Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting
Vinyl junkies are special. They hunt down Brazilian pressings of favorite artists, know the difference between vinyl and styrene, and call a 3,000-LP collection "modest." Milano's interviews aim to nail down what vinyl addiction means. Thurston Moore thrives on the renegade, archival nature of collecting. As a teenager, Peter Buck hitchhiked 15 miles to get an LP the night of its release. R. Crumb speaks fondly of rare, flexible 78s. Most of Milano's subjects believe the thrill is in the chase: seeking personal Holy Grails is often more rewarding than playing them, and comfort is knowing a certain record is finally in one's collection. The book works best when Milano lets his subjects do the obsessing, and if what being a collector means remains as elusive asTheir Satanic Majesties Requestwith the original 3-D cover, at least we learn that, as former Cramps drummer Miriam Linna says, "You play someone a great record and they don't react to it, you know it's time to get them out of your house."Carlos OrellanaCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved