Sound It Out

This programme contains some strong language.

Sound It Out is the only record shop in Teesside,

which is a massive area in the North East of England.

It's quite disturbing, to tell you the truth.

I mean, I remember loads of shops when I was growing up

and now there's none left at all.

You just go onto the internet, you go onto Google,

type in "Teesside record shops" and I'm the only one that spouts up.

You'll like this one, it's good.

There is an HMV, but we don't really count them as record shops.

Men like to collect, men like music,

men collect music,

men go touring country for music.

That's why I like working here, because it's...

It's not the ordinary people, it's the random people.

-Now it's called the Jacksons.

-The Jacksons best of or...?

No, it's the English Jacksons not the American Jacksons.

They call him Mike Jackson...

Right. He wrote the song Blame It on the Boogie, didn't he?

That's the one! Have you got an LP of it?

It's going to be something I'm going to have to investigate.

I can't say offhand.

-I'll pop in next Saturday.

-OK, mate, I can take your number.

-It's OK. See ya.

-Cheers.

There's a canny few.

About 50,000 last count.

So if I came in and had a really, really specific record in mind

would you be able to find it?

Yup. I could probably find it straight away.

I know where everything is here.

-Everything?

-99%.

Have you got a copy of...

Three Feet High And Rising?

-Nancy and Lee?

-Erm, no.

I've got one Nancy Sinatra CD and it's a Sundazed reissue from '96.

And that is over here. On CD.

There you go.

Boots by Nancy.

I knew I had one somewhere.

I've been selling records in Stockton for 17 years.

Now that's frightening.

I am completely off the beaten track.

The only reason you come down here is the Job Centre's next to me.

So you get people walking to the Job Centre.

There's a cheap pub across the road.

In fact, there's lots of cheap pubs around me.

INDISTINCT CHAT

I am, yes.

I've just heard a record in the pub there.

Sultans of Swing. Dire Straits.

Have you got it in? Or can you order it?

I can order it, definitely. I'll just check if I've got it in.

-Sultans of Swing. Dire Straits?

-On CD or vinyl?

-CD.

There's no rush, mate, we've got all day.

I've got all day, rather.

-It's on here. Sultans of Swing.

-Beautiful!

Money for Nothing album.

Say that again.

-It's the first track on that album.

-Is it?

-Yep.

There. Sultans Of Swing.

-Oh, I can't see that.

-Well, it's on there, first track.

I'd need a magnifying glass to see that.

Oh, beautiful.

Twice you've came in now and I've sorted you straight away.

Sorted me out, yes.

-That's £5.

-£5, there we are, Thank you very much.

-If I hear any more I'll pop in.

-Yes, please do.

-Thank you very much.

-No problem. Thank you.

-Good service.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

People come in and want to speak to Tom.

They've dealt with Tom for the last ten or 15 years.

He knows what they like and they know

that he will find something that they like.

Has he been on again?

-Who?

-Tom.

-No. I'm expecting him to pop in.

-As in today?

-Yeah.

Right.

I like me music and without this, yes, there'd still be the live gigs

but I wouldn't be able to source the vinyl that I want.

And Tom can nine times out of ten help me with that

if it's a certain one I'm looking for.

It might be as exactly the same record as I've already got

but I am a person who will collect seven or eight versions

of that record because of mis-spellings on the label

or different coloured labels for that particular reason.

I mean, it's not fanatical. I don't think.

It's just something that I enjoy, y'know?

There's nothing like doing six solid nights,

one after the other, of Quo.

Literally, your ears are bleeding you're bouncing up and down,

and it takes you about a fortnight to come down from it.

It's great fun.

People say I'm mad but I don't smoke, I don't drink,

I don't have a woman so... What more do you want?

I mean, I've seen Quo, it'll be coming up...350,400 gigs.

That is literally like an addiction.

It's like going along to a drug dealer and going...

And you go to a Quo gig and you're like...

HE SNORTS

About the last week before a gig I will play continual Quo,

for a week solid.

It get's me in the mood, y'know?

And you go there and you literally come out of there

and you're soaking wet

because you've literally been pogoing for about two hours solid.

I mean, all you see when you go to a Glasgow Quo gig

is the front five rows are just solid head-banging.

That, is my...pride and joy.

That has never, ever, and I know this is going to

sound absolutely gross, but that has never been washed

since the day it was signed.

That is a certain advertisement for a Mr Tom.

