3 Shorts, for all 3 were short.
I sold a copy of The Beatles Let It Be to a ten year old boy.
In itself that is only slightly interesting, maybe a little unusual -even illegal**. But there’s more to this.
The mum and dad and their young lad came into the shop and after a short while browsing, there was a definite focusing on the Beatles section. Some discussion… A bit more discussion.. (they took a long time). Eventually, all decided. Boy picks record. Mum pulls out purse. Boy expertly fishes £10 from said purse and he brought it with a (very nice) copy of Let It Be to the counter.
Jammy sod! I found out that this was the 1st album and also the very 1st record he had bought. A kind of JFK, back and to the left, landmark moment and he made a good choice too. Many of us are not lucky enough to choose a great and classic album.*
Only a few days later and a similar thing happened. Once again a young family enter the VoxBox record shop. The parents are again young (around my age – 34 or so). Guessing, the boy is again 10 years of age. This time, there is much less discussion. He’s done this before?! It even looks like he knows what he wants. He picks a record. Brings record to mum. Mum leans down and mum’s purse opens again. With record in one hand, cash in the other the boy leaves his parents to come to the counter. Bish bash Bonzo! It’s Led Zeppelin IV! It’s ZoSo! It is a wonderful moment! And what a bloody fantastic choice young man!
So, is there is something happening here? It seems young mums are using purses again and children are buying records. Is this the 1980s? Serious childhood flashbacks of holidays at Butlins.
Our shop is next door to ReLove -our friends and a very nice baby shop. Perhaps because of that, we are regularily seeing pushchairs in and outside the shop. But the purses?
Finally, a family of 4 came in within that very same week. The parents are again definitely young. (under or around 34 -like young me)
Their baby is in a pushchair. The young boy this time must be six years old and is clearly shy of strangers. While pops goes browsing in the Back Room I attempt conversation with the wandering lad. More terrified of him than he is of me I ask the wee man “Do you like records?” Schtumm. Oh no! No answer. Mum smiles. Hmm. This might work instead: “Do you like the Beatles?” He thinks, then shakes his head. Lips clamped tight. Schtumm again. Well maybe… “The Kinks or the Rolling Stones?” Nope. Head shake and tight lipped again. Finally and curiously I asked him: “Who do you like?”
He pointed to an album on the shelf. This one:
“I like them!” he said and later went on to point out the bushy bearded hairy bushed hairy face of Jerry Garcia. I had just met probably the youngest Grateful Dead fan in the world for the album above which he pointed out and identified was indeed The Grateful Dead ‘Live Dead’.
And Yes! That made my day!
*Most of us will have embarrasing 1st records!
My firsts at 45rpm were: The Simpsons – Do The Bartman bought with 2 in a Room – Wiggle It from Woolworths in 1990. Not good but not too bad for a 13 year old. Darn the pop charts!
**We have a Second Hand Dealers License which stipulates that we are not allowed to buy items from, or sell items to, persons below 16 years of age. We are also not allowed to keep a smelting pot in the shop.