Old FH buddy and dear dear friend of mine, Ralph over at Via Bicycle has started updating the blog over there more regularly and I thought it deserved an announcement. He's been posting images of some of the rarer clutter in the second floor Museum at Via and talking about some of his own restorative projects, recent acquisitions and just generally, the life and times of a vintage bicycle aficionado. Plus, he's a really nice guy. A veritable fountain of know-how, you've probably seen Joel at a swap anywhere from Michigan to Virginia and didn't even know it. (Hint: he's the one with all the loot.)
Though I had already several reasons, I've just found another for why I really should've stopped in Pittsburgh on my way out to California. That reason is RecordRama. Or rather, Paul Mawhinney's collection of vinyl records which claims to be the largest in the world, an unofficial national treasure. His basement is in fact, an archive housing an estimated 6 million unique recordings, valued at almost $50 million. The following documentary style video clip by videographer Sean Dunne tells the tale:
I'm sure we all have our very own versions of Paul Mawhinney. Fabric Horse's is Jamie Dillon. Knowing that crackling sound of vinyl is enough to bring the story home. And as any ebay shopper can attest, a single part is always more valuable than the sum. Obviously, Mawhinney could fetch his price if he'd dismantle the collection. But who, with a sound mind, could blame him for being choosey? There comes a moment when an assembly of separate things becomes so much larger than its individual components that its value comes to express much more than dollars and cents. To find such volume of recordings is rare to be sure, and to find a single curator so dedicated to the maintenance of his art is equally so. If you don't already have a decided preference for the tangibility of vinyl, I certainly hope this little bit will awaken you.
