View Full Version : Are You A Hoarder?
Minstrel SE
09-02-2018, 13:06
I get accused by several people of being a hoarder and it really gets on my goat. They are the sort of people who seem to own damn all. I get judged by people who barely own 10 cds and freak out when they see 500. I own about 200 games and 170 dvds...is that really a problem to anyone?
I see myself as a collector and I like to enjoy myself. If I have the room for a few extra bits of audio eqipment I will have them to mess about with. I know my absolute limits and then come to a stop
I only think "Hoarding" becomes a problem when it becomes a TV case and people are crawling over piles of rubbish to get into the kitchen. I cant see a problem unless it severely compromises the room to move.
I collected a few matchbox cars from my childhood and put them in a cabinet. Again some people have been having a go. What is wrong with the enjoyment of collecting things?
Do you get moaned at? :) I would like to get hold of these people who think we all should live in a sterile minimalist environment.
Best wishes to everyone on the forum
Martin
my spare room has my overspill and is untidy at moment. livingroom and kitchen are busy in comparison to many but tidy. i personally prefer to have my stuff around me and on show.
my mate next door is ocd and freaks if he is in for too long..lol...he has an enormous garage and keeps nothing in it. anything in there for longer than a fortnight is dumped...would hate to be that way
Minstrel SE
09-02-2018, 13:16
Yes I think some of those people are OCD about any display of stuff or having stuff. I dont think I go overboard and I choose things carefully. Just getting a bit sick of people going you're a bit of a hoarder arent you :)
Am I...as a pose to what exactly?..they wouldnt complain if I had a mansion and could spread it out a bit..... Tuners are in room 9 in the west wing :)
walpurgis
09-02-2018, 13:19
I get accused by several people of being a hoarder and it really gets on my goat.
Martin
Do you really care? I don't give a bugger what anybody thinks and I've got loads of excess and not just Hi-Fi. :)
I think either extreme is a bit unhealthy. Piles of rubbish everywhere in the house, then yes, that's a problem. Obsessive tidiness, also a problem.
I occasionally go to people's houses which are like show-homes. They must be cleaning and tidying all the time. I couldn't live like that. It's weird behaviour.
Likewise I have a pal who when you open his front door it pushes the rubbish across the floor in a big ripple and you can see it rising up against the far wall. It's about a foot deep, pizza and take-away boxes mainly but other stuff in there too. I couldn't live like that either, but it doesn't seem to bother him.
drowning in his own filth:eek:
jandl100
09-02-2018, 14:23
I like to live in a fairly cluttered 'busy' environment.
As those folks who have visited will attest. :)
I can't bear the stark "show home" approach - that's not a home to me.
Haselsh1
09-02-2018, 14:38
LOL, oh yes...! Especially vinyl records. I have them from years ago that are still sealed and unplayed. What is the point...?
:eyebrows:
Haselsh1
09-02-2018, 14:39
I can't bear the stark "show home" approach - that's not a home to me.
Dwelling yes, home no.
Everyone has their own level of 'clutter' with which they feel comfortable and like to have around them. Towards the end of my career the company tried to introduce a clear desk policy - it didn't work. Neither did the 'paperless office'.
I think it is also a cultural thing, and to some extent a generational thing. Japanese homes are very neat and tidy because they are small with land to build them on being at a premium. However often the rooms of the younger Japanese are quite often jammed full with hardly any room to move around.
My partner is African and she comes from a culture where people don't really collect anything - it is unusual to see people reading a book, let alone have a bookshelf full of them, and the same goes for music: most likely a simple 'mini system' and perhaps a dozen or so CDs or cassettes. She prefers a minimalist look, even to the extent of having bare walls (apart from a large TV!), and has a real problem with my collection of approximately 3,000 books, 1,000 LPs and 1,500 CDs.
To answer the question "am I hoarder?", yes I guess I am: 10 amplifiers; 7 preamps; 2 phonostages; 4 TTs, 10 pickup arms; about 30 cartridges; 2 cassette decks; 2 CDPs; 6 tuners and 2 reel to reel machines.
And 2 DVD players, 250 DVDs, 50 or so VHS tapes and over 200 audio cassettes. Plus eight 35mm film cameras with 16 prime focus lenses and a couple of thousand of slides.
So there is quite a tussle going on between my partner and I over all this stuff. However I used to be worse - recently I got rid of about a cubic metre of old audio and photographic magazines.
I Do Not Have A Problem, 'Some' of the vintage Amplication Off of the top of my head.
4 x Sansui AU-111
3x PYE HF25
2x PYE PF91
3x Armstrong A10
6x Audiomaster 11A
1X Sansui AU-999
1X Sansui AU-9500
2X Leak 12.1
2X Lowther LL16
yes having loads of hi-fi equipment isn't hoarding. neither is having loads of records or books.
Hoarding used to mean you were keeping stocks of petrol or something, like in wartime when there was rationing.
Now it seems to mean those people who can't throw anything away. But they seem to me to be distinct from people who just can't be arsed to tidy up, like my pal.
However if they are hoarding complete rubbish, which some do, it can be hard to ascertain the difference between them at first glance.
