09/08/05
01. 2 LPs, 3 8-tracks, 5 blank cassettes
So as a Katrina evacuee, I'm back here in my old room at mom's house in Baton Rouge for the foreseeable future. Let me tell you, friend: thrift stores in Baton Rouge just aren't the same as thrift stores in New Orleans. Not as much chance of finding that long lost Bee Gees album you've been looking for forever. Not as much chance of finding that obscure Pong clone from the 70s. Not as much chance of finding anything you give a shit about, really. That being said, there are treasures waiting to be discovered out there in Big B.R. I got a taste of them today in the form of some kooky albums, some much needed electronics, and a first for Thriftcrawler - clothing!!
Let's start with the music portion, shall we? The albums and 8-track cassettes are from Goodwill on Florida Boulevard (next to Pancho's!) and the blank cassettes are from America's Thrift Store on Mall Drive. The latter is a fairly new store in the old Wal-Mart building near Cortana Mall, and this is the first time I've been to it. Here's how it stacks up based on only one visit:
01. Electronics - 6/10 Decent selection of stereo components in various states of disrepair ranging from "pretty good" to "completely thrashed". Cheap plastic cameras, clock radios, hundreds of ancient answering machines. The usual.
02. Video Game Crap - 5/10 I only managed to spot a Sega Genesis, a few NES peripherals and some old Atari 2600 games I already own. This type of stuff comes in (and moves out) fairly quickly, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and keep it at a 5 for now.
03. Toys - 6/10 Two large double-sided rows of toys; unfortunately, most of them are sealed up in plastic bags. Points deducted.
04. Music - 5/10 Fair-sized selection of vinyl (all crap), huge selection of cassettes (mostly crap), small selection of CDs (all crap). Not giving up hope just yet.
05. Clothing - 8/10 I only went through a few rows of shirts, but the clothing section is immense. Name brands and knockoffs, hipsters and penny pinchers, Tommy Hilfiger and wolf t-shirts: it's here. For you hipsters, I must add that nothing I could readily spot was pre-80s. Fairly recent stuff.
06. Computer Shit - 6/10 Printers. Lots of printers. There was also an old neon iMac from back in the day which I considered buying (as a future collector's item.) Not a great selection, but bonus points for the Commodore 64 monitor!
07. Useless Baubles - 9/10 You can't turn around in this place without running into a poorly-made snow globe or ceramic cherub. I've seen worse, though.
08. Books - 8/10 I didn't get a good chance to look at the actual titles of the books, but there are billions of them in this place. There's gotta be a few decent reads in there.
All in all, a pretty good thrift store, I'd say. Oh yeah, here's that music I promised:
01. Tir Na Nog - s/t (Chrysalis - 1971) The name sounded familiar, so I decided to give it a go for 79 cents. Fruity Celtic folk. Whoops. I think I remembered the name from a reference made (probably by Tom Servo) on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thanks for nothing, guys.
02. Shel Silverstein - Freakin' at the Freakers Ball (CBS - 1973) Okay, maybe I'm just way out of the loop here, but who the fuck knew that the writer of such children's classics as Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic was also some freaked-out hippie who played DEVIL MUSIC?? Actually, I haven't been able to listen to it yet seeing as how my two turntables are back in New Orleans possibly floating around in toxic shitwater, but one of the songs is named "I Got Stoned and I Missed It"! He's talkin' about WEED, man!!
03. ABBA - s/t (Polygram - 1975) I don't care what you say - Agnetha Faltskog was hot. By the way, I can't remember how much the 8-tracks were. Probably around 49 cents a piece.
04. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (Columbia - 1969) Great live album featuring "I Walk the Line", "Darlin' Companion" and "A Boy Named Sue" - which, coincidentally, was written by none other than SHEL FUCKING SILVERSTEIN!! Seriously.
05. Banded Together - s/t (Epic - 1979) I don't know if this is some kind of hillbilly superstar team-up or just a collection of various C&W artists, but it features Johnny Paycheck, the Charlie Daniels Band, David Allan Coe, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare (who?), and George Jones. Best song title goes to Johnny Paycheck for "(Stay Away From) The Cocaine Train".
06. Five sealed, 90-minute blank cassettes 450 minutes worth of mix tape. 99 cents each.
02. Montgomery Ward Airline Stereo 8-track player/radio
03. Realistic SCR-2500 AM/FM Stereo Cassette Receiver
When I had to evacuate New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina two Sundays ago, let's just say I was in a hurry. I wasn't sure what to bring (I could only fit so much in my car) and I wasn't even sure if I needed to bring anything; at the time, I had no idea how bad things were about to get. Anyway, I ended up packing things like all 100 or so Atari 2600 games I own and my Dreamcast sans joypads, cables and games - and I forgot things such as my vinyl records, Unit Z, and the stereo I plug my computer into. Well, to avoid listening to music through two cheapass, borrowed computer speakers (which were appreciated!) while I'm in Evacuee Limbo, I decided to go out and find a new unit with an AUX plug...
The Montgomery Ward Airline model stereo 8-track player wasn't that unit (although it does have AUX input,) but it looks great what with the chrome, wood-grain, and those strangely appealing (to me, at least) track selector lights. Works well, and was a steal for seven bucks at America's Thrift Store.
Alright, I know it's a Realistic, but it's actually a good little system and suits my needs perfectly. 1/4" headphone jack, L/R 1/4" microphone jacks, Dolby NR/Tape/AUX/Phono/FM/AM buttons, L/R recording level VU meters, Norm/Cr02/Metal selector, L/R recording level selectors, Bass/Treble/Balance selectors, Mono/Loudness buttons, and a tape counter. Sounds nice, too. Ten bucks at Goodwill.
Aside: I've noticed that things are a bit cheaper in Baton Rouge thrift stores compared to the ones in New Orleans. Not too surprising, really.
Special Bonus!! Dust on my desk that hasn't been touched since I moved out!
04. Wells Fargo t-shirt
What's not to love about a t-shirt with the phrases "Chicken Drop", "Tube-A-Thon", "Liki Tiki" and "Lynyrd Skynyrd" boldly emblazoned across its front and rear? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing. Apparently made for some sort of company picnic/vacation for Wells Fargo employees, this was 95 cents at America's Thrift Store.
05. Commodore 64 Video Monitor model 1702 (again)
Of the other things I couldn't manage to bring with me to Baton Rouge, my Commodore 1702 monitor is among the ones I worry about the most. It was up pretty high, but I'll have to wait (how long??) and see. Thankfully, America's Thrift Store came through for me today in a big way. You know what they say about first impressions? Well, ATS impressed the hell out of me with a 1702 on my first trip there. Only ten bucks, too! No control panel cover - no big deal.
I have to say, the first Thriftcrawler report from my temporary headquarters in Baton Rogue was a resounding success. I hope this bodes well for the future. I'm certainly gonna make the best of it, but I still can't wait to get back to New Orleans. More updates to come...
© 2005 seawall