Sound It Out Records.

He has departed me of my cash for most of this collection.

At the end of the day, you know,

Tom's one of very, very few people who is still an independent.

Like I say, you go to likes of...

-HE COUGHS

-HMV.

They're so impersonal.

You know, it's like, it's the old battery farm.

Get them in, get the money off them, get them out.

Whereas, Tom is one of those who is passionate.

Every time I think of something or an artist to order,

I'll write it down.

But then it just gets piled and piled and piled up everywhere,

as you can see.

Is David the one that keeps everything tidy?

HE SIGHS

Yes, and no. He keeps the shop tidy.

I have an order here.

It looks mental as here but I know where everything is

and he comes in and tidies up and I lose track of everything.

So what about your hyper dub stuff or your dance stuff?

Do you not want that in the dance section?

It's dubstep, I don't want to ruin the dubstep.

I might have a purge of that cos...

So you could just purge the whole section.

Is it a big thing trying to organise the shop?

-HE SIGHS

-Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, it's never ending. It's all for ever changing.

That's why it does help to brief Tom on where I've moved stuff to

because I just keep moving it.

And now I can't remember where half the things are.

Who's in charge?

Oh, that'll be him.

All this work is never ending, but it's good.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

I have to listen to everything that comes in.

Every single style of music,

so when someone comes in and asks for some free jazz

I know where it is, I know what I've got in stock.

All the many forms of dance music which is just...

And rock music as well.

There are so many different genres.

It's just an insane amount of genres.

In Stockton I do sell a lot of heavy metal because it's a hard area

so you get like people into heavy metal

and you get them into hard dance music.

HE SIGHS

Makina is a made-up genre around here.

It only exists from Newcastle to Middlesbrough.

It doesn't exist anywhere else in the country, as far as I'm aware.

Except for Spain where the majority of the records do come from.

It's like...

Oh, God.

Terrible nursery rhyme, cheesy trance.

Is this all on, Tom?

Yeah.

THUMPING DANCE MUSIC

HE RAPS

# Bounce with me, bounce with me

# Feel the energy

# Bounce with me, bounce with me

# Feel the energy. #

Think of a subject and then make a rhyme about it, really.

Most of them are about myself, about my life,

things I've done, stuff like that.

Catchy things what would stick in your head.

Bits of what you like about things and then put it into your rhymes.

People can relate to them, can't they?

And that like you said there, just like Mario, you know what I mean?

Super Mario. I'm super just like Mario.

There are loads of ones like that, aren't there?

HE CONTINUES TO RAP

I've DJd in a couple of places.

Most times is our mates' houses and that.

There are loads of us, about 20 of us one time there was.

All 20 all fighting for toilet space.

All crammed in a room like this.

All crammed in a room smaller than this.

I get goosebumps and that when my mix is going tight,

when my mix starts popping,

popping is when both beats hit perfectly

and it creates like a different sound.

When it starts popping you get a good buzz out of it, it's class.

Everyone's dancing because of you,

because he's playing the tunes and I'm MCing.

Proper class, you get a good buzz off it and that.

-Teamwork thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

# You gotta bounce b-b-bounce!

# We gotta bounce b-b-bounce!

# B-b-bounce b-b-b-bounce! #

Anyone can come in here and I'll talk to anyone, you know.

And I'll talk to them about music, even if I don't like it or whatever,

I'll talk to them because I get off on music so they can tell me

what they think of things and...

-Don't Want To Be Free, David, did you say?

-Pardon?

Don't Want To Be Free.

Is that the single that you're looking for, that one?

-Yeah.

-It was there.

It just needs a new CD case on it.

She's in the back, she's in the back office on the computer.

He's just jealous because I'm employee of the month every month.

Yeah.

It's good because she'll come in

and for all her technical and computer stuff

she will kick Tom's backside and make stuff happen

and push Tom to do stuff.

What are you going to do about it?

I'm just going to put stuff on. I know but you've had it.

Kelly, I'm not giving excuses, right. It's really difficult.

I know it is.

That's why you stay back after work when it's quiet and do it.

It's definitely a male obsession, as it were.

Well, it is in here.

I'd say 99% boys and 1% girls come here and buy records.

Yeah, out of every 100, maybe one girl.

That's terrible.

I don't know what it is, it's the...

Blokes do like to collect things

and they like to keep hold of their youth, I suppose.

Never grow up.

Boys don't want to grow up.

