For The Record- 20. April. 2024

When something's broke, I wanna put a bit of fixin' on it

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Welcome to another edition of For The Record, the weekly newsletter that brings the world of music news straight to your inbox. Part essay, part good old-fashioned link drop, this is a benefit for paid supporters of On Repeat.

On Repeat is 100% reader-funded. You can back independent ad-free music journalism for less than $1 a week.

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Happy Record Store Day to all who celebrate! A link to all available titles is below.

This week, we’ve got news from Guided by Voices, Maggie Rogers, and Neil Young

All that and a LOT more, including English Teacher, Cindy Lee, and David Lee Roth

Let’s get to it!

📻📻📻

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I have spent the last few weeks rooting through boxes, looking for pictures of my time as a drummer. I could’ve sworn I had at least one or two, but I’ve got nothing so far. I haven’t found any (yet!), but I did come back across one that always stops me in my tracks.

I assure you I’m not turning this into a “tales from the office” newsletter—I know you’re here for words about sounds. But if you’ll indulge me in one more story from my workplace, I want to share the story of my friend Richard Hulsizer.

The airlines were a second career for Richard. He joined us after having just retired from the United States Post Office. He and his husband dreamt of seeing the world; joining us at (then) Northwest would be their way to do it.

If you’ve ever been a manager/supervisor/whatever, you learn to quickly assess whether or not someone will be a good fit for your team. In a line station like mine, those good and bad qualities can be magnified—in case of conflict, there’s simply nowhere else to go.

He fit right in from the start and was the kind of person you are happy to see show up at your gate. He was hardworking, sure, but also friendly and frankly funny as hell. I should also note that he was a great baker who often brought cookies in.

I should also note that I often ate more than my share.

I’d like to have ended this story with another retirement party, with the usual balloons, sheet cake, and hugs. This isn’t that story, though. For Richard, there would be no second retirement or years spent exploring the Greek Isles. Instead, I am writing this close to the 13th anniversary of his death due to a workplace accident. This was not a “good death” (whateverthehell that means), and it wasn’t quick, either.

In writing classes, they tell you you’re supposed to have some big takeaway or silver lining. A lesson learned that you could wrap up in a pithy ‘final thoughts’ paragraph. Cool. I can tell you that I learned OSHA has a robust reference library, that they will lend you any materials you may want or need, and that the people I met there truly have the best interests of workers at heart. I can tell you that the 4 minutes it takes to drive from their office back to my house feels like 400 miles.

I can also tell you I wish I’d never had to learn it existed and that I miss my friend.

Companies also like to refer to employees as ‘family’ until they think your family might sue them. Then it’s all business with an occasional whisper campaign thrown in for good measure, and it's incredible how fast that 180 happens.

I mention this to share a few points:

First, every action has a consequence. Sometimes they’re good, and sometimes not, but nothing happens in a vacuum.

Next, it’s easy to become complacent at work and home. Please make a concerted effort to move through your shift and/or day with intention, even just for today. That extra second or two could make all the difference.

Third, dreams deferred are dreams unrealized. People re-prioritizing their lives in the wake of COVID is still a popular topic these days, and there is no shortage of think pieces and/or hot takes plastered all over the ‘net. It’s easy to let real life get in the way. I’m as guilty of it as anyone, but no one’s promised tomorrow.

Book that trip. Rip the occasional heater. Make food for your coworkers.

Also: If someone in your office brings cookies in, make sure to thank them, even if you don’t eat them.

Links are below the jump: