Why all the hate?

I love music and love sharing music with others. I especially love music when it is spinning at thirty-three and one third revolutions per minute. I love the sound. I love the ritual. I love the experience.

And finding others who share that love is amazing.

But, do you ever find yourself feeling down, disengaged or even angry while engaging with social media to connect with others over that love? Have you lost interest in the things that you once had passion for? I experience these things from time to time... and I have a good idea why.

I am the type of individual who prefers to share my love of something rather than my hate of things. At 47 years old, I find there isn't enough time or energy in this life to spend any amount of it on hate. Hating something is like burning down your own home because you saw a rat.

Hate is such a waste of energy.

See I define hate as the dictionary does; intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. There is very few things in life that evoke hostility and aversion for me and music definitely isn't one of those things.

I love music. It is that simple.

I love almost all music. Some music I love more, some less. The music I don't love, I also don't hate. At no time has a band or their music done or said anything to spurn hostility and aversion in me. They haven't made false claims about me, they haven't robbed me, killed my wife or kids, slashed my tires or even dropped a deuce in my yard.

So why would I hate them or their music? And from my view of the world, how could any rational person truly "hate" any music, musician or band?

As I surf the perceptually endless sea of opinions on social media, I find more and more hypocrisy in the world of twitter and the plethora of "fan" pages on Facebook. People and groups of people that claim to be "fans", and "lovers" of things like music, comics, movies, sports... just about anything that a fandom can be based on, are more focused on the negative aspects of their passion than on their love of something.

It's almost like it's trendy or cool to be a hater.

Random Post on a "Fan" Page

It is very common to see a group on Facebook that has a description that states; "... a group for music lovers...", yet much of the content in the group will include postings and comments that resemble this image of an actual post in a Musuc "Lovers" group on the left. It's not just random posts like the one on the left; there are some nasty, hateful comments to otherwise positive posts.

I can understand someone not liking a particular band, or not liking the personal habits of a particular member of a band, but to take the time it takes and spend the energy it takes to spread this hate is something I don't understand at all. A fan page, by definition, is supposed to be about the things you love. So if this is a fan page, why post hate or allow hate to be posted?

I don't get it.

But it is more than just posts and comments, some people carry their hate much further, going so far as to make social media accounts and groups dedicated to what they hate and they actually draw other like minded people in, like this person in a  Facebook group titled, " I hate the Red Hot Chili Peppers because they just Suck!"

Negativity Attracts Negativity

Now, this writing isn't just about all the negativity out there. I am here to share my strategy for dealing with the hate or more importantly, eliminating the hate.

Please, don't get me wrong, I am not some Dudley-Do-Right-Polyanna of person who only sees the silver lining in the world. I am a human being. But when it comes to my interactions with the world around me, I want to spread light. I want people, either in real life or via social media to leave an interaction with me feeling good about the interaction, and typically I want to leave feeling the same way, because what's the point of living in a negative space.

So how do I do it? How do I avoid the negativity it in the world of social media. Well, to be honest, I don't.

First and foremost... you can't avoid all the negativity on social media. It is that simple. If you are on social media, you can't avoid the negativity altogether, but you can minimize it by choosing to limit your exposure to it and you can choose how you deal with it.

My first hard and fast rule is to not engage with the negativity. I firmly believe the best way to let go of something that is not good for you is to just simply stop participating in its energy altogether. This can be difficult, because the act of denying or defending something actually affirms it because the act itself puts energy into it.

So when I come across a negative post or comment, I do not respond. I won't even put a positive response because any response, even a positive response is putting energy into the negativity.

The saying, "Don't Feed The Troll", while funny, it is also true is actually a pretty good rule to abide by.

One of my key strategies is I limit my contacts in the world of social media to people I have relationships with in real life; people I share common interests with and actually hang out with; again in real life. This doesn't mean I only hang out with people that all see the world through the same lens I do. I am not a lemming. My friends constantly challenge my view of the world, but they are not negative people.

I have friends who are into photography, some friends that are into comics, some that are into horror movies and some that are into collecting records. Hell, some are even into all of the above, but in total, I have a whopping 62 friends on Facebook.

And, I am a happier person for it.

This has been a difficult strategy to apply at times. As a person who has helped run state fair photography competition, managed a huge photography club, taught photography classes, hosted a weekly podcast about geek culture, had booths at comic cons, interviewed celebrities and (even made friends with some of them) and the various other world opening adventures, it is not a stretch of the truth to say that I have had thousands of friend requests across social media, most of which were complete strangers to me.

