Amoeba Music

I lost my virginity to twin supermodels, discovered I won the lottery, achieved spiritual nirvana and mind-melded with extra-terrestrials within my first five minutes at Amoeba. Also, I found some decent used CDs and picked up a copy of Campus Circle. Bliss.

I was one of the lucky few to see Paul Mccartney at his free concert at Amoeba on that magical night of June 27th. 2007. But it wasn't just this that was so incredible. Nor that as I waited in line that day having got my special pass I was interviewed by press from all over the world in my Malitia gear like a Sgt Pepper in the flesh celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sgt Pepper. No it wasn't just that. Nor was it that Amoeba is the holy grail for every Boomer on the planet who feels they can no longer talk to anyone who understands. No it wasn't just that. Nor that the night of June 27th 2007 inspired the end of my John Lennon movie about the haunted painting of John Lennon. That I am one of the lucky few people who knows about this. That I was fortunate enough to have a special visit from John one night in the early 90's when a Poster of his I had on my wall lit up. A Poster that I later found out on a trip to Liverpool was a variation of the haunted painting of John Lennon now locked away in the Cavern cause it was freaking everyone out. No my dear Rock and Roll lovers it wasn't just this. What was and is still so incredible about that night and indeed will remain for me one of the most magical moments in my life is when it was time to go in for Paul's concert. Of when as I turned that corner into the Amoeba entrance way a New York Times reporter was scrabbling for names and phone numbers of anyone so we could tell her what it was like to have 'been there'. If only she had known as she passed me by that I knew about a small article in her New York Times paper written some years before about that haunted Painting of John Lennon. If only she had known. But it didn't matter as then I walked into Amoeba and was stunned as everyone cheered and applauded and cameras flashed. 'Yes we made it' I thought. 'John' says hi! - George says hi from his special garden and Wah-wah tree by the Observatory in the Lalaland hills!' I bellowed to everyone and to every camera lense. Smiling faces all around. I was stunned, moved and uplifted by the magic of it all. As I then turned the corner to even more cameras and cheers and applause. As I then uplifted my boomer arms to Amoeba's roof and beyond that 'To the Toppermost of the Peppermost' and exclaimed 'Yes, anything is still possible!!'. As then I heard everyone around me chorus 'Yes, anything is still possible!'It was one of the most unifying experiences I have ever had'. And now three years later it is still a magic that uplifts me. Yes now it is this moment that ends my movie about John's haunted painting. And maybe one day when Paul looks through his 'Memory Almost Full' photos he will see that photo of that Pepperish looking guy that his cameraman took of me that June 27th 2007 hot summer's afternoon - as we waited in line outside - and think after seeing my movie about John's haunted painting 'Now I know John is 'Here Today' - Now I know that Pepper spirit of anything is still possible is still alive and well' And maybe Ringo who was also there that night will remember that Pepperish looking guy who yelled out 'Instant Amnesia!'. Of Ringo's heaviest track since he pounded those drums on John's 'Tomorrow never Knows'. With all my love to all of you Rock and Rollering Amoebarites for helping to make the world a better place, Chris Rayburn.

THE FIRST TIME I WALKED INTO AMOEBA I THOUGHT I WAS ON ANOTHER PLANET!!!! IT WAS VIBRANT AND ALIVE. I WAS IN THERE FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS AND I STILL DON'T THINK I SAW IT ALL. I EVEN STARTED MAKING A LIST OF ODD ARTISTS (FRANKIE LAINE ANYONE)AND MOVIES. OF COURSE, YOU HAD THEM ALL. I AM NEVER DISAPPOINTED. I ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING I WANT AND YOUR PEOPLE NEVER LET ME DOWN.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

I remember a few years back, I got this e-mail from Amoeba (since I am on the Newsletter list). It was an invitation to come see Paul McCartney at the Hollywood store for this super secret concert. Where only Amoeba customers were being invited. The e-mail gave the date, time and a warning not to tell another person because of word got out there would be too many people to show up for the free concert being given by Paul McCartney. So I just called my brother, who happens to share a birthday with Sir Paul, and told him about the concert, told him where to meet me, as we were going to get there super early to get a good spot in line. Anyways, we show up about 9 hours before the concert and the line was so long. I couldn't believe it. How had this happened. I only told one other person, my brother. And I voiced this outloud, and my brother said "Opps, I told about 10 people" So, there went my only chance to see on of the remaining Beatles in concert. Oh well, guess I won't be inviting my brother to any more super secret concerts in the near future.

I was with my 17 year old daughter in the Hollywood store when I noticed that Elvis Costello was shopping there. I told my daughter I was going over to talk to him and she almost died! I said you are Elvis Costello aren't you? He said he was. I told him I saw him at the Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival the year before, and it was one one the best shows I'd ever seen him do. He thanked and said he loves going to it every year. I returned to my daughter and she couldn't believe I just went up and talked to him.

I have been going to Amoeba for quite some time. I always find rare items that fill up my collection rather nicely. And I also use Amoeba to trade unwanted CD's and Vinyl. So this one time, I get a call from my sister and she tells me one of her customers has three or four boxes of albums she is giving away and I was being invited to come take a look. Well, by the time I got there, there wasn't much left, and most of what was left, I already had. And since my sister lives in Oxnard, California and I live in San Bernardino, I had to drive through LA to get home. So why not stop at Amoeba and see if I can get some store credit for the 70 or so LPs I was given. So I get to the store just as it is opening and am one of the first people to been seen. Anyways, the guy working behind the counter was not very friendly or courteous and after taking a look at about 10 of the LP's, he told me they were trash and he was not even going to look at the other LPs. He said you might as well just throw them away. So I went outside and just stood there for a while and saw the trashcans right next to the bus stop there on Sunset. So I drop the whole box into the trashcan and walk back inside to see if I can find anything I want to buy before heading home. On my way in I passed this homeless guy who was going through the trashcans and thought nothing of it and went inside Amoeba. I browsed for about an hour, made a purchase and headed out the store. And there is that homeless buy at the counter being handed money for the albums I had thrown away. I just had to stop and laugh. I guess he didn't get the same employee as I did, and I guess he needed the money more than I did.