I agree with the comments about hating rooms decorated in a 'minimalist' style, which in reality just look too forensic and cold, ably evidenced by some of the system pics posted on forums, where the rooms are so empty it appears as if the pictures were taken not long after the house was burgled! :doh::eyebrows:
So I don't sign up to that, nor do I to the opposite, as I simply couldn't live in a tip, but I do like my favourite possessions around me, and for the house to look cosy and 'lived in'. However it needs to be clean (not forensically so), but so that there's no visible dirt or dust around, and I spend around 2 hours a day, whilst listening to music, cleaning the house to that effect - particularly our new kitchen, which I'm determined to keep looking nice! :)
The two rooms I keep the cleanest are the bathroom and kitchen, as I can't abide those areas being dirty, not simply for health reasons, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable living in a house with a visibly dirty kitchen or bathroom - and to an extent I keep the lounge the same way, although that can sometimes get cluttered, as we like out antiques and collectible 'bits and pieces', which our old lodge lends itself to.
Fortunately I have a dedicated room for the main hi-fi system (and all my CDs and records, which combined amount to around 7000 albums), so that tends to house all the clutter, keeping the rest of the house reasonably tidy. I also like to keep my wine and drinks collection tidy and organised, which currently amounts to just over 200 bottles, not including various aperitifs and spirits.
So am I a hoarder? Not really... I do have a fair amount of 'stuff', but it's kept reasonably tidy in its appropriate areas, and I'm not averse to getting rid of things when necessary. Del's probably more of a hoarder than me!
Marco.
Beobloke
09-02-2018, 16:44
I suppose i'm a bit of a mixture as I do have a lot of hi-fi equipment (24 turntables, 13 pairs of speakers, god knows how many amplifiers etc.) but I cannot abide a mess. I like the house tidy and I like everything in it proper place. Mrs B. tends to drape her clothes over the stair bannister or on the end of our bed when she comes in from work and gets changed - does my nut in!!
I also like to keep the house clean, although that's mainly due to my eczema. When I was last allergy tested, I was told that I had one of the highest scores for allergy to house dust that their lab had ever seen!
Minstrel SE
09-02-2018, 16:54
Do you really care? I don't give a bugger what anybody thinks and I've got loads of excess and not just Hi-Fi. :)
Well I realised I do because you can see them tighten their shoulders or look plain uncomfortable. My father just lays in like he doesnt understand the need for any more than a couple of cds or a handful of books.
They all have similar sized rooms to mine but taking my shelves out wouldnt free up the room to start a dance studio. Two target style racks of hifi and one with games consoles on seems to overwhelm some people.
I look over at my book shelves and I wouldnt get rid of any of them. There a very good reference books together with fiction. This is why I find it hard to understand people who seem to think a few things is enough.
I dont collect rubbish and I enjoy throwing many things away. If I really dont like something out it goes.
I dont want everything in this world but there is plenty of nice stuff about. Maybe I am too attached to stuff but Im not trapped by it.
I am nowhere near the extremes but feel judged by the minimalist brigade so yes it has been bothering me. I might put doors up on the shelves to hide it more
walpurgis
09-02-2018, 17:08
I suppose i'm a bit of a mixture as I do have a lot of hi-fi equipment (24 turntables, 13 pairs of speakers, god knows how many amplifiers etc.)
You should give us some subjective reviews of what you have Adam, I'm sure you have some good classic and vintage gear. Could be interesting. But maybe you've had enough of reviewing :).
Music collections don’t count as hoarding, nor do books, movies or any media. Now, if you have 10x amps and 10x DACs, and only use 1 of each, you could be accused of being a hoarder. :P
Sherwood
09-02-2018, 17:16
YOU MAY BE A HOARDER IF ........
a) You feel antagonism towards those with space in their garage for a car, or even a bicycle.
b) You spend a lot of your time explaining the difference between collecting and hoarding.
c) You cannot recall the colour or pattern of the carpet in your spare room, or even if it is carpeted.
d) You cannot list all the hifi and audiovisual equipment you own on both sides of an A4 page (in Arial 10 font, no cheating!).
e) You fidget uncomfortably when you hear the word "minimalism" and worry that a twitch may be developing.
f) Your movements though your spare room resemble those of Maxwell Smart trying to avoid laser defences.
walpurgis
09-02-2018, 17:18
My carpet has no pattern. And I can see small bits of it! So there!! :D
currently cant move through spare room, but its improving.
hifi_dave
09-02-2018, 17:34
I'm a collector.
So much stuff that I can't remember what I have but it is all tidy. It is either displayed on racking or stored away in boxes or cupboards, because I can't stand clutter.
Sherwood
09-02-2018, 17:38
I'm a collector.
So much stuff that I can't remember what I have but it is all tidy. It is either displayed on racking or stored away in boxes or cupboards, because I can't stand clutter.
So a collector is a hoarder with shelves!:)
Btw, Martin, in terms of this:
I get accused by several people of being a hoarder and it really gets on my goat. They are the sort of people who seem to own damn all. I get judged by people who barely own 10 cds and freak out when they see 500. I own about 200 games and 170 dvds...is that really a problem to anyone?
If it is, too bad and tell them to fuck off! ;) Don't allow yourself to be judged that way.
