Record Collector Confessions

I have a conversation with Instagram's @homefromtheforest a.k.a. Mark. Having begun collecting jazz in the late '90s, Mark is the first "real O.G." jazz collector to be a guest on the podcast. We discuss being a loner, stepping back from collecting and getting a girlfriend-now-wife, and building a collection over two decades on the salary of a delivery driver, amongst other thing...

In this week's monologue, I talk about my experience at the WFMU Record Fair last week, buying records over $200 and the disappointment that (always) follows, linear playback as a goal in audio and collecting, enjoying the challenging of approaching linear playback in collecting, and an update on my AM radio adventure, amongst other things. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confessi...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @midwest_record_collector a.k.a. James, our second guest hailing from Iowa! We discuss being intimidated by jazz, taking a college jazz course, the phrase "The music is the most important thing!", professional vinyl grading services, getting a higher paying job to buy more records, growing up introverted, the VC, alcoholism in our families, infl...

In this week's monologue I have FOUR listener confessions to read! I also give an update on my search for a preamplifier (which includes talking about a vintage DJ mixer I got recently), and I discuss an old idea to broadcast my own AM radio station, a difficult conversation with friends via a group text, and phone addiction, amongst other things. AM transmitter: https://www.ebay.com/itm/13490...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @thejazzbasement a.k.a. Jason, a 45 year-old gentleman from Washington D.C. who falls into the category of what I call a "heavyweight collector". We discuss buying records that cost $1,000+, making sacrifices, budgeting, sparking joy, anxiety around minimalist collecting, YouTube show and tell videos, jealousy, depression, IVF and becoming a fat...

This week I discuss a fiasco related to buying a phono stage on US Audio Mart, triggering content on YouTube and the Stereophile website, subjectivity and objectivity in art criticism, and philosophy of originality and creativity, amongst other things. Saxophone Colossus video: https://youtu.be/UbOIxc42ZG8?si=UnWz8NorEcY_bpCf Stereophile Fairchild article: https://www.stereophile.com/content/brill...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @abrasive_beautiful a.k.a. Jesse, who is co-owner of Rogue Planet Music, a record store in Des Moines, Iowa. We discuss getting kicked out of the house as a teenager, drinking as a social lubricant, audio gear, owning a record store, Instagram, and phone addiction, amongst other things. Jesse's IG: https://www.instagram.com/abrasive_beautiful Listener...

This week I have a listener confession to read. I also discuss several new records, an update on my tube amplifier build, some strong feelings of jealousy related to seeing another collector's Instagram page, and paranoia after a collector friend failed to get back to me immediately, amongst other things. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: richdgmono@gmail.com I hav...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @kalmiasoundcompany a.k.a. Jami, a 23 year-old musician and collector from Pittsburgh who is wise beyond their years. We discuss post bop, music theory, cassettes, ADHD, having more than one hobby, and spending as a means of coping, amongst other things. Jami's IG: https://www.instagram.com/kalmiasoundcompany Listener confession form: https://dgmono.c...

I have some money to burn and I have been thinking about things to buy a lot. I discuss new records, equipment, recent eBay auctions, Glenn Gould, DJ gig update, a vindictive Japanese Discogs seller, Van Gelder Studio update, and wondering if people don't like me when they don't get back to me. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: richdgmono@gmail.com I have been...

I have a conversation with my wife, Ako (@helloiamako). Ako is 53 years old (turning 53 on the day of this podcast's release!), and she brings a unique perspective to the podcast as a Japanese woman. We discuss growing up in Japan, studying English in London, how we met, OCD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, her "offbeat" taste in jazz (that usually excludes Blue Note), mental health in Jap...

In this week's monologue, I start things off with a great, detailed listener confession, then I move on to the topics of tubes, Alan Zweig's 2021 documentary "Records", hypermasculinity in collecting, mono playback and Internet collectors getting it wrong when discussing the science of audio playback, a budget update, a new record, OCD, and DJing. Listener confession form: https:...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @infinitesound__ a.k.a. Jamie, a 36 year-old Scottish collector, musician, and DJ who is currently studying to be a therapist. We discuss collecting as a mean of coping with loneliness, shopping addiction, eclectic taste in jazz, competitive collecting, and online collector communities, amongst other things. Jamie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/infin...

