude has mad polish psych about three rows over...."
I know some of you know Ray Miller. He's a BIG dude, XXL. Know to take a break around 4:20 during record shows. Missing a few teeth and the pants are in danger of falling off. Extremely knowledgable and has serious heat, and knows what it goes for. Buys a lot of bulk shit, he's the main reason the bottom dropped out of Earl Lett's 'Green Power', cos he got a stack of OG 45s from the man himself. He's also got mad copies of Gunga Din's 'Crabcakes', also worth copping. He also has quantity on this later Plunky and the Oneness of Juju disco-ey 45 called 'Plastic' that's worth a listen, and haven't seen it anywhere else, pretty cheap. He's friends with Plunky, and I keep telling him we need to bring that mofo out to play a show in NYC. At one point he had quantity on Andrew White ('who got the funk') and knows him as well.
Ray also bought out the collection from the guy who ran Black Fire records, and has 2-3 feet worth of el saturn Sun Ra's, crazy euro spirit and free jazz, Art Ensemble's Les Stance a Sophie (French OG press), and at one point the Philip Cohran ensemble thing. He also got into Bobby Robinson's collection (Enjoy records), and has a bunch of enjoy schlitz.
Also the 'advisor' to scorpio for a lot of their 'reissues'. Supposedly legit, but they seem questionable. But he's the reason you see all that strata east and random funk things in print. The guys who actually run the Scorpio wherehouse (at an undisclosed location in Trenton NJ) are more than a little shady. Word on the street is its a money laundering thing for the mob. They've been to the FMU fair a few times and they don't know shit.
Nice guy tho and actually helped me and triple double get into the edison show early one time, so I can't front. Copped some nice 45s from him the last FMU fair.
Probably the coolest thing I got from Ray was this early 70's DIY black jazz magazine, that he had gotten from somebody, maybe the Black Fire guy. Had a box and was selling them for 10 bucks. Pretty sick, ads for Strata East and Tribe records mixed in with interviews, poetry, power to the peephole type articles.
here in Spain we got "El Basuras" (Garbage Man). He got involved with some heavy anarchist sh*t on the seventies and was in jail for dropping a bomb somewhere. His second hand shops were always closing because he never paid the rent. He always found amazing spanish funky sh*it and had no idea what was selling. I could wrote a book about tales from him but here are a couple:
- A couple of friends met him on the street & the guy was totally stoned. He insisted in going to his house to see some records. When they got there, he started to feel weird, puked on the table full of records and fell asleep. My friends ran out the house as soon as they could.
- A friend of mine came with a 45 he has just bought at his store. He told me that when El Basuras saw that the 45 had some dust & dirt, he proceeded to clean the vinyl spitting on it. My friend showed me the 45 cause I couldn't believe it but it was true...
LARRY from Cleveland, who had a store, simply entitled RECORDS. Larry had literally about 4-500,000 records in that place. From Lester Lanin to the Deidre Wilson Tabac. Found my copy of "Let's Go It's Summertime" by James Reece there about 10 years ago. Larry was a sweet old hillbilly type of cat, and when you asked the price of a record, his reply...."that one there is 100 dollars" (translation...1 dollar)...oh that one there is only 25 dollars (again...translation...a quarter). Always had a dime store stogie in his mouth, and played country records non stop. I pulled serious great records there, loooong before i knew what I was pulling. He was a quiet, sweet guy who seemed happy to not have to do anything else but sit around and mess with records.
