"Is record collecting a personality disorder?"

"A cry against lonliness? A manifestation of mental illness?

These ideas are provocatively explored in VINYL, in Alan Zweig's disturbing and melancoly, yet also darkly funny and passionate, exploration of this obsessive hobby."

Excerpt from article in HARP magazine. (The film's available on VHS, soon to be out on DVD.)

Link below is for a 9,000(!) word essay by Zweig. I haven't read it all, but what I did read is quite funny, insightful and "close to home" so to speak. Involves things like weeding Nick Cave and Jimmy Dale Gilmore collections by dumping best of to CD-R, then missing the CD's they came from. (Hmmmm.)

The film sounds much in the line of American Splendor, but with a narrower focus.

http://vinylconfessions.com/buying.htm

doug

 

You think any of us are gonna address this?

 

Perfectionist collector is just another term for obssesive-compulsive hoarder. Don't ask me how I know...

 

Why does it have to be viewed differently than other things people collect?

 

Oh good. Now, instead of just paying for the records, I also need therapy.

 

[puts on armchair psychiatrist hat]

DISCLAIMER: The below observations are not meant to be derogatory in any way. I see this behavior often in myself. Displaying behavior consistent with a disorder is not in and of itself a bad thing (that's the hardest lesson to learn about such disorders), as long as it doesn't impair one's ability to enjoy life.

--------------------

Yep, it sure is, at least the more extreme versions of it. I see it all the time here. People who will spend vast sums of time and money buying several different and expensive versions of the same music just to find the one that sounds that final .05% better. If that's not obsessive, I don't know what is. It has nothing to do with enjoying music and everything to do with fear of failure (failure = being incompetent/not having the best/somehow missing out on something due to personal shortcomings).

There's a difference between picking up a "new improved" edition of a favorite record (which drives the "remaster" business), and scouring eBay until you have 13 different copies of Sgt. Pepper, and can name the catalog number of each off the top of your head. Be honest: what drives this -- love of Sgt. Pepper, or fear that you don't have the best version? Think about it.

Compulsions? Don't get me started. OCD compulsions are all about rituals, and what's more ritualistic than the cleaning regimen many go through just to play a record? How many have a "ritual" built around unwrapping new purchases, looking at the liner notes, checking for defects, etc.?

Obsessive straightening/neatening? Everyone here whose record/CD collection is the most orderly thing in the house, raise your hand. Everyone here who won't loan out albums/CDs as much because of the missing-tooth-like gap on the shelf as fear of damage, keep your hand up. OK then.

*All* kinds of extreme collecting/hoarding represent disorders once they reach the point of dominating someone's life. There's a lot of shades of gray going up to that point, and the key is to be honest with yourself as to why you're doing what you're doing, and realizing if it's bringing happiness or stress and anxiety.

[takes off hat]

Ryan

 

Good point; and I don't know that it does--but "most" of us here are just more attuned to criticism based on such behavior as it relates to music.

It's like buying a new Miata (or whatever)--you go from hardly ever seeing one to seeing them a whole lot more often.

doug

 

Ryan,

All legitimate stuff in my view--and I definitely see some of these "traits" in my own behavior!

I just sunk a sizable chunk of change into a custom built cabinet (designed beautifully by my spouse) to house my entire cd collection--with prob ten years' space for growth (assuming I don't get a lot worse!).

It makes me feel "whole" at some basic level.('')

If we can't have perfection in all aspects of our lives, maybe this is one area where we can get much closer!

Of course, one big advantage of this site is finding comfort in knowing there are so many good souls/nice guys/gals who share similarly "endearing" character traits.

I'm anxious to see the movie!

doug

 

These types of analysis always beg questions for me:

What exactly is the optimum life one should have?

Balance seems to be of some importance, but is an unbalanced life bad?

Is this a passion being misinterpreted as an obsession?

Most hobbies are of a personal nature unless it involves a team activity of some sort. Are those of a personal nature worse because they may be engaged in solitude. How much "alone time" is okay?

I hold down a job of some self-employed value. I pay my bills (keep good records, too). I engage other people all the time. I read the paper every day. I even exercise. I don't kick my dog. I don't even have a dog to kick. I seem to be able to feed myself without embarassment. I can play Chuck Berry licks to my heart's delight. And yet I have thousands of CDs (knowing there will always be more) and listen to music on a regular basis. I'm generally happy. Sounds fine to me.

 

Here's a link to an article that addresses the collecting "issue" in general.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/12/15/DDG923MBEI1.DTL

 

As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I was going to bring up the movie Vinyl. :lol:
Some truly sad cases in that movie (the guy with half of his record collection in storage and wouldn't touch it b/c his ex-wife got the other half in their divorce settlement) and some truly funny stuff as well ("how many records would you say you have?" "a million, and I can tell you the track listings of each one-no, not that one!").
I think the example that resonates the most for me was the guy with records all over the apartment, who said he had to move records off his bed each night before he could sleep. Recognizing his loneliness, the filmmaker says something like:
"why don't we go out one day, and go hang out, and we'll get shelves for all these records and you can get them off the floor"
and you can see that he HATES that idea.
I actually met that guy some years ago, bought a Gabor Szabo album from him, RIP.

 

Hello to all.

I believe or better, I live under the truth that being surrounded by beautiful things is a good thing.

Most people would accept that but many will reject the idea that recordings and gear are worthy of collecting and caring.

Music is an inexpensive way to have something in your life that fills you with a sense of beauty, joy and of perfection.

Collecting is a key aspect of this, as it embodies the joy of owning beautiful things, and gives an outlet to our rational mind, keeps it busy and content.

Now, I've never understood why there are so few women that collect.

 

I freely admit that I am an obsessive, compulsive person. I am that way with a lot of things, checking the clock eight times before I go to sleep, checking to see if the lights are off, I obsess about the clock that that is not hanging straight on the wall, if there is a click in that CD-R I just made from an LP, if the gas guage in the car is really accurate...

 

I few women have told me that it's because they have other things to worry about, like taking care of children, making enough to pay for the rent, car...

I also think it is socialization. Women are taught at a very early age that it is more important to interact with people, and boys are taught that it is good to be independant.

 

Since I'm not antisocial, can't say that being independent or not liking to interact with people enters into it....

I think men are just collectors of certain things....records, films, cars, women , guns, other items....a lot of women buy romance novels(don't know if they collect them, though)....and certainly, other items as well, like purses, shoes, who knows what else....

But any diehard collector is simply obsessive, and fascinated by what they collect.....I have been for 40 years, don't expect that to change.


ED

 

"Is record collecting a personality disorder?"




Depends on which records are being collected.

 

Actually...

Obsessive-compulsive "DISC"-hoarder!!!

 

It is when the act of collecting becomes more important than the act of listening....



.....and...er...I think I'm a sufferer!

 

If it is, I'm not looking for treatment!!!

 

Aaaaah, Mark. You've got it bad. Therefore I offer my custom smiley:

 

I have absolutely no problem! I collect all kinds of stuff! I even collect 8-tracks and don't even have a working deck for them!


Oh.



Ermmmmmmmmm....did someone post the 12 Steps yet?