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Music-buying ban

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That’s it. After ordering a Charlie Rich CD last night (Complete Smash Sessions, mmm, tasty) that I don’t even have time to listen to, what with birthday presents, upcoming pre-orders, boot sale records, etc. etc., I hereby BAN myself from buying ANY more music for at least the rest of the year (excepting the last few car boots of the season, of course). The remainder of that Dylan Complete Albums box set won’t listen to itself.

That’s it, THAT’S IT!

*bites fist*

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Comments

    • My book-buying ban lasted about a day. Bought two more yesterday. If I recall correctly @pencilsqueezer described books as ‘inky crack’. One-click at the Kindle store is similarly addictive.

      But I’ll try and join you. No more, no more….

      • But Kindle books don’t actually count as books though do they? If they do, I may be in breach of an ‘agreement’ I made, which was along the lines of “you’ve got far too many books. Stop buying, start reading, and get rid of the old ones’.

        After I had recovered, I gently reminded TLOML that getting rid of books was not (emphatic, underline, exclamation points) going to happen, I was reading plenty, but yes, I would stop buying “books”.

        I wasn’t really too aware of Kindle One Click at that stage, Or the once a month freebie.

        Shhh. No-one tell her.

      • I told a friend about 2 years ago that I had bought my last book – no more space. She smiled, told me she didn’t believe me. She was right. Only yesterday I bought Anne Tyler’s A spool of blue thread. It’s ridiculous really, but at least it’s not a life threatening addiction unless my bookshelves give way and I’m standing underneath.

        • I was holding off on the Ann Tyler due my book buying ‘ban’ but seeing as the ban hasn’t in any way worked, or even tried, I might as well just go ahead and get it, eh?

          There’s always space. Stacked on the floor, double-tracked on the bookcase, shoved horizontally on to of the double-tracked books, piled beside the bed, on top of the fridge.

          • Go ahead, the first few pages look good and it’s a nice cover. Whilst I’m at it, have a look at A whole life by Robert Seethaler. It’s been my read of the year and unlikely to be surpassed, not a word out of place. It’s a slight book but perfect in its own way and will hardly take up any room.

          • There’s a pub in Falmouth (Beerwolf) which is also a bookshop. Sells brand new books, with a similar selection to Rise – heavy on the design and art stuff.

            Our house closely resembles a bookshop inside, with furniture squeezed in among the ‘cases and shelves.

  4. I tried this. lasted about 4 days. You gotta approach it like an addiction – do you go for total abstinence or controlled exposure? I am not ready for total abstinence, but a credit card in Fopp is also avoided. What I do try is to listen to the thousands of hours of music not yet heard despite acquiring them, and reason that the new essential purchases will turn up at a lower price in a few months, so why rush for the latest pop hits?

  8. Don’t do it

    I tried this with a Dry January – by the end of the month I was climbing the walls, and I haven’t felt right since
    All the “pending” stuff will get listened to, but denying yourself the pleasure of purchase and ownership (regardless of whether “other people” think you don’t need it) is pure folly of the highest order.

    The new john Grant and two Throbbing Gristle albums are sitting on top of the stereo awaiting my attention. The new Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott and Rod Stewart albums will arrive before the end of the month. And the there is the planned trip to that London (Fopp very much on the itinerary (don’t tell Mrs D!)).

    • Thank you, thank you!

      I am going to have your third sentence stenciled onto the wall of our bedroom opposite the bed so I see it every morning when I wake up (and so Mrs P sees it too!).

  9. I’m quite determined. I can be very disciplined (oo-er) when I really mean it. I have after all listened to, and jotted down my thoughts on, 32 Dylan records since February, and sometimes that’s been tough (I’m looking at you, Knocked Out Loaded). The remaining few boot sales with their dwindling supply of random LPs should be enough to scratch the itch.

    October 14th. Remember this day. I’ll let you know if and when I cave.

  10. You won’t regret ordering that Charlie Rich record, unfortunately. In our household, a two-month moratorium on music purchases is ending tomorrow. It has been a living nightmare.

  11. In the run up to Christmas I have a ban on buying anything – it all goes on the the wish list. Then on Boxing Day, having determined the hit rate, I binge horrendously.

  12. I picked up ‘The Temptations sing Smokey’ and ‘Safe as milk’ on CD for 50p each, on different days in different shops, so NOW is exactly the time to buy the stuff!

    You’ll regret not doing it in 10 years time when CDs go the same way as vinyl.

  13. Why deny life’s greatest* pleasure?

    I use the excuse that I’ve never smoked, rarely drank (and haven’t since the Crohn’s diagnosis), happily drive a 10-year-old car, and dress in band t-shirts and Tesco jeans.

    *Second greatest, maybe, but much more frequent.

  14. I have so many books that I will need to live to 150 to read them all, will stop buying films on DVD as I now have to watch them in alphabetical order as I can’t remember which ones I’ve watched and which I haven’t. I shall also absolutely definitely not be buying any more music. Until tomorrow, probably.

  16. Once my copy of The City LP, the Eels vinyl box, the CD & Blu-Ray Oranges & Lemons, Garbage debut vinyl, Peter Gabriel 1-4 doubles, The Jam ‘Fire & Skill’ box arrive. I’m definitely taking a breather

  17. Trying hard to remember the last time I bought music. Eight, nine years ago. Blessed if I can remember what it was. Music, for me, has become something I get for nothing off the internet “pure content”, not weighed down by the dead weight of commerce or useless bulk of planet-destroying packaging.

