Robert Crumb on Collecting
The following quotes are taken from the book, “Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting” by Brett Milano.
“Collecting is creepy. Record collectors put each other down for their various fixations. Everybody is convinced that his way of collecting is superior. They look down on casual collectors, who are just accumulators - the kind who’ll just pick up anything and let it pile up. A true collector is more of a connoisseur, and that’s the good thing about collecting. It creates a connoisseurship to sort out what’s worthwhile in the culture and what isn’t. Wealthy art collectors in this country have sorted out who the great artists are. If you’re collecting a lot of objects of one particular kind, you develop a very acute sense of discrimination.”
“Any of the younger guys who get into collecting are quirky and oddball types, pretty maladjusted people. They’re not into hanging around in bars and picking up chicks or nothing. If they have a girlfriend at all it’s amazing. And the older collectors I know, a lot of them just have their little room down in the basement where they go and listen. They don’t share it with anyone, and their wives don’t know anything about it. So when they die, the vultures start descending.”
“78 collectors have almost nothing to do with LP or 45 collectors; prewar collectors have nothing to do with postwar collectors. They don’t avoid each other, but they bully and pick on each other. That’s the problem, it’s lonely collecting records. You can share it, but there’s a vicious undercurrent there, the only person you can ever impress with that rare record you just got is another collector who’s looking for the same record. And the average person, I can show them the rarest record in the collection and they’ll say, ‘Yeah? So what?’
“I did try to share it with the world, I did comic stories about old musicians because I thought it was far superior to anything being done currently. In this case, I had done a comic story about Charley Patton, one of the great fathers of the blues, and the guy who published it was over at my house. So I took out one of my favorite 78s, Charley Patton’s ‘Down the Dirt Road,’ and I put it on. So I’m sitting there, having this great experience listening to this record, and he’s sitting there quietly, patiently. And after I took it off, he looks at me and says, ‘So, what did you like about that?’ I mean, he wasn’t trying to be insulting, just curious, but what can you say to that? So I don’t try to convert people anymore.”
“Picking up chicks? Forget it! It never gets them hot, they don’t give a shit about collectors. I wouldn’t say that collectors are antisocial - that would imply that they want to do something harmful to society - but it’s not very sociable either. Very self-obsessed, kind of asocial. That’s why the world looks down on collectors, it takes a certain kind of personality. There is nothing sexy or glamorous about it. Women aren’t attracted to people because they collect. You can go up to them and say, ‘I’m an outlaw bandit’ and they’ll like that. But if you say, ‘I’m a collector’ - no chance.”
Filed under: Collecting |
Tags: Collecting, Robert Crumb
Search
You are currently browsing the Observations of a Nearsighted Man weblog archives.
“That’s the problem, it’s lonely collecting records.”
Yeah, I read the book too, and actually feel sorry for the man. I have met some wonderful people in the world of collecting vinyl…maybe the man should get out more, there is a whole world of vinyl collectors who are not like he is. The whole book is written as if record collectors are some sort of alien lifeforce, we are normal, everyday people who not only enjoy the thrill of collecting, but the music as well-that is what is the most important to me and many other collectors.
Regards,
Robert
http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com
Hi, Robert. Thanks for checking in. I’m making it a point to check out your website.
I agree with you, but I do think there is some truth in what Crumb says. A lot of the collectors I’ve met, and probably even myself, are similar in some ways to the description Crumb gives. I don’t think he’s necessarily putting himself or anyone down or painting a negative picture; he seems content in who he is and most record collectors I’ve known are as well. Some of them even wear their “quirks” as badge of honor.
Whatever gets you through the night, right?
Take it easy.
Record collectors of the World unite! Together we can beat back the pop-culture oppressors. They have tried to malign us and destroy and sense of collective resistance that we have been able to muster. Their existence is a brittle house of cards facade that will not stand the test of time.
Don’t forget serial killers. Women love serial killers.
The sad thing about collecting is that you can never have it all, and I agree with Mr. Crumb that collecting is (may become) creepy, because if unchecked,it can turn into a serious addiction, not just for record collectors. Robert Crumb addressed this years ago in Harvey Peckar’s “American Splendor” magazine, whereby the collector became so obsessed, he stole rare jazz albums from a radiostation, and spend all his spare money on records, even forsaking meals.
The movie “Ghostworld” is another good example of the geeky of record collector as portrayed by Steve Buscemi.
Based on my own experience, there was a time when collecting become more important than listening and that’s when I realized I was heading down the wrong avenue, because my love of music was what got me started in the first place.
Worse yet is the record collector who is also an audiophile, because not only is he obsessed with hoarding vinyl, but he also must constantly upgrade his system as well(see Audiogon.com) which gets really insane considering $3000 for a pair of 3’speaker cables, for example.
While I’m glad I kept my quaint 1000 or so LP collection while others switched to CDs, it’s the music the matters to me foremost, and I really don’t care what the format is as long as I like the music.
Illusion of Credibility: Don’t you love the psychology of women?
Richard Perez: Just curious, did you write a book entitled “The Losers’ Club” by any chance?
I completely agree with your comment regarding collecting from the inability to have it all to those who lose sight of the love of the music and get wrapped up in the format. Having said that, I’m not a big fan of the downloading and ipod and all that jazz. I understand the practicality of it, but I’m a sucker for the actual presentation of the record, for example the packaging and the liner notes, photos, etc.