I don't want to grow up, it's full of responsibilities.

There are lady collectors of vinyl

-but they are very few and far between.

-Why is that?

I don't know, I think it's seen as a pursuit for a gentleman

and you just go out and go to the pub, down a few pints,

you go to a record shop, you buy a few.

Where I hear these records, I go in The Garrick.

Yes, well, they are always playing good stuff in there though.

Yes, yes, and you'll try your best with that other...?

-I've got it on my pin-board.

-Pardon?

I've got it on my pin-board, don't worry.

Oh, have you? There we are. Thank you very much.

-Not a problem.

-Lovely job.

Are you photographing me again, darling?

I am, yes.

Do you want any male models? Look at this.

-You're a fine specimen.

-HE CHUCKLES

I like the 60s and some 50s.

60s, 70s and 80s.

I'm building up a collection of discs.

And do you collect vinyl?

No, no, no, I gave all my vinyl away.

I shouldn't have because my favourite songs were on them as well.

And are you from Stockton?

Yes, I'm from Stockton, yes. Hampton Road, Oxbridge.

So if there's any young girls out there,

must be over 18, I'm available.

HE LAUGHS

Do you think that will do you?

I think that's lovely.

Oh, well. I wish you the best of health.

He's got a credit account.

He comes in once a month and pays £100 in each month.

It's just easy if I know that it's only £100 a month.

It comes from working out a budget.

So you're a very loyal Sound It Out customer?

I've been buying records off Tom for what?

-Nearly 20 years.

-Nearly 20 years.

-It kept you out of trouble.

-It keeps me out of trouble, yeah.

What do you do for a living?

I'm an auditor.

Like an accountant?

I work in insurance. Insurance auditor.

I don't know, it's a collection of like the last 20 years

of my music listening life.

It's, you know, I can remember where I was when I bought the records.

The first time I listened to records.

There are like some records here that are just...

Really important.

Yeah.

Downstairs, I've got a CD player downstairs

so I listen to CDs downstairs but this is for listening to my records.

They get played and go straight back in their sleeves.

They don't stay on the turntable or anything like that.

It's very much, listen to then put them back into the bag.

How's your collection organised?

Alphabetically.

And all the artists are then ordered chronologically,

albums and singles.

The collection now is so big,

if I want to find a record, if it wasn't in an order,

you know, there's 2,000 records here, it'll take me a while to find them.

Whereas, if I wanted to listen to mid-period David Bowie

I know exactly where it is.

The Man Who Sold the World,

Hunky Dory, The World Of David Bowie.

The reissue of The World of David Bowie with a different cover.

I don't know why I've got the same songs twice.

Changes One, then Low, Heroes, Stage, Lodger, Scary Monsters, Changes Two.

Let's Dance with the £2 sticker on it.

I think I do like organising.

Record collections are never finished,

they will only be finished when they stop selling records

and I don't think that's going to happen, so it'll never be completed.

I don't know what I'm going to do when that box is full.

I need to find more space because there's no more room for records in here.

There's two boxes at the top of the stairs

and they'll be in my room next.

My addiction with records is I'm addicted to music.

I like to hear everything at least once.

That sounds mad.

What is it about records?

Just having like for example having the original release of something.

Half the guys that buy these records probably don't play them

but they have got them in their hands

and they're in their shelf and they're in their label and you know.

With records it's never ending.

You can go on and on and on and on.

I've just had a sort out and have a few records.

-Probably about seven.

-Fine, fine.

13, 14, 15 there.

That's five and ten.

-Cheers, Graham.

-I'll be back.

-OK, see you later.

-See you later.

It's like 80s pop stuff.

I can't do anything with them, I'm afraid. The box is nice.

The box is worth more than the records.

HE LAUGHS Fair enough.

-Cheers.

-Cheers. Thank you.

Unfortunately, the Beatles ones are too scratched for me.

-Yeah.

-But it was nice to see them.

It's just like they have been well loved,

they have been well played, you know.

So I can't sell them so...

Do you get a lot of people in selling?

Yes, not as much as I used to but it's just how it goes with,

you know, like peoples' jobs

and people don't have a record player any more.

That's how I get most of my second hand stock.

Off sort of people like himself.

It's always quite heart breaking

sometimes when I have to go, "No, thank you",

even though it's a great album,

but it's been well, well played.

I'll try to do it without taking the whole KLF and my collection of cobwebs down as well.