It's YOUR house, so when they come to visit, they should be there to see YOU, not criticize your lifestyle or impose their standards upon you. I'm a firm believer in the saying 'You take me as you find me' (or our house as you find it) - and anyone who doesn't sign up to that philosophy knows where they can go...!! :wave:
Marco.
Sherwood
09-02-2018, 18:50
On a serious note, I would say a bad sign is when you feel you need to defend yourself against accusations of hoarding. It is not just about having a lot of stuff. Serious hoarding is not merely an issue of tidiness, but an issue of safety and good mental health. I have known people with this serious mental issue and it has destroyed their families!
Geoff
Pigmy Pony
09-02-2018, 20:09
Last year the company I do work for were given the task of clearing a house and making it saleable. The old lady living there had died, and with no living relatives, I was told the house becomes the property of the Crown. Is this correct? Doesn't matter, because no-one is going to part me from my "find of the year".
The lady was a serious hoarder, with every room filled halfway to the ceiling, and a path through each room, that made you feel like you were walking through a canyon.
Amongst all the stuff that the house clearance blokes had earmarked for the next skip, was a 70's record case. Inside it, along with a lot of Max Bygraves and Des O'Connor, were virtually mint copies of "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles", Beatles For Sale", "Hard Day's Night" and "Help". All Early pressings. Black shiny vinyl, and virtually silent (apart from the music).
A few record begs as well, from Hardman's and Brady's (probably won't mean anything to anyone outside Preston).
Nobody wanted them ("Who bothers with records any more?")
If this makes me sound smug, that's because I am! But I also feel a bit sad for the old lady, who lived out her years with no family and just a houseful of tat for company.
Minstrel SE
09-02-2018, 22:48
On a serious note, I would say a bad sign is when you feel you need to defend yourself against accusations of hoarding. It is not just about having a lot of stuff. Serious hoarding is not merely an issue of tidiness, but an issue of safety and good mental health. I have known people with this serious mental issue and it has destroyed their families!
Geoff
Its very sad when a mental illness develops but my point is I dont like being judged as if I have some sort of problem when clearly I am far from the sort of extremes that they see on television.
There are levels of healthy collecting and dabbling long before it becomes a substitute for human company or other activities. I dont fill houses full of newspapers or have corridor walkways through piles of junk. Sure a couple of my rooms look busy but I enjoy the stuff I have in there. They are just busy in the way a Stereophile reviewers room might be
I went to one guys place and all he had was a telly and an old games console with one game. By those standards we are all hoarders. I dont go to his place and ask him why he seems to have damn all.
Its seems more odd to me why someone doesnt have a healthy smattering of music and film about the place.
walpurgis
09-02-2018, 22:52
I gets me when people have no books in their homes. I've seen this.
farflungstar
10-02-2018, 08:55
My spare room is a disgrace to humanity. But I find closing the door and pretending it doesn't exist helps.
If we had a 'How bad is your spare room?' photo competition, I reckon I'd win gold. I'd have to clear stuff away just to get in there to take the photo.
Every year I say I will have a spring clean but it never happens. Last time was 2004. I've got boxes of equipment in there that I've never even opened since they arrived. And a couple of tea-chests still waiting to be unpacked from when I moved in here. That was 20 years ago at the end of this month. But hey, I'll get round to it all at some point. Just not today.
walpurgis
10-02-2018, 09:40
Every room I have looks like a spare room at the moment.
What's wrong with being a hoarder anyway? So what if you have piles of crap half-way to the ceiling and little gunnels in amongst it so you can get from one room to the other? Your house, your life, your choice.
You are not conforming to societal norms! Oh no! Does anyone really give a shit? And if they do are they not the one with the problem?
Worst case I ever saw was at the house of a friend's mother on the south coast. You got a taste for what was to come in the entrance hall. This had been lined with crudely made bookshelves from floor to ceiling which held VHS tapes of what, at the time, was pretty much every Dr Who episode ever. Rooms were piled with crap, mainly old newspapers and magazines, to about 5 feet in height. The only place you could move about a bit was in the kitchen and the cellar. None of this bothered me, the deal breaker for me was that they had a baby and it had crapped everywhere and they had not cleaned it up. Now that was nasty.
spendorman
10-02-2018, 09:58
Am I a hoarder?
Definitely not
I'm an advanced hoarder
spendorman
10-02-2018, 10:02
I remember this when it was first on TV
https://youtu.be/OOa35VD9q94
jandl100
10-02-2018, 10:11
I'm a box swapper.
I swap.
If a new toy comes in, you can be reasonably sure that something else will go.
The idea of keeping stuff I've done with is baffling to me.
walpurgis
10-02-2018, 10:34
I'm a box swapper.
Are you? Can't say I'd noticed mate. :D
What's wrong with being a hoarder anyway? So what if you have piles of crap half-way to the ceiling and little gunnels in amongst it so you can get from one room to the other? Your house, your life, your choice.
You are not conforming to societal norms! Oh no! Does anyone really give a shit? And if they do are they not the one with the problem?
