Kate
Kate
Follow

It's Over, It's Just Begun

Posted almost 5 years ago
I don't even know where to begin. I haven't been very excited by music lately. I sit in my dark little basement apartment, christmas lights and candles brightening up the room and listen to my vinyl. Thank god for my LPs. My hard drive with ALL of my music on it died. And no, I did not have a backup. Until I become a rich woman, I have to suffer through the loss of all those zeros and ones. The only way I can get many of those files back is to pay an exorbitant price to a data recovery company. It has taken me several weeks the get over this loss. Now I just think- digital files don't really mean anything to me. I can't hold them in my hand like I can a record. I have weeks worth of Dylan bootlegs I will never get back. And that's okay. I am resigned to my loss now. There is something so comforting about vinyl. I went to Goodwill a few days ago and found a live Leo Kottke record. Took it home and lavished loving care upon it. Cleaned it, set it reverently on my Technics, opened a beer and sat outside listening to the 12-string sounds float from the speakers. I haven't lost a friend, an animal, a house. Just files. Files and files. Fuck digital. My analog revolution has begun.
0

Comments (63)

  1. theyouthcard
    theyouthcard says Im sorry to hear of your loss but ecstatic to hear of your revolution!!! Best of Luck!!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  2. mister gary at work again
    mister gary at work again says Part of me dreads something like this happening ... but another part of me seems like if it happened, I'd just find myself going through my cassettes/vinyl/CDs to rediscover lost music. I'm sorry to read of your 'loss', but I'm REALLY glad to hear you've kept your head up and kept your ears surrounded by the sweet swell of vinyl.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  3. etcvisitor
    etcvisitor says leo kottke on vinyl at a thrift store? ok, i guess you guys have better thrift stores out west. congrats on the revelation... sounds like your gonna make it.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  4. skoif
    skoif says That is really unfortunate. You may still want to look in to investing in doing that data restore... it may seem pricey right now, but so is jumping in to an analog revolution--buying vinyl will add up quick, records are harder to find (for what you want), etc. Just something to consider :)
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  5. Kate
    Kate says I have hundreds of records. I am not worried about spending money, 'cause i've already got the vinyl I want to listen to! I can't afford data restore, so I can start saving for it now, but it will still take a long time. Thus I am just going to listen to my records, and some mix cds...
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  6. mickimicki
    mickimicki says ... sad... I am both a vinyl junkie of old, and an iPod addict, of lately, and I feel your pain... A possible positive spin apart from your re-appreciation of the LP: Losing your vinyl (say in a fire) would have been the worse accident. Yeah, lame consolation.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  7. kat3260
    kat3260 says i'm with etc! the thrift stores I've found here in Virginia suck for music. A Leo Kottke _live_ vinyl is such a treasure. I can relate to your pain - I lost so many mp3s back in my great hard drive crash of 2002. I don't even remember what I lost anymore. It did force me to discover & re-discover old favorites, and I coincidentally started going to more concerts hehe. Speaking of which, I had a great time when I went to see Leo with Mike Gordon last fall.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  8. skoif
    skoif says I understand.. I'm glad you have vinyl and mixed cds to listen to!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  9. fistula spume
    fistula spume says Oh that blows. So sorry to hear about that Kate. I think I would have a heart attack. At least you live in an area where you can find good cheap vinyl. It's mostly bad gospel music and instructional records from the 70's in my town. I once had all of my music and books stolen from me. I know it wasn't like losing a loved one but there was a huge amount of anxiety and confusion over it. Take care.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  10. Kate
    Kate says If I had someone steal my books I think I would have a nervous breakdown! How the heck did someone steal all yours? Did they hire a moving company?
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  11. moovyphreak
    moovyphreak says Right on... I just put some Leo Kottke on my iPod the other day.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  12. fistula spume
    fistula spume says No. I was in a bad place and I had to move out and I didn't go to my apartment for 3 days cause I was having fun. Anyway long story short my room in the apartment was ransacked and everything of value was gone. Around a $15k collection of comics. I still get choked up every once in a while about it. I did manage to not have 34 cd's in the place and all of my regular comics stuck in my mom's storage. It's been 9 years now though. I'm mostly over it.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  13. ivylander
    ivylander says I think we should all take up a "collection." If every MOGger sent Kate just one mix CD, she would have a pretty sweet little pile o' music in no time. Of course it wouldn't replace what has been lost, but might get her on her way.....
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  14. Marco1019
    Marco1019 says I'm really sorry to hear about your hard drive. You're handling it better than I ever could. Your revolution is admirable.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  15. Jonus63
    Jonus63 says I feel your pain but in a slightly different way. My most prized possession, my record player/8 track/radio/cassette player has died and according to most it is not fixable. My Neil Young vinyl stares me in the face at night but I can't bring myself to buy a new one. I love my vintage POS and want it back.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  16. ericconn
    ericconn says I found my vinyl packed away in the basement the other day and started listening to them. It was the first time my kids had ever experienced such an event. CDs and iPods are so durable and forgiving that kids have no appreciation for the care that must be bestowed upon records if you actually want to listen to them again. Maybe it was the times or the originality of the music back then but vinyl comes across as more intimate and honest.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  17. champy
    champy says I love you Kate!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  18. Kate
