Member Monday #50: Francisco Montes

Member Monday is our favorite part of the Vinyl Junkies newsletter because it helps us celebrate the best part about this community: the patrons! We place the spotlight on our VJ Patrons by asking them to share what makes collecting records so special to them. This week, we’re especially happy to feature VJ Patron #135, Francisco Montes!

What was the first album you ever bought on vinyl?

The first album I bought was The Bedlam in Goliath by The Mars Volta in 2008 if I recall. It was a pre-order that had hand-etched messages on each record. Mine had their manager’s phone number etched in it. It said for a good time call lars at XXX-XXX-XXXX. And “Mexican accidents are bound to happen”

What drives you to collect vinyl?

I love the idea of having different experiences on vinyl. Like stand up on vinyl is an experience, personally, I love to stand up comedy as-well-as music but nothing beats The Smothers Brothers on vinyl. Like, nothing beats putting on your favorite movie soundtrack on vinyl and just having a moment. I mean sure you could listen to it on your phone but it’s not the same as remembering you have to flip the record. Or trying to remember that exact groove to show your friend a part of something timeless. And to collect pieces of moments is like being an archive of the wide palette of emotions and eras. It’s like preserving the history of the human experience. Not to get too deep. But kinda how I conceptualize my collection.

What genres do you collect? How big is your collection?

I try to keep it broad with genres that I collect so I have a bit of everything to rotate. So I have indie records, electronic records, blues, folk, whale sound records, complications and sprinkles of this and that. And my record collection is a modest few hundred. So not big enough but I got plenty more records I’ve been hunting.

What is your holy grail?

Handsome Boy Modeling School – Hows Your Girl

What is your most cherished memory associated with vinyl?

My mom gave me a copy of Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. When I was 16 and opened up about when she was young and had to be a single parent at 16 years old. Which blew my mind. But also gave the record a special place in my heart! She was like this record got me through so much. And to hear about the songs with your mom’s attachment to them is something else.

Do you have a ritual associated with your collection? If so, what is it?

I like to lay down and just have a moment with a record on. I don’t like putting a record on with a bunch of distractions. At most reading with a record on sometimes.

Make us a playlist of your top ten albums or tracks of all time.

Oof this one is always tough but currently, in time I guess it would be.

David Bowie – Blackstar
J Dilla – Donuts
The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030
The Cars – Shake It Up
Daft Punk – Discovery
Aphex Twin – Richard D. James Album
The Islands – Vapours
 The Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin

What made you choose to step up and support this community?

Sam is amazing and I will support anything he does. I have known Sam since the cannabis nation (rip) and used to love that forum and community. And he’s done it again with vinyl junkies. My favorite bald head on the internet

Stay tuned for our next Member Monday post! We’ll be featuring more of the stories and collections of our Vinyl Junkies family!

Hungry for vinyl? Looking to add to your collection? We got you covered. You can check out all of the artists mentioned above in our store: https://vinyljunkies.store/

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