Recycled Records – San Francisco Haight Street
“回收”唱片店既出售也收購二手唱片。MJ到訪時間應在2000年或1999年，地點在三藩市Buena Vista Park附近的Haight Street，作者: Andrew Rush
昨晚打烊後，三個人來到店門前，有兩個身著黑衣，頭上抹了摩絲，看起來瀟灑富有，而第三個人打扮得像個阿拉伯酋長，從頭包裹到腳。他帶著墨鏡，臉上罩著棉紗，穿了一身白。其中一個讓我們開門，我們拒絕，但他堅持說，“他(指那個酋長)難得出來購物。” 事有蹊蹺，我的同事Mike便把他們放了進來，感覺就像我們將被打劫一樣。
他們一進來就直奔語言類節目區，我把他們帶到店鋪的後邊，在面紗和墨鏡除去後我見到了那張不可思議的臉，我還以為是個惡作劇。他正面的頭髮看上去是舞臺上那樣，極薄的鼻子上有個繃帶。但當我聽到那個聲音問，“你們還有更多愛倫坡作品的錄音嗎？” 我確定他就是真正的流行樂之王，Michael Jackson。我們回到店鋪前面後，他的同伴對我們說，“我想現在你們該知道他是誰了。”
就這樣，我與MJ相處的一個半小時的夜晚時光開始了 –––– 這一晚我向MJ分享了一些我最愛的歌曲；他向我分享了親切體貼，男孩般的舉止。我依然覺得很神奇，但我保證，我絕對沒騙你們。
由於我的頭腦還沒理清這段記憶，因此只好隨意回想了。他總在唱Arlo Guthrie的歌曲The City of New Orleans裡的句子，"Good morning, America, how are you"。他聞起來像神父，他們都用了古龍香水，但MJ的氣味更高級和隱秘。根據他朋友的要求我們播放了他最愛的歌之一，Lou Christie的Lightnin' Strikes。我們沒有演奏他最愛歌曲的樂隊The Cowsills的唱片。他想買Free Design的唱片，我們也沒有，他還想要101 Strings的唱片。他買了一堆Harry Belafonte，Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Temple，童聲合唱團，迪士尼的音樂還有許多60年代的流行樂。
我問過他想不想來張藍精靈的唱片，他說“不，謝謝你。” 他問，“你們有沒有The Fifth Dimension的歌Paper Cup？” 他還買了一些從裸體主義者雜誌上剪下來的裸體圖片，以及裸女的老照片。我問他要不要電視相關內容的舊書，他說“我要有關Brady Bunch的那本。” 他還買了一張Burt Bacharach的大海報。他的朋友只挑封好了的唱片，而MJ似乎不在意唱片的狀態和版次。事實上，他看起來根本不像個唱片收藏者，更像只是順手買一批唱片作為消遣。我引他到地下室查看舊東西的時候，他問我，“你喜歡Diana Ross and the Supremes的音樂嗎？” 我回答喜歡，並問他最喜歡她們哪首歌，他的回答是Stop in the Name of Love，我說我最愛的是I Hear a Symphony，他說他也喜歡這首歌。他表示很遺憾她們之間的不和導致她們沒能成功重組演出。
那時他告訴我他特別想要一個隨身聽，我說我家裡有一個願意買給他，他問，“你能拿來嗎？” 我就跑回家拿上隨身聽，還帶了一張Wandering Stars的碟送給他。他問我多少錢，我說“你願意付多少呢？” 他說“應該由你定價。” 我說15$就成交，他付了100$，他只有100$的鈔票。然後他問我“隨身聽好用嗎？” 我說當然，他說，“你能把碟插進去嗎？” 【這段我不怎麼理解，好像是MJ不會使用隨身聽，所以請人示範怎麼把碟塞進去】有趣的是我回家跑的是一個直角的上坡，所以我回到店鋪的時候不停地咳嗽，我想我必須馬上鎮靜下來，不然MJ就不會再靠近我了。這麼說是因為當時我已經觸碰過MJ: 在我帶他下地下室的樓梯時我扶了他的胳膊一把。但他一點都不像有潔癖的人，這方面他很正常。事實上他絲毫沒有端著架子，他只是一個讓你想友善對待的人。我給他播放了Bertha Tillman的Oh My Angel，Walter Jackson還有David Bowie的專輯Young Americans裡的歌Can You Hear Me。我叫他"Michael"，他會回避目光和微笑。當我給他那張Wandering Stars的專輯時，他問“這是正版吧？” 我說對，他說“很好。”
他給我們每個員工都簽了一張專輯，我的是Thriller。當我的同事Mike拿著一張綠野仙蹤的原聲帶時，他的一個同伴(自稱他與MJ12歲就是朋友了的那個)說，“我知道有一個天才的年輕人在那部電影裡扮演了稻草人。” MJ害羞地笑了。另一回，還是這個人給MJ看一張女歌手的唱片，我沒看清是誰，反正他對MJ說“記得吧，那時在舞臺上她摟著你不放。” MJ似乎沒有想起來，所以他的同伴繼續說，“沒想起來？我們那時和Liz【不確定是誰】在一起。” MJ說“我得看看錄影帶才知道。”
他的皮膚很白，化了粉底妝。他的眼睛很大，穿著鑲了珠寶的針織黑皮鞋。我沒怎麼看清他的頭髮，目測很長很直。最瘋狂的事莫過於，我們與穿著像個酋長的MJ逛了一會。我們是真的和他逛了一會，不是僅僅在後臺握了握手那種。我像對待自己朋友一樣觀察他是否喜歡我推薦給他的歌。他非常，非常親切，無論怎麼強調這點都不過分。他們準備走時要了濕紙巾和香皂擦手。我表示理解，在這樣一個舊唱片店工作我一天要洗二十次手。MJ說，“你們應該搞點餐巾紙，很好用，如果是嬰兒專用的紙巾就更好了。” 我應該能記起更多的，但現在我只記得他們離開後去了Hayward的墨西哥飯店。
原文地址: http://chuckprophet.com/blog/mic ... s_-_by_andrew_rush/
MJ表現出興趣的:
Arlo Guthrie是民歌手Woody Guthrie之子，70年代美國民謠歌手，The City of New Orleans是他1972年翻唱Steve Goodman的歌曲。
Lou Christie是60年代美國流行歌手，66年的Lightnin' Strikes是他最成功的單曲之一，很有Motown特色的歌。
