RECORD STORE TALES PART 308: The Cottage in the Woods
As bad as the stress used to get, there was always one place I could return and truly recharge my batteries: the cottage.
I’d pack a dozen or so CDs (tapes in the early days) and go on long walks with my Discman. Eat some steaks. Check out the water, rivers and funky bridges. The phone never rang. Heck in the early days there were no phones here. No cable TV, no wi-fi.
Today, I created, edited and posted the video you’re about to see in one day, entirely at the cottage. How unimaginable to me back then.
I tried to re-create the experience of being here visually — probably the most peaceful place in the world. I hope this gives you a taste. Enjoy
Thanks again Windows Movie Maker for not messing up this video. This is the last video I’ll be using Movie Maker to create. Thanks Seb for the new software.
Part II features the first ever live performance of “The Maiden Song” written by Seb, Dave and Meat. Yours truly on second vocals.
Dear friends, my budget is low, but my resolve has never been stronger!
Tomorrow (April 13) is the Toronto Musical Collectibles Record & CD Sale; T-Rev & I will once again be joined by Wes and newcomer Doug (?). Last year was a tremendous success for me. I am really hoping that the guy who sold me the Japanese imports will be back this year. They were by far my best score at any record show in my over 20 years of attending them!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 263: Metallica’s FAN CAN #4
Less a story, more a show-and-tell. I purchased this rare Metallica Fan Can via a staff member of mine. Her name was Wraychel, and she had a Metallica Club membership. When she told me that year’s Fan Can (#4) was available for pre-order, I asked her to get it for me. The Fan Cans were legendary! I can’t remember what I paid. It was a lot.
Kyle makes a McGangBang sandwich. One Junior Chicken + one McDouble and some assembly required.
WTF Search Terms XIII: McGangBang edition
Welcome to WTF Search Terms on your Monday morning. There seems to be a clear forerunner in search terms that lead people to mikeladano.com this time: dirty things!
Making these videos is a lot of work (a lot more than it looks like, thank you Winblows*) but it’s a labor of love.
Aaron and I did very well on Toronto Record Store Excursion 2013. We used modern technology, such as smartphones and GPS, to maximize our time. The weather was gorgeous (absolutely perfect) the whole day, and boy, did we buy a lot of music.
Sausagefest is an annual all-dude, all-meat, countdown of rock. Five of us from the old Record Store attended! This year, there were 110 songs (75 countdowns plus 35 “tributes”). #1 was Max Webster — “Toronto Tontos”. Other artists who made the countdown included Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, Rush, and Tenacious D among others. For the history of this event, check out Record Store Tales Part 30.
Thanks to Jeff Woods and Craig Fee for your contributions — above and beyond the call of duty!
And of course, thanks to Tom our host, and Uncle Meat, Seb and Dr. Dave for the music.
Uncle Meat will be providing me with the full track list. Stay tuned for that post, too!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 200: Just Another Annoying Day…
It was a Wednesday in May, 1997. Early afternoon. This big, big dude with a shaved head walked into my store. I greeted him, as I did all customers. By all appearances he was perfectly normal.
“Hi there,” I said a few moments after he walked in.
“Do you have any Metallica box sets?” he replied, skipping the formalities.
I didn’t need to check inventory to know the answer. The Metallica box set, Live Shit: Binge & Purge was huge. It housed three VHS video tapes, 3 CDs in one jumbo “fat” case, a nice booklet, a “backstage pass”, and a stencil.
Legend has it that Peter the Rocker stenciled the “Metallica Guy” on the hood of his car.
There were other things that you might have classified as a Metallica “box set” at the time, but it was 1997 and there weren’t many. The first Fan Can was out (1996), and there was the vinyl-only The Good, The Bad and The Live: 6½ Anniversary EP Box Set that we wouldn’t have carried (no vinyl in 1997).
“No, I don’t have any. I know for sure that one of our other stores had one a few days ago. Want me to check if it’s still there?”
“No. How much will you pay me for one?” he asked.
“Well, that depends on a lot of things. It’ll depend on if it’s complete, condition…”
Cutting me off, he abruptly said, “Yeah, yeah…it’s brand new. It’s my buddy’s. He has lots of Metallica box sets. What will you pay me for the rest of them? He has all of them.”
“All of them?” I queried. “What do you mean by all of them? Binge & Purge is the one most people are thinking off.”
“Yeah he has that, and all the others too,” he continued, “all sealed. Metallica have a lot of box sets. He has doubles of all of them.”
The dude smelled fishy, and it sounded to me like he was setting up a story in order to possibly go across the street to the mall, steal one or more, and sell them to me. At this point, my guard was up and I wasn’t interested. So, as diplomatically as possible, I addressed the big guy.
“Well dude, I can’t make any promises. I can’t give you any kind of quote or promise without knowing what I’m buying.”
Cutting me off again, he repeated, “They’re all brand new. Still in plastic. Yeah, my buddy, he collects them. But, uhh, he owes me money, and uhh…he said I could sell what I needed to get the money. Can you give me $400?”
If I was drinking something I probably would spat it up. “Umm, no man, listen, I really can’t help you out with that right now.”
“Are you hiring?” he replied, changing tack.
I paused, trying to keep up with the guy’s racing thoughts. Even if I was hiring, there was no way I was telling him that! I replied in the negative.
“No? Can you hire me just for this afternoon? I could lift stuff and help around the store,” he persisted.
“No. I got it covered. Thanks, I’m good.”
“I just need enough for the bus. I have to be in Hamilton on Friday. I’m going to Hamilton to work, but I don’t have a way of getting there yet. Can you just, you know, give me some money?” I couldn’t believe I was hearing this.
“Sorry man, I really can’t. Maybe someone else can help you if you go elsewhere,” I said, politely terminating the conversation.
“OK. I’m going to go get those Metallica box sets. My buddy lives really close. I’ll be back in 20 minutes,” he announced, as he left the store.
I knew a guy at the HMV store at the mall, so I gave him a call. I asked him to keep an eye on a big bald guy who might be eyeing the Metallica box set a little too closely. He called the other music stores at the mall and gave them a heads-up as well.
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