Years ago someone told me that 1,200 high school kids were given a survey. A question was posed to them: Have you ever been to a stand-alone record shop? The number of kids that answered “yes” was… zero.

Zero? How could that be possible? Then I got realistic and thought to myself, “Can you blame them?” How can record shops (or any shop for that matter) compete with Netflix, TiVo, video games that take months to complete, cable, texting, the Internet, etc. etc? Getting out of your chair at home to experience something in the real world has started to become a rare occurrence, and to a lot of people, an unnecessary one. Why go to a bookstore and get a real book? You can just download it. Why talk to other human beings, discuss different authors, writing styles and influences?  Just click your mouse.  Well here’s what they’ll someday learn if they have a soul; there’s no romance in a mouse click.  There’s no beauty in sitting for hours playing video games (anyone proud of that stop reading now and post your opinion in the nearest forum).  The screen of an iPhone is convenient, but it’s no comparison to a 70mm showing of a film in a gorgeous theater. The Internet is two-dimensional…helpful and entertaining, but no replacement for face-to-face interaction with a human being.  But we all know all of that, right?  Well, do we?  Maybe we know all that, but so what?

Let’s wake each other up.

The world hasn’t stopped moving. Out there, people are still talking to each other face-to-face, exchanging ideas and turning each other on. Art houses are showing films, people are drinking coffee and telling tall tales, women and men are confusing each other and record stores are selling discs full of soul that you haven’t felt yet.  So why do we choose to hide in our caves and settle for replication?  We know better.  We should at least. We need to re-educate ourselves about human interaction and the difference between downloading a track on a computer and talking to other people in person and getting turned onto music that you can hold in your hands and share with others.  The size, shape, smell, texture and sound of a vinyl record; how do you explain to that teenager who doesn’t know that it’s a more beautiful musical experience than a mouse click?  You get up off your ass, you grab them by the arm and you take them there.  You put the record in their hands.  You make them drop the needle on the platter.  Then they’ll know.

Let’s wake each other up.

As Record Store Day Ambassador of 2013 I’m proud to help in any way I can to invigorate whoever will listen with the idea that there is beauty and romance in the act of visiting a record shop and getting turned on to something new that could change the way they look at the world, other people, art, and ultimately, themselves.

Let’s wake each other up.

- Jack White

Kat Von D has been one of my idols for quite some time if you cannot tell by my tumblr.  She posted this today and I found it very moving and inspiring, and while it is long I promise it’s worth the read.

“I met Bam Margera years ago-before the television shows, before the Jackass movies, etc etc. Back then I had only known of him through my little brother showing me his skateboarding videos.

One night, a mutual friend of ours from Finland introduced Bam and I at the Rainbow Bar in Hollywood. Bam thought I was “cool” because I had heartagrams tattooed on my middle fingers, and that symbol being the logo of one of our favorite bands, set up the instant connection we had bonding over music.  Although we had lots in common I never imagined we would be the close friends we are now.

As time would have it, we went through a lot together. Bam’s witnessed me drunk and in my lowest points as well as seeing me sober up.  He saw me go through my marriage (and my divorce), fall in love, as well as feeling heartbreak.  The two of us have celebrated birthdays, movie premieres, tattooed each other, watched countless bands in countless countries…

Bam was standing right next to me when I lost my beloved cat, Ludwig. Man oh man!  I cried a river on that man’s shoulder that night.  But on the other hand we have laughed our asses off and have a memory bank full of inside jokes.  

On his last visit to LA he came by my pad to say hello. I told him that he was more than welcome to crash in the guest room.  And like usual, I get the late night text (somewhere around last call) letting me know he’d be taking me up on my offer…

Being the early bird that I am, I got up much earlier than he did and figured I’d go wake him up, hangover or not.   It was nice to have some company and hear all about the antics that took place the night before… And I forget how, but he we got on the subject of this piece of paper his mom had found from his childhood.   It was a list of three life goals Bam had written out in the 3rd grade:

1. I will have my own skateboard, and my own skate shoe

2. I will own a red Ferrari

3. I will be best friends w Tony hawk

Aside from it being a “cute” story I found it to be so inspiring when you really think about it. After much work, Bam literally checked off each of those goals! I don’t think anyone of us could ever really imagine what tomorrow’s gonna look like, and most of the time, it’s never really what we thought we had originally even wanted.  

I know for me, other than my Dad, I didn’t really have too many heroes I looked up to as a kid.  I didn’t know anything about cars or shoe deals either. But I did know that Something inside me was born to create with my hands.  And once I started tattooing at the age of 14, never in a million years would I have thought I’d be doing all the things I’ve been able to do today, let alone STILL be madly in love with creating art.  But I sure am glad I tried and never gave up.   

 Having goals is always a good thing I think, and as we get older, having the drive to pursue them is even more important in some ways. It’s easy to get wrapped up in what others think is “better” for you - whether it’s your parents, your neighbors or society.  Bam told me when he was asked what he wanted to do when he grows up, a counselor at his high school told him to get serious because skateboarding wasn’t a job. The counselor promised him failure if he pursued those “dreams”.

 In Bam’s case, that counselor was clearly wrong, and I’m so happy he was able to listen to his passion and do all the great things he continues to do now.  

 But at the end of the day, if Bam didn’t get the shows, the movies, the skate shoes and everything else, I know he would still find happiness in skateboarding alone, and that in itself is REAL success.

Xo,

Kat Von D”

(Source: the-lovely-apocalypse, via marisacharity)