Collections Interview
Name: Kate
Forum Username: kate
Location: Maine , USA
Age: 21
When and how did you get into Garbage?
I got my first taste of them at eleven while watching MTV after school one afternoon. They aired the video for OHWIR and I was immediately smitten. I didn't have a cd or tape player or anything at the time so I just tucked them into the back of my mind until I was 13 and Special came out. It was the first song that really suckerpunched me and I fell for them completely and have been an obsessive and avid fan ever since.
When did you start collecting?
I think I started collecting in 2000 when I was 16 and got my drivers license so I was able to drive myself around to record shops more frequently. Before that I didn't have much access to the used record shops that tend to have more Garbage stuff than the big chain stores.
Do you or did you have any aims when you started out collecting?
No, I pretty much just pick up anything I see while in record shops. I don't make any special efforts to get certain items through ebay or elsewhere. I have ordered singles from the UK version of Amazon because I wanted the b-sides that were on them and no local stores had imported them. Other than that, I prefer the surprise of finding a Garbage item while rummaging through stores. When I find anything in a store that I don't already have, I'll usually buy it right away as long as it's not too overpriced, especially if it's an older item that I would have a hard time finding again, but I have never gone out looking for any item in particular aside from getting the albums the day they came out.
How big is your collection?
Not huge. I've got all the records on cd, Version 2.0 on vinyl, about twenty cd singles, mostly from the beautifulgarbage era as they are easier to find, a few trash items, a couple singles on vinyl, and the debut 7” box set, plus a bunch of promotional postcards and a lot of magazine articles.
What is your favourite Garbage item in your collection?
Probably the 7” box set because I love the feel of vinyl and I like the packaging and how the song titles are not listed on the records themselves, just color coded and listed on the insert.
How much do you think you have spent on your collection?
I've never thought of it or tried to add it up. I'd give a guess around $300 as most singles cost around $10 each and other things I have bought average around that too.
What’s the most you have spent on a Garbage item?
Not a lot. If something is really expensive I will pass on buying it. I think the most I have spent was $20 or $25 on a t-shirt from a show. As for unofficial stuff, the most I have spent is definitely $50 on my tattoo.
What’s the most you would ever spend on a Garbage item and what is it?
I don't think I would ever spend more than $25 or $30 for any one thing. I am not a very serious collector, so unless I had the money to spare on spending anything more I probably wouldn't.
Does your Garbage collecting Obsession stretch to seeing the band live in concert?
Eg: Do you follow the band from Show to Show for a period during a tour?
I've wanted to follow the band on tour, but it is always difficult for me to catch even one show as timing has never been in my favour and the band rarely play near me. As such, I've never had any issues having to travel to see them (which has resulted in some really weird situations thus far), and if the opportunity came up and I was able to, I wouldn't hesitate to follow them from show to show for a part of a tour.
Will you ever sell your Garbage collection? If you were asked this same question in 5 years time what would your answer be?
Right now I wouldn’t. I like what I have and listen to it all. I can’t really predict what I will have to do in five years, but I would certainly hope I wouldn’t have to sell anything. I would probably try and sell other cds from my collection before giving up any of my Garbage items. I suppose if my situation ever becomes so miserable and dire that I would need to sell anything I would have to, but would do so quite grudgingly.