But, the key has been to decline all but 0.00000001% of them.

See just because I went to the same high school as someone, or attended the same comic con as someone or because they listened to me on the radio once or just because we both love the Popeye Movie Soundtrack doesn't grant them instant access to my life. Hell, I have been working with the same people for the last three years and I have not had any of my co-workers over for dinner. My co-workers aren't even friends on social media. So why would allow a complete stranger or even a casual acquaintance that level of access to my life?

This is just one way I keep the riff-raff out.

Another key element of my strategy is to investigate before I engage. When I join a new group, I read the postings and the comments to the postings in a group before I make any post beyond my obligatory "Thanks for the add" post.

I am looking at the general atmosphere of a group. Are people generally sharing information and insight? When people disagree, are they stating opinion and preference or are they putting down the opinions that don't align with their own; trolling.

I am also looking at how the admins moderate the discussions. Are they hard handed sensors, or are the facilitating positive conversations and debate. Are they moderating the discussions, keeping them related to subject of the group? A good admin or cluster of admins in a group can make all the difference.

Group of people, in real life or on social media all work the exact same way; the larger the group the bigger the chance that they won't all agree on everything or get along all the time. And that is fine. We don't all have to agree that Van Hagar was the biggest mistake in music history, but we can be civil in our stated opinions.

Just because a few individuals in a group are bad eggs, I won't let them spoil an otherwise great group for me. So the last key element of my strategy is a liberal use of the Block feature of a social media site. My Facebook account has a countless number of blocked individuals.

These people on my block list are not people I hate on social media, just people that are typically negative in their postings and interactions and as a result people I choose to eliminate from social media life.

This is a powerful way for me to remain engaged with a group without seeing the negative posts of these individuals or being at risk of them chiming in one something I share.

I love music and love sharing music with others. These are the strategies I used to protect myself so I can continue to do so.

So You Want To Start A Vinyl Collection

There is a lot of information out on the internet about recording collecting, a lot of which is nothing more than personal opinion. I am going to attempt to write a beginner's guide to record collecting that takes the opinion out, or at least as much of the opinion out as I can.

So where does one start with a beginner's guide to collection records?

How about we start with motivation.

* Motivations

You need to be honest about your motivation for collecting records, even if your honest with nobody else, at least be honest with yourself.

If you are getting into vinyl because it's cool right now, that's alright. If you are getting into vinyl because you remember listening to your dad's turntable with headphones on... that's alright as well. If you're getting into vinyl collecting because you see an ability to make a buck flipping, you might be misleading yourself, but that is alright as well. Regardless of what your motivation is, just be honest with it and remain true to it because it is your motivation that will drive your collecting habits.

Think of your motivation as your mission statement. It defines what and who you collect.

And just like any aspect of our life, our motivations will change over time, because as human beings, we grow, we mature, we change. So while being true to your motivations, don't be so rigid to them that you stifle your growth.

* Expectations

You need to know a few things that come with record collecting. Records takes up a lot space; weighs a lot; it isn't all that fragile, but does need to be handled and stored with care. Things like that are important to know.

Records are big; nearly 13" x 13" and can be up to an inch or two thick (boxed sets). 100 records, properly stored, like in the image to the right, will take roughly one or more feet of linear space to store. I say one or more, because gate fold albums or double/triple LP releases and boxed sets will take more space than a single LP release.

You need to have the space to store these records properly.

The next thing you need to consider; records are heavy. The same 100 records that will take roughly a linear foot to store, will weight roughly 33 pounds, or for my European friends, about 15 kg. If that doesn't sound like much, imagine a 4' long shelve stacked with records, roughly 400 records. This would weigh in at over 132 pounds (60 kg).

Not every shelve can handle that kind of load. So make sure you have storage that can handle the weight of records.

If you are worried about building a shelving unit that can store the thousands of records you will eventually have, but will look silly now because you only have 20 records, there are modular storage solutions; modules that you can add to as your collection grows, essentially growing your storage with your collection. But, you need to know this; no single event, except for maybe a house fire, can damage an entire collection faster than the event of a shelving unit collapse resulting from the storage unit's inability to handle the very heavy load vinyl brings with it.

Lastly, records need some care used when handling and storing, but they're is not as fragile as some think. The most dangerous things for records is heat and humidity. Heat can warp, bubble or if hot enough, melt records. Humidity can destroy the paper-based covers, labels and sleeves and both heat and humidity bring with it mold. So store your records in dry, relatively cool places. Don't leave your records in the car on a hot summer day, don't store your records under a window that allows sunlight to blast through.

