It's not just me, I don't think. Things take on their own momentum, their own life. We are just part of the whole. I like seeing the parade.
Alan P. has been coming into the store since the nineties. He's obsessed with: David Gates and Bread, Bread, David Gates, The Kinks, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Bread, The Kinks, and....Tish Hinojosa.
He called yesterday, when I was too busy to talk to him, and working the front alone, because Brion had work off the floor. He ordered something that was no longer in print, so we had to make an order from a private party to fill the order for him.
Today, he bursts into the store on a crowded Friday afternoon, blathering and blaring his special order orders at us. You can't really do justice to his thing in print, but he is a word linker, he can't modulate his voice anymore, and he sounds like a cartoon character. "HEHHEHHHEHHHEEE THAT HOMELAND, IGOTBUSINESS HEHEHEHHEHHHEHEHEH ANDI'M HERE ANYWAY, ANYWAY, HEEHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHEHE, IWONDERIFYOUGOTHEHEHEHEHHEHEH THAT IN? HOMELAND?"
That it comes at the worst time is a given. There are people and products everywhere. It's very chaotic, and there is plenty going on. Lot's of selling, lots of side stuff. Two huge CD buys. Phone calls. The damnable BODO cards. Ticket selling. I'm ok with all of it. It stretches my abilities to keep this all together, because by nature I am pretty scattered. It just is what it is. It happens. But most of the regulars have been in, all the crazy regulars that grab things from the free box by the door, the giveaway rack, and everything.
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH YOU USTA HAVE THEM C90 CA-SETS A LONG TIME A-GO, I AIN'T GOT A CASSETTE HEHEHHEHE YOU KNOW THEY ARE OUT OF STYLE..HEHEHEHHHEHE WHENIGET MY HAIRCUT I GET THE MILITARY DISCOUNT, BUTTHEYDON'T CARE. I DON'THAVEMUCHHAIR! .HHHEHEHEHEHEHEH, WHERE DO YOU HAVE THE BLANK CD'S FROM HEHHEHEHEHEHEHEH?"
Where is he heading? Back to his life. The guy is what we refer to as a "recordstore legend" You get to know people, but on a very narrow basis, with only what they tell you about the details of their life to go on. And sometimes these people turn up in the news. Alan has been coming to our store as long as I have worked here. I remember when he brought his family along, and how "normal" they seemed. They also seemed pretty aggrieved to be there. And later, they got divorced. I think he is completely estranged from his family. And that could be sad, but you really never know about things like that. They could be complete assholes as well.
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