Shake it up, Baby
“I stand atop a spiral stair, an oracle confronts me there”
- Rush on 2112*
So if you need answers… if you need inspiration… you gotta go to the top of the mountain.
So I did it. I went to Twist and Shout Records in Denver, to visit the Oracle: my friend and Denver quasi-celebrity, Paul Epstein (and his lovely wife and partner, Jill).
If you are a fan of music, video, and record stores in general - you have to see this store. They have been in Denver forever - but the beautiful new location is less than two years old. Pound for pound, it is simply as good as you can get. With 11,000 square feet… that’s pretty damn good. Plus, they are next to a great indie book store, just like us, so they know the value of good neighbors and shopping at the indies.
For somewhere around eight hours on Friday and Saturday, I wondered around… took notes… searched for CDs and DVDs on my personal list…and got excited about the ways that we could try to emulate this awesome store. Hoodlums isn’t quite as big (1,600 square feet at the new store), but we have the energy, passion, and talent to pack a lot of punch with a small space. We’ll be stealing ideas from these guys for sure.
But as impressive as the store was - it was the time with Oracle Paul (upgraded from Senator) away from his mighty store that served to be the most energizing. Sitting at his house, drinking and listening and watching as I picked the poor dog’s brain for hours… ’twas a fine thing. His collection was massive, as expected - but it wasn’t the size that made it so cool - it was his passion for it. As he said as I stood there in awe, “It’s who I am”.
Who is he? Make no bones about it - and I told him so - to call him a collector doesn’t do the word justice (especially when you figure the store is essentially the biggest part of a store owners’ collection). He’s the oracle… of record store geeks.
So what do you do when you hit the top of the mountain? Ask a lot of questions… and take a lot of notes. What is the best James Gang album? Which Quicksilver Messenger Service is essential? Do you have any video of Mick Taylor-era Rolling Stones? Can I watch that Night Gallery DVD? Should I trust the government?
(Answers: Rides Again, Happy Trails, Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones, Yes, NO)
This pleased my endlessly-curious 43-year old mind to no end. You see - my fellow geek’s prime (but not only) area of passion is the unbelievable period between 1965 and 1975. As it turns out, that’s my favorite era, and even though I feel I was more aggressive than most 0-10 year olds, North Dakota just didn’t provide deep enough AM radio for me, so I still have a lot to learn.
One thing that hasn’t changed since childhood: the more I learn about music; the more I want to know. And as I jammed and learned - I realized, as I have so many times in the past few months, that a record store geek is who I am.
I hate dress codes. I love fighting the corporatocracy. I like sharing the art and gift of film and music. Most importantly, I love the fact that everything I just wrote about is work… and even though my wife knows it to be true… she can’t bring herself to admit it.
Gotta go pull from my collection for the store…
* (Hoodlum parental note: Kids dig the story behind 2112 - and the moral holds true today).