The Cowsills是兄弟家人組成的60年代美國流行團體。
Free Design是60年代美國流行樂隊。
101 Strings是50年代改編管弦樂為易於欣賞的輕音樂的項目，多個樂團和領班參與。
Harry Belafonte是加勒比海流行樂歌手。
Sarah Vaughan是20年代美國爵士女歌手。
Shirley Temple是秀蘭鄧波兒。
The Fifth Dimension是60年代美國R&B組合，Paper Cup是他們1967年的單曲。
Brady Bunch是70年代美國家庭情景喜劇。
Burt Bacharach是50年代美國流行樂作曲者，MJ最愛的Close to You即是他的作品。
MICHAEL JACKSON VISITS RECYCLED RECORDS - BY ANDREW RUSH
Last night after we closed the doors at the record store, three men came to the door. Two looked like rich gay guys dressed in dark clothes and moussed hair, but the third guy was dressed up like an Arab sheik, covered from head to toe. He had sunglasses on and he had a cotton veil pulled across his face. He was in all white. One of the guys was asking us to let them in. We began to brush him off, but then he insisted, "It's very hard for him (the sheik) to shop." Anyway, it was starting to seem weird, so Mike, my colleague, let them in. It almost felt like we were going to be robbed.
They wanted to know right away where the spoken word section was. I showed them to the back of the store and when the veil came away and the sunglasses came off and I saw that incredible face, I thought it was a gag. His facial hair looked like stage hair and he had a bandage on his incredibly thin nose. But, when I heard that voice ask, "Do you have any more Edgar Allen Poe," I knew that it was really and truly the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. When I returned to the front of the store, his companion said to us, "I think you know who it is by now." Anyway, that began an hour and a half of my night with Michael Jackson — a night in which I shared with him some of the songs which I love the best and he shared with us his inimitable sweet, boyish presence. I still feel really weird, but I assure you, I shit you not!
I'll just have to get to the memories randomly, as the magic really hasn't had time to coalesce in my mind. He kept singing that line from "The City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie, "Good morning, America, how are you∑" He smelled kind of like a Catholic priest. They all were wearing cologne. But Michael had the scent of the super-rich, reclusive count. We played one of his favorite songs for him at his friend's request: "Lightning Strikes" by Lou Christie. We didn't have any records by the band that does his favorite song, The Cowsills. He asked for Free Design but we didn't have it. He also wanted 101 Strings. He bought a lot of Harry Belafonte, Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Temple, boys' choirs, Disney stuff, and a lot of 60's pop.
