Year 2, Day 244: Virgin Records

Virgin Records is the store that took America by storm and replaced Tower Records in its Boston location (causing it to move to an unprofitable Fenway location, where it closed about a year later). It was an international brand and quite a big deal when it arrived in Boston's most premier spot on Mass. Ave, at the crossroads of the city. Recently, looking for a CD for my brother-in-law's birthday, I tried to find its phone number on the Internet. Not listed— in fact, going out of business. What? And just a few weeks after Tower Records filed for bankruptcy? What's going on there? Every one has had a favorite store close— it can feel like a close friend moving far away, or dying (depending on your relationship to the store and its fate). But Tower and Virgin paint a picture of an INDUSTRY that has ALREADY died, and we are just experiencing the 'phantom pain' when we sadly wave goodbye. With these stores and others gone, the last of the CD Megastores is gone. Sure, you'll be able to buy at Borders and Target, but the specialty, 'deep-catalog' stores will not last out the decade. Last Saturday, Emily put the kids to bed while I took myself downtown for the last time to spend an hour communing with my past. I could write a whole book on my experience with Tower Records, from my temple-like experience with it at the West 4th Street location to my sheer joy when it opened in Boston in 1988. The scene was so absolutely depressing, with people like ants crawling over all of the discarded, unwanted and bargain bin crumbs. Of course, there was very little "A" product left (Beatles, etc.) and so I steeled myself and went methodically through every letter looking for CDs that I had wanted but couldn't buy at the ridiculous prices (part of the reason the industry became comatose) now at 50-75% off. Though the music playing over the PA system was loud enough to permanently damage my hearing, it was actually the quality of it that was so disturbing. It was atonal punk-metal, that was akin to torture and I'm sure is used a method of ridding the store of customers. If it were necessary to turn that music into a color so you could understand it, it would be vomit color with a grey tinge. 45 minutes later I had so many CDs that I had to resort to using a shopping basket. I probably had $300 in merchandise when I got on line. Coming to my senses at the checkout, I shed many I deemed irresponsible even for me (Am I really going to listen to Englebert Humberdink's Christmas LP?) and I walked out with about 1/3 of that cost. Though I had saved money, I was so overwhelmed with my experience and what it meant to lose CD stores that I was totally unnerved driving home. I had just made peace recently with relegating my vinyl records to the attic, now this? I had worshiped at the altar of vinyl. I spent my childhood studying album jackets. I found CDs "cute" but not the big exciting canvas of vinyl LPs. I guess it's a sign of being old, because everything is moving just a little too quickly. It's not that I mind the replacement— I am both a big fan and early adapter of the iTunes music store. But I thought it was an 'and', not a 'instead of.' But with digital music, what is there left to hold? To examine?

Virgin is scheduled to shut its doors November 4th. Tower is going to close around Thanksgiving. I will continue to buy CDs until I don't have something to play them on anymore...

Breakfast
5 Slices of Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Multigrain Bread
Green Tea

Snackendorfer
4 pieces beef jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
20 Unsalted, Roasted Almonds

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Chicken Kebab salad with feta
balsamic vinegar

Dinner: Sashimi
3 Slices of Salmon, Whitefish and Tuna
Salad
Edamame
1 Bag (5/8 oz) of Smartfood

In a surprise of Mother Nature, a second 65 degree day hit our fair city and this prompted our gang to want to go-a-walking. I didn't have my sneakers, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity-- we all saw that the rest of the week would be cold, rainy and grim. I had my Timberland loafers on, and this particular walk felt like I was dragging my good shoes across the scratchy pits of shoe-kill. Though it was great to get out there and feel the sun on my face, I was wincing every time I felt I was shortening my shoe's lifespan. I must tell you, having shoes I care about is a new experience for me. I must not get used to it.