When the Gnome is a record-shoppin’, don’t come a-knockin’! Your craggy correspondent hit the bins early this year, pickin’ up rare vinyl and obscure box sets for all the elfin creatures on his lengthy list, and Seattle shops did not let the poor boy down. The first place the Gnome slithered into—after slithering out of the Ship Canal—was Sonic Boom (503 N 36th, 547-2666), where an original vinyl copy of Meet the Beatles went for a mere 20 bucks. A perilous jaywalking trip across the street led downstairs to the Fremont Antique Mall, a hidden trove of vinyl and CDs, where the Gnome turned up a fantastic if scratchy Penguin Caf頏rchestra LP for only $4! From there, a trip on the Duck back to Belltown brought an array of record-shopping options, including an original vinyl copy of the first British Oi compilation, Oi!, for $22, and an ultra-rare Devo 45 on Stiff for $12. Where, you ask? Why of course, at that emporium of fringed-out collectible tuneage, Singles Going Steady (2219 Second, 441-7396). Just down the block at Wall of Sound (2237 Second, 441-9880), your height-challenged scribe purchased a handful of vinyl Stockhausen records—in the $25-$50 range—for that effete Uncle Troll, and thought about procuring some of the shop’s jazz, world, and classical offerings before consulting the list and deciding to move on. The next gift recipient was Matty the Midget, whose taste runs from the Knitting Factory denizens of jazz to obscure indie-pop maestros. This left the Gnome no choice but to hop over to Columbia City’s Eye and Ear Control (4822 Rainier S, 722-0300), where a Talulah Gosh 7-inch went for 20 bucks. Oh yeah, and your shopping consultant nabbed himself some choice erotic art books, but that’s a story for another time. Ahem. Onward and uphill, to Capitol Hill, where the helpful staff at Orpheum (618 Broadway, 322-6370) pointed this pointy-toed shopper to choice box sets and even a few

bootleg discs. For an equally impressive selection of box sets and used discs, a trip out to the wilds of West Seattle was in order, and Easy Street (4559 California SW, 938-3279) did not disappoint. Still unsated, the Gnome hitchhiked a ride to Fallout (1506 E Olive, 323-2662) to browse the local 7-inches and crusty punk reissues, then hoofed it all the way to the U-District to finish off the excursion in the Promised Land of record collecting. At Cellophane Square (4538 University NE, 634-2280), a copy of the getting rarer Sub Pop 200 was procured for 50 smackers, and a few extra bucks added Melvins and Mudhoney singles, while a jog down to Bedazzled Discs (4742 University NE, 985-2990) turned up the very first Stooges album from 1969, on vinyl, for $75. At Bedazzled, the Gnome also filled his basket with every Radiohead release from Japan, England, and the US known to man. Or at least known to Gnome. You betcha!