You need to know that records take more than just a turntable to collect. You need space, structure and and an understanding of the basic care that records need. This little bit of knowledge can save you from a big disaster later on. Other than that, keep your records clean and don't be careless with them and your records can last well past your lifetime.

* Turntables

I teach photography and the single question I am asked the most is, "What is the best camera for me?"

My response, whether I am talking with a professional photographer or a first time camera owner, is always, "The one you have with you." Inevitably the follow up question that comes back at me is, "Yeah, but what camera should I buy." And, once again, my response is always the same vague way, "What kind of photographer are you and how much money do you have."

My answer for the same questions posed regarding turntables, is just about the same.

The best turntable is the one that you have now that spins the records in your collection.

It isn't? Funny you should disagree. Is a better turntable any turntable that you don't own; a turntable that you can't put a record on right now and give it a spin?

Hmmm... I personally don't think so.

But to answer the question a little bit better; the best turntable for you will really depend on what you need from it. Are looking for a turntable that is mobile, meaning one that you can take with you, or one with a small footprint? Maybe a briefcase turntable is the best for you. Or do you have space that you are willing to devote to a turntable, amplifier, equalizer, speakers, isolation of the turntable plus room for all that vinyl you plan on getting?

Do you collect LPs, or singles or old shellac 78s or wax recordings... or all of the aforementioned?

Maybe you need a couple of turntables to play the variety of mediums in your collection. Maybe you can get away with just one that does most of it.

Do you want to be able stack several albums or singles and have an extended playlist while you just sit back and soak in the music?  Some turntables have short stubby spindles that all you to play one record at a time, others have extended spindles that allow you to stack and play one or more records one after another.

It is all about what you need.

There are tons of options out there in the world, some of them you should avoid like the plague, Crosley as a brand for example. But, the end, it is about what you are looking for, using it for and your personal tastes. In some cases Crosley may be all you can afford; at least you have turntable. For some, McIntosh is the only way to go, while McIntosh for others is so far outside of their budget, it's not just outside of the ballpark of the budget, it's outside the solar system of their budget. For others, vintage systems from the 70s and 80s is where it's at.

Decide what you need and then get what you need. Read reviews for products that fit in line with your needs and your budget. Don't just read what the industry papers say about it, read real people's reviews. See what their experience was with the unit; sound quality, assembly, product quality and lifetime of the product.

In the end, you have to remember; records are like fuel for a car. You can't put premium, high octane fuel in a Ford Pinto and expect it to perform like a Lamborghini, but also you don't need a Lamborghini to drive to the corner store every now and then.

* Wiring
If you are going for a component system, you need to understand how inputs and outputs work. For example, you don't connect a turntable with a pre-amp built into it to a traditional "phono" input on a receiver. How will you know if your turntable has a pre-amp build into it? 99.9% of the time if the turntable is a USB capable turntable, it has a pre-amp. For turntables that may not have a USB interface, but have a pre-amp, the RCA cable won't have the third, grounding cable.

For turntables without pre-amps built into them

Amps and pre-amps with traditional phono inputs will have a ground wire post, like this one

Equally important, if your amp doesn't have a ground connector for the turntable, don't plug your turntable that has a grounding wire into it.

Everyone has a friend that understands wiring component systems together, even if it is just your parents. Give them a call and ask for help if you are unsure.

* RPMs

Some may think that this is something that everyone should know, but you'd be surprised.

RPM is revolutions per minute, or how many times a record completes one complete revolution, turn around the turntable, per minute. Earth's own RPM is 0.000696. Records RPMs are quite a bit higher.

RPMs are important. If you have a modern turntable chances are that it's likely switchable from 45 and 33 1/3 (commonly referred to as 33) RPMs. A few of these modern turntables will include a third speed of 78 RPM and rarely even as low as 16 RPM.

Now, most standard, 12" albums are recorded at 33 1/3 (or 33). Most 7" singles, called 45s, spin at 45 RPM. Older shellac records from the 40s and beyond (older), are recorded at 78 RPM. Some, very unique recording are recorded at 16 RPM.

These speed/size combinations are considered the norm. There are instances where the speed/size guidelines are broken. Some 12" records are singles, or short albums, and are recorded at 45 RPM and some even at 78 RPM.

The image on the left is an example of the rule breakers. This is a 12" single, recorded at 45 RPM.