My vinyl collection is modest, to say the least. Being a child of the nineties I have always preferred CDs. I will admit vinyl is cooler in terms of its presentation, and obviously it’s more of a, well, organic experience, I guess, listening to certain records on vinyl. I don’t consider it the only way to dig music though. Another reason I like CDs is they take up less room, therefore it allows one to continue to rationalize buying more haha.
I went through a period when I was twenty-one where I was laying down all of my bread for tunes. Missed a couple of bills, accrued some debt, and, fortunately, woke up to the fact I would have to balance my lust for tunes with everyday responsibilities. It can drive you a little crazy. Me and a friend of mine used to drop a load of cash at record shows, stores, anywhere we could get tunes. I’ve dropped hundreds of dollars in one day before. It doesn’t matter at that moment when your hands are full of those tunes.
I don’t spend as much as I used to, primarily because I was doing inventory one day and couldn’t remember buying some of the albums I had. That’s when I realized I needed to slow down a little so that I could actually enjoy my collection.
Thanks for the comment. I’m always interested to meet fellow collectors.
Take care.
I’ve always admired Crumb for his artwork but after viewing Terry Zwigoff’s documentary ‘Crumb’ I came away with the thought that he really isn’t a particularly nice person. Put more bluntly he seemed to be a real a$$hole.
As far as collecting goes he is accurate on a few points. It can get myopic and obsessive. One spends so much time and effort collecting one genre, or artist, or label that they end up missing a lot of other great music. As for LP collectors not associating with collectors of 78’s… I don’t buy that at all. I’ve met many collectors who look in all formats.
My question is now that so much (but not everything) is available on CD or MP3, what happens to the value of a rare record? Does it decrease because now the music on it is more accessible, does it increase because more people will want an original, or does it stay the same?
One thing I’ve always tried to do as a collector is make an effort not to get locked into one genre or artist. Like you wrote, you miss too much if you do that.
I think value in regards to vinyl, and now CDs with the popularity of downloads, will continue to grow because there will always be someone out there who wants the format and is willing to pay top dollar for it. Perusing the web I come across a lot of CDs that have gone out of print, and probably won’t be reprinted anytime soon, going for ridiculous amounts of money.
My biggest fear is that music in the form I prefer (records and cds) will continue to go up in cost as less and less of it is made available due to the popularity of the download. CD sales continue to drop so you would think that there will be less made since the demand isn’t what it used to be, and vinyl has been an anachronism for some time now.
Thanks for writing about this (the comments are wonderful to read, too) - this is such an interesting subject to me, both as a rabid 78rpm collector, and as a human who tries to reconcile an elating audio obsession with a normal life…I had to chime in.
I believe Crumb (who, whether you like his artwork or not, belongs in the absolute pantheon of rare record collectors and has done much (often behind the scenes) to bring insanely rare records out from “down in the basement” into the public sphere), is correct in many ways. It can get verrry ugly out there in male-dominated record-collector geekdom.
And when you hear collector after collector (I’m talking about people with tens of thousands of records, and there are quite a lot!) reconcile their obsessive-compulsive behavior with oft-repeated phrases like “It’s not that I love records, it’s ’cause I LOVE MUSIC!” you realize that, no, it’s NOT about the music. There is something else at play here, and the record collector has to deal with that, I think, and investigate where these compulsions come from.
In fact, that last sentiment was really explored in Alan Zweig’s documentary “Vinyl” which, if you’re a collector of any stripe, should be seen. I thought it was fascinating, although it only plays occasionally on Canadian TV and unfortunately is kind of hard to track down. There might be a few clips on YouTube.
Anyway, Zweig, a compulsive record collector at the time he made the film, calls out many record collectors on their hypocrisies, their excuses for living in squalor amid piles and piles of records on the floor, their excuses for living at home, their vast troves of potentially useless information. Despite the title, it is not a documentary about music - nor is it a cynical attack on collectors. Zweig’s gradual contention seems to be that he himself will never lead the life that he wants to lead until he gets rid of the records. It’s kind of heartbreaking in a weird way. These are questions I wrestle with too, and I guess that’s why the film worked for me.
Of course, if it even needs to be said, not all record collectors are self-loathing whiners who still live with their parents. There is another breed of collector out there who has a job, a life, has successful relationships, and can proudly stand on his/her feet AND be a hardcore music aficionado at the same time. I know Crumb’s stereotype still exists, but it’s definitely changing. And maybe part of the change comes from addressing the collecting impulse in one’s life head on. At least that’s my theory! Who knows if it’s correct. I try to keep these things in mind, anyway, when I decide whether or not to buy something.
Don’t know what you guys are talking about. Went to the bar the other day and picked up this chick. Took her back to my place and pulled out a copy of the Freestone “Bummer Bitch” 7″. She had her pants off within seconds and her mouth around my you know what in minutes! RECORD COLLECTING RULES.
The sad thing is collecting is mostly about one-up-manship, and putting others down. Serious collectors can’t wait to brag about thier additions so as to advertise thier potential sale. Dispite all the backbiting and small mindedness. society as a whole puts up with it because they do provide a valuable service in the long run, that of preserving the shrinking pool of human culture, that is rapidly being stamped out and replaced with corpo-fascist intellectual property that is mostly dreck.
Bo: I agree with your assessment regarding the worth of collectors to society. I never quite thought it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for stopping by.