I've lived in San Francisco since 1986 so I've shopped at the Haight Street store tons of times (no I don't know how you measure it in tons). There are a lot of things to like about the store. The enormity of the stock (which can be measured in tons) is amazing. If you can't find something to interest you, you're not looking. There have every genre and have some of the most obscure and hard to find stuff too. Most artists have their cds/albums divided by title. There's a separate room for the dvds and soundtracks. Again, all kinds of stuff from comedy to silents, to foreign films and more. You can fill in the gaps to your collections. If it's not there, they can order it for you. They even subdivide their dvds by directors. There are new arrival bins that get new stuff daily. If there are any defects in your purchase you get a no hassle refund. If you just want to record something you buy, if you return it within a week you get 70% for it in trade for it. Just keep the receipt. The store even has live bands play there from time to time. I saw Chris Isaack there and he was great. I live in the Haight so it's walking distance for me to go there. Bet you wish you had it that convenient So happy 20th Amoeba, you're the greatest.

As a struggling college student in Austin, a few CDs from my collection sold to the local used record store was pretty often the difference between eating or starving on some days. As a much more well-fed adult, I always regretted the loss of some pretty amazing discs, and vowed never to sell any CDs again, even if I'd bought them drunk at a truck stop in an ill-advised spending spree. When Amoeba opened in Hollywood, a friend was visiting from San Francisco. Inspired by a late night, neighbor-angering, foot stomping party to my Nazareth "Hair of the Dog" LP, we decided to throw my vow to the wind and collect all my sophmore slumps, one hit wonders, indie darlings-cum-pop culture pariahs, and freebies from my years as a record label drone, and sell, sell, SELL. Not only did that shopping spree result in a $300 credit payout, the purchase of the entire Faces, Rolling Stones, Dirtbombs and Buck Owens catalogues, it also resulted in an enduring attraction to mustaches. See, at the buying counter was a distinctly attractive (and very helpful) gentleman with the prettiest trucker 'stache I'd ever laid eyes on. So pretty in fact, that I found myself scraping my collection for another run a couple of weeks later, just so I could lay my eyes on that sweet sweet lip duster. "Hi, you again?" the mustache I was sort of benevolently stalking said. "Yeah, I found these old CDs from The Band that I don't need any more," I lied sheepishly (knowing full well I'd just pilfered them from my EMI backstock). I went to go see the Detroit Cobras at Spaceland a few months later, and was introduced to a different mustache, similar, though not quite as spectacular as the first. I began dating this fellow, who I secretly referred to as "The Substitute Mustache." Not only was his mustache nice, but he had some pretty amazing taste in music. We drove to the beach and he played me a mix tape that blew my mind. But, alas, things were not to be for me and The Substitute Mustache. I learned the hard way that a great record collection and a good lip full of fuzz doesn't entirely make the man. We parted on moderately friendly terms and I figured I'd go back to admiring Buying Counter Mustache from afar. I went back to Amoeba some months later to buy who-knows-what and undoubted other impulse purchases, and who should I see stalking the aisles? The Substitute Mustache! Before I could hide behind the vinyl Recent Arrivals, he turned and spotted me. And in turn, I spotted an Amoeba sticker on his shirt indicating that the worlds of Buying Counter Mustache and The Substitute Mustache had collided. They were now BOTH working at Amoeba! What was I to do?! Clearly, I did what any self-respecting record-loving mustache-fetishizing woman would do. I asked for his recommendations on some good new music, bought it blindly and ran the hell out of there. I've given up on mustaches after this incident, but I haven't given up on that Thee Headcoatees record he sent me packing with. So, thanks for that, Amoeba.

aMoEbA KICKS MAJOR ASS. I COLLECT VINYL RECORDS AND IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE WHERE I ACTUALLY FEEL THE MOST ALIVE. I MAKE ASHTRAYS AND BOWLS OUT OF VINYLS ALSO. MY COLLECTION, ALIKE MOST COLLECTORS, VARIES IN GENRES- FROM CLASSIC ROCK, POST PUNK, INSTRUMENTAL HARDCORE, AND EVEN SOME OLD SOUL. I LOVE AMOEBA!!!

I knew about this store for a while. But it wasn't until my ex-boyfriend took me on one of our dates that I became in love with it. This year for his birthday we decided to stop by & look around for a bit. He was more of a movie & game lover so we would always head upstairs right away. This time I told him i was going to look for a cd & I would be right up as soon as i was done. I waited in line & bought him a gift certificate, the whole time looking over my shoulder to make sure he wouldn't see what i was up to. Luckily, even though the cashier took a while to finish up the process, my ex-boyfriend didn't notice what i had been up to. When it seemed he was ready to go, I looked in this hands & he had nothing. I asked if he was going to buy anything & he responded not this time. So I gave him a disappointed look & handed him the gift certificate worth $50. He looked at me for a while & then said "No wonder you wanted to look for a cd." I told him I wanted it to be a surprise. So we walked out of the store without buying a single thing. Weeks later we returned & spent the whole gift certificate. Turns out the gift didn't go to waste after all. Even though we are no longer together, we still expect to make time to go to Amoeba together; it was our favorite spot, along with Pink's!