GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode
Episode 131: Boxing Day Bash & Christmas Music Hauls with Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation
With bellies and ears full, please join Harrison and I with special guest Peter Kerr, on Grab A Stack of Rock live! Tonight is the night that we reveal our Christmas musical hauls (and other recent scores). The pictures in the thumbnail images are just spoiler-proof teasers and placeholders (though time permitted we will look at those recent arrivals too). We’ll just have to see what the other guys have in store, because I write these posts in advance! I can tell you that on my side, I have four new discs to discuss, a cherished musical heirloom, a new music T-shirt and more!
I’ll also reveal what I spent my Christmas money on.
Tonight, 7:00 PM EST, the boys are back in town.
Friday December 26 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic. Enjoy onYouTubeorFacebook.
Boxing Day (December 26) is for relaxing. After all this activity, we need a break. That’s my opinion. For others, including my wife, it’s for shopping for crazy bargains. In her defence, she doesn’t do that anymore, but I used to question her sanity. After all, I remember working Boxing Day…many Boxing Days…and it was definitely one of the worst days of the year to have to work at the Record Store.
Christmas Eve wasn’t so bad. There was usually lots of cheer in the air. Many customers were pre-spending Christmas money on themselves. By the end of the day though, the shelves were so damn bare. I’d look at them and wonder just what the hell we would have left for sale when we had our big “Buy Three Get One Free” sale on the 26th. Yet people still found things to buy.
After working straight the month of December with only a couple days off, having one day’s break on Christmas Day wasn’t enough. The 25th was always busy. Multiple visits with family, lots going on, lots to do, and no time to actually rest. Then I had to go to bed on time to be up for the Boxing Day sale. That’s exactly how I spent my last Christmas at the Record Store. I even gave up one of the days off in December to a co-worker who wanted to go see a concert. Why? Because I was a nice manager. A good manager. The kind of manager you wanted to have. Yet that guy stabbed me in the back years later when he took issue with my side of the story in Record Store Tales. I should have taken the day off and made him work! Ah well. Didn’t Green Day say that nice guys finish last?
Working on Boxing Day always felt depressing. You didn’t want to be behind the counter working 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I would be powered by caffeine and saddened that the cheer in the air that was so obvious a few days earlier was all gone. Now it was replaced by bargain hunting. Deals. Surly door-crashers and people unhappy with the gifts they did receive. It was a different kind of day compared to Christmas Eve, and it was long. And worst of all, there was nothing to look forward to after the 26th. Just going back to work on the 27th for what was essentially a normal back-to-the-grind day, except with loads of returns. After the high of Christmas, the comedown of Boxing Day was just brutal.
I’ll never miss it, and I’ll never shop on Boxing Day. I will not contribute to that culture. I remember when stores had to be closed on the 26th. In fact the first Boxing Days at the Record Store, we were closed. The second one, we opened illegally, and working was on a voluntary basis. It was voluntary for the first few years. Then it became near impossible to get it off, though I did get it off for most years that I was manager. The rule of thumb was you could have Christmas Eve or Boxing Day off, but not both. Yet that last year I worked both. Because I was a sucker I guess. Merry Christmas motherfucker.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 43
Nobody “wanted” lockdown to happen in Ontario, but here we are. You don’t have to be alone on Boxing Day, no matter where you are. This Saturday December 26, join the LeBrain Train for a special holiday episode called “Christmas Memories”. Special memories such as:
Waking my dad up with Lego
Getting Luke’s X-Wing
Finding a Millennium Falcon under the tree
Waiting for a train from Stratford in a blizzard
Killing time…
The Atari years
The year I woke everybody up at 1 AM playing GI Joe
The dawn of the Rock N’ Roll era: cassettes, cassettes, cassettes!
Boxing Day with WWF’s Demolition
1989: The first CD player
1990: Led Zeppelin
…and on and on!
There might be guests — or I might just open it up for anyone to join the show. You’ll just have to tune in and see.
