Milwaukie, OR 97267
I
When I was a teen, 45 years ago now,
I’d walk weekly to a neighborhood
record store. There were, in fact,
three to choose from on the same
suburban strip, otherwise, a cultural
wasteland. By the time I was an adult,
all three of them were shuttered. My favorite,
Everybody’s Records, turned into a porn
shop. ALL ADULT VIDEO is still in business.
I’m not sure what they’re selling, VHS and
DVD’s having gone the way of the dodo.
For decades, then, I’d have to drive
thirty minutes down the road for my scores
of new music, until they opened up their doors.
II
The strip is still a cultural wasteland
save for the presence of Daily Records.
And they started something, I think,
as three more shops have moved in close by.
As the country slips into the toilet
our neighborhood finds its musical core.
Fans make pilgrimages to record stores
as streaming services rob artists blind.
I buy music like I buy groceries, it’s true.
My turntable needs something new just like
our fridge does and our cupboards do.
Music is for my ears like food to the body.
The nourishment I need is close at hand;
Daily Records is medicine for this music fan.
michael jarmer 