Théoret Ryan

Article by Francis Racine
Le Journal, Cornwall
20 January 2016

The love of music runs deep

The Journal decided to sit down with another vinyl lover, in the hopes of garnering his opinion on the recent resurrection of records.

Sitting down at a table on Second Street's busy Tim Horton's, one can see how
much Ryan Theoret loves music. From the Metallica tuque he wears or the countless
pictures he has amassed of him smiling next to various music stars such as Slash from
Guns and Roses as well as Alice Cooper, the young man is immersed in music.

It's therefore not a surprise that he collects not only records, but also compact discs, better known as cd's. "I even have an 8 track;'' he says, laughing.

He explains that, growing up as somewhat of an outcast, he took refuge in music. "The radio became my therapy; I simply couldn't get enough of it;'' he says."I would even take my lunch money to buy vinyl.''

In his opinion, Theoret thinks that the younger generations, used to MP3's and digital downloads, "have it easy.'' According to the musical knowledgeable man, they can easily get a hold of free samples of albums, in order to see if they like it.

"When 1 was younger, you had to take a gamble," he exclaims, a smile forming on his lips. "You took your money and bought an album and it was either good or bad. I remember hearing some tracks on the radio thinking the record would be amazing and being surprised when I found out I really didn't like it. You sometimes felt cheated but it's all part of the game."

We asked Theoret what his thoughts are, regarding the resurgence of records. "A big deal about vinyl, at least in comparison to most digital files, is the quality,'' he explains."With a vinyl, you are getting the full quality of sound. You just cannot escape the warmth and purity of records. Sometimes you have to revisit your roots. The truth is the vinyl comes with tried and true standards in a new world."

In addition, the man outlines that he thinks they're two different and distinct sorts
of record collectors; those that purchase the albums to simply listen to them and those
that collect them from a value point of view. "I myself am more of a professional music
collector," he says. "I cannot tell you exactly what my most expensive record is but I can
confess I have spent over $500 dollars on a single vinyl for collector's purposes on more
than one occasion. But I always make sure to research my purchases prior too."

On the other hand, he explains that some of his friends fail in the other category. "I have friends that will go to flea markets and garage sales and don't really care about the
condition of the vinyl, as long as it doesn't skip of course.''

So where-exactly does the vinyl aficionado make most of his purchases? I'll go to some record shops, such as Vertigo Records in Ottawa a and some places in Toronto, but only when I'm around there,'' he, explains laughing. "I also do some purchases on eBay.
That's where I get my hands on some very specific albums.''

Theoret then pulls out his cellular phone, where he shows off 'some pictures of his collection. A giant looking bookshelf is ripe with compact discs. Every shelf is packed. "I have CD's and vinyls everywhere," he exclaims. "I'm running out of room.''

Having finished his coffee, the man stares blankly at his cup. "I think there's a good amount of people that like vinyl in this town, that there's a small community of record lovers," he admits. "I hope we can all get together and share in our love of vinyl.''

This could be the start of something magical. With that being said, he throws
out his cups and exits the Tim Hortons.