    Kate says Dude, Alison, I miss you!!!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  19. Lester Jonze
    Lester Jonze says How much money are you talking for the data restore?
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  20. Kate
    Kate says I have been quoted $500-$2500. The final price won't be given to me until I actually send it to a Data Recovery place. I can afford about $200 right now and that's it :(
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  21. Lester Jonze
    Lester Jonze says wow.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  22. Rawkkiddoh
    Rawkkiddoh says Sorry to hear it, if there is anything you are missing greatly and I have it, I could throw it up onto multiply for the time being.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  23. chucky
    chucky says Ouch. You seem to be taking it very well. You losing your collection even hurts me a little - that mix you made for mog wars has some of my (now) favorites and I have passed along quite a few of them.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  24. Kate
    Kate says I appreciate it Rawkkiddo! I'll let you know if there's anything I am in dire need of. MOG is the only place around where people understand my music-related pain.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  25. Chrish
    Chrish says Vinyl is a beacon of light in the dark shadows cast by file loss. I lost a significant portion of my files about a month ago. It was like being kicked in the balls. The pain didn't last that long though. I feel like I am in a (forced) musical rebirth because I'm spending more quality time with my records. Vive le Renaissance!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  26. Chrish
    Chrish says p.s.: you can get file recovery software for pretty cheap, and as long as you haven't done a bunch of saving/downloadinge tc on the same hard disk as your files were on you should be able to retrieve some. yo can even run free trial versions to see what the software is able to locate before you spring for the full version.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  27. chulsmith
    chulsmith says damn. can't you recover a bunch of files from your ipod? i agree with the vinyl, though. that's what i miss most about being in france - my vinyl is in mpls. and i guess there's much love for leo kottke here, huh? weird because my wife dated his son before we started dating. i just never thought he was that popular...
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  28. fistula spume
    fistula spume says Hey does MOG still have a snapshot of what your collection was from Mog-O-Matic?
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  29. chulsmith
    chulsmith says fistula ::: good idea - i bet it does. when i wasn't online for three months, it kept what was last recorded. kate ::: i guess you would just have to add your music collection widget to your profile. then any moggers could send you files via email or mediafire or multiply. but it sounds like you're doing ok with your vinyl...
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  30. Kate
    Kate says Yeah, I have a file on my computer of what was in my entire collection, so that I can keep track of what i'm missing. I guess I will add my music collection widget back up. It was making me sad having it up there!
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  31. chulsmith
    chulsmith says just wait until you start getting links to where you can re-download the album... =)
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  32. fistula spume
    fistula spume says You gotta have that widget up there. It's still a part of your Mog personality. Glad you got a list of what you have. I'd go berserk if I had to try to remember it all.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  33. etcvisitor
    etcvisitor says i always said that if someone stole my books i dont know if i would be happy or sad. it would either mean that criminals were now interested in reading, or it would mean that readers were now interested in being criminals... either way, ive read them all and as long as the thief was reading it i guess that means its being put to good use.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  34. spaceling
    spaceling says Is there a breeze in your apartment? That was my romance with the needle. Swinging back and forth, surfing up and down on the groove, despite the breeze. I could take a sit and enjoy both, but feeling the vulnerability of the medium to its environment made me feel some kinship.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  35. Kate
    Kate says Yeah, the delicacy of records has always excited me. The fact that I am listening to something sometimes as much as 50 years old, wondering who else enjoyed it before me, did they dance, did they cry, was there a breeze?
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  36. dj ivi
    dj ivi says horray for your analog revolution!!! i am right there with you! i love my vinyl, and my tapes! (CAN has lovely vinyl) i even have johnny o's truth and rights on vinyl. records rule the world around me.... so sorry to hear about your files though. that does suck in itself.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  37. Spike
    Spike says S0 sorry about your loss. ivylander's idea of sending you mixes is a good one. Now I've got to back up what's not backed up on my drive.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  38. RGM
    RGM says http://www.bizrate.com/search__cat_id--1__keyword--cd+albums__lp--1__mkt_id--17076636__sfsk--0.html
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  39. fistula spume
    fistula spume says I had another thought. I don't know if you buy anything from the iTunes music store but they'll let you download the tracks you have bought in the past again as a one time back up. It doesn't seem like you buy from there but it's just a thought.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  40. funkybarb
    funkybarb says eMusic lets you download stuff that you've bought from them indefinitely if you buy from there ... I'd be up for sending you a mixed CD to tide you over too.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  41. misspeter
    misspeter says that's such a bummer Kate. I just found you and I was thrilled by your music taste. I was looking forward to seeing what you added to your collection from day to day. I'm in the process of backing up all my music to this - http://www.mp3tunes.com/ Only 48 more days to go! They are giving away unlimited storage at random and I got upgraded but then found out that unlimited doesn't include file size which is capped at 10 megs. When I started ripping all of my CDs to mp3 I found it was actually easier to download the mp3 versions from file sharing things like bit torrent. I would just queue up a few hundred albums and let it run while I was at work or sleeping. Since I own the albums and I am allowed to make mp3 versions, it seems to me like the file sharing part was a legal albeit convoluted way of converting. If you have any peer to peer software you can grab mp3 versions of anything I have that you are trying to replace.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  42. Kate
