I've been doing the vinyl thing as well in an attempt to break out of the "eternal shuffle" of Spotify and actually enjoy albums in their entirety. The only downside is that you forget that you have to flip the damn things every 20 minutes which makes it much harder to play records when doing chores etc.
"Offended on Others' Behalf" is nothing new. Some 30 years ago, I worked at a major museum in a large city. We had an exhibit opening on Dec. 26. (The week between Christmas and New Years is huge in the museum world: lots of families with kids home from school or relatives in from out of town, looking for something to do.) Most of the exhibit was sealed up in a gallery which would be opened on that date, but a few display cases were strewn about the lobby. The designers had wrapped them in colored paper and given them oversized bows to look like presents. My job was to write a sign explaining what was going on.
Of course, the headline on my sign was "Do not open until Christmas!" Unfortunately, the VP of our area -- a well-meaning but totally inexperienced woman, who was plucked from the corporate world and thrust into the job through some strange office politics -- wanted it changed. "Some people don't celebrate Christmas, and we don't want to alienate them." Well, like I said, it was a big museum in a big city: we had practicing Jews, Muslims, Hindu, even some observant pagans on staff. So I made the rounds:
*All of the white women said, "Well, I'm not offended, of course, but I can see how someone else might be."
* All of the white men said it was fine.
* All of the POCs said it was fine.
* The head of Community Outreach -- the forerunner of DEI -- said it was fine.
* All off the non-Christians said it as fine.
(I well remember the response of the financial manager, an Orthodox Jew nearing retirement. He peered over his glasses with a weary look and said, "Gene, my people have survived centuries of discrimination, pogroms, even genocide. Do you really think we care what you put on your little sign?")
Didn't matter. VP had it changed. I left shortly thereafter.
Which Penguin Feather? I remember the one in Herndon (moved here a year before the big Customs raid), but photos of the Vienna store look more like what you described. I still have most of my vinyl LPs + my wife's collection.
It'd be great to compare LP disc playing equipment available today to my 80s leftover equipment stored in the model train room upstairs. I have stuff starting pre-WWII from my late grandmother (classical 78s), up through The Tubes...
The first LP that really wowed me with fidelity was, oddly, the Beach Boys' 1972 "Surf's Up." I'd been listening since 1957 when my parents first allowed me to use our player, and the dynamic range and subjective richness was something. At 20, my hearing was perfect. I wonder if, motivated by your Substack, I get equipment out and go back, how much will I hear after returning to drag racing in 1998?
Vinyl's a bit overpriced now, but it's a fun thing to blow a little bit of my money on. The thing I like about it is that it reintroduces intentionality into the music listening experience. There are great things about streaming but with endless options since easily accessed it's inevitable that it all starts to feel like something that barely makes a ripple in your consciousness. It's only going to get worse with AI created stuff and the way that will worm into playlists curated by algorithms. You know that feeling you get about some (most?) content on Netflix, that it's specifically created to be half-paid attention to while you look at your phone? AI music will make that stuff seem like Stan Brakhage in comparison.
Vinyl, you pick what you want to listen to, look at the album cover, take it out, put it on the platter, put the needle on, watch it spin, listen to a side, turn it over ... it's a ritual, and one I get a lot of satisfaction out of.
I haven't returned to buying vinyl yet (I still have all mine from forever ago), neither have I stopped buying CDs, so I'm the anomaly about which they're worried.
I'm glad to be of service! (oh, and another fine column, sir)
First of all….I remember Penguin Feather Records and Tapes well….thanks for the walk down Monroe Street…er…..”Memory Lane”….
Second of all…Mick Jagger and his band mates, John Lennon and Chuck Berry would never allow people or machines to change or rewrite their classic hits.
Those artists will all be dead by the time it happens… Dahl, Fleming, and Christie are dead and their heirs either aren’t aware, or don’t care enough to protect their work as long as they can keep exploiting the library
I've been doing the vinyl thing as well in an attempt to break out of the "eternal shuffle" of Spotify and actually enjoy albums in their entirety. The only downside is that you forget that you have to flip the damn things every 20 minutes which makes it much harder to play records when doing chores etc.
"Offended on Others' Behalf" is nothing new. Some 30 years ago, I worked at a major museum in a large city. We had an exhibit opening on Dec. 26. (The week between Christmas and New Years is huge in the museum world: lots of families with kids home from school or relatives in from out of town, looking for something to do.) Most of the exhibit was sealed up in a gallery which would be opened on that date, but a few display cases were strewn about the lobby. The designers had wrapped them in colored paper and given them oversized bows to look like presents. My job was to write a sign explaining what was going on.
Of course, the headline on my sign was "Do not open until Christmas!" Unfortunately, the VP of our area -- a well-meaning but totally inexperienced woman, who was plucked from the corporate world and thrust into the job through some strange office politics -- wanted it changed. "Some people don't celebrate Christmas, and we don't want to alienate them." Well, like I said, it was a big museum in a big city: we had practicing Jews, Muslims, Hindu, even some observant pagans on staff. So I made the rounds:
*All of the white women said, "Well, I'm not offended, of course, but I can see how someone else might be."
* All of the white men said it was fine.
* All of the POCs said it was fine.
* The head of Community Outreach -- the forerunner of DEI -- said it was fine.
* All off the non-Christians said it as fine.
(I well remember the response of the financial manager, an Orthodox Jew nearing retirement. He peered over his glasses with a weary look and said, "Gene, my people have survived centuries of discrimination, pogroms, even genocide. Do you really think we care what you put on your little sign?")
Didn't matter. VP had it changed. I left shortly thereafter.
Great story… you’re right, it’s definitely a tale as old as the tides
Which Penguin Feather? I remember the one in Herndon (moved here a year before the big Customs raid), but photos of the Vienna store look more like what you described. I still have most of my vinyl LPs + my wife's collection.
It was the Herndon one… you got it!
It was the sorta-Mexican eatery next door that caught my attention. They are still there, doing well.
Anita’s!!!
It'd be great to compare LP disc playing equipment available today to my 80s leftover equipment stored in the model train room upstairs. I have stuff starting pre-WWII from my late grandmother (classical 78s), up through The Tubes...
That’s cool… our turntable is brand new… can even sync up via Bluetooth. I’m an amateur at vinyl but I enjoy the album hunt
The first LP that really wowed me with fidelity was, oddly, the Beach Boys' 1972 "Surf's Up." I'd been listening since 1957 when my parents first allowed me to use our player, and the dynamic range and subjective richness was something. At 20, my hearing was perfect. I wonder if, motivated by your Substack, I get equipment out and go back, how much will I hear after returning to drag racing in 1998?
Drag Racing! Wow... you'll probably hear as much as I do after a lifetime of hard rock concerts :-)
Vinyl's a bit overpriced now, but it's a fun thing to blow a little bit of my money on. The thing I like about it is that it reintroduces intentionality into the music listening experience. There are great things about streaming but with endless options since easily accessed it's inevitable that it all starts to feel like something that barely makes a ripple in your consciousness. It's only going to get worse with AI created stuff and the way that will worm into playlists curated by algorithms. You know that feeling you get about some (most?) content on Netflix, that it's specifically created to be half-paid attention to while you look at your phone? AI music will make that stuff seem like Stan Brakhage in comparison.
Vinyl, you pick what you want to listen to, look at the album cover, take it out, put it on the platter, put the needle on, watch it spin, listen to a side, turn it over ... it's a ritual, and one I get a lot of satisfaction out of.
Totally agree… great thoughts
I haven't returned to buying vinyl yet (I still have all mine from forever ago), neither have I stopped buying CDs, so I'm the anomaly about which they're worried.
I'm glad to be of service! (oh, and another fine column, sir)
Thank you! Oh, and…
“I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that, knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners.”
First of all….I remember Penguin Feather Records and Tapes well….thanks for the walk down Monroe Street…er…..”Memory Lane”….
Second of all…Mick Jagger and his band mates, John Lennon and Chuck Berry would never allow people or machines to change or rewrite their classic hits.
Last of all….keep writing…this is good shit!
Those artists will all be dead by the time it happens… Dahl, Fleming, and Christie are dead and their heirs either aren’t aware, or don’t care enough to protect their work as long as they can keep exploiting the library