Too many books'll make you lonley.

There's nothing quite like those guys who work in used book and record stores. The record guys are a little more hip (or more importantly were hip at one time, maybe ex-rockabilly, maybe ex-punk, but ex-something) but aside from that they're essentially the same. They never planned on getting rich nor do they seem to ever really plan to make a sale but if they do they sort of take it as it comes. They are honestly happy to have a conversation at anytime about just about anything, esspecially books or records but esspecially book or records (eh there A to the M). There's something of the luddite in them but not totally, they have accepted "the strange new ways" of computers and CDs but just barely. You ever wonder what happened to Tandy computers or those ugly green and black monitors? Bingo.

They seem to be serenely happy to see anyone. They sort of look-up from there book smile with half-closed eyes and look back at their book and say "If there's anything I can help you with just let me know..." and when (or should I say "if" cause I go into stores to buy stuff except for used book/record stores, I usually just look around and for some reason mostly look at stuff I already have, don't know why. Hmmm...) I actually buy something they always say: "Oh! you'll like that. It a wonderful book blah blah blah" or record store guy: "...cool..."(with simultaneous head-nod of approval.)

The CRAZY thing to me that every one of these guys know there entire stock off the top of there head. There are towering piles nay dangerously lilting piles of books/records, totally out of control everywhere, crazy everywhere, but nonetheless:

Pif: Excuse me.

Old Crazy Book Dude: Yee-ah

Pif: Do you have a book called "Parsival"

Old Crazy Book Lover Dude: Yee-ah, Hmm.. (scratches chin)

Pif: It's by Wolfram von Eschenbach

Old Chin Scratching Book Dude: Yee-ah, it's Knights of the Round table stuff. 12th century romance, in the old sense of the term of course...

Pif: Yeah, I've been looking for it forever.

Old Talkative Book Dude: Yee-ah, Holy grail stuff. Last I saw it it was in paperback. It's hard to find a decent translation.

Pif: Should I look under "E" or "W"?

Old dude: Yee-ah, don't have it.

Pif: ...!

Old Dude Dying To Relate To Any Animate Object: Yee-ah, I'm not sure where you'd get it. Ever hear of this brand new gizmo the "Interweb"?

Pif: (I give up) No. Tell me about it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Ukelele Lady" by Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band off his 1968 Album "Greatest Hits!"

Crazy Fact: Jim Kweskin travelled throughout the United States collecting songs between 1961-2, and put together the first incarnation of his group when he returned to Boston in 1963.

njoy