    Kate says I do have about 5 albums I bought on Itunes... thanks for the tip, Fistula! Thanks for all the advice and goodwill everyone! I've always been hesitant about using P2P/file sharing software but it may be something I will need to look into. I am slowly rebuilding with stuff from friends... and already my music library looks much different than before.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  43. Terry Staunton
    Terry Staunton says I feel for you, Kate, I really do Back in 2002 I lost the entire contents of my London flat. I'd moved out of the city a week or so earlier, and was waiting to ship all my stuff to the new address when my old abode was cleaned out. My neighbours thought the thieves (three of them, very well organised) were actually the official movers -and even made them cups of tea when they were loading their van! Basically, I lost about 300 books, something in the region of 4,000 CDs, a smattering of vinyl (including a dozen or so irreplacable Elvis Costello bootlegs - sob!), a lovely round-backed acoustic guitar and a monster widescreen TV. Chums who work in the music biz helped me replace a lot of the CDs for free, but for a while it was like I was starting my collection all over again. It's been fun picking up stuff for a second time, occasionally giving me the thrill I felt when I made my first purchases so many years ago, but overall the experience really sucked. I don't think it's healthy for any of us to be defined by our possessions, but we can't help but be defined by the emotions thoses possessions (especially music and the printed word) instill in us.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  44. Kate
    Kate says You must have walked around in a daze for weeks after that experience, Terry. If I was just a casual peruser of music, I wouldn't be as distraught by this, but you're right about the emotional ties. There are some things that I probably won't hear again, like the incredibly rare Dylan bootlegs I got from an ex, but the memories that go along with the songs are forever imprinted in my brain. Possessions do not make a life, they just enhance it.
    Permalink posted 02/21/2007
  45. RobinH
    RobinH says Hi Kate Don't know if this helps. I had a client who brought his Son's MacBook into work and asked me to look at it for him, as the drive had died with all his music collection on. We picked up a £20.00 USB external drive 'enclosure' from Amazon, took the drive out of the mac and in to the enclosure and 'bingo' we could access the music when we plugged it in to another computer. And the moral of this story - sometimes a drive might not boot to the operating system, but you can stick it in an external enclosure and it will work sufficent to copy the files. However, I don't know how trashed your drive is and you may have it 'external' already. After that fix I got so paranoid about my collection I now have everything stored external to my main computer and also have a back-up as well.
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  46. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says It's the techo-nightmare, Kate. Heartbreaking. Although I love the vinyl, too, and rely on the popular CD format, I wish you all the best luck in your restoration. (If I happen to be in the office in the near future and schlepping my machine with me, feel free to approach with a memory stick.)
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  47. fistula spume
    fistula spume says Just remembered... I've heard that sometimes you can stick your hard drive in the freezer for a couple of hours and then try starting it back up again and it might work. Another thought.
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  48. Anna
    Anna says Oh, Kate. I'm sorry to hear that. Silver lining is that it made you love vinyl even more, as I understand :) I recently backed up all my music on DVDs, because I felt that my pc was (is) coming to an end. I would, without a doubt, lose the marbles if something happened to my music, movies, photographs, books and my paintings. Art is sacred & usually irreplaceable. Clothes and the rest, I can take them out and burn them myself. Like Kevin said, if there is anything you need, just drop us a note on multiply :) Analogically yours, Anna :)
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  49. Kate
    Kate says Robin, I did try a new enclosure, but the actual drive isn't spinning, so it definitely wasn't the power source. I got a mogmail from Proscriba, who gave me the name of a data recovery place in SF that only charged him $250, so I will probably end up crossing my fingers and using that place.
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  50. The Serenity Vortex
    The Serenity Vortex says Hi Kate! Data loss is one of my single biggest fears. All my listening music, all the music I've written, my artwork, etc, every bit is digital. I'm lucky to have various backup options, and I really feel for those not lucky enough. So allow me to help ;) Seeing as you mentioned you like some of my stuff, pop over to my page and any tracks you want (even the ones I charge for), I'll let you have them all at 192kbps. Mail me the list and I'll mail you back a link to my server for download. Peace Flood P.S. I miss the whole 'holding in hands' of vinyl, even CD or MD. Even though I see my stuff via download, I still do a small run of packaged CD's, it's just seems right some how!!
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  51. The Serenity Vortex
    The Serenity Vortex says Er......It looks like spam, but my DSL connection crapped out and seems to have caused the above er..... mess. I would like to apologize for my computers behaviour Kate. Sorry. * ahem * * shuffle * * looks at feet * Peace Flood
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  52. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says IT'S A DARK DAY IN MUSIC LAND MAN dark and rainy.
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  53. essone
    essone says I while ago I bought a couple of Flaming Lips reissues, vinyl only, they sound great, and now that I actually have a record player that works I can listen to them. Isn't it funny how everyone you know has a broken turntable, I have two. Glad to see you've been listening to Drive By Truckers.
    Permalink posted 02/22/2007
  54. Anonymous says i love vinyl. i love cassettes. i almost had a similar problem recently. :)
    Permalink posted 02/23/2007
  55. The Time Machine
    The Time Machine says


