ronniethebear Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think the term "white whale" is pretty subjective. It's not really about the rarity of the record itself, it's more about the personal desire for it. A white whale, to me, is just something I really really want, but thus far has been elusive. It could even be something that no one else on earth cares about, but you want it badly and can't seem to get your hands on it. "One man's trash is another man's treasure", if you will. Because in reality it really doesn't matter what people consider the definition of the term to be I guess I really don't care. But it's just weird to be a music fan collecting records for 15 years and having the definition being one thing and all of a sudden this wave comes along and terms it something else. Especially when the new definition seems to contradict what I always felt was the true meaning. Once again who really cares I guess...it's just odd. Soon a "hitter" will mean any record over $10. What's hilarious is this could easily devolve in to a serious literary discussion about the meaning of Moby Dick that could take years to eventually never be fully resolved. Alright, then by your definition mine is a Botch - We Are The Romans test press. Better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thischarmingham Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 though personally, i find it hard to argue with something that has a specific meaning based on a classic work of literature. you cant really change a classic book It's not really about "changing" a classic book but debating what the author was trying to say with it etc. I think there's a collage out there with a whole course dedicated to it. To play the devils advocate "White Whale" could still be appropriate in the situation that I find it inappropriate because you could say it isn't about the rarity of the while itself but the fact that Ahab wanted it so dearly. It's just in my time i've never heard the term so liberally applied to uncommon records. I'm used to hearing it in terms of shit there were 100 of made in 1978 and weirdos actually tracking down the parents of band members to see if there are any in their basement...and being successful. Now that is a record hunt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniethebear Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 At this point it's all just an argument of semantics, soooooooooooooooooooooo..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think the term "white whale" is pretty subjective. It's not really about the rarity of the record itself, it's more about the personal desire for it. A white whale, to me, is just something I really really want, but thus far has been elusive. It could even be something that no one else on earth cares about, but you want it badly and can't seem to get your hands on it. "One man's trash is another man's treasure", if you will. Yeah because Ahab just wanted some 1 out of 3,000 whale that wasn't even sought after until it wasn't readily available at FYE. I get what you're saying (and I am being a devils advocate prick) but I look at this like I look at the use of the word "love". Everyone "loves" everything now a days from the newest NOFX album to chili fries, it sort of takes away from it. While the term certainly can be subjective to a person (how one interprets it to their own life) it still seems like a real "white whale" should be something that is in keeping with the original work (Moby Dick). It was a thing of near mythic proportions that many questioned if it even existed. If something is regularly up for sale (even if it goes for $200+ like some records) it's not a white whale. One could buy it simply by running up some debt or by saving. I feel a white whale is devoid of monetary sense, it's simply something that is impossible to find. It's a piece that you would give nearly everything for. Hopefully you don't kill a ship full of men to get it, but you would. But hell that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 agreed. a white whale should be HUNTED! i love finding records by emailing some old dude who used to do a label, who refers me to some guy, who i meet up with at a fest, who will only trade me for a certain record that i gotta find first, etc. seems like typing it in on ebay every week for 6 months isnt much of a hunt. but yeah, personal preference. i guess if you have been collecting records for 1 year, looking on ebay for 6 months is a big chunk of that, and can seem like a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thischarmingham Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think the term "white whale" is pretty subjective. It's not really about the rarity of the record itself, it's more about the personal desire for it. A white whale, to me, is just something I really really want, but thus far has been elusive. It could even be something that no one else on earth cares about, but you want it badly and can't seem to get your hands on it. "One man's trash is another man's treasure", if you will. Yeah because Ahab just wanted some 1 out of 3,000 whale that wasn't even sought after until it wasn't readily available at FYE. I get what you're saying (and I am being a devils advocate prick) but I look at this like I look at the use of the word "love". Everyone "loves" everything now a days from the newest NOFX album to chili fries, it sort of takes away from it. While the term certainly can be subjective to a person (how one interprets it to their own life) it still seems like a real "white whale" should be something that is in keeping with the original work (Moby Dick). It was a thing of near mythic proportions that many questioned if it even existed. If something is regularly up for sale (even if it goes for $200+ like some records) it's not a white whale. One could buy it simply by running up some debt or by saving. I feel a white whale is devoid of monetary sense, it's simply something that is impossible to find. It's a piece that you would give nearly everything for. Hopefully you don't kill a ship full of men to get it, but you would. But hell that's just me. I take it back. I don't hate you on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 agreed. a white whale should be HUNTED!i love finding records by emailing some old dude who used to do a label, who refers me to some guy, who i meet up with at a fest, who will only trade me for a certain record that i gotta find first, etc. seems like typing it in on ebay every week for 6 months isnt much of a hunt. but yeah, personal preference. i guess if you have been collecting records for 1 year, looking on ebay for 6 months is a big chunk of that, and can seem like a long time. Also, on a different note, these are by far the most satisfying records to find. I've done the ebay route and it is cool to outbid someone, but it's such a rad feeling to hunt someone down who let the band sleep in their basement 5 years ago and got this 7" as payment. It's certainly a lot rarer way to get a record and requires more work but it's such a rad experience when you get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniethebear Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think the term "white whale" is pretty subjective. It's not really about the rarity of the record itself, it's more about the personal desire for it. A white whale, to me, is just something I really really want, but thus far has been elusive. It could even be something that no one else on earth cares about, but you want it badly and can't seem to get your hands on it. "One man's trash is another man's treasure", if you will. Yeah because Ahab just wanted some 1 out of 3,000 whale that wasn't even sought after until it wasn't readily available at FYE. I get what you're saying (and I am being a devils advocate prick) but I look at this like I look at the use of the word "love". Everyone "loves" everything now a days from the newest NOFX album to chili fries, it sort of takes away from it. While the term certainly can be subjective to a person (how one interprets it to their own life) it still seems like a real "white whale" should be something that is in keeping with the original work (Moby Dick). It was a thing of near mythic proportions that many questioned if it even existed. If something is regularly up for sale (even if it goes for $200+ like some records) it's not a white whale. One could buy it simply by running up some debt or by saving. I feel a white whale is devoid of monetary sense, it's simply something that is impossible to find. It's a piece that you would give nearly everything for. Hopefully you don't kill a ship full of men to get it, but you would. But hell that's just me. Well the whole reason that I argued that it's subjective is because one could interpret the Moby Dick analogy in an entirely different context. Ahab could have been the only dude on the whole planet to give a fuck about this whale, no matter how "rare" it was. It was about the personal obsession and the search, not just the scarcity. Make sense? I should have been in debate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Like it has been said (and beaten to death already), it's all subjective and what you desire the most...record-wise for this discussion...or argument depending how much of a dick you want to be... As I said in the example, TGUK FMM was one for me...I know it pops up on eBay often...but it came up at the right time and I was able to get it for a decent amount and in perfect shape. I don't think it's a matter of how rare the record may be, it comes down to how much that one person wants it and has been looking for it. If we want to get into broad definition of "white whales", one right now for me is The God Machine "Scenes From The Second Storey" 2x12"...I rarely see it, and when it does, it goes for easily $200+. Only time will tell if I am able to track a copy down and get it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thischarmingham Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Semantics blah blah blah but once again...It's just odd to have something suddenly mean something else...especially in a way that makes it seem like the people using the new definition don't really understand what it's supposed to be about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante3000 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Yeah because Ahab just wanted some 1 out of 3,000 whale that wasn't even sought after until it wasn't readily available at FYE. I get what you're saying (and I am being a devils advocate prick) but I look at this like I look at the use of the word "love". Everyone "loves" everything now a days from the newest NOFX album to chili fries, it sort of takes away from it. While the term certainly can be subjective to a person (how one interprets it to their own life) it still seems like a real "white whale" should be something that is in keeping with the original work (Moby Dick). It was a thing of near mythic proportions that many questioned if it even existed. If something is regularly up for sale (even if it