I start things off with a budget update, then share some news about a new Friends of Van Gelder Studio nonprofit in the works. I bought a new synth and so far I like it. I talk about the recent $3,250 auction price for an OG mono copy of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge", which leads me to discuss mono versus stereo. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: richdgmon...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @dollar_bin_phil a.k.a. Phil. We discuss Discmans, eclectic collecting, Phil's OG copy of Blue Note 1530, selling vinyl online, ADHD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Austism Spectrum Disorder, divorce, and the movie High Fidelity, amongst other things. Phil's IG: https://www.instagram.com/dollar_bin_phil Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/...

This week's episode starts off with a listener confession about reading jazz books (or lack thereof). From there I talk about a recent conversation I had with a future guest about racism in jazz. I also give a budgeting update and I talk about recent shopping addiction struggles, particularly the struggle to buy or not buy a new synth. Discussion between Gabriel & Malik: https://www.instag...

I have a conversation with Instagram's @vinylalbumart a.k.a. Mike. We discuss coffee, NYC record stores, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, trolling, therapy, budgeting (or lack thereof), and buying records we think we should have versus records we actually like, amongst other things. Mike's IG: https://www.instagram.com/vinylalbumart Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Emai...

In this week's monologue I give an update on my budgeting, my current feelings about shopping addiction, and the emptiness and depression that follows not getting what I want. I read a listener confession and comment on pride in collecting, and I close by talking about why I feel "different" in most social situations. Myers-Briggs Personality Test: https://16personalities.com Listene...

Rich has a conversation with an old best friend, Mike Capritta (@magicmikeypickles). Mike is 45 years of age, living in the Tampa area currently and from Schenectady, NY originally. Mike is a musician, bartender, NES nerd, '80s buff, and record collector. Rich and Mike discuss a bit of their history, collecting, music, recording, and OCD, amongst other topics. Mike's IG: https://www.instag...

Rich shares his ideas on how to handle the money from reselling records when on a budget. Rich publicly responds to an Instagram DM about jealousy and overthinking. Rich also waxes pseudo-intellectual about "The VC". Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: richdgmono@gmail.com I have been creating and sharing free hobby resources online since 2013. If you have ever...

Rich has a conversation with Instagram's @retrohifiguy a.k.a. Jay, a 28 year-old music teacher and band leader from Georgia. Jay shares Rich's passion for Blue Note and Rudy Van Gelder, and also loves to nerd out about tubes and vintage audio equipment. Jay also opens up about therapy, performance anxiety, and feelings of jealousy towards "heavyweight" collectors. @retrohifiguy I...

Rich gives an update on his budgeting. Rich reads the second ever listener confessional. Rich talks about Jackie McLean's "Right Now" album, a Christian McBride interview on YouTube, and negativity online in the context of an exchange with the Jazz Bums on their Discord server. Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession Email: richdgmono@gmail.com Christian McBride inter...

Rich gives an update on sticking to a budget and the future challenges facing him while on vacation in Toronto. Rich shares the podcast's first ever listener confession! Rich replies to an Instagram comment on air. Rich also opens up about past recreational drug use and PTSD, and gives an update on his hunt for new gear. Email: richdgmono@gmail.com Listener confessions: https://dgmono.com/conf...

Rich makes a call for listeners to volunteer to be guests on the podcast and/or submit their own confession via email to be read on air. Rich talks about how "the Record Gods" have looked down upon him with favor recently. Rich also talks a little about his fear of mania and also manufacturing downtime for better mental health. Email: richdgmono@gmail.com Listener confessions: https://dg...

I talk about why I'm doing this podcast. (In a nutshell, I want to talk about mental health within the context of record collecting.) I also provide a brief personal history with mental illness, and I discuss how my recent record collecting endeavors and mental health are connected. Email: richdgmono@gmail.com Listener confessions: https://dgmono.com/confession I have been creating and sharing...