Today is National Record Store Day, and I'm typing this post from my basement bunker, where I'm dwarfed by bookcases loaded down with records and CDs. Thousands of records and CDs.
My shelves make for a great melting pot. Pee Wee Crayton lives right down the block from Ray Baretto, and Dyke & The Blazers are just a stone's throw from the Osborne Brothers. Were my shelves an actual neighborhood, I know they'd host one hell of a block party.
I'll admit it: I own way too much music (and too many books about music, and too many music DVDs, etc.). But it's my thing, and all things considered, it's a habit that hurts no one. My music purchases have slowed down a bit over the last four or five years, but that's primarily because record stores keep closing their doors. I tried to explain two years ago why this trend saddened me, and my opinion hasn't changed.
I doubt that Mayor Daley has declared National Record Store Day a parking meter holiday here in Chicago, but I'll still make it a point to drive over to a couple of indie record stores this afternoon, comb through their bins, and drop a few bucks on good music and quality local businesses. I encourage you to do the same.
