#23 A Conversation with James a.k.a. midwest_record_collector

I kick things off this week with a just-in listener confession. I then talk about getting excited about a new piece of music equipment, and then once I got it, I quickly lost interest. This leads me to discuss creativity and the spontaneity it requires, and how difficult it becomes to find the time and motivation to be creative as I get older. I then return to the topic of the critical seller I dealt with last week, and I then share my thoughts on phono cartridges. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

This week's DG Monologue is an extended Christmas special of sorts. I read two listener confessions, one about the London Jazz Collector website, the other about negotiating record prices online and in person. I also talk about having a hard time taking a joke, the social challenges that come along with high-functioning autism, one-sided verbosity, feelings of embarrassment and guilt centered around friends getting real with me, wondering if I'm autistic or just an asshole, and more on feeling shame and questioning my standing with other collectors due to my obsession with Blue Note. My article on the LJC website: https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/guest-post-how-they-heard-it-blue-note-records-and-the-transition-from-mono-to-stereo/ Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Joe Fello, a very good friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 47. Joe and I both came up together in the Albany, New York hip hop scene during the 2000s. Later on, a small group of local friends coalesced that Joe and I are both still a part of to this day. Joe and I talk about the Albany hip hop scene, Covid, funny moments with friends referencing jazz, Company Flow, freestyling, IQ tests, Adderall, and complimenting men, amongst other things. Joe's Instagram: https://instagram.com/thejoeshow Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

I think I'm slowing down with buying vinyl, but ramping up with buying CDs. And now I'm starting to look at vintage iPods and vintage MacIntosh computers, ugh. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Fredrik a.k.a. FW Rare Jazz Vinyl Collector. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Fredrik is a true OG of creating internet content on jazz collecting. We discuss growing up as a metal drummer, commenting on the Jazz Collector website in the late 2000s, buying rare first pressings from Music Matters owner Ron Rambach, and compulsively checking to make sure his equipment is set up correctly, amongst other things. Fredrik's Website: https://fwrarejazzvinylcollector.com Fredrik's Instagram: https://instagram.com/fwrarejazzvinylcollector Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

In this special bonus monologue, I talk about how I'm approaching online record shopping burnout, and how my OCD with online shopping is threatening to start causing me anxiety and mess with my sleep pattern. I also read a great in-depth listener confession. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

In this week's monologue, I give a budgeting update, which includes getting back to (trying to) stick to my $200 max per record, and I talk about how that decision has brought back a feeling of authenticity to collecting. I also give an update on my AM radio adventures, and I return to discussing my obsession with Blue Note Records, a topic I originally approaches in a confession video on YouTube several months back. YouTube Blue Note confession video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wtPtmSOx6k Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Instagram's @homefromtheforest a.k.a. Mark. Having begun collecting jazz in the late '90s, Mark is the first "real O.G." jazz collector to be a guest on the podcast. We discuss being a loner, stepping back from collecting and getting a girlfriend-now-wife, and building a collection over two decades on the salary of a delivery driver, amongst other things. Mark's IG: https://www.instagram.com/homefromtheforest Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

In this week's monologue, I talk about my experience at the WFMU Record Fair last week, buying records over $200 and the disappointment that (always) follows, linear playback as a goal in audio and collecting, enjoying the challenging of approaching linear playback in collecting, and an update on my AM radio adventure, amongst other things. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Instagram's @midwest_record_collector a.k.a. James, our second guest hailing from Iowa! We discuss being intimidated by jazz, taking a college jazz course, the phrase "The music is the most important thing!", professional vinyl grading services, getting a higher paying job to buy more records, growing up introverted, the VC, alcoholism in our families, influence of parents, emotional intelligence, and audiophiledom, amongst other things. James' IG: https://www.instagram.com/midwest_record_collector Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: [email protected]