CHRIS PROBERT you all may have seen the film VINYL (straight up fuck you to Allan Zweig...the guy who made the film, as it really dissed all of the folks in that movie..made fun of them and took advantage of them for his own selfish gains..a real prick). Chris was the guy who is probably most famous in the film, as he had to move records to get into bed at night, and move more to use the bathroom. Chris had a serious record problem, and it really killed him in the end. He neglected his health so much (poor man had gout, diabetes, cancer...the list went on) that it hospitalized him, and he died there. He was always in search of all the records he needed to have in Mint, but after getting them, threw them around his house like they were day old newspapers. Once he came in to the store where i worked, noticed i had just got in a Female Vocal LP he wanted, and with the warmest smile thanked me for getting it in. It was a Lorraine Ellison Lp, and before i knew it, he put in on the turntable and started singing along with his favorite track from it. Now, Chris could not sing. But he built up with Lorraine right through the tune, and had his eyes closed all along. Picture that the other 10 customers in the store at the time (secretary types buying Celine Dion CDs) were pretty freaked out. Chris kept going and sang his heart out, loud bits, quiet bits and all. To be honest, here was a broken man in many ways, who had found some peace in this record. I was mezmerized by it all, and it was really, in a very awkward way, quite beautiful. He finished the song, bought the record, gave me a big smile, and went on his merry way. He died a few years later, and I have missed him so much ever since. RIP Chris......
Comments
Just the usual bunch around here. Shady pawn shop dealers with "$150 Abbey road records" (emphasis on the quotations).
im crying thats so funny! "Oh, thats just my hobby!" is my new favorite phrase! hahaha
Are you talking about the guy indoors, at the fairgrounds??
aka The Why Bother? Spot
I've actually found some nice stuff there twice, but thats over a span of what, like EIGHT YEARS?!?
Not worth checking...
You hit up Spikel a week or so ago right?? Still nothing there???
He's in a drought...or rather "Styles" is in a drought. I fear the worst. This is usually about the time he starts resealing Raw Power and Led Zeppelin I in the basement.
I wish someone would write a story about rekkid collecting................
Classic but not about diggin' per se.
Iz that the older grey haired dread w/ the glasses?
Does he sit there w/ one box of bangers?
Perhaps the most painful aspect of dealing with Carl is being regaled with tales of his (supposedly) female and (often) much younger bedroom conquests.
Dude, I get what you are trying to tell me.
I just don't believe it.
I haven't been in awhile until this past weekend. Nothing mindblowing, as usual. Manfred Mann's first LP $6, Kurtis Blow DEUCE $5, and two relatively recent NC hiphop 12"s that I'd never seen before: Steel Village: Karolina Killas / The Wolves $1 and Showdown: I Love It / Ovaniters $2.
But I got the usual rant against the flea market owners. "They got us open on a Friday during the holidays! Can you believe that!" No mock-Spanishspeak this time though.
Did I mention he yells "cherry picking the good shit" at least once a weekend?
I get so embarrassed when he starts hollering potentially offensive jibberish in Espanol at random passersby... lately he's been saying he might have to quit selling records and go back to playing drums in barbands
I wouldn't have much patience for a dealer berating me for not buying shitty records!!! Damn!
"that one is styles' so i gotta get $5 for it"
Yeah, it's kinda like riding in a car with a bad driver and other people are honking and making gestures..."This man does not represent me."
everyone i cop records from is mad cool. no strange mannerisms either.
If you haven't purchased from at least a couple dudes who are rumoured to be child molesters you're not a real digger...
One near my work id always pop in before a shift. These two really nice old ladies we're always there and talking to me in the "you nice boy" type matter. Scored some stuff over the year 50ct steez
but man the people that would go there we're regulars man. There'd be times i show up and it was about to open there was a lineup..a line up in front of the thrift. All old folks from the neighberhood tal;king to each other and about each other. Heard crazy stories and some even befriended me
I miss that stuff in a way but waiting in line to pay while late for work was
On the oher hand meeting plateau chicks digging for vintage clothes
Grand Prairie Joe - Had a spot at a low-rent Flea Market and always came up with records. Committed suicide shortly after being busted for making and distributing kiddie porn of his own daughter!!!
NY Richard(Latanzi) - Had a shop here until a few years ago. Claimed to be born again but kept XXX Gay Porn videos in the store to "Keep the kids out"...wouldn't let you in the store if he didn't like you or the way you looked, dressed, spoke, etc.
Leonard - Deceased legend of psych digging and outrageous tales. Rumored to be homeless at times, would set up at The Austin Show with an armfull of records he'd carry down on a bus and someone said they saw him sleeping under a bridge in Austin during the show. Was famous for the quote "I've got your Badfinger Straight Up right here" while giving you the finger. R.I.P.