Worst case I ever saw was at the house of a friend's mother on the south coast. You got a taste for what was to come in the entrance hall. This had been lined with crudely made bookshelves from floor to ceiling which held VHS tapes of what, at the time, was pretty much every Dr Who episode ever. Rooms were piled with crap, mainly old newspapers and magazines, to about 5 feet in height. The only place you could move about a bit was in the kitchen and the cellar. None of this bothered me, the deal breaker for me was that they had a baby and it had crapped everywhere and they had not cleaned it up. Now that was nasty.
ginnels:eyebrows:
What's wrong with being a hoarder anyway? So what if you have piles of crap half-way to the ceiling and little gunnels in amongst it so you can get from one room to the other? Your house, your life, your choice.
You are not conforming to societal norms! Oh no! Does anyone really give a shit? And if they do are they not the one with the problem?
Indeed, and I completely agree. However... The key point is whether or not the 'hoarder' in question, deep down, is GENUINELY HAPPY with that state of affairs, or whether it's a reflection of the opposite and perhaps indicates a form of depression, or some other psychological condition? If they're genuinely happy, then there's nothing more to discuss.
However, often I find that folk with exceptionally mucky and untidy homes aren't happy within themselves, and so the mess is a refection of how they feel about their lives (often they may not even realise that), but on the outside try to kid themselves on (and others) that all is well and that they're just a 'bit quirky'... If that's the case, then they *do* have a problem.
Plus, when the untidiness and mess gets to such an extent that you can hardly move for it, or clearing it up would involve major work, it's difficult to motivate yourself to tackle the problem, and much easier just to block it out and pretend that it doesn't exist [or keep putting off the task of tidying it for another day that never comes] - but you can bet your boots that if a team of cleaners knocked on the door and offered to clear it up for free, most would jump at the chance, and afterwards feel much better for it!!
Which goes to show that, despite what they might've said (and the 'front' that they were putting on), they weren't happy in the first place ;) The fact is, living amongst lots of mess would get most people down, as it unquestionably causes stress, so if you're honest with yourself, don't deny it; do something about it, and in most cases, change your life for the better.
Marco.
Indeed, and I completely agree. However... The key point is whether or not the 'hoarder' in question, deep down, is GENUINELY HAPPY with that state of affairs, or whether it's a reflection of the opposite and perhaps indicates a form of depression, or some other psychological condition? If they're genuinely happy, then there's nothing more to discuss.
However, often I find that folk with exceptionally mucky and untidy homes aren't happy within themselves, and so the mess is a refection of how they feel about themselves and their lives (often they may not even realise it), but on the outside try to kid themselves on (and others) that all is well and that they're just a 'bit quirky'... If that's the case, then they *do* have a problem.
Plus, when the untidiness and mess gets to such an extent that you can hardly move for it, or clearing it up would involve major work, it's difficult to motivate yourself to tackle the problem, and much easier just to pretend that it doesn't exist [or keep putting the task off for another day that never comes] - but you can bet your boots that if a team of cleaners knocked on the door and offered to clear it up for free, most would jump at the chance, and afterwards feel much better for it!!
.
Actually if you watch any of these hoarder shows (like the one Alex posted a link to earlier) you'd see that is not always the case. People get attached to their junk and don't want to lose it or have it cleared up. That actually causes them stress. They might have a problem but that is their business, unless it becomes a problem for someone else, a health or safety hazard for example. Otherwise it isn't for anyone else pass judgement.
Actually if you watch any of these hoarder shows (like the one Alex posted a link to earlier) you'd see that is not always the case. People get attached to their junk and don't want to lose it or have it cleared up. That actually causes them stress. They might have a problem but that is their business, unless it becomes a problem for someone else, a health or safety hazard for example. Otherwise it isn't for anyone else pass judgement.
Indeed, but often too (as I've watched those programmes), they're relived when someone has tidied up the mess, and given them a clean 'blank canvas', from which to maintain a tidy home in future. That often happens, and they're much happier for the experience; in fact it's often life-changing for them! :)
Like I said, it's ALL about whether the person involved is genuinely happy with their 'hoarding'. Sometimes they're kidding themselves on, when they say that they are, as it's natural to find it difficult sometimes to admit/confront, and then deal with, a very real problem.
Marco.
Yes, there is a conflict between wanting to live 'normally' and the emotional attachment to all the crap. However I'm not keen on the idea that people should be compelled to do something that is against their wishes because 'It is for their own good.' Even if it is.
http://ottawahomeservicesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/hoarding2.jpg
by not means the worst but folk like this do need to be helped..by force if needbe, if for no other reason than public health
my only extravagance is having 2 tonearms,i sell on what i dont use to recoup funds.
Yes, there is a conflict between wanting to live 'normally' and the emotional attachment to all the crap. However I'm not keen on the idea that people should be compelled to do something that is against their wishes because 'It is for their own good.' Even if it is.
Me neither, but sometimes (as Grant has pointed out), you have to 'be cruel to be kind'... Not everyone who genuinely needs (and often deep down wants) help, realises it or is willing to admit it. Many though, are very grateful afterwards, once they've received some! :)
Marco.
mad-moon
10-02-2018, 14:33
my Nana Emma., lived in a three bedroomed house and she was a hoarder..Mainly clothes. the authorities stepped in and put her in a single bed roomed bungalow, one of those things with all the pull chords and saftey features..Within 2 months, she was dead.
my Nana Emma., lived in a three bedroomed house and she was a hoarder..Mainly clothes. the authorities stepped in and put her in a single bed roomed bungalow, one of those things with all the pull chords and saftey features..Within 2 months, she was dead.