I asked him at one point if he wanted a Smurfs record and he said, "No, thank you." He said, "Do you have that song "Paper Cup" by the Fifth Dimension?" He also bought a bunch of old nude stuff-clipped out pictures from nudist magazines and old shots of posed nude women. I asked him if he wanted any of these old TV theme paperbacks we had and began to read off the titles. "I'll take the Brady Bunch!" he said. He also bought a big poster of Burt Bacharach. His friend wanted only sealed records, but Michael didn't seem to care about condition or which issue it was. In fact, he didn't seem like a record collector at all. He just seemed like he was buying a bunch of records on a lark. At one point when we had taken him down to the basement to look through all of the junk, he turned and asked me, "Do you like Diana Ross and the Supremes' music?" I said that I did and I asked him what his favorite song was by them. He said "Stop In the Name of Love", I think. I told him that mine was "I Hear A Symphony", and he said that he loved that one, too. He said he thought it was a shame that their reunion tour that was supposed to happen didn't because they couldn't get along.
At that point, he told me that he really wanted an old portable record player and I said that I had one at home that I would sell to him. He asked me, "Can you get it?" So, I ran home to get it and brought back a Wandering Stars CD to give him, as well. He asked me how much I wanted for the record player. I asked, "How much do you want to pay me for it?" He said, "Well, you have to name a price." I told him $15 and it was a deal. He paid with a $100 bill. All he had were $100 bills. Then he asked me, "Does it work?" I told him it did and he asked me, "Can you plug it in?" The crazy thing was that I had run most of the way home and it is practically a 90-degree angle straight uphill. So, when I got back to the store, I kept coughing and I thought to myself, "I gotta cool it, or Michael's not gonna want to be near me anymore!" Because at that point, I had touched him. I had gently held his arm as I had directed him toward the stairs when we were going down to the basement. But, he really didn't seem like a germ freak at all. He was really normal in that respect. In fact, he wasn't imposing at all. He was a guy who you just wanted to be nice to! I played him Bertha Tillman's "Oh My Angel" and Walter Jackson and "Can You Hear Me" off of David Bowie's "Young Americans." I called him Michael and he would avert his eyes and smile. When I gave him the WS Cd, he asked, "Is it copyrighted?" I said yeah and he said, "Good."
He autographed a record for each of us that worked there. Mine was "Thriller." When Mike, my colleague, held up a copy of the soundtrack to "The Wiz", one of Michael's companions (one who said they had been friends since they were 12 years old) said, "I know a very talented young man who was in that movie he played the scarecrow." At this, Michael smiled shyly. Another time, this same guy was showing Michael a CD by some female vocalist. I couldn't see who it was. Anyway, he was saying, "Remember, we were on stage and she was holding you and she wouldn't let go?" Michael didn't seem to remember and his friend continued, "Remember, we were there with Liz?" Michael then said, "I'll have to see the tape."
You know, his skin was very white. He was wearing makeup, like foundation. And, his eyes were really wide. He was wearing jeweled, woven black leather shoes. I couldn't really see his hair, but it looked pretty long and straight. The crazy thing was indeed, that we were hanging out with Michael Jackson, but even more, that he was dressed up like a sheik the whole time! Also, we were really hanging out with him. It wasn't like we just shook hands backstage or something. I was bugging him about whether he liked the songs that I wanted him to like just like I do my friends! Super. He was super sweet—hard to stress that enough. When they were getting ready to leave, they asked for wet paper towels with a little soap to wipe off their hands with. I said yes, I have to wash my hands about twenty times a day working in a dirty record store. Michael said, "You should get some HandiWipes; they're really great. Better yet, Baby Wipes." Anyway, I'll probably remember more, but I will say that after they left, they were going to a Mexican restaurant in Hayward.
Once upon a time (1990-1991) I lived on Webster Street in San Francisco with the nearest cross street being Haight Street. More of my disposable income went to CDs than pretty much anything else. Recycled Records on Haight and Masonic wasn’t far away, and I purchased many a CD in those hallowed walls. At that point in time probably 95% of Recycled Records’ inventory was CDs. A decade before Recycled Records’ inventory was probably 95% records (with the other 5% being tapes).
Flash forward to 2012 and the circle of life has ended up where it began as Recycled Records now sells little other than records again. Who could have predicted such a fate for the LP in 1991?
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