Folks,
The Talking Machine Forum has some new competition! The new British Board I mentioned in my last update. The UK & European Gramophones & Music Forum is up and running, congratulations and good luck! We at the TMF wish them nothing but success.
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
Folks,
This past week I was contacted by a lovely lady in Dorchester, Mass. through a friend. It seems she had come into possession of some old 78rpm records that nobody wanted. Rather than see these recordings thrown out she spent a little time online and found me. I was able to get a ride "across the bridge" and save these records from the city dump. I got some fantastic early twentieth century discs for my ever-growing collection. Oh, I almost forgot, she also gave me a neat little electic Decca phonograph probably from the 1940s. Thank you so much ma'am!
This week I also got a beautiful Columbia Grafonola table-top cabinet. I had planned on using it to replace some damaged parts on another Graf I have, but it's not exactly the same cabinet-it's nicer. So after some research I may end up swapping the works from the other one into it. Also this week I've finally begun efforts to catalog my record collection. This is something that will actually take a few years. I should have started doing this when I first started collection 78s!
The Talking Machine Forum is still going strong-ever growing! I can hardly believe we have nearly twelve thousand posts on over sixteen hundred topics in less than twelve months! The work on the label gallery continues at a snails pace, this is something else that will take years to accomplish and can never be truly complete.
I was saddened to hear of the demise of another gramophone discussion board, this one dedicated primarily to British and European machines. A new one has sprung up from the ashes and I wish only the best of luck to the founder and crew-Good Luck Gents!!!
On a personaly note-I just got back from dinner at my parents home-a delicious turkey dinner. Thanks Ma! I'm stuffed! :-)
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
Folks,
Earlier this month a friend and myself went over to Somerville to see "The Two Man Gentleman Band" performing at JohnnyD's. It was the second time I have seen them perform. They are a fantastic duo-it's a guaranteed fun night out when the Gentlemen take the stage! Check them out if they are in your area, or buy one of their CDs!
The Forum has been going well. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank our membership and all the great folks out there who have linked The Talking Machine Forum on their boards, blogs and sites. Thank you all so much!!!!!! If the TMF succeeds in the long run it will be because of all of you!
Babies, babies everywhere-everyone I know seems to having babies congratulations to you all!Boys girls and twins! Lots of twins these day it seems.
I've decided to join Facebook-an interesting experiment. I have managed to find one lost old friend and gotten closer to some family members who live a ways away. I think I'll stick with it.
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
Folks,
The Talking Machine Forum is pleased to announce the creation of our new Zazzle e-store:The Talking Machine Forum Shop
Thank you for your patronage!
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
Folks,
It's been awhile since I checked in, in fact I took a break from the internet on the whole for a while. There has been some negativeness (If that's a word), but it's not worth commenting on. I've got beyond it and am moving ahead. The Talking Machine Forum is going strong and ever expanding. It has surpassed my wildest expectations. I am so pleased and honored to be able to give a little back to this wonderful hobby that has given me so many hours of enjoyment. We have even made to first tentative steps in creating an on-line label compendium. It is a huge undertaking, one which honestly will doubtfully ever be complete, but I hope we can make it a resource of note for all collectors. We are soliciting contributions and input form all collectors. So if you have some rare or not so rare 78 rpm labels or some knowledge of label or two-we'd love to hear from you! For now you can e-mail me at columbia "at" talkingmachine.info. Thanks!
Earlier this year a dear friend gave me tickets to see Boston's Gay Men's Chorus perform "Outside The Box" at the Jordan Hall.
What an amazing performance. It was my first time in the Jordon Hall-what a beautiful venue, I hope to see many more concerts there. The Boston Gay Men's Chorus is likewise fantastic. What amazing voices-and a wonderful sense of humor. I still chuckle when I think of their take on Monty Python's "Ever Sperm Is Sacred" and West Side Story's "I Feel Pretty". It was great treat-Thank you George!
I also went out for dinner in Inman Sq., Cambridge, Mass. to the historic S&S Restaurant with Stan, George and the gang for the first time. It was a blast and the food was fantastic.
Finally, I just got back from a trip to Upstate New York to visit with a fellow collector for a long week-end. I had one of the best time I've ever had! Thank you Sean! We spent many hours just spinning record after record-everything from Grand Opera to Tin Pan Alley to Rock & Roll, a little bit of everything. I got to hear a Pathé Actuelle Luminaire in person for the first time-very impressive! And of course my all time personal favorite-The Victrola Credenza. I was able to see quite a few phonographs up close in person that I've only been acquainted. with through photos previously. I had a magnificent time and came home with a wonderful shellac "care" package.
For the trip I took Amtrak's Lakeshore Limited from the South Station to Albany-Rensselaer-I can't recommend the train enough-it's the only way to travel. I arrived ahead of schedule both directions!
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
This year's parade was one of the best I've seen in many years. Everything, the parade, the weather and the spectators were great! The BPD was giving out tickets for public drinking-I never noticed that before-it worked out well. The visitors to our neighborhood seemed for the most part to be very well behaved this year. There was almost no litter to pick up after. The weather was perfect! It was a grand day and I think everyone had a marvelous time.
After the parade I sat out on the front steps with a couple of friends and my neighbor's brother watching the crowds and playing some Irish records on one of my portable acoustic phonographs. We got a few nods and smiles and two "very happy" ladies from Florida stopped to listen to a few selections. John McCormack was a hit with them-and so was my neighbor's brother!
Above are a few photos I took with my digital camera. Not the best but they'll at least give an idea of some of the parade. The batteries were going dead so I couldn't take as many as I'd have liked.
Here's a video from a friend's YouTube page of a great old recording that is apropos for the day.
Sláinte
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
Folks,
The new T.M.F. is doing very well so far I'm pleased to report, better than me in fact. I got myself a bad case of the winter blues I think, but with the warm weather coming things are looking up. Out of the phonographic diaspora of the old Vic Board we seem to be the busiest group. I hope we can build a co-operative of forums as time goes on. I will soon be listing links to them all here and on my page and forum. We hope to begin a few dedicated archives on the T.M.F. soon. A collection of Edison Diamond Disc sleeve song descriptives, a label dating gallery, an ephemera gallery & more as well as our ongoing machine gallery. We currently have had visitors from twenty-nine nations. It is a pleasure for me to be able to give something back to a wonderful hobby that has given me so much is such a short time.
This week we celebrate St. Patrick's Day here in South Boston with a parade on Sunday the fifteenth. 2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade Info. The Parade has been held every year since 1901 although officially it was the Evacuation Day Parade for most of that time. You can read a bit about the holiday here if you'd like.
I was going to go to a concert tonight, but it looks like it's going to be a night in for me instead. Nonetheless, I'd love to give a plug to the band I was going to see-The Two Man Gentlemen Band. Check them out. If they are going to be in you area it's a guaranteed entertaining night out! Plus free kazoos!
I'm going to attempt a few changes to my YouTube channel I think. I hope I can now embed videos here for a start.
Sláinte
Good Night & Good Luck,
John
