Do you know the saying “I’d never want to join a club that would have someone like me as a member”? There is one club that defies that wisdom, the club of music nerds. You know the ones, those who can name every member of every band they like and every song on their favourite albums. Music is their lifeblood and the visceral act of playing a vinyl record can never be bested by the stroke of a keyboard key or the push of a button.
There is now a subset of the congregation, people that still love, collect and play vinyl. It makes no sense to the outsider to pay the crazy hipster-driven prices that new records cost, not to mention the disadvantages of the format. From an audiophile perspective, it makes even less sense. But there is magic at play here, one not defined by measurements of maybe even sound logic.
The documentary Vinyl Nation does a great job of introducing outsiders to this club. Part historical examination of the process of making those black plastic discs and part insight into the minds of those folk that still think music is a lot more than just aural wallpaper. The technology may be over a hundred years old but it still inspires a palpable primal passion.
Buying new records is only one element of the habit, another is the Record Fair and second-hand hunt. Frequented by hardcore fans, a lengthy music conversation is rarely less than a question away and almost always from very well-informed participants. This is indeed a club that welcomes new members. One hopes that films like Vinyl Nation will pave the way for further constituents.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/vinylnationdoc