There you go.

-Thank you.

-Not a problem.

What have you got?

It's a very obscure thrash album from 1989, I think.

Do you come in here much, in the shop?

-Quite a lot, yeah.

-What does the shop mean to you?

Quite a bit.

It's one of the only places I can pick my relentlessly obscure music.

What sort of music do you like? What are you a fan of?

Anything that's suffixed by the word metal. Essentially.

Once you've been in it for a few years, you tend to start one of these

and that's called a battle jacket.

Well, the idea behind it is you make one because you can get more

bands on it than just the one on your t-shirt.

-And eventually...

-It'll look like this and smell like this.

It'll look like this and start smelling a little bit ripe.

-Mine smells a lot worse.

-Yours smells like cheese.

On here I've got like Sodom, Razor, At The Gates, Forbidden, Death Angel,

-DSI, Carcass all sorts of choice cuts from the...

-Morbid shaped.

Morbid and intensely strange world of heavy metal.

And you never take it off.

I know. It's becoming an extension of my torso.

The more time you put into one,

the more sort of respect you get, really.

-From the community.

-Yeah.

You've put a fair amount of love into it

and it's love that you get from the love of the music.

This back patch took me three hours to stencil and paint

and I've had a lot of comments about how well sorted it is.

It takes a lot of work and love to do it

and it's the love that counts, really.

What is Pisschrist?

An Australian D-Beat crust band.

-D-Beat?

-Yeah, it's D-Beat.

Have you not made that up?

No, that is a genre, actually. That's what Wolfsbane are.

HEAVY METAL MUSIC PLAYS

THEY SING ALONG

Every second in the day that I can fill with music

I will fill with music.

Even if it's ten seconds, I'll put something on

because it's everything.

If it wasn't for the music I listen to, I wouldn't be who I am now.

-We wouldn't look and act the way we do now.

-Yeah.

But who are you then?

I don't know, who are you? What are you doing in my house?

We are general delinquents, really.

Well, thank you for that one, yeah.

It's quite a hard town,

it's quite a poor town, but there is such a lot of characters,

that's why I like it so much.

But if you go and have a look on the high street

you will just see many, many charity shops

and many, many pound shops,

which is very sad because it used to be, it's still the widest

high street in Europe, but they don't play on that any more.

Terrible really, nothing to do at all. No jobs.

I'd do any job because like, I needed the money

because I had a son and that. So I'd do anything for a job now.

Mechanics or something really, or painting and decorating,

but like no jobs at all round here.

I've been trying and trying, but can't get a job nowhere.

Boredom all the time really,

nowhere to go, there is nothing to do,

just like all the youths getting in trouble and that.

There should be like a youth club or something, you know what I mean,

for people to keep out of trouble, but there's not.

Never been since I was a kid and there still isn't now, ten year on.

Like, everyone around here, they all drink, nearly every day,

like smoke, nearly every day, and like...

It is hard to stay out of trouble, like,

you've just got to change, your friends really,

like I used to get in trouble all the time,

and like now I've changed my friends and now I don't get in trouble.

So that's why me and Frankey DJ and MC,

it's like something to do, it keeps out of trouble.

It's dreadful!

It's home really, it's awful but it's just,

-it's where we're from so we can't really hate it that much.

-I can.

See it's everyone like you and Jess are going,

"oh, I want to move away to London..."

I love it here, I love the North East.

I'm sorry, there is nothing to do up here.

I know the North East better than I know anywhere,

and it's just sort of safe for me, I feel safe here.

# My life flashed before me

# Is this so different?

# Is this all you can do?

# When faced with the difference of me. #

Is that kettle on, Tom?

-The kettle can be on, Bob.

-Oh, right, excellent.

Can't you hear it? I can hear it.

We have got an artist on playing live, Saint Saviour.

She turns out, she's from Stockton, so that's quite good really,

she wanted to play in the shop, which is bizarre, but exciting.

Compared to say somewhere like Brixton Academy, which is like,

where she's apparently played and nearly sold out,

it's quite daunting really, but it will be fun, I think.

Is it scary coming back with the idea

that you might see people from school?

Yeah, that's the most scary thing.

When I was growing up in Stockton, I was the shyest kid,

and I was quite an awkward, skinny, ginger, freckly girl,

and I hated school, I hated growing up,

and then I moved to London and just reinvented myself.

So, yeah, when you come back, people know you,

people actually know who you really are.

