From a tiny flat in Buenos Aires to the grandeur of London as I joined the love of my life, this is my journey... with a little help from friends and family who knew a thing or two about music.
"My records were my only refuge from the typical school bullies and countless financial crises you can expect to find in one of the most male-dominated, football (soccer)-obsessed and economically unstable countries in the world, where sadly some homophobia still persists, and where rampant inflation and currency defaults are par for the course."
I needed to call this out first! Haven't read a more accurate description in a long time! Sadly though...
I also got my first turntable on the recommendation of a friend that visited me in London last year... and wow! I'm still so thankful that he did suggest that! It's a whole beautiful experience. Playing "Dónde están los ladrones?" by Shakira on vinyl still makes me emotional... remembering all those childhood years listening to her music on CD for countless hours to "escape" the world you've just described above.
My mum had many records at home in Buenos Aires - I'm still hoping I will find a hidden gem among those (whenever it is I decide to visit Argentina, lol)!
"..my perfect day out as a kid meant going to my local record shop and spending hours browsing through the stalls. My mum would patiently wait for me because I was never done browsing. "
My grandmother would wait for me too. I'd tell her I'd just be a little bit, but we both knew I was lying.
Great story, Andres, and well-written! While both my parents were only children (and thus, I had no aunts and uncles!), I can certainly relate to Dad being the one who introduces vinyl into a child's world! As I know I've dropped elsewhere, my bro, Mom and I were surrounded by 20,000 (mostly jazz) LPs and 78s growing up, as Dad had custom (wall-to-wall, ceiling -to-floor) cabinetry built!
While I was 8, and was motivated by seeing The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in '64, my vinyl searches were all about the British Invasion early on, and grew from there! A fun read...I look forward to more of your discoveries!
I love this, Andres. Hearing about your childhood, the role of music and vinyl in your family's life, the evolution of your life through music and how much joy it brought you.
I'm not old enough to remember vinyl as the first way of hearing a song, but I am old enough to remember going to Tower Records in NYC to buy an album on CD when it first came out. And my son, who is now 18, has spent many Saturdays with his dad at Amoeba Music on Haight Street in San Francisco, a magical place.
As I write this, I'm listening to Vision of Love. Thank you for reminding us of that song. What an uplifting way to start the day:)
"My records were my only refuge from the typical school bullies and countless financial crises you can expect to find in one of the most male-dominated, football (soccer)-obsessed and economically unstable countries in the world, where sadly some homophobia still persists, and where rampant inflation and currency defaults are par for the course."
I needed to call this out first! Haven't read a more accurate description in a long time! Sadly though...
I also got my first turntable on the recommendation of a friend that visited me in London last year... and wow! I'm still so thankful that he did suggest that! It's a whole beautiful experience. Playing "Dónde están los ladrones?" by Shakira on vinyl still makes me emotional... remembering all those childhood years listening to her music on CD for countless hours to "escape" the world you've just described above.
My mum had many records at home in Buenos Aires - I'm still hoping I will find a hidden gem among those (whenever it is I decide to visit Argentina, lol)!
So relatable, all of it! x
"..my perfect day out as a kid meant going to my local record shop and spending hours browsing through the stalls. My mum would patiently wait for me because I was never done browsing. "
My grandmother would wait for me too. I'd tell her I'd just be a little bit, but we both knew I was lying.
Great story, Andres, and well-written! While both my parents were only children (and thus, I had no aunts and uncles!), I can certainly relate to Dad being the one who introduces vinyl into a child's world! As I know I've dropped elsewhere, my bro, Mom and I were surrounded by 20,000 (mostly jazz) LPs and 78s growing up, as Dad had custom (wall-to-wall, ceiling -to-floor) cabinetry built!
While I was 8, and was motivated by seeing The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in '64, my vinyl searches were all about the British Invasion early on, and grew from there! A fun read...I look forward to more of your discoveries!
Hermoso y bello!!!
Thought you might like this, in case you and Stephan are ever in the San Francisco Bay Area: https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/east-bay-record-store-boom-17803944.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight
I love this, Andres. Hearing about your childhood, the role of music and vinyl in your family's life, the evolution of your life through music and how much joy it brought you.
I'm not old enough to remember vinyl as the first way of hearing a song, but I am old enough to remember going to Tower Records in NYC to buy an album on CD when it first came out. And my son, who is now 18, has spent many Saturdays with his dad at Amoeba Music on Haight Street in San Francisco, a magical place.
As I write this, I'm listening to Vision of Love. Thank you for reminding us of that song. What an uplifting way to start the day:)