Well, dear readers, today we shall mourn the passing of the record store. Yes, Virginia, today we shall mourn the passing of the record store. The record store is dead – long live the record store. I was discussing this very thing with our very own Mr. Nick Redman a couple of nights ago. How much fun it was to go to a real record store, filled with people, and to thumb through the new release section and hold new LPs in your hand and sometimes buy them based only on what the cover was. The camaraderie one felt, the shared experience. And what do we have today. We have iPods and downloads and amazon.com and the Internet. Tower will either be gone or bought up by another conglomerate. Sure people still go, but it’s not the same and really hasn’t been the same since CDs put the nail in the coffin of LPs. I wrote extensively in the Kritzer books about record stores – of the magic of them, especially in the early 60s and pretty much all throughout the 70s (of course, I started frequenting a record store in 1956). Nick and I happened to be in Amoeba, the store that put Aron’s out of business by first ripping off their business model completely and then opening a store mere blocks from them. And now, Amoeba seems to be losing favor with the kids today, who only like what’s hip and happening, as Amoeba was for its first few years. Apparently, that is over, because the store is no longer attracting the crowds it once was. And, for whatever reasons, Amoeba felt like a Xerox, never like a real store. Oh, for the days when you walked into your local mom-and-pop record store or even one of the chains like Discount Record Center or Vogue here in Los Angeles, California, USA, and you went to the show section and you found yourself looking at the new gatefold LP of a show you never heard of, like Anyone Can Whistle. And you bought it, just because it looked interesting. Or walking into a record store the day Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. Or taking a chance on a jazz artist called Bill Evans, just because the cover of Conversations With Myself spoke to you. Everyone has their own stories and their own memories – I’m afraid that we will never have that sort of thing again. All the technology we have today is robbing us of shared experience. Computers are wonderful tools, and the Internet certainly has its positive aspects, but for every positive aspect there are twenty negative aspects. There are days when I wish I could just turn back the clock and walk into Wallich’s Music City, go to their demo record section, see a strange-looking purple and white album cover with even stranger writing on it – a little LP called The Fantasticks, and take that into the listening booth and remember what it was like hearing that music for the first time while silently watching other people in other booths listening to whatever their discoveries were. Yes, the record store is dead – long live the record store.
My goodness, I just went off on a tear, didn’t I? I just waxed nostalgic, didn’t I? Of course, I think it’s better to wax nostalgic than to wax anything else, if you get my drift. Why, I haven’t even spoken about yesterday. For example, I finished proofing the final two stories, then began re-proofing from the top, which goes much faster. I had to do several important errands, and then I had a very long two-plus hour dinner meeting. By the time I got home I was completely exhausted.
However, I did find time to watch one count them one motion picture on DVD entitled The Black Windmill, a film of Don Siegel starring Mr. Michael Caine. I saw it when it came out, and didn’t much care for it at all, nor did the reviewers, and the public stayed away in droves. It seems better today than back then – it’s very well directed, with good music by Roy Budd, and decent performances. However, it all falls completely apart in the final third and just peters out by its finish. The DVD is from region 2 and its quite handsome-looking, transfer-wise.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I waxed nostalgic for so long that I now have waxy buildup.
We only had three guesses for our Unseemly Trivia Contest and all three were correct. Here was the rather convoluted question:
This theatrical season was fascinating. It had several notable flop plays and musicals, several of which played less than a handful of performances. It did yield a few hit shows, however. Many of the season’s hits were revivals. So, let’s look at a few things. One huge flop play was written by its star (along with another writer). In the cast was an actor who would go on to co-create and write for a very successful television situation comedy. Also in the cast was a young actor who would go on to co-star in a beloved film musical, taken from a beloved stage musical (in which he did not appear on Broadway). Also in the cast was someone who would go on to win a Tony Award for a performance in a musical. Moving on from there – this season also had two huge flop musicals which were both directed by the same person – someone not really known for directing musicals. That person was also represented by a flop play – giving said person three major flops in one season. Moving on from there – this season also had another huge flop musical which was the only directing credit for its director, who was better known for doing something else. Are you with me so far? So:
Name the huge flop play and it’s star/co-author.
Name the actor in the flop play who would go on to co-create and write for a hit TV situation comedy.
Name the young actor who would go on to co-star in a beloved film musical of a beloved stage musical which said actor did not appear in on Broadway.
Name the cast member who would go on to win a Tony Award for a performance in a musical.
Name the director who had three huge flops (two musicals and a play) during this one season, and name the flops.
Name the huge flop musical that was directed by a one-time-only director, name the director, and tell us what the director was better known for doing.
And the answers are:
A Teaspoon Every Four Hours/Jackie Mason
Bernie West/Three’s Company
Barry Pearl/Grease (playing Doody)
Marilyn Cooper/Woman Of The Year
Alan Schneider – La Strada/Blood Red Roses/Inquest
Gantry/Onna White, better known as a choreographer
Our winners were SGurey, FJL, and Michael Shayne. And our Electronic Hat has chosen completely at random our High Winner, SGurey. So, if SGurey will please send his address he will receive a sparkling prize.
Today I shall once again be proofing, and then, if Mr. Geissman has time, we’ll be entering all the final corrections so that everything can be sent to the publisher. The rest of the week has turned out to be non-stop stuff to do – various meetings, various meals, various work to catch up on, such as the new play. I haven’t been able to even think about the latter until we put the book completely to bed. Auditions are on Thursday (I finally found a pianist to play them), and on and on it goes.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, proof, proof, do errands, do errands, eat, proof, and hopefully enter corrections. Today’s topic of discussion: Easy – tell us your favorite record store memories – first times, what your favorite discoveries were, the whole shebang. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we all wax nostalgic.