On my way to Centennial Park the other day I passed by a hotel that stands on the site of what used to be Tower Records, then became f.y.e., then closed its doors permanently. The original building was built in 1929 and served as a car dealership for decades.
I documented its decline and fall in this video. Note: please be sure to pump up the volume when you watch this.
Here’s the same place now. I know CDs are going the way of 8-tracks and dinosaurs, but it still bugs me that not only is the music store now gone but the space is currently empty too.
Never an empty space at your blog, Chris. Thanks for how you filled this place today.
Thank you for bringing your face into this space.
Wow! How many years did you spend photographing this building? Why did you choose this particular one?
Your brain seems like it’s filled with so much information—poetry, scenes from plays and movies, lyrics, history, etc.—that it’s amazing that you have any control over it at all. No wonder your wife says you don’t live on this planet.
Nice job with this video. The music took my mind on a wild and non-linear trip down memory lane.
P.S. This is a complete non sequitur, but I’ve finally seen that drink machine you wrote about with several flavors of drinks coming out of the same spout. You’re right–my “lemonade” definitely had hints of other drinks in it. Someone didn’t think that idea through all the way.
Grand total this project took about three months–not years. I picked this particular building because I’d spent too much time and too much money buying music and renting movies–for a while they had video rental and an amazing selection of obscure films–there. It was also just sad to me that music stores, like bookstores, were disappearing.
And I’m glad you liked the music. I had a lot of fun putting that soundtrack together. I wanted to represent as many different genres, artists, and time periods as possible. But I also wanted it to have some semblance of order, to sort of go with the pictures. It’s kind of like my brain, although it can get unruly at times.