Biker Buddy - More of a collector than a dealer, Buddy had been in a Biker Gang in the 50's-60's and HAD to be the dumb guy you see in every sleazy Biker Flick that does whatever the gang leader tells him..."Duh, OKAY Boss I'll jump off the roof head first". Weighed about 400 lbs. and had over 400 tattoos. My brother and I once made a short 15 minute film where we interviewed Buddy and asked him to tell us stories about his favorite tattoos. After we realized that he had the SAME EXACT Fred Flintstone tattoo in 7 different places we asked him what the story behind them was.....he said "Well dudes, it was time to get a tattoo and I didn't have anything in mind so I told the guy ...Ahh, just gimme another Fred Flintstone" 6 TIMES!!! Buddy passed away 1/04....R.I.P.
Black David(Foreman) - One of the truly good guys in the record game. Many of you may have run into him at a variety of Shows. Is referred to as "Black David" by the redneck dealers down here. Always has good shit, will deal with you like a Mofo and is a genuinely nice guy.....I've known David longer than just about any dealer and I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him. Top Notch!!
Record Ralph - Cranky guy that acts as if he hates records, people, and possibly life itself. Moved to Arkansas some years back and I haven't seen him since...used to pull big 45 heat!!
And to add to AP's list of great seller nicknames... we've had....
Davey Dylan
Tousan
The Village Idiot
Bootleg Bob
Skeebo
The Teacher
Cajun Harold
Freddie Fargo(Part Time Record Dealer/Part Time Wrestling Manager)
MexiMike
Squeaky(Never bought a record that he didn't complain about the price)
Frankie: Dude has a whole floor, four rooms filled with records, my favourite dealer in PR. He's an old radio dj and his doo-woop collection can compete with many big time dudes. He does a history of PR rock'n'roll show once a year that is unbelievably good. This dude has encyclopedic knowledge and always tries to get me to buy disco 45s and says "ehh" when I buy a bunch of salsa lps. He is also a very devout christian, but is not preachy, super-solid dude. Everyone gets together at his house on Saturdays to wheel and deal. Other dealers at his house:
Winston: His radio dj partner, Winston doesn't have a good memory because I've had to introduce myself over ten times even though I use to see him a lot at Frank's house. He always promises trades but forgets from week to week. Will talk for hours on end about Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
Santini: Brother to San Juan's mayor and succesful exterminator, he also buys collections with Frank and Winston to resell. The most fun dude in the PR collecting game, always has jokes and is very friendly.
Pablo: The sterotypical pack rat, every room, except the bathroom, in his house is filled with records and other assorted newspapers and magazines. I'm talking full, like there are small passages to walk through and thats it, stading room only, no couch, chairs or tables that do not have a lot of stuff on them. Always talking about orgabnizing his set-up but has never actually done it. If I hadn't pulled serious heat out of his house I would never return because there must be a disease breeding in his house form the mold and dust and dirt. Every time I go to his house he says, "Oh shit! I didn't know I had that in here!"
Jose: Great guy, trades me laserdiscs for records, although he wrote me an email recently saying he's done with laserdiscs! Dude only buys mint records and loves Paul Anka. He is always at the flea markets at the crack of dawn and is a master bargainer. Dude is thorough with his.
I'll post up some other later...
thats one of the only places to get records out here though so when i get money i try to stop by. Magnetic is always there so i guess he could give you some better stories. All in all i think we got the better stuff she had already so going back may be pointless but what the heck.
there was a place called the zebra door, run by dottie, a chunky black woman with a mustache. it's been gone for a bit, but she had TONS of heat. i stashed a whole bunch behind some junk because i ran out of money. when i went back some weeks later, her doors were closed. i believe i had stashed the parliament with the iron on.
there is another guy prime and i buy from, he always wears a USFL hat of the philadelphia stars. he looks like someone put a cigar out on his cheek. (not to be confused with half cigar guy) he's got about 20 boxes of 45s every week, plus about 4 stacks of lps. i've been through every box. when we ask if he has anything new, he always points to the same boxes.
this next guy is not a seller, but rather another digger. i know most of the diggers around me, as we're pretty much the only peopel that dig for what we dig for. so this guy gets to the funk and 90's hip hop 12" before us. he tries to divert us from digging further, by saying: "yo son, that dude has mad polish psych about three rows over...."
