In this week's monologue, I talk about some anxiety and intrusive thoughts I've been dealing with the past week or so. I also talk about being (way) over budget, amongst other things.

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with a good old friend of mine, Chris Reisman, owner of Hudson Valley Vinyl in Beacon, New York. Chris and I discuss our past as hip hop artists, samplers, maxing out credit cards to buy equipment, opening a record store, me getting mad at Chris for not selling me a jazz record, evolving taste in jazz, being opinionated, panic attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and SSRIs, amongst other things.

Hudson Valley Vinyl Website: https://hudsonvalleyvinyl.com

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

In this week's monologue, I talk a little about the budget, how I am getting back into making music, some of my current inspirations, and revisiting the worlds of "jazzy hip hop" and hip hop production.

Yesterday's New Quintet Playlist Made by Me: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6zHgo5QH5n4nZblWIXp6bZ?si=84cfb470d53742b9

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

I kick things off this week with a just-in listener confession. I then talk about getting excited about a new piece of music equipment, and then once I got it, I quickly lost interest. This leads me to discuss creativity and the spontaneity it requires, and how difficult it becomes to find the time and motivation to be creative as I get older. I then return to the topic of the critical seller I dealt with last week, and I then share my thoughts on phono cartridges.

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

This week's DG Monologue is an extended Christmas special of sorts. I read two listener confessions, one about the London Jazz Collector website, the other about negotiating record prices online and in person. I also talk about having a hard time taking a joke, the social challenges that come along with high-functioning autism, one-sided verbosity, feelings of embarrassment and guilt centered around friends getting real with me, wondering if I'm autistic or just an asshole, and more on feeling shame and questioning my standing with other collectors due to my obsession with Blue Note.

My article on the LJC website: https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/guest-post-how-they-heard-it-blue-note-records-and-the-transition-from-mono-to-stereo/

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Joe Fello, a very good friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 47. Joe and I both came up together in the Albany, New York hip hop scene during the 2000s. Later on, a small group of local friends coalesced that Joe and I are both still a part of to this day. Joe and I talk about the Albany hip hop scene, Covid, funny moments with friends referencing jazz, Company Flow, freestyling, IQ tests, Adderall, and complimenting men, amongst other things.

Joe's Instagram: https://instagram.com/thejoeshow

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

I think I'm slowing down with buying vinyl, but ramping up with buying CDs. And now I'm starting to look at vintage iPods and vintage MacIntosh computers, ugh.

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

I have a conversation with Fredrik a.k.a. FW Rare Jazz Vinyl Collector. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Fredrik is a true OG of creating internet content on jazz collecting. We discuss growing up as a metal drummer, commenting on the Jazz Collector website in the late 2000s, buying rare first pressings from Music Matters owner Ron Rambach, and compulsively checking to make sure his equipment is set up correctly, amongst other things.

Fredrik's Website: https://fwrarejazzvinylcollector.com

Fredrik's Instagram: https://instagram.com/fwrarejazzvinylcollector

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

In this special bonus monologue, I talk about how I'm approaching online record shopping burnout, and how my OCD with online shopping is threatening to start causing me anxiety and mess with my sleep pattern. I also read a great in-depth listener confession.

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]

In this week's monologue, I give a budgeting update, which includes getting back to (trying to) stick to my $200 max per record, and I talk about how that decision has brought back a feeling of authenticity to collecting. I also give an update on my AM radio adventures, and I return to discussing my obsession with Blue Note Records, a topic I originally approaches in a confession video on YouTube several months back.

YouTube Blue Note confession video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wtPtmSOx6k

Listener confession form: https://dgmono.com/confession

Email: [email protected]