"Vinyl", A documentary by Alan Zweig

Thanks to Simon Grounds for putting me onto this great homemade documentary about record collecting. Director Alan Zweig, who sees his own collecting obsession as a mental affliction that has basically sabotaged his life, interviews other obsessos in their houses and casually slips in questions like, "So, do you ever think, maybe I collect all these records because I hate myself and need to fill the void of my meaningless life?"
The collectors he interviews are a mixed bunch, some definietly more likeable or amusing than others, but this guy here is by far my favourite...

Zweigs endless maudlin monologues about wishing he had a daughter and obsessively collecting easy listening records he doesn't even like get a little trying, but many of them are very funny too, and it's all part of the sense of mental unhealthiness that's at the heart of the film.

As a record collector, it certainly made me assess my own habits and motivations, and as a documentary I found it utterly compelling! Well worth a look...