Hello everybody My name is Becky,

AKA Saint Saviour.

I'm a Stockton girl and I've come back for the weekend to sing for you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for having me.

So I'm going to play a few tunes,

I usually have a big band with me but I couldn't fit them in the shop,

and also they just wouldn't come up here,

so I came up on my own!

This is a song called When You Smile.

# From the start

# I wished for a brave old heart

# But all the while

# I was such a shy child

# And there again

# I'm lost in the dragon's den

# Here comes my knight

# And saved by modern life

# Cos I don't need

# No suit of armour

# Cos my instincts

# Are scared of you

# When you smile

# When you smile

# Ooh

# Cos I don't need no sword and shield

# Cos my instincts

# Are scared of you. #

Sorry, all my songs have really sudden endings,

it's because I haven't worked them out.

So...

-What's the name?

-Shane.

-Cool.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers, nice to meet you.

Thank you, as well. Thanks a lot. Bye.

I was rummaging around my music corner and I come across this.

All the songs are on there, and it's a double one.

-It's an old one, isn't it?

-There's a barcode on that,

-and I don't know whether it will tell you what title it is.

-Yep.

-Well, it's basically called More Rock 'N' Roll Love Songs.

-Oh.

Is it something you want another copy..?

I've lost the discs, I don't know where the discs are.

I want to re-order it if possible.

Now, being an old one, it could be out of circulation,

so what I'll do, I'll have a look on the computer, see what I can find.

-OK.

-I'll be a minute, OK.

-Oh, that's fine.

We'll have a look at a couple of discs, Janet, for you.

Now then, where's rock?

-Oh, there's Blondie.

-I don't want Blondie.

-You don't want Blondie?

-No.

Adam and the Ants, you have a look at that.

There's Bon Jovi, who's them?

I'd rather keep my comments to myself,

I had a girlfriend every night before I met this one.

It's more of a fun marriage then was it?

-Married? Oh, I'm not married. I'm still single.

-Still single?

Oh, yes, I'm still looking for a millionairess.

Ooh, that's good.

Is it 46 year, we've been with each other?

There abouts.

I could've done a life sentence and been free.

You could of.

I'm going to buy a grave, a grave plot,

I'm getting ready for the endless sleep. See you later.

Tada, darling. Love you, Baby.

HE LAUGHS

# Later when you came back

# And I had no energy left

# So we just walked round town... #

I think when I first started collecting records properly,

it was when you could still buy vinyl in record shops,

and you could just go in, and you know, there was there must have been,

what, one, two, at least three in Stockton,

maybe, oh, there was four. There was Record Marks.

There were four shops, five, no, there were five,

then there was the flea market, so there were six places

you could buy records, when I first started collecting.

Maybe even seven, if I think about Smiths as well.

My first record player was my parents'

old home entertainment thing, with the arm,

and you could stack seven inches up and pull the handle down,

and we didn't have a CD player for a long time,

and you get used to the sound, I don't mind CDs,

it's just I prefer the sound of the vinyl.

# Fortune reign

# And I know where you'll be... #

Tom's shop, the only shop in the North East,

once or twice a month he sees me,

because I'm more selective with what I buy,

I won't just go in and buy something you know,

I'm more selective.

It's because you want the power tunes, the ones no-one else has got.

Yeah, yeah, I like the power tunes.

When you go to Tom's and find the tune you've wanted for ages,

it's like a little buzz and relief, like you finally found it,

"yes, I've finally got it after all this looking,

"like it's my tune now."

I'm going to take these,

because otherwise he'll have me spending more money that I've got.

What this man doesn't know about music isn't worth knowing.

I don't know, I just like going there because, you know,

you can always talk to him,

talk to David as well, it's just, you know,

you never know what's going to be in there,

he sends me texts, "I've got these records."

Sound It Out has everything,

but with Tom, in a way he is a feeder,

Tom feeds people with what they need.

God, that sounds really bad, doesn't it?

No, but he is their feeder he is basically their dealer.

You know, he is their dealer.

Well, I've got a Will Oldham album up there.

-Nah, stop it, stop now.

-That'll do for the time being.

I definitely want that one.

Yeah, it was my first record I ever bought, I got it from Sound It Out.

I don't know, it was just brilliant

when I found out that he had one in Stockton,

because I could go there instead of paying about eight quid

to go to Newcastle.

-To not come back with anything.

-To not come back with anything.