goes for $200+ like some records) it's not a white whale. One could buy it simply by running up some debt or by saving. I feel a white whale is devoid of monetary sense, it's simply something that is impossible to find. It's a piece that you would give nearly everything for. Hopefully you don't kill a ship full of men to get it, but you would. But hell that's just me. Well the whole reason that I argued that it's subjective is because one could interpret the Moby Dick analogy in an entirely different context. Ahab could have been the only dude on the whole planet to give a fuck about this whale, no matter how "rare" it was. It was about the personal obsession and the search, not just the scarcity. Make sense? I should have been in debate. Just to make this about Moby Dick and not vinyl, I get what you're saying. There weren't 1,000's of dudes out hunting that whale. It was mainly that Ahab was super into the whale, that's what made it special even if only to him. But on that note, the whale was a mythic creature. Many of the characters in the book had heard about it. Maybe never seen it, maybe even doubted its existence but they had "heard" about it. Maybe Ahab didn't hunt the whale because of its rarity but it was that elusiveness and larger than life mythology that made the creature so much more amazing. If it was like this killer whale that was 10 miles off shore that everyone had seen it would have just been strange. Oh, and something about records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 This whole thread just sounds like "THESE WHIPPERSNAPPERS HAVE IT TOO EASY. MY GENERATION WAS THE GREATEST GENERATION." A "white whale" is a pretty fair term to place upon that one specific record you've been searching months/years/decades for, no matter how many of them exist or how often it shows up on eBay. You don't hunt your white whale on eBay; you hunt it at record stores, rummage sales, record swaps, distros at shows, friends' collections, etc. The whole point of it is that it's not supposed to come easy; you have to work for it. That could be for a record out of 100 or 10,000, because if there's 9,999 other people searching for that same record, your odds are just as low as getting some super ultra limited record from a shitty south Florida grindcore band that Tom Gabel played bass in once or something. But really, who cares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 a shitty south Florida grindcore band that Tom Gabel played bass in once or something. Hey!!!!! You can't bag on South FloriDUH! unless you live/have lived down here...watch it bub! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 who the hell is tom gabel? i dont want to debate the meaning of white whale anymore, i just think it sort of makes the idea of a white whale less "elusive" and interesting. if you can call a record that pops up on ebay every month that was released a year or two ago a white whale, then it totally diminishes anyone else saying they found their white whale when they finally found a original Ghoul flexi from '85 in japan somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviolentworld Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 how come i cant find any info for calvary....somebody help me out. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thischarmingham Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 This whole thread just sounds like "THESE WHIPPERSNAPPERS HAVE IT TOO EASY. MY GENERATION WAS THE GREATEST GENERATION." That has nothing to do with my point/issue. Let's just find this guy some damn Calvary records and be done with all of this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 www.councilrecords.com will give you some info on calvary. you can try to email matthias and see if he can help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviolentworld Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 www.councilrecords.com will give you some info on calvary.you can try to email matthias and see if he can help you. thanks for that i couldnt find them anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skumbucket Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 LITERARY DISCUSSION SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN THE OTHER FORUM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddieruckus Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 a shitty south Florida grindcore band that Tom Gabel played bass in once or something. Hey!!!!! You can't bag on South FloriDUH! unless you live/have lived down here...watch it bub! backed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniethebear Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 NO GUYS LETS FIND SOME STICKS OR SOMETHING TO USE ON THIS DEAD HORSE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 My white whale is currently on eBay. Two times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkrockvinyl25 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 My white whale is currently on eBay. Two times. i just won mine on ebay. only 52.00 thought i would never find it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 My white whale is currently on eBay. Two times. i just won mine on ebay. only 52.00 thought i would never find it! What was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 Ha...... funny to see this thread brought back up. I managed to snag Calvary - Outnumbered is Outflanked on blue/white swirl as well as their "The WIll of the Way" 7" on clear for a grand total of $15 ppd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.