That's the authorities for you. If you ask for help they'll tell you to piss off. But if you don't want help they are determined to give it anyway, especially if it is the sort of 'help' you could do without.
my Nana Emma., lived in a three bedroomed house and she was a hoarder..Mainly clothes. the authorities stepped in and put her in a single bed roomed bungalow, one of those things with all the pull chords and saftey features..Within 2 months, she was dead.
That often happens when old people are taken away from what has been, in many cases, their home for decades. Leaving the environment that they've known for years, and putting them into an alien one, usually acts as their death knell. At that stage, they often lose the will to carry on and just give up.
That's why we cared for both of Del's parents in their own homes, right until the very end, and up until that point, had dealt respectively with the effects of cancer and dementia, and that's what I'll also be doing with my dad. Too may kids these days, simply don't want to know, and dump their elderly or infirm parents into a nursing home at the first available opportunity! :rolleyes:
However, they're usually perfectly happy to take what's been left to them in a will, often whilst having done bugger all to earn it...
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
10-02-2018, 15:38
I've seen a few of these hoarder programmes, but I would like to see some where the programme makers return a couple of years later.....I'm betting that many are refilling their homes again.
I reckon with these extreme hoarders it is always a kind of mental illness, or at least a severe compulsion, and never a case of being too overwhelmed to face tackling it. When the cleaners start removing stuff it always turns into a conflict, the object of which can be something as random as a pile of dishcloths or a headless doll.
Whether to intervene or not is debatable, as everyone should have the right to live their own life unmolested, provided that others aren't affected. However, in the case of the hoarder's house we cleared last year, the neighbours spoke about the smells which seemed to come through the walls, it was so bad. And there had been a problem with rats.
Audio Al
10-02-2018, 17:30
Am I a horder = YES :)
Lol - that's patently obvious from the pics you've posted on the forum... Still got all those rows of metal racks, jammed full of kit, daftee, with banks of double 13A sockets behind each rack, powering them?:eyebrows:
Anyway, at least you're not a hapless, hen-pecked hi-fi husband!;)
Marco.
Audio Al
10-02-2018, 18:32
Lol - that's patently obvious from the pics you've posted on the forum... Still got all those rows of metal racks, jammed full of kit, daftee, with banks of double 13A sockets behind each rack, powering them?:eyebrows:
Anyway, at least you're not a hapless, hen-pecked hi-fi husband!;)
Marco.
Yep 68 3 pin plug sockets on one wall , all racking still in place , 1 bedroom full of speakers , Bliss ;) No killjoy ( wife ) :lol:
Nice one. How about an up to date picture of the current state of madness at daftee-towers?:D
Marco.
Audio Al
10-02-2018, 19:15
Nice one. How about an up to date picture of the current state of madness at daftee-towers?:D
Marco.
:hmm:
That means I have to tidy up and dust :o
Nah... We love the 'organic' look! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Nah... We love the 'organic' look! :eyebrows:
Marco.
the unshaved look:eyebrows:
Lol... Sometimes though, a bit of 'fur' around the edges is nice!:D
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
11-02-2018, 18:41
Quentin Crisp reckoned that after 3 years, the dust stops getting any worse.
walpurgis
11-02-2018, 18:56
Quentin Crisp reckoned that after 3 years, the dust stops getting any worse.
He was wrong. I've tested the principle. :)
Sherwood
11-02-2018, 21:20
He was wrong. I've tested the principle. :)
If he was correct, then Sherlock would be wrong! I don't think so!
Geoff
walpurgis
11-02-2018, 21:26
If he was correct, then Sherlock would be wrong! I don't think so!
Geoff
:scratch:
Quentin Crisp reckoned that after 3 years, the dust stops getting any worse.
He also would only do the washing up after eating fish - otherwise it wasn't done. :doh:
Sherwood
11-02-2018, 22:48
:scratch:
Sherlock used dust for forensic dating.
Audio Al
11-02-2018, 23:39
My spare room is a disgrace to humanity. But I find closing the door and pretending it doesn't exist helps.
:lol::D
Pete The Cat
22-02-2018, 15:16
I was always passionate about reading the weekly music papers. Wednesday was Sounds and NME day for many years. I never threw them out, it just became a habit to keep them and the other magazines that emerged over the years.
I ended up with 31 years' consecutive editions of NME and 15 years' consecutive editions of Sounds. I only missed about 2 or 3 of each in the entire period so that means nearly 2,350 papers stacked in multiple towers 4 feet high.
I also have hundreds of editions of Kerrang!, Mojo, Q, Select... I even have 11 consecutive years' editions of Hi-Fi Answers.
I regarded them as an extension of my record collection so wouldn't part with any of them. After I had a family they all gravitated up into the loft, carefully sealed of course. I told myself that they'd be worth something.
Over the years I realised the obvious, which is that these plus some of the other things that I've accumulated simply aren't getting appreciated because they're so numerous. Not only that but if I'm honest they're effectively out of control. I've merely been putting them out of sight. I've also realised that the value of the collection probably isn't that much at all. The odd NME or Sounds may be worth a tenner to another collector who's looking for specific copy but most will just occupy warehouse space for years.
