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According to Riotengine " you can never have too much"
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Posted: |
Oct 3, 2016 - 1:28 PM
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By: |
MikeP
(Member)
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I've probably got around 2500, just under 3000 for sure. In the last few years my buying has dropped drastically due to finances, so these days I really only go after the discs I really want, instead of "well, I enjoy his other scores, so lemme try this one" .
All these multi disc sets, and don't get me wrong, I love them, but how often am I going to listen to 3 discs of Wyatt Earp ( even though this set is a thing of beauty ). But that sucker ain't goin' nowhere
And some I just never listen to. That's why I just traded out Bernstein's Ghostbusters. I haven't played it in 4 years or more. Why keep it, just because it's rare ?
And I have two huge boxes in the garage with a hefty number of CDs that's been out there for two years. I sure don't miss them.
So the intake has slowed but I still need to purge a bit. Pardon the disgusting imagery. 
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how often am I going to listen to 3 discs of Wyatt Earp ..?
that sir is The Unanswered Question
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My film score collection hovers around 2800. (That's because I have a wall of shelves in my office that will hold around 2800.) I've had the lovely excuse/rationale/justification that since I worked in the soundtrack business, I needed a large reference library. And so I regularly dived into bargain bins, gratefully accepted industry freebies, and bought a lot of new stuff from all the specialty labels.
But now, with more time behind me than in front of me, I am beginning to recalculate. How much time do I have to listen to this stuff again? And how much to I want to carry when I eventually close up shop and have to store them at home?
So now when I put on a CD, and suddenly its over and I hardly remember listening to it, it goes in the trade pile.
Whatever doesn't bring me joy when I play it is too much. Cause I want a hobby that brings me joy on a regular basis. ;-)
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The issue of having a collection as large as I do is something I ponder on a daily basis. When I graduated from college, moved to New York, and got my first job, I promised myself that I'd build a library of books, music -- and later movies -- that would constantly give me joy and satisfaction. I love browsing shelves, taking out something that catches my eye, experiencing it, and then returning it to the shelf in the knowledge that I can return to it when I wish. This has always been a dream of mine – one that I’ve largely fulfilled.
I had amassed a huge LP, 45, and 78 collection in high school and college -- mainly because I was a full and part-time DJ/announcer for a radio station. I don’t know the exact number – but the collection took up approximately 40 feet of shelf space in my bedroom (custom shelves that my dad, a super carpenter, had made). I also started collecting books in high school – mainly paperbacks, but also a few first edition novels, etc. And I’d kept my comic collection from when I was a kid – none in pristine collection – each read dozens of time but mostly intact. That collection of material remained in our family home – either in my bedroom or in the attic.
In NYC, I continued purchasing books, movies, and recordings – and my apartment began to be a bit overwhelmed with my library circa 1999 – with books taking up the most space. During a move in 2001 to a much smaller apartment, I managed to get rid of many books, magazines, chotskies, and clunky items of furniture – but kept all of my lps and CDs. For some reason, which I don’t really understand, my book purchases just basically stopped in 2001 -- and I ceased adding new volumes into my reading library. However, my purchases of DVDs, CDs, LDs, and later blu-rays really began to explode. I also regularly recorded movies from Turner Classic Movies on video tape and DVD-Rs. I would think my current collection totals approximately 3,500 movies on various formats, 2,000 CDs, and probably 1,500 books.
Four years ago, my Dad decided that it was finally time for him to move into an independent living facility at age 92. Over a four week period, we cleaned out the family home, donated a ton of items to local charities, including almost my entire book collection that I’d kept in the house to the town Library. The house had also been the home of my grandparents – so there was history of our families going back to the Civil War and before. My Dad served in WWII – and we had his uniform, and much war memorabilia. That went to a local museum. I kept a few boxes – mainly small items that no one else would find meaningful – like a printed schedule from the Drive-In movies for one summer. Also my comics. I honestly didn’t know what to do with the record collection – although it had a place in my heart, it had no place in my current life. I hadn’t listened to some of the LPs in over 40 years. Luckily, one of my young cousins had fallen in love with the LP format – so I gifted the entire collection to him. We boxed it all up – and he eventually took it away for a new and, hopefully, exciting life.
So now, at age 63, I find myself with a fairly large collection with which I interact daily. Having parted with an equally large collection a few years ago, I am loathe for the time being to edit my current library. It is large, but manageable. I still have working components for all of the different media (LP, CD, LD, DVD, etc) that are integrated and easy to access/use.
For now, the collection remains as is – and will continue to grow at an extremely modest rate.
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Posted: |
Oct 4, 2016 - 10:29 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Great story, John, thanks for sharing.
A friend of mine (actually my editor at the film magazine I work for) is only 30 years old, but has a film collection that runs into the 5000s, I think -- if not more. He's lucky, because he lives part-time at his parents' place (not necessarily something I will condone at that age, but it works for him), and he basically has the entire second floor to himself, and thus the opportunity to store all his films in multiple rooms and shelves.
To me, that is pure 'science fiction'. I moved out of my parents' house when I was 18, and I've lived in tiny apartments and housing collectives ever since. As such, physical limitations are natural hindrances to amassing a huge collection (to say nothing of the financial hindrances). I have my CD collection, of course, of some 900 CDs, weeded down from some 1200 at its height. But they all fit in one big IKEA shelf in my 25 square meter apartment. I hardly ever play them, but they're a statement of who I am and a piece of furniture in its own right. I still aim to weed out some 200 CD's, at least, before I'll settle, and then add the rare new CD now and then.
As for film, I have a measly collection of some 70-80 titles (all DVD), but that's OK. Untill I get a bigger place, I don't really need more. I can watch movies through streaming services etc. And I get to see most new movies for free, being a film journalist. For books, I have maybe a couple of hundred, most of them non-fiction.
Anyways, I'm ranting. The point is that there comes a point in one's life when 'collecting' becomes less important than 'listening', or exploring music through other venues without the need for physical ownership. That's where I am right now, and have been for the last 10 years.
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