Ice Jets on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, taken by Cassini.
Zodiacal Light near Valparaiso, Chile.
I went to Music Exchange once when I was hunting down an Iron Cobra. I asked about them and the guy said, “No. Those are made by this brand called Tama. We don’t carry Tama. We’re not a Tama dealer. You’d have to go to somewhere that’s a Tama dealer to find them,” in this condescending tone. I just asked, sheesh. Thought I’d check out the local stores before going elsewhere.
I bought my Paiste 2002 ride at a Guitar Center and the guy wouldn’t let me try it out. I was like, 15 at the time so I didn’t care really. I never had a drum teacher so I didn’t know how imperative it was. I was just stoked that it was $240 off. I’ve been happy with it ever since but still!
These are just a few instances that stick out in my memory right now.
I would love, love, love to support a local music store, but I can’t. I’ll go buy sticks there because it’s convenient but I refuse to endorse any establishment that condones this kind of behavior. I’ve been playing drums for over ten years now. I’m not half-bad. I hate encountering these white middle-aged men that aren’t receptive to a female drummer. It’s really weird because until I moved to Athens I never met people that thought female drummers were cool. It was so wonderful to find a community full of supportive musicians after years of people assuming I was terrible because I was a girl or being surprised to find a female drumline captain. I am a huge supporter of local business but again, I can’t support any of the local stores.
I wonder if Sara Romweber has to deal with this?
I’ve been talked down to at a few music stores before, and I’m a dude. I think that if you’re young and/or can’t buy the $5000 guitars, some stores don’t really give a shit about your money. I went into the Music Exchange one time to ask for a part, got told they don’t carry it, that it sucks, and that I should just go order it online somewhere. The owner/manager dude seems to be a dick.
On the other hand, I’ve had great experiences and customer service at Chick Piano and at Sam Ash. The people there have been really helpful and friendly.
dave eggers reviews a new collection of unpublished kurt vonnegut short stories, and laments the loss of the author.