A while ago I began the task of bringing them down and sorting them. I've decided to retain 100 or so from the halcyon days of '76 to '82 plus K!, Mojo and HFA for now. I'll probably keep all the "free" flexidiscs, cassettes, CDs etc too. At the current rate I reckon that by this autumn I'll have them back in chronological order and ready for a job lot sale.
The funny thing is, I feel as if it's a weight off my mind (as well as the loft). I'll actually feel better for not having them. So maybe that means I was a hoarder but am no longer :scratch:
Pete
What's wrong with being a hoarder anyway? So what if you have piles of crap half-way to the ceiling and little gunnels in amongst it so you can get from one room to the other? Your house, your life, your choice.
I have to agree with that, as long as it's not harming anyone else or a health hazard and its a personal choice, who's business is it?
I'm not a hoarder and could never live like that, but how I live my life in my own home is my business - if I was a hoarder I'd be mighty fecked off if people told me I couldn't be.
Fitting in is overrated :D
Minstrel SE
22-02-2018, 17:08
I was always passionate about reading the weekly music papers. Wednesday was Sounds and NME day for many years. I never threw them out, it just became a habit to keep them and the other magazines that emerged over the years.
I ended up with 31 years' consecutive editions of NME and 15 years' consecutive editions of Sounds. I only missed about 2 or 3 of each in the entire period so that means nearly 2,350 papers stacked in multiple towers 4 feet high.
I also have hundreds of editions of Kerrang!, Mojo, Q, Select... I even have 11 consecutive years' editions of Hi-Fi Answers.
I regarded them as an extension of my record collection so wouldn't part with any of them. After I had a family they all gravitated up into the loft, carefully sealed of course. I told myself that they'd be worth something.
Over the years I realised the obvious, which is that these plus some of the other things that I've accumulated simply aren't getting appreciated because they're so numerous. Not only that but if I'm honest they're effectively out of control. I've merely been putting them out of sight. I've also realised that the value of the collection probably isn't that much at all. The odd NME or Sounds may be worth a tenner to another collector who's looking for specific copy but most will just occupy warehouse space for years.
A while ago I began the task of bringing them down and sorting them. I've decided to retain 100 or so from the halcyon days of '76 to '82 plus K!, Mojo and HFA for now. I'll probably keep all the "free" flexidiscs, cassettes, CDs etc too. At the current rate I reckon that by this autumn I'll have them back in chronological order and ready for a job lot sale.
The funny thing is, I feel as if it's a weight off my mind (as well as the loft). I'll actually feel better for not having them. So maybe that means I was a hoarder but am no longer :scratch:
Pete
Thats a great post Pete and it can be the conflict between nice to have for reference and knowing that they are not really getting appreciated. I think that the crux of the matter when they are too numerous and we havent really been looking at them on a regular basis anyway.
I do reign myself in and think if I cant find things what is the point of owning them. I have pretty much peaked now with cds dvds and collectables. I do have my limits based on storage space and its not never ending. I jut get sick of being judged by the minimalist brigade.
I havent bought a magazine in a while but a nice magazine can be too nice to throw away. I still have hi fi year award, music and games magazines from years ago because they are just nice reference points of the time. I do throw lots of stuff away and sometimes regret it. I do some clippings folders to cut down on magazine volume
I think you will find that there are adverts and articles that will sell on ebay. One seller has been selling old matchbox car adverts from the comics so some music ads and clippings about The Fall for example would be nice to frame.
You may find more value in thoses NMEs than you think. I would love to read some Hi fi Answers again or flick through the music press from yesteryear.
I dont think you or I had a problem though. Hoarding only becomes a problem when it seriously affects a healthy living space
Best wishes
Martin
Was watching an old Top Gear last night. James May visits Jay Leno and they have a look at his car collection. I don't know how many he had but they filled a warehouse. Is that not hoarding? And if not why not? There's another one where he goes to Chris Evan's drum and he has about 10 Ferraris.
Go and visit any stately home and see how much crap they have collected. Hundred, sometimes thousands of paintings. Stuffed dead animals out of their ass. Clocks, at least a few dozen of the bastards.
I actually think hoarding is normal and it's those of you pursuing minimalist, uncluttered lives who are <ahem> 'a little eccentric'. :D
Hahaha, as a non-hoarder it's more to do with moving 36 times for me, each time you do it you chuck/give stuff away and then regret it later :lol:
Hahaha, as a non-hoarder it's more to do with moving 36 times for me, each time you do it you chuck/give stuff away and then regret it later :lol:
Yep. I used to move all the time, 9 addresses in 11 years. It does keep the crap down very effectively but I didn't realise that until I stopped in the same place for twenty years. Now it's too late.
I don't think I ever lost anything when moving (except possibly a Nagaoka MP30 - I still hope it will turn up somewhere) but then I didn't have that much stuff to lose in the first place.
The only thing I ever really regret doing is downsizing my record collection :(
I might not have played them much, but some of them had deep meaning as gifts from people who aren't here anymore. Not something I ever thought about as a young un', but very pertinent now.
The only thing I ever really regret doing is downsizing my record collection :(
I might not have played them much, but some of them had deep meaning as gifts from people who aren't here anymore. Not something I ever thought about as a young un', but very pertinent now.