  19. Ah but Mr Sauce… ‘getting it for nothing’ is part of the problem isn’t it? No more liking a record just because you paid for it, lots more ‘might as well give it a chance’.

    I have been making a real determined effort these past few months not to listen to every record, not to read every book/newspaper/blog /watch every film or tv programme that could comes my way even if it’s all (or almost all) free.

    It’s mostly working; today all I have done is finish off a novel, watch 3 separate tv series (Dr Who, How To Get Away With Murder and Australian Masterchef), listen to Jerry Garcia, Jason Isbell, and Kate Rusby before settling down to the one hour Andy Kershaw Highway 61 special (one of the best radio listens ever ever) Then I read the Guardian and When Saturday Comes. Oh, and probably over the day 30 -45 minutes noodling around here.

    It’s a 12 step programme.

  22. Not wishing to discourage Mini but I’d say you’ve got fucking buckleys to use an Australianism and if you succeed the mods should consider suspending you till you weakened.

    • This may need some explanation for non-Aussies.

      There’s a company in Perth with the unenviable task of emptying septic tanks. For this job they use what looks like an old clapped-out, decommissioned petrol tanker which stinks to high heaven.

      I assume the business owner is called “Buckley” because the sign-writing on the side of the tanker reads “You’ve got Buckley’s”.

      Much hilarity ensues as it drives by.

      • If another Pom might but in here…

        Buckley’s chance
        A forlorn hope; no prospect whatever. Often abbreviated to Buckley’s. One explanation for the origin of the term is that it comes from the name of the convict William Buckley, who escaped from Port Phillip in 1803 and lived for 32 years with Aboriginal people in southern Victoria. A second explanation links the phrase to the Melbourne firm of Buckley and Nunn (established in 1851), suggesting that a pun developed on the ‘Nunn’ part of the firm’s name (with ‘none’) and that this gave rise to the formulation ‘there are just two chances, Buckley’s and none’. This second explanation appears to have arisen after the original phrase was established. For an earlier discussion about the origin of the term buckley’s chance see the article ‘Buckley’s’ in our Ozwords newsletter.

        1887 Melbourne Punch 22 September: In our sporting columns, in the Fitzroy team appears the name of Bracken. It should have been Buckley. Olympus explains that he altered it because he didn’t want the Fitzroy men to have ‘Buckley’s chance’.

        2015 Australian Financial Review (Sydney) 7 March: If I lose this job I’ve got Buckley’s chance of getting another one.

  23. Agree with you H.P.

    But enjoy it while you can! In the back streets of Stockholm we are preparing an army of keyharp, yoikers players and reindeer for a Scando take-over.

  26. After I get my copies of Tug Of War, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Stars Die, Tull Live At Carnegie Hall, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, The Last Record Album, Time Loves A Hero, Moving Pictures, Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds, Architect and Protocol II then I might consider a moratorium.
    Then again, as DFB wisely points out above, Fire And Skill and Steven Wilson’s remix of Oranges And Lemons are coming soon, as is Too Old To Rock And Roll, plus a new history of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard and a new book by Ian Kershaw about Europe between the years 1914 and 1949…
    My moratorium holds firm on the Newsom release, however.

  28. DVDs are the big problem for me.
    I’ve got about 100 of the things (i.e. not that many), but I view one about every six months.
    At least the 1000 or so CDs get shuffled around a bit, the DVDs are just gathering dust.

    • I collect music videos but rarely watch,so me and a couple of mates have periodic music DVD nights where we all table our offerings and work our way through.

      It’s pretty cut throat, got to be pretty good to get more than 4 songs. Some nights we extend it to you tube.

    • I bought a big (no, HUGE) wallet thing that holds all my DVDs with space to spare, and tossed the boxes. It’s a big ugly thing but it tucks away nicely behind the visual entertainment facility.

  29. S’easy peasy. Buy lots of records and deliberately DO NOT PLAY THEM! Sort them into different boxes, stroke them, check the condition, research their value on eBay. Just keep them away from the turntable. Works for me. I’m not going to buy anymore LPs this week, unless I happen to go out drinking this afternoon and the temptation gets too much for me.

    I have been having a cull this week with the unplayable/unthinkable being removed from their recyclable sleeves and now sit in a box bound for the tip. I mean…who NEEDS a James Last tribute LP on Hallmark? Even charity shops would despair at such a donation.

    • I bet that if you ditch that ‘Hansi’ tribute album, you’ll find a need for it the week after. It’s like clearing out old boxes and packing materials from the garage, and then having to buy bubblewrap and cardboard to post an unexpected parcel a fortnight later.

      • I still hanker after every LP I sold off thinking I didn’t like it (and there haven’t been that many). Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti, for instance, I got rid of because I didn’t care for the smutty side 1; rebought it at a collectors’ price and , of course, I’m still not happy; the inner sleeves don’t feature the line-up information my original copy had. This record appeared 36 years ago!

        This is the story of my life.

    • Don’t worry. Relapse is a normal part of the process of giving up. People who stop smoking make, on average, thirteen attempts before success.

      Start again tomorrow.

      • Jesus, I spent three years giving up smoking.

        By which I mean literally EVERY TIME I went across the road to get tobacco I told myself it was the last time.

        It was only moving house that cured me. (Before that I was merely curing myself – hahahahahaha, oh well please yerselves)

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