RPMs are important for three reasons;

1. If you play a 33 RPM record at 45 RPMs the sound you get will resemble the Alvin and the Chipmunks on crack.
2. If you play a 12" record (commonly recorded at 33 1/3 RPMs) but it was recorded at 45 RPM and you use an auto play function, the needle may automatically drop in the middle of the album. On most automatic turntables the speed setting, 33/45 is also directly tied into the record size, 12"/7".
3. If you play a 78 RPM record at 33 RPMs your result may very well sounds like something from the bowels of hell.

* Shopping

My last bit of advice is in the realm of shopping for records. It is a big market out there and with so many options available here are my personal rules for shopping for records.

First... create a buy list that you keep with you. This is a list of records that you must own. Make sure to have the band names and album names. This makes it easy to remember what it is that is a priority for you when you are standing in a sea of records at your local record shop.

1. Don't shop trendy geek shops. Shops like FYE, Hot Topic and Spencer's may have records in stock, but I found their stock is either limited to a select few trendy music choices (whatever is hot/hip today that will sell the next day) and/or they are so overpriced on their new and used selection it's almost criminal. 
2. Don't shop online. I know, I know... my gray hair really shows in this post, but so much can go wrong with shopping for vinyl online. From a bad seller (see the photo above/right, of a seller adding a box to the mountain of packages ready to ship; disorganized, ripe for damage), bad packaging, damage in shipping including heat and cold damage (you do realize that freezing temps in winter are just as bad for vinyl as heat in the summer and that airplane freight holds are not always climate controlled). Most importantly about this advice; it is difficult to explore the personal relationships between yourself and a seller if you shop online. 
3. Explore your local market place. Read reviews of local record shops, most big towns have more than one local record store. Customer reviews will usually let you know if you are getting ready to walk into Championship Vinyl (watch High Fidelity for the reference) where the staff are tools who treat customers as inferior human beings or if you are getting ready to walk into a haven where you will be welcomed with open arms. Keep your eye on second hand stores; there are absolute treasures that can be sound there. You can also talk with other collectors in your area about where they shop. 
4. If the record is used, make sure you inspect each record you buy. I covered what to look for when inspecting records in a post called Art of the Vinyl Hunt. 
5. Be wary of the impulse buys. These type of buys from shops/stores that aren't your local record digging locations. Department stores can be way over priced and not a real value.

That's it; my nearly opinion free beginner's guide to starting a vinyl collection. Enjoy your voyage into vinyl. I will leave you with one last bit of bonus advice... think of it as a p.s. to the new record collector...

Don't compare your newly started collection with the collection of others. Nothing can be more disappointing than comparing your collection of 20 records with the collection of of someone who has been collecting for several years. If you are looking at someone else's collection, look at it to see if there is anything in there you may want to add to your buy list. Ask the person questions about their collections or pieces in there collection. Ask to listen to some of their collection. I am sure that most collectors would be happy to spin some vinyl for you.

Just don't belittle your collection because it doesn't "measure up" to their collection. Be proud of your collection and enjoy your collection. 

Why I Can't Monetize My Vinyl Collection

A lot of people I know talk about their collection in monetary terms; "This album was 'this amount' " and "I scored this at a garage sale for 'x' dollars and it's worth 'this much more'". This is how a lot people valuate the vinyl collection... in dollars and cents... and that's okay... for them.

I see this in just about every collecting hobby known to me; comics, toys, sports cards. In every collectible market you have two basic types of collectors; those that are money motivated and those that are passionate about the subject of the collection.

I see a lot of comic book collectors that talk about their collection in terms of where they found a key issue, how much they paid for it and how much it's worth. They are obviously money motivated collectors. Then you have comic book collectors who talk about the same key issues, but instead of price/value, they talk about key elements of the story contained in the issues, how the stories relate to other stories and so on and so forth. These are people of love the books, not so much the money.

I can see where the money mentality comes from, but I don't understand it. This isn't me judging, but I don't see how someone can collect something, call themselves a collector, if they plan to sell some day.

While, I also associate a dollar value to my records, it's really only for insurance purposes. See if I want to get these cherished pieces of my life replaced if something were to happen to them, then I have to know how much would cost to replace. Other than that, the only other time I ever associate my collection with money is in the context of sharing with my friends where they can find vinyl and not pay through the nose for it.

So while I do, at some level, monetize my collection; I never look at my collections (yes, I have a collection of Hulk and horror figures, vinyl records as well as movies and comic books) as something that can be liquidated when times get tough or if something "better" comes along. I don't I see my record collection as dollar signs;  my collection is so much more than just "Benjamins" sitting in a milk crate.

Dick Clark nailed my view of music when he said, "Music is the soundtrack of our lives." That statement mirrors my view on how important and integrated music is to my life, even though, at the time I heard it, I lacked the words to express the sentiment as well as Mr. Clark did.

