Off: Re: A Question on Bootlegs un-hip traders

[Stephen Swann]

On Thu, Feb 15, 2001 at 09:40:32PM -0500, Bob Lennon wrote:
> In a message dated 2/15/01 6:25:19 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> paul at GROMIT.DLIB.VT.EDU writes:
> >  => anyone who would dupe the stuff I wanted.  I didn't have anything of
> >  => interest to trade, and their "code of ethics" wouldn't allow them to
> >  => sell me the stuff outright.  I ended up buying a CD-R from a known
> >  => "profiteer", and got roundly criticized on all sides for "supporting
> >  => that kind of behavior".
>
> >  It's odd that their "code of ethics" didn't extend to B&Ping shows for
> >  people.  Even years ago, when CD recorders were relatively scarce and
> >  cassette and DAT trading was the norm, I got my Gov't Mule CD collection
> >  started with kind folks doing B&Ps for me, and my signing onto trees as
> >  a leaf.  Those 'hip folks don't sound so hip to me. :-)
>
> I agree, I found it easy as sin to break into trading, and this is many years
> before using the www, and since then have offered just about anyone with
> nothing to trade to send me blanks and return postage. I don't know where all
> these blue meenies are from...

The Tragically Hip usenet newsgroup circa 6 or 7 years ago.  I was
polite with my inquiries, as well - I *knew* I was asking for a favor,
so it's not like they dissed me because I was too demanding or
anything.  It just seemed like nobody could be bothered duping for the
moral satisfaction of helping a newbie, but they *also* couldn't be
bothered doing it for blanks (I offered one guy a 10-for-1 trade, and
he declined), or for cash (he seemed offended at the suggestion).
It was weird.

Not *everybody* were such hard cases, of course.  I eventually found a
couple of traders who would dupe me the "basic set" of live Hip material:
the double suicide Highway Girl, the "killer whale tank and nautical
disaster mixes of New Orleans is Sinking, etc.  But of course, even
having that doesn't enable you to "get into the club", because that's
the basic material, and everybody already has that...  :-}

Steve