I just finished watching
High Fidelity. Even though it was only made 10 years ago, it's become sort of time capsule of a way of life that just doesn't exist anymore. Do obsessives still spend years searching out a rarity? That single that only four people bought when it was new? The Japanese issue of an album that no one else liked in the first place? Of course we do, we're obsessives, but now we just google it and look around various websites til we find it then download it for free. But double clicking on an mp3 just isn't the same as placing that slab of vinyl on the turntable. And does anyone make mixtapes anymore? The delicate art of conveying your thoughts and feelings with another person's lyrics and music. Then filling out the (always too small) insert, writing each letter carefully in your best handwriting and trying not to make any mistakes.
I got to thinking that working in an indie record store would be the perfect job for me. Then I realised that there aren't any indie record stores anymore. Now we all just set up our own stalls online and sell just one artist. Usually ourselves. Like
this or
this (yes I know it's self publicity but who else is going to advertise them?) The real indies just faded away, leaving a hole in the high street that HMV can never quite fill. It's just not the same.
Maybe we obsessives need to find a new obsession.
Barnaby J. Tremayne.