It’s OK if you’re upset or just not in the mood. Who is these days? We have been here for each other since the start and the hope is to spread some positive feelings this week.
I’ll be on break for the next couple days. Have a drink or two, and we’ll see you Saturday December 26. Let’s get into the sweet nectar of nostalgia!
I thought it would be fun to re-post old chapters of Record Store Tales that you may have missed. Enjoy this Holly-Jolly re-post!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 255:‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
December 24th. One of our busiest days of the year. Not the busiest though – that would often fall on the last Saturday before Christmas, on the 23rd, or our annual Boxing Day sale on the 26th. Nearly two months of buildup and hard work, and it’s all over in what feels like a blink!
The 24th could sometimes be a fun day to work. Not all customers were your typical cranky shopper, although we certainly saw those too. Many of our Christmas Eve customers were simply killing time. Some were spending their Christmas money a little bit early. Some didn’t care what day it was, particularly those who came in to sell CDs for cash.
Yes, many people did come in to sell even on Christmas Eve. A few were looking for credit to buy gifts, some were just looking for money to buy a Christmas dime bag. Either way it was always a busy day, and we were kept moving on our feet. Many dollars exchanged hands on the 24th.
I recall Christmas music was in such demand that a few years I was left with 4 or 5 Christmas CDs left in stock. Often these would be the ones that always sat, year after year, unwanted, unsold. As a person who’s never liked Christmas music, I could never understand the NEED to have it, just to listen to it once a year. To me, that’s what the radio was for. But I wasn’t there to try to analyze the wants and desires of the people. My job was to sell them whatever crap we had left.
The 24th was a messy day. Usually you could count on snow getting tracked in on the carpets (which were only cleaned a few weeks prior – why??). Also, most customers could not seem to put discs back where they found them. This was a combination of poor shelf design, customers who didn’t give a shit, parents that don’t watch their children as they tear the store apart, and people who didn’t know the alphabet. Discs would be everywhere by the end of it all, scattered hither and yon, with no rhyme or reason as to why they were left there.
I always wore a suit and tie on Christmas Eve. This was a tradition begun by the boss and owner in the early 1990’s, but I was the only one who carried on this tradition. The first time we did the suits T-Rev said, “I like it, it makes me feel important!” People do treat you a little differently when you’re wearing a tie.
After all the rushes of customers died down, we’d start hanging the signs in preparation for the big Boxing Day sale on the 26th. Buy 3 Get 1 Free! Or something like that. Not good with any other special offers though, so people would have something to bitch about. “Why can’t you stamp my card too?” Etc. etc.
One year (’96 or ’97) after close at 6 pm, the boss told me to stay late and help him hang these signs. They were big banners for our Boxing Day sale. He climbed a ladder to clip these huge hanging signs from the ceiling. I was there on the floor in my tie trying to hold the sign aloft as he worked. Then he dropped a clip to the ground and we couldn’t see where it landed. And apparently we didn’t have any spares.
On hands and knees I searched and searched. We even got out a flashlight to try to find the damned thing. No luck! Meanwhile the clock ticked and ticked. 6:30. 6:45. 7:00. The parking lot outside was quickly resembling a frozen ghost town, as people raced home to begin their own festivities.
Just as I found the damn clip on the ground, the phone rang. Normally I wouldn’t answer the phone this late after close on Christmas Eve, but my boss answered, and it was my mom.
“When are you sending my son home to enjoy his Christmas Eve dinner with his family?” she chided.
“Oh I’m sorry Mrs. Ladano!” my boss responded. “We’re almost done. You’ll have him soon.”
I think if my mom hadn’t called, we would have been there all night hanging those stupid signs!
At home there was plenty of hot food to enjoy, as I let my body relax after a long day of serious hard work. Thankfully I did not have to work Boxing Day, probably the longest most tiring day of the whole year. I therefore had two whole days to relax, watch movies, and spend time with the family.