That's harsh I know. But you have to think that it is only stuff, it isn't really essential to the emotional attachment. We just imagine it is.
Very true, it's the memories that are important.
:cool:
Pete The Cat
23-02-2018, 14:00
I think you will find that there are adverts and articles that will sell on ebay. One seller has been selling old matchbox car adverts from the comics so some music ads and clippings about The Fall for example would be nice to frame.Martin
You're right, although another challenge is that I don't have the time to properly sift the content out. When I began sorting them I discovered a duplicate copy of Sounds from 1980 with Iron Maiden on the cover and gave it a go on eBay, and a guy in Italy more or less begged me to let him have it for £20. However for every one of those there must be 20 edtions where the cover artist or main feature don't have a core following these days (1984 - Bourgie, Bourgie anybody ? :lol:) and I'm more motivated by getting rid of them than running a lot of advertisements for weeks. It's back to the point that I've realised that they're actually weighing me down rather than being a source of cash. I'll see though, once I'm ready I'll probably advertise one year's worth in a single ad and find out how much those 51 editions fetch as a lot before deciding.
At WH Smiths in the railway station today I couldn't help but notice how music magazines are actually proliferating in spite of the internet. Whereas the hi-fi mag section has shrunk to almost nothing I saw music titles that I hadn't seen before, eg Louder Than War, Rock Candy and a host of one-off specials as well as the hardies like Q, Record Collector etc. A problem I have is that I'm keeping them even after I read them...
Thanks for your encouraging reply. Back on topic, I can show my wife this thread as evidence that I'm not a hoarder after all.
Pete
Minstrel SE
23-02-2018, 15:34
Yes I saw on the news last night that Robin Williams had 100 bicycles in his collection which are now up for auction. As Macca and others say nobody really complains when they have a large place to store all this stuff. Its is probably more natural to gather stuff and it becomes an issue of space for poorer people. Have you seen the pictures of the Japanese one room flats in expensive living areas...thats the way its probably heading for a lot of people :)
Items are nice and its there to tempt us. I dont go overboard and think Im quite choosy actually. There are shops in this town that I have never shopped in and areas of collecting that I will never be interested in
In a way its nice to sing "imagine no possessions" and there is a certain serenity in that feeling. Yes its only stuff but I would be very unhappy if it was taken from me. What I own is not even on the scale of whats out there
How would I do without all the things that make me happy like BBC The Fall sessions boxset.
Minstrel SE
23-02-2018, 15:58
You're right, although another challenge is that I don't have the time to properly sift the content out. When I began sorting them I discovered a duplicate copy of Sounds from 1980 with Iron Maiden on the cover and gave it a go on eBay, and a guy in Italy more or less begged me to let him have it for £20. However for every one of those there must be 20 edtions where the cover artist or main feature don't have a core following these days (1984 - Bourgie, Bourgie anybody ? :lol:) and I'm more motivated by getting rid of them than running a lot of advertisements for weeks. It's back to the point that I've realised that they're actually weighing me down rather than being a source of cash. I'll see though, once I'm ready I'll probably advertise one year's worth in a single ad and find out how much those 51 editions fetch as a lot before deciding.
At WH Smiths in the railway station today I couldn't help but notice how music magazines are actually proliferating in spite of the internet. Whereas the hi-fi mag section has shrunk to almost nothing I saw music titles that I hadn't seen before, eg Louder Than War, Rock Candy and a host of one-off specials as well as the hardies like Q, Record Collector etc. A problem I have is that I'm keeping them even after I read them...
Thanks for your encouraging reply. Back on topic, I can show my wife this thread as evidence that I'm not a hoarder after all.
Pete
Yes it will be interesting so please let us know. It is whether you have that time and inclination to get stuck in as one advert could match the cost of selling bulk issues. The big cult names would make certain issues worth splitting off
You could find you have a little goldmine there as fans out there want a good reference point and nostalgia is a big market. I have been looking at A4 and smaller adverts for the Fall and they should sell. I would frame an unusual one with good artwork. The prices are high but its a price I would pay for the right vibe.
I have a printer and could print out some nice stuff but there is something about the original ads that appeals. They can even be scanned and tarted up on a duplicate print if necessary
I wish I had kept my NMEs and Im certainly in the market now for earlier copies of Hi Fi Answers
All the best
Martin
You're right, although another challenge is that I don't have the time to properly sift the content out. When I began sorting them I discovered a duplicate copy of Sounds from 1980 with Iron Maiden on the cover and gave it a go on eBay, and a guy in Italy more or less begged me to let him have it for £20. However for every one of those there must be 20 edtions where the cover artist or main feature don't have a core following these days (1984 - Bourgie, Bourgie anybody ? :lol:) and I'm more motivated by getting rid of them than running a lot of advertisements for weeks. It's back to the point that I've realised that they're actually weighing me down rather than being a source of cash. I'll see though, once I'm ready I'll probably advertise one year's worth in a single ad and find out how much those 51 editions fetch as a lot before deciding.
At WH Smiths in the railway station today I couldn't help but notice how music magazines are actually proliferating in spite of the internet. Whereas the hi-fi mag section has shrunk to almost nothing I saw music titles that I hadn't seen before, eg Louder Than War, Rock Candy and a host of one-off specials as well as the hardies like Q, Record Collector etc. A problem I have is that I'm keeping them even after I read them...
