The day was hot. This man was pulling items from his truck to sell them. He placed them against the wall. I was walking towards him but I didn't purchase anything. I said hello and walked down to the corner to meet with a person who claimed to have every recording by Alan Lomax. He had quite a few, but so did I. Then we talked about earthquakes in China, how saddened and removed we both felt. Our conclusion was that we suffer across the world, in our backyards, and in our own skin. Enough.
He played me one of my favorite records by the Staple Singers and I asked him,” Would anybody today care enough to make a record that raw and beautiful?"
He told me, "yes, but in a different form."
Fair enough I thought to myself, “but I still love this fucking record."
He asked, "Why do you think it is we could love a piece of vinyl so much?”
I told him, "Because it reminds us of something better."
