RECORD STORE TALES PART 122:  Death of an Icon

Because our internet access was blocked from the most useful sites, while at work you often had no idea what was happening in the outside world.  Sometimes your only clue was what customers were requesting.

For example, here’s a typical day of phone calls, when something really big has happened.

PHONE CALL #1:
“Do you have any George Harrison?”

PHONE CALL #2: 
“Do you guys have any Beatles or George Harrison solo?”

PHONE CALL #3: 
“Hi, I was wondering, do you have anything in stock by George Harrison?”

Us being primarily a used CD store, we would usually be cleaned out of that artist by the fourth call or so.

PHONE CALL #4:
“Hey, do you have George Harrison?”

At this point my curiousity would be peaked.

“Actually I just sold out about 10 minutes ago.  I’ve had so many requests for George and the Beatles today.  Has something happened?” I queried.

“Yeah, he died.  They just announced it on TV today.”

“Oh no!” I responded.  “The cancer got him?”

“Yeah,” came the answer.

That was a grim, depressing day.  The world had not lost a Beatle in over 20 years.  But November 29, 2001, we lost my favourite Beatle, George.  Unfortunately that’s how I found out about most music deaths, by an abnormal amount of requests for that artist.  Those were rarely fun days.  We dutifully hung some George posters in our back room, and mourned the death of an icon.

Mrs. Lebrain’s favourite George song