It's a safe home for everyone really.

It's just everyone swallows their differences once they get inside.

-It's like the last bastion of sensibleness...

-..in the world?

No, in Stockton, certainly.

Imagine the horrible scenario that...

Don't even go there. I know what you're going to say, aren't you?

If he had to go? If he disappeared?

I would literally, physically cry.

Stockton's a very cheap place, well, the high street

is very expensive, but where I am, it's very cheap.

It's the cheapest rent in town where I am,

and that's why I've probably been here as long as I have.

About a year and a half ago the landlord of this block,

and the landlord of the next block were on about redeveloping

the whole block of shops,

and so for the whole year I was,

I didn't know what was going on, I was just going,

"right, I'm going to have to..."

Because it was going month by month, if I had to close the shop,

I'd know within a month of clearing the shop,

and so I just contemplated just closing completely,

and selling online for a while,

then going to do something completely different,

but luckily I'm still here, I'm still selling records.

Do you worry about the future of the shop?

Yeah, I worry about everything,

because I had this whole complacent attitude to, like...

Just over a year ago, thinking, "oh, the recession,

"I don't think that will ever affect me."

I worked for Zavvi for ten years.

And then Woolworths went down,

and their supplier of all their media stock was our supplier,

which because it was technically the same company,

it went under with Woolworths,

and then no-one would give, like Virgin or Zavvi,

good dealer rights, and basically that sucked us with it.

We found out we were losing our jobs on Christmas Eve.

Then Tom was like, "you know, why don't you come and work for me?"

I said, "well, do you want us?" He goes,

"well, you can come and do it." So, yeah...

..very grateful.

God forbid if this ever went, it'd leave a huge void.

# Routine bites hard

# And ambitions are low

# And resentment rides high

# But emotions won't grow... #

'It's all about emotions, records. Emotions and memories.'

'I can tell you exactly what I was doing when I play a record.'

Where I was, who I was going out with, it's all about memories.

Records hold memories.

# Love will tear us apart again. #

I'm going through this bag of records now,

and I can hear every single tune in my head, what it sounds like.

But it's never-ending. That's the curse of record shops.

You might think you have everything you've ever wanted,

and then you go, "Oh, what's that"?

# Turned away on your side

# Is my timing that flawed?

# Our respect run so dry?

# Yet there's still this appeal

# That we've kept through our lives

# Love, love will tear us apart, Again

# Love, love will tear us apart. #

Music just helps me get along, because without music

I don't honestly think I'd still be here, really.

I'd be six feet under by now if I didn't have any sort of song

blasting in my ears every second I can.

I'm not proud to admit,

but I have made a few attempts at, like, ending my life,

but if it wasn't for him and a lot of the stuff that I have on my iPod

at the moment, I wouldn't be here.

# Turn that system down. #

'I can safely say that if it wasn't for Skindred, I wouldn't be here.'

'I don't know why, just their enthusiasm.'

'It's a life-line, really.'

# Cannot take the music killa sound

# Yeah we'll turn it up But never down

# Stress it just drives Them underground

# Cannot take the music killa sound

# Yeah we'll turn it up But never down

# Stress it just drives Them underground

# Cannot take the music killa sound

# Yeah we'll turn it up But never down

# Pressure

# Pressure. #

Unfortunately, due to medical grounds,

I couldn't go to a normal school,

so I got put to what they called a "spastic school" at the time,

which I hate the term,

because I was called it for about fourteen years

and I think that was part of the reason why

I became sort of a bit reclusive and started this, you know.

That's one of the reasons, I look back on life,

you don't do it at the time, but you look back at it

and think maybe that was sort of a catalyst.

Then you think, "Well, it's you, your records, you're on your own."

Why did you end up going to a special school?

Basically, I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy,

epilepsy and hydrocephalus, which is fluid on the brain.

All of which is, touch wood, under control,

you know, with medication,

but it does limit you in what you can do and what you can't do.

I mean, for instance, I can't drive,

never will be able to, one of those things,

and I ended up on the dole for nearly six years

because at that time nobody wanted to employ a "spacka",

as they called them.

Now they can't get away with it, of calling you that,

but there is still prejudice out there.

What's your job?

I work permanent nights for B&Q.

Basically, pure and simple terms, a shelf stacker.

Empty the wagons, fill the shelves, make it all look pretty

for you people to come and spend your money and pay my wages.

That's the way I look at it, anyway.