On that note, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, be safe and warm this season. And most important I hope you all make it home on time and don’t have to stay late hanging signs!
Here we are on the 24th. Have you done all your shopping? Bought all the wine and food? Then settle in for the last update before Christmas. I always take a break from posting at this time, so check back in a few days and I’ll have fresh content again for you soon. Enjoy this Record Store Tale, and best wishes!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 255: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
December 24th. One of our busiest days of the year. Not the busiest though – that would often fall on the last Saturday before Christmas, on the 23rd, or our annual Boxing Day sale on the 26th. Nearly two months of buildup and hard work, and it’s all over in what feels like a blink!
The 24th could sometimes be a fun day to work. Not all customers were your typical cranky shopper, although we certainly saw those too. Many of our Christmas Eve customers were simply killing time. Some were spending their Christmas money a little bit early. Some didn’t care what day it was, particularly those who came in to sell CDs for cash.
Yes, many people did come in to sell even on Christmas Eve. A few were looking for credit to buy gifts, some were just looking for money to buy a Christmas dime bag. Either way it was always a busy day, and we were kept moving on our feet. Many dollars exchanged hands on the 24th.
I recall Christmas music was in such demand that a few years I was left with 4 or 5 Christmas CDs left in stock. Often these would be the ones that always sat, year after year, unwanted, unsold. As a person who’s never liked Christmas music, I could never understand the NEED to have it, just to listen to it once a year. To me, that’s what the radio was for. But I wasn’t there to try to analyze the wants and desires of the people. My job was to sell them whatever crap we had left.
The 24th was a messy day. Usually you could count on snow getting tracked in on the carpets (which were only cleaned a few weeks prior – why??). Also, most customers could not seem to put discs back where they found them. This was a combination of poor shelf design, customers who didn’t give a shit, parents that don’t watch their children as they tear the store apart, and people who didn’t know the alphabet. Discs would be everywhere by the end of it all, scattered hither and yon, with no rhyme or reason as to why they were left there.
I always wore a suit and tie on Christmas Eve. This was a tradition begun by the boss and owner in the early 1990’s, but I was the only one who carried on this tradition. The first time we did the suits T-Rev said, “I like it, it makes me feel important!” People do treat you a little differently when you’re wearing a tie.
After all the rushes of customers died down, we’d start hanging the signs in preparation for the big Boxing Day sale on the 26th. Buy 3 Get 1 Free! Or something like that. Not good with any other special offers though, so people would have something to bitch about. “Why can’t you stamp my card too?” Etc. etc.
One year (’96 or ’97) after close at 6 pm, the boss told me to stay late and help him hang these signs. They were big banners for our Boxing Day sale. He climbed a ladder to clip these huge hanging signs from the ceiling. I was there on the floor in my tie trying to hold the sign aloft as he worked. Then he dropped a clip to the ground and we couldn’t see where it landed. And apparently we didn’t have any spares.
On hands and knees I searched and searched. We even got out a flashlight to try to find the damned thing. No luck! Meanwhile the clock ticked and ticked. 6:30. 6:45. 7:00. The parking lot outside was quickly resembling a frozen ghost town, as people raced home to begin their own festivities.
Just as I found the damn clip on the ground, the phone rang. Normally I wouldn’t answer the phone this late after close on Christmas Eve, but my boss answered, and it was my mom.
“When are you sending my son home to enjoy his Christmas Eve dinner with his family?” she chided.
“Oh I’m sorry Mrs. Ladano!” my boss responded. “We’re almost done. You’ll have him soon.”
I think if my mom hadn’t called, we would have been there all night hanging those stupid signs!
At home there was plenty of hot food to enjoy, as I let my body relax after a long day of serious hard work. Thankfully I did not have to work Boxing Day, probably the longest most tiring day of the whole year. I therefore had two whole days to relax, watch movies, and spend time with the family.
On that note, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, be safe and warm this season. And most important I hope you all make it home on time and don’t have to stay late hanging signs!
mikeladano.com 