Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Garage Sales

I love garage sales. Garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, whatever you want to call them - I love 'em. (Most estate sales are usually not real estate sales, but garage sales in disguise.) If there's not a weekend book sale within about a 30-mile radius, I'll go scouting garage sales.

I usually don't find much to sell at these things, but last weekend I did pick up a couple of books I can sell for about $40 or so. (My cost - 50 cents each.) I also got a pristine copy of the 4-disc DVD set of The Two Towers for $2. Even when I don't find anything, it's fun.

Moving sales are the best. I've moved so many times I get dizzy just thinking about it, but I know that the last thing you want to do is have more stuff to load onto that moving truck - so you sell it, and cheap. I've been to moving sales where I've bought several of their books/DVDs/CDs and asked, "Got any more stuff you don't want to move?" Usually the husband (more usually the wife) will get this look of euphoria and say, "...Yeah! Wait right here," just before the big boxes start coming out.

At most sales, you have to wade through mountains of Danielle Steele, John Grisham, Stephen King and Reader's Digest books...if they have any books at all, besides tons of kids' books the dog has chewed (or worse) on. But I've also found some really great stuff. Last year I replaced my old (stolen) Taboo game for a buck. Bookcases are usually readily available. Lately CDs are coming out of the woodwork.

For some reason, people are getting rid of a lot of classic rock CDs. I mean practically giving them away - fifty cents, three for a dollar, that kind of thing. 80's and 90's CDs show up a lot, too. I can't tell you how many Michael Bolton CDs I've seen sitting out in the sun, fading into oblivion. Or we can only hope.

Jazz CDs are showing up more also. My Pat Metheny collection has expanded considerably of late. Classical stuff doesn't show up much, unless it's some cheap edition of Swan Lake performed by the Buttmunchausen Philharmonia. Country (or what they call Country these days) is there in abundance. But if you're looking for anything from Hank Williams, Sr. to about 1968, forget it.

The most rabid buyers I see aren't interested in books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, furniture or any of that. But weekend after weekend, I see nothing but Record Vultures. Records, you know, those black vinyl discs old guys like me used to play. Maybe it's just this area, but people around here are insane about records. Just about every one of them I talk to claims they sound better than CDs. Maybe they do, I'm no audiophile. But I always ask them if they still like the bacon soundtrack of records. (Most of 'em don't get it.)

Got a free Saturday morning? Experience a little bit of Americana. Maybe I'll see you there. I'll leave the records untouched for you.

Today's Short Story = "Coffins on the River" - Jeffrey Ford from The Empire of Ice Cream

2 comments:

John said...

It sounds like you have almost enough material there for a book about garage sales--fiction or non-fiction.

The complaint I have heard most often is that vinyl sounds "warmer" than a CD, especially when paired with an analog pre-amp. (Which are still available apparently from guys who pull the old analog tubes out old appliances and what not.) I don't think this is necessarily "better" or even a more accurate reproduction of the original sound. I think it's just "warmer," which I suppose means fewer extreme overtones (low and high). I prefer having my music without bacon, as you say, and not worrying about lending my music to someone who might potentially warp, break, chip or scratch my CDs.

tcastleb said...

My uncle is an audiophile; he collects hundreds of records, mostly punk rock, some classic rock, and the odd jazz (mostly lounge vocal stuff) album. Partly, I think it's because he likes the sound, and partly because he's gone through a decorating in the 60's phase. Now he's on the 70's.

Oh hey, reminds me, ever read Cory Doctorow's "Craphound?" It's basically about an alien that goes to garage sales. It's probably on his site somewhere, www.craphound.com and if not, it's in his short story collection.