What I think about when I'm working is, go in, clock on,

do the job, clock off, go home.

This is my release.

# If you want to turn me onto

# Anything you really want to

# Turn me onto your love

# Sweet love

# Come on, sweet Caroline

# You're my sweet Caroline

# You know I want to take you

# I've really got to make you

# Come on, sweet Caroline

# Take my hand

# Together we can rock'n'roll. #

When is your record collection going to be complete?

Never, never.

It will... I mean, I have already said,

I have been doing research into this, this sounds morbid I know,

but one of the things I've looked into is, actually,

I would begrudge selling this on to somebody,

because I don't know they would actually look after it.

I don't have any children myself, I don't have a partner,

and I thought, "Well, what's the one way I'd like to be with my records?"

I thought, "Well, how about being buried with them?"

and I was actually talking to a friend of mine

who is actually an undertaker, and he said,

"You know, there is actually two or three companies

"that can melt your vinyl down," he said, "And make it into a coffin."

So that's one of my things on my will, to have my vinyl melted down

and be buried with my vinyl.

In a vinyl coffin.

It's my idea of taking it with me,

you know, because to me, it means so much to me.

You know?

Oh, let's have a look at these, Janet.

Oh, let's have a look at these.

Is this what you like?

Meat Loaf, yeah.

Oh, that looks nice.

Meat Loaf, that one there.

Meat Loaf, again.

-Have you got it?

-Yeah.

And Meat Loaf again.

I think I can afford the three for you, Janet.

-We'll get the three of these.

-OK.

Yes, lovely, smashing.

Yes, good shop, this. Good shop.

So, are you the Meat Loaf fan?

Yeah.

She's got her own Jukebox. She's got her own Jukebox.

I've got my own Jukebox, yeah.

What is it about Meat Loaf, then?

I just like the way he sings, he sings nice.

I'm going to build a little collection up for her.

A collection of vinyls, I mean.

I'm glad that record player works for you, as well.

Oh, it's great.

-The best fiver you've spent for a long time, I should imagine.

-Yeah.

You've got to keep getting up, like.

Oh, well, that's the half the fun of records, keeps you fit.

Yeah, well, she's got to keep getting up.

Ah.

What have you got planned for the rest of the day?

Well, I'm going to have three bottles of brown ale,

then we're going on the market, shopping.

We've got the music first.

We always come here, yes, good service.

Anything you want, you can get it in here.

That's excluding loose women from Taiwan.

See you later, gentlemen!

Bye.

Bye-bye, pet.

Bye.

Goodbye.

He's lovely.

It's record shop day.

Store day.

Record store day, yeah.

It started three years ago...

-In the states.

-..in the states,

and it was to celebrate all these indie shops in the states.

There's actually about as many independent record shops

in the states now as there is in the UK,

because the numbers have reduced that many.

You know, when you think about how big America is

and there is the same number of indie shops there.

It's ridiculous.

So far, already, it's been busy, like busier than normal for a Saturday,

and today we've got a few bands playing

like Russell and the Wolves, who are just nuts.

They're like The Cramps but louder.

It's going to be busy with customers,

but also going to be busy with people coming to see the band as well,

and so it's going to be very interesting.

SINGS INDISTINCTLY

I love it when it's busy like that.

If that was like that all the time I'd be quite happy.

When I'm just on my feet and serving four people at once, that's great.

I love that. When it's quiet and it's just like...

You get a bit lethargic, but that, I'm, like, totally on a high now.

I'm knackered, but I'm totally on a high.

It's probably the busiest day of this year, I think.

Busier than Christmas.

Busiest day ever, ever.

It probably is the busiest day.

In my books for the year,

there will be a spike on this day, going up.

'I think the shop is an escape for a lot of people.'

'It's somewhere for them to go and escape their lives for an hour.'

'And that's important.'

'You put a record on and you're totally taken away

'for however long the record lasts.'

'and I think there's always going to be a market for that.'

# Supper in black

# Smoking jacket still intact

# And I believe

# You're anything but sad

# Suffer alone

# Some home

# Suffer alone

# Some home

# Suffer alone

# Some home

# Suffer alone

# Some home

# Suffer alone

# Some home

# Suffer alone

# Some home. #

# This isn't the time, This isn't the place

# You're out of line, I'm a disgrace

# You'll never be the best

# I've ever seen

# You'll always see

# The worst I've ever been. #