The Tragedy in New Orleans

So I was getting pretty sick and tired of the non-stop news coverage o Hurricane Katrina (how many times do we have to see that guy in the spine brace eat mac 'n cheese?) when the magnitude of what happened hit home.

It occurred to me that New Orleans getting pummelled like that, all the record collections in private homes, and all the secondhand vinyl shops have been destroyed. Sure, it's only one city, but don't forget the importance on New Orleans in the evolution of American music. All sorts of wonderful jazz 78s and soul 45s have been blasted into oblivion.

This means no more New Orleans Soul Jazz comps, as I bet the majority of obscure sides and private pressings never made it out of the city. This means the next DJ Shadow cut 'n paste won't lean on the rich traditions of The Big Easy.

My girlfriend claims that if vinyl is soaked long enough, no damage will come to the record, only the label will peel off. I say she is wrong, that the water will warp and ruin everything. Even if she's right, who would want to listen to something if you couldn't tell who the artist was was or how rare it is? What do you think?