It is my pleasure to introduce a new Deep Groove Mono video blog (“vlog”, as the kids say) series titled Record Collector Confessions. The inspiration to do this partly came from fellow members of the jazz community who are making terrific podcasts, and it also came from filmmaker Alan Zweig. The confessional style of his 2000 documentary Vinyl made a lasting impression on me when I first saw it many years ago. After publishing my first “confessional” article in 2015 and a second last year, I revisited the doc recently, which led to a viewing of I, Curmudgeon, also by Zweig. In the process I got bit by the creative bug. I found a lot I related to in Zweig’s refreshingly honest approach to things, both in terms of his feelings and his willingness to be open about them.

I have always placed tremendous value on being emotionally honest because of its power to make me feel connected with other people in a world that feels increasingly dominated by competition. This series is meant to combat that competitive spirit and to bring us together as people who have an equal appreciation for music and old things. It is a proclamation to enjoy collecting and for each of us to be true to ourselves in our approach to this hobby we share.

It’s not always easy to listen to the voice of reason in our heads. We all get caught up in emotional turmoil, not just in collecting but in all aspects of our lives. But I firmly believe that listening to that voice leads to an authenticity in the way we live that feels really good.

The plan is to do one short episode every week, we’ll see where it takes us!