Ray also bought out the collection from the guy who ran Black Fire records, and has 2-3 feet worth of el saturn Sun Ra's, crazy euro spirit and free jazz, Art Ensemble's Les Stance a Sophie (French OG press), and at one point the Philip Cohran ensemble thing. He also got into Bobby Robinson's collection (Enjoy records), and has a bunch of enjoy schlitz.
Also the 'advisor' to scorpio for a lot of their 'reissues'. Supposedly legit, but they seem questionable. But he's the reason you see all that strata east and random funk things in print. The guys who actually run the Scorpio wherehouse (at an undisclosed location in Trenton NJ) are more than a little shady. Word on the street is its a money laundering thing for the mob. They've been to the FMU fair a few times and they don't know shit.
Nice guy tho and actually helped me and triple double get into the edison show early one time, so I can't front. Copped some nice 45s from him the last FMU fair.
Probably the coolest thing I got from Ray was this early 70's DIY black jazz magazine, that he had gotten from somebody, maybe the Black Fire guy. Had a box and was selling them for 10 bucks. Pretty sick, ads for Strata East and Tribe records mixed in with interviews, poetry, power to the peephole type articles.
$??
- A couple of friends met him on the street & the guy was totally stoned. He insisted in going to his house to see some records. When they got there, he started to feel weird, puked on the table full of records and fell asleep. My friends ran out the house as soon as they could.
- A friend of mine came with a 45 he has just bought at his store. He told me that when El Basuras saw that the 45 had some dust & dirt, he proceeded to clean the vinyl spitting on it. My friend showed me the 45 cause I couldn't believe it but it was true...
LARRY from Cleveland, who had a store, simply entitled RECORDS. Larry had literally about 4-500,000 records in that place. From Lester Lanin to the Deidre Wilson Tabac. Found my copy of "Let's Go It's Summertime" by James Reece there about 10 years ago. Larry was a sweet old hillbilly type of cat, and when you asked the price of a record, his reply...."that one there is 100 dollars" (translation...1 dollar)...oh that one there is only 25 dollars (again...translation...a quarter). Always had a dime store stogie in his mouth, and played country records non stop. I pulled serious great records there, loooong before i knew what I was pulling. He was a quiet, sweet guy who seemed happy to not have to do anything else but sit around and mess with records.
CHRIS PROBERT you all may have seen the film VINYL (straight up fuck you to Allan Zweig...the guy who made the film, as it really dissed all of the folks in that movie..made fun of them and took advantage of them for his own selfish gains..a real prick). Chris was the guy who is probably most famous in the film, as he had to move records to get into bed at night, and move more to use the bathroom. Chris had a serious record problem, and it really killed him in the end. He neglected his health so much (poor man had gout, diabetes, cancer...the list went on) that it hospitalized him, and he died there. He was always in search of all the records he needed to have in Mint, but after getting them, threw them around his house like they were day old newspapers. Once he came in to the store where i worked, noticed i had just got in a Female Vocal LP he wanted, and with the warmest smile thanked me for getting it in. It was a Lorraine Ellison Lp, and before i knew it, he put in on the turntable and started singing along with his favorite track from it. Now, Chris could not sing. But he built up with Lorraine right through the tune, and had his eyes closed all along. Picture that the other 10 customers in the store at the time (secretary types buying Celine Dion CDs) were pretty freaked out. Chris kept going and sang his heart out, loud bits, quiet bits and all. To be honest, here was a broken man in many ways, who had found some peace in this record. I was mezmerized by it all, and it was really, in a very awkward way, quite beautiful. He finished the song, bought the record, gave me a big smile, and went on his merry way. He died a few years later, and I have missed him so much ever since. RIP Chris......