See, I remember the exact song that was playing when I experience my first slow dance with a girl I had "love" feelings for at a Junior High School dance; Journey's Open Arms. It was my first encounter with the feeling of romance.

I remember the song I fell asleep to every night the summer before my freshman year, identifying with the message of escaping the prison of a menial existence and moving on to something greater, more freedom; Styx: Mr. Roboto. Moving from junior high to high school was a big life event for me, as I am sure it was for many people; with huge changes to how social and institutional interactions operated. Mr. Roboto gave me the tools to understand that I didn't have to be the kid I was in junior high that I could grow, evolve. Mr. Roboto gave me permission to be myself, to choose my own path.

Yeah, at fourteen years old, I identified with a message of escapism and boredom; shocking isn't it.

I remember all the way back in kindergarten, as a part of show and tell, singing, unabashedly I might add, Helen Ready's Delta Dawn and not understanding why everyone else in the class didn't know the lyrics to the song when I asked them to sing along with me.

I remember in the fourth grade, when it rained, and living in pacific northwest, it was always raining, the two fourth grade classes getting together and playing Greased Lightning from the Grease soundtrack, dancing the moves from the movie. None of us any good, but each of feeling connected to one another through this song and the dance movies. My first feeling of belonging socially.

Music is a connection with my past, but it is also a connection with my present and future.

My collection is, for the most part, truly autobiographical. Even music from bands that I didn't get exposed to until much later in life, like, Led Zeppelin (age 19 when I knowingly heard my first Zeppelin Song) and Black Sabbath (age 18 when I heard my first Sabbath songs) remain my musical autobiography. They remain because they not only connect me with my past, they helped define my future.

See, music connected me with who I am today by connecting me with life lessons I might not have gotten anywhere else without getting into some pretty deep trouble.

Sammy Hagar's "Can't Drive 55" taught me that life was a series of choices and each choice presented me with a reward and a consequence. I could drive faster than 55 (for those of you not in the know, 55 was the national speed limit at the time) and get the thrill of speeding as a reward, but also lose my license and my freedom as the consequence. Sammy Hagar taught me that I had to look at each choice and ask myself, "Is the reward worth more than the consequence that comes with it."

For some, Sammy may have been singing about rock 'n roll rebellion, but for me Sammy was singing about choices.

I learned how to channel my rage into writing through listening to Metallica.

I learned how to understand and interpret foreign accents and broken English by listening to Ozzy Osbourne.

I learned how to accept and move beyond my own small town origins through Springsteen and Mellencamp.

I learned about friendship through the Popeye Movie soundtrack, even though I had not yet seen the movie.

Interpol and Radiohead taught me that it is okay to feel melancholy.

Bob Marley and Boston both taught me about thinking for myself and the importance of not be a lemming.

ZZ Top taught me what it meant to be cool.

Bobby McFerrin taught me the importance of learning to chill when things get tough.

I could go on and on with that list, but I won't bore you with every little detail of who taught me what, when and where. It is safe to say that every artist I have in my collection taught me a little something about myself, shaped a little part of who I am, or at a very minimum amplified a little trait in myself and allowed me, hell even gave me permission, to embrace that part of me.

For this reason alone, I can never view my record collection as currency.

I wanted to list the top five albums I would never let slip from my collection; records that truly shaped, in one way or another, the man I am today. But, five wasn't enough... it quickly turned into a list of a hundred albums... but to keep the list readable for you, I trimmed off the last 80 and present you with this list of 20 albums I hold near and dear to my heart.

1. Popeye: Movie Soundtrack
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood , Sex, Sugar, Magic
3. Otis Redding: The History of Otis Redding
4. Prince: 1999
5. Boston: Third Stage
6. Scorpions: Blackout
7. Bobby McFerrin: Simple Pleasures
8. Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
9. Interpol: Interpol
10. High Fidelity: Soundtrack
11. White Zombie: La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1
12. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Couldn't Stand The Weather
13. Pink Floyd: The Wall
14. Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash At San Quentin
15. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
16. Metallica: Master of Puppets
17. Stevie Wonder: Talking Book
18. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I
19. Carole King: Tapestry
20. Pink Floyd: Darkside of the Moon 

I don't think poorly of those that see nothing more than dollar signs in their collection. I just have a hard time connecting with that mentality. These albums, and every album I own, have no price tags associated to them in my heart, because their value runs deeper than a dollar sign. 

I can't monetize the value of my life, therefore I can't monetize my vinyl LPs.