    I know where you are coming from...I just lost everything on my iPod AFTER talking with Apple for almost four hours on the phone. Everything gone. No files on the computer because I have no space to keep iTunes filled up with songs on the hard drive. Just like you...songs that can't be replaced or should I say "files"? Files still don't feel like the real thing compared to staring at a vinyl cover like the back of cereal box.

    Like you...the crackle of an LP blaring out of the speakers is an old friend who never lets me down. My comrad my skip on occasion or have a little cue burn but a pal just the same.

    Cassettes still rule too!

    :=)




    Permalink posted 02/23/2007
  56. Shinjuku Zulu
    Shinjuku Zulu says a fellow buckminster fuller fan, allright!
    Permalink posted 02/23/2007
  57. ideamedea
    ideamedea says While the loss of music in any format is devastating, downloading mp3s is like trying to make tiramisu with pixie sticks. There is nothing on this earth like inhaling years of dust while flipping through a bin of used records, especially when each record's $3. Though I'm sure if you scout around, some kind soul would be willing to replace some of your missing Dylan boots...
    Permalink posted 02/26/2007
  58. zoot
    zoot says sorry to hear about your data loss, kate! i recently experienced a major loss of my own. but i'd rather not go into that -- sad tale, right now. anyway, if interested, i could help ya restore several days worth of that dylan bootleg collection of yours; or anything else for that matter. hang in there.
    Permalink posted 02/26/2007
  59. Kate
    Kate says Thank you so much, Zoot! I actually found a relatively inexpensive data recovery place in S.F., thanks to a fellow mogger. My hard drive is being looked at right now. Fingers crossed, I won't need to replace anything. But if I get my tunes back, we should totally trade cds.
    Permalink posted 02/27/2007
  60. Signed DC
    Signed DC says Hey Kate! I'm sorry to hear about yer losses, dearie (and for the late reply). It's gotta be tough! I'm glad you're doing an analog revolution; it's good to have an actual physical copy of music to hold! I liked your mention of having records fifty years old. How about holding a 78 in your hand that's 80, 90 years old? Wonder where these things have been! Viva Vinyl and Viva Kate!
    Permalink posted 02/27/2007
  61. Kate
    Kate says Thanks for the nice comment, Dennis! I miss hanging out in your record room.
    Permalink posted 02/27/2007
  62. idiomag
    idiomag says Hi Kate, Thanks for the comment. Yeah its all looking pretty cool at the moment. Do keep an eye out for the launch of the full magazine in mid-March. Its very sexy!
    Permalink posted 02/27/2007
  63. Larry Thrasher
    Larry Thrasher says wow I feel ya sista! Digital sucks! Vinyl is so amazing and it lasts a hundred years! You can submerge a vinyl record underwater for 75 years and it will still play fine! Its sad we have succumbed to cheap egghead technology that didnt quite figure out how to actually preserve it! Its an industry that is completely short-sighted! Its way beyond lame! I have lost so much music from computer and drive "crashes". But the industry is set up so nobody owns responsibility. Its down right sad! : ( L
    Permalink posted 03/06/2007

Comment on this Post

Login using email and password below.

Forgot Password?

OR login using Facebook Connect

Connect

Don't have an account?
Join MOG. It's Free!

 

© 2006-2012 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved