See Hear Podcast episode 49 - Desperate Man Blues and Vinyl

There are two sides to every story. We at See Hear HQ decide to
look at both sides of the contentious question as to whether record
collectors (and by extension, collectors of any physical item) are
archivists or hoarders.   Tim, Bernard and Maurice are joined
by Professor Michael Benton from Bluegrass Community College in
Lexington, Kentucky for episode 49 of See Hear to talk about two
films that explore record collection from two very different
angles.   Australian film maker Edward Gillan’s documentary
from 2003, “Desperate Man Blues” is a snapshot of the record
collecting activities of Joe Bussard from Maryland. Bussard has
been collecting old country, blues and jazz 78s from the 1920s
through to the 1950s. At the time of filming, he had anything from
15000 to 20000 records. His knowledge of what we currently call
Americana is unsurpassed. He has a genuine joy in listening to and
sharing the music he has spent a lifetime collecting.   On the
other side of the coin, Toronto documentarian Alan Zweig’s first
feature length film, Vinyl puts himself and many other record
collectors under the spotlight to ask what prompts them to
“accumulate” records. Zweig’s contention is that the music takes a
backseat to the gathering of records – all for the sake of the
hunt. He tells many of his interview subjects that they (including
himself) cannot form meaningful relationships with others, and so
record collecting manifests itself as a substitute for human
interaction. Far from flattering. Is this film just cheap therapy
for Zweig or is he just playing devil’s advocate to get discussion
going?   The crew discuss the different approach taken to the
subject matter between the films, as well as how close to home
these films (Vinyl in particular) may have hit. You may collect
DVDs, model aeroplanes, matchboxes…….the ideals of historical
preservation vs accumulation for its own sake still hold. Should we
judge? Tune in for what we believe to be a fascinating and robust
discussion.   The crew wants to thank Michael for joining us
for his first See Hear episode – it will not be his last. He was a
fantastic guest.   You can download the show by searching for
See Hear podcast on iTunes or download
from https://seehear.podbean.com   If you dig what we do,
could you please rate us at iTunes or even better, spread the word
that the show exists on social media or at real life social
gatherings so more folks can tune in.   Please join our
friendly Facebook discussion group
at http://www.facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast   You
can send us emails at seehearpodcast@gmail.com to suggest films
you'd like us to discuss, give us your thoughts on what we do or
anything else music-film related.   If you want to follow
Michael’s writings and activities, you can read his blog Dialogic
Cinephilia at http://internationalfilmstudies.blogspot.com. You can
also join look for the Bluegrass Film Society group on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/133248476719239/   Learn more
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