Thanks for your encouraging reply. Back on topic, I can show my wife this thread as evidence that I'm not a hoarder after all.
Pete
That's a bit of a coincidence - I've been going through my old Sounds and NMEs recently mainly from '76 - '80 so it's been interesting seeing the coverage of punk and new wave. It's surprising to see full page adverts for forgotten bands (to me at least) who seemed to go nowhere quickly - Trickster and George Hatcher Band? You should see all the negative reaction to the Pistols on the Grundy show in letters pages of Sounds and I forgot how much violence there was at gigs at the time.
There's a gig review in Manchester where the author speaks to 'Hooky and Bernard' who are forming a band. I wonder what happened to them? I flick through an NME from '78 with John Cooper Clark on the cover and in the back is a letter from a Steven Morrissey extolling the virtues of the New York Dolls. There's tons of interest all over them.
All theses inky papers are a bit messy and unattractive - they are spread out over the floor in my music room but I regard them as a musical and social history archive in my own home. I really wouldn't be without them ;)
Pete The Cat
24-02-2018, 08:46
That's a bit of a coincidence - I've been going through my old Sounds and NMEs recently mainly from '76 - '80 so it's been interesting seeing the coverage of punk and new wave. It's surprising to see full page adverts for forgotten bands (to me at least) who seemed to go nowhere quickly - Trickster and George Hatcher Band? You should see all the negative reaction to the Pistols on the Grundy show in letters pages of Sounds and I forgot how much violence there was at gigs at the time.
There's a gig review in Manchester where the author speaks to 'Hooky and Bernard' who are forming a band. I wonder what happened to them? I flick through an NME from '78 with John Cooper Clark on the cover and in the back is a letter from a Steven Morrissey extolling the virtues of the New York Dolls. There's tons of interest all over them.
All theses inky papers are a bit messy and unattractive - they are spread out over the floor in my music room but I regard them as a musical and social history archive in my own home. I really wouldn't be without them ;)
I'm with you on that era which is the reason I'm going to keep 100 or so from those days.
As well as the downsides (I remember Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks pleading with the audience at the Mecca Ballroom in Blackpool "I'm trying to sing you love songs and all you want to do is fight") there were glorious upsides. One of my favourite NME covers is October '77 with Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex in helmet and bin liner with the headline "some people think that little girls should be seen and not heard". It's a shame that five years later punk ended up in a dark uniform of painted leather jackets playing lowest common denominator metal to a 99% male audience.
Your point about musical and social history is bang on. I love reading adverts from venues that no longer exist, singles of the week reviews, small ads selling tribal fashions, non-mainstream chart lists, letters from John Connelly and Keith Flett...
For me the problem is the sheer scale of what I've ended up with and the acknowledgement that they ceased to be essential reading a long time before I stopped buying them.
Back to the OP I can empathise with those who've hoarded belongings from those no longer with us. I held onto many of my Father's tools and equipment for years even though I hadn't the faintest clue what some of it was. Yet even now it warms me to suddenly find a pencil that he'd have been the last person to sharpen and use among an old tin of nuts and bolts.
Pete
Yes I am, but I hoard the wrong stuff.......
paulf-2007
24-02-2018, 11:51
Go and visit any stately home and see how much crap they have collected. Hundred, sometimes thousands of paintings. Stuffed dead animals out of their ass.
'. :Di blame the public school system for that.
was a good film where the aunty says ...if your depressed or unhappy, why dont you go to Africa and shoot things.;)
paulf-2007
24-02-2018, 12:06
I suppose I could be labeled a hoarder if not wanting to throw away useful things, either to me or someone else I such. I have been going through a load of records I was given and have another large box to do. Most are in mint condition but most of them are not to my taste or many here I would guess. I gave do kept a dozen or so and the rest are going to a charity shop that sells vinyl. A couple of Peter Gabriel albums are saved for a mate. It's taking a fair time to sort through them, checking they are in good condition, my description for what gets played on my tt. I offered them for pick up on lenco heaven to anyone that would take them to the wam show or tonbridge audio jumble to hand out to those that wanted any but no takers. I suppose I could sell some but really cannot be bothered with it.
Also my garages are filled to bursting with woodworking tools, welders, you name it and although I've tried to be ruthless recently I've made little impression on the hoard, I made enough room to shoe horn my '57 ford pop into one but would like to get it in the garage by the house. As soon as I ditch something I need it.
My uncle was throwing out a roll of square galvanized mesh I took it put in my garage where it stayed for ten years,not long after I got rid of it I could have used it at our house in France
I sometimes wish I was a useless twat that couldn't do practical stuff and wouldn't need any tools and other stuff.
I have found the best cure in the world for hoarding. Just marry a girl who loves clothes, handbags, shoes, designer sunglasses and jewellery. If you can still find an inch of space to hoard, you won't have any cash left to buy the stuff!
Thread reminds me of this cracker...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180312/d7aa08158680af8846bde6eeb92e3a43.jpg
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
I specialise in bits of wire, I currently (get that?) have enough to refurbish every headshell in the country and make 2000 average length low quality interconnects.
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