Why I Still Buy Records
I've always been fascinated by records — not just the music, but the mechanics of it. A needle riding a groove, translating physical motion into sound, no code or compression involved. There's something almost magical about that when you actually stop and think about how it works.
I'm also part of the last generation that remembers records still sitting on shelves in places like Walmart and actual music shops before they nearly disappeared for a couple decades. I didn't grow up chasing a revival — I grew up at the tail end of records just being a normal part of how people bought music, and I've carried that with me since.
That fascination turned into an actual collection, spanning more than one era of the format. I have a 1923 Brunswick phonograph and a sizeable collection of shellac records to go with it — the format vinyl itself eventually replaced. I also have a Garrard Type A vintage player, though that one's more for appreciating than daily use. For everyday listening, I run an Audio-Technica AT-LP120 with an Ortofon Red cartridge, spinning my growing collection of LPs and EPs.
That range changes how I listen. Streaming gives you everything and asks nothing of you. A record asks you to pick one thing and commit to it for however long the side runs. You can't skip around without getting up. You end up hearing the deep cuts you'd have swiped past on shuffle, and half the time those turn out to be the songs you actually remember.
There's a practical side too — I like objects that are built to last and don't quietly change on you. A record sounds the same decades later. It doesn't get pulled from a catalog or re-mastered without asking. What I own, I own.
It's not that different from how I spend the rest of my time outside work. I like a garden bed that was planned out instead of thrown together. I like a recipe I've actually made enough times to have opinions about. And on the civic side, I like decisions that get made carefully instead of rushed — that's a lot of what chairing the Planning Commission comes down to. Different scale, same instinct: slow down, do it right, make something that holds up.