Posted: August 29 2005 at 3:52pm | IP Logged

As much as I love TMBG, I would not lay down a Benjamin for any TMBG item.  Perhaps if I had spare Benjamins laying around, my thinking would be different.  Oh, to dream...

As far as the most I paid, let's see.  Back in '99 I was bidding on a copy of Live!! New York City, but the bidding went too high.  My friend Charlie really wanted it too and offered extra cash so as to secure a winning bid.  We won, but at a hefty $70+ (not including shipping).  The disc was subsequently lost in the mail and I had to wait five and a half years to try again, winning the auction for under $10 with shipping.  I heavily regret shelling out so much money the first time.  I could have won similar auctions for slightly less many times since, but held out for one that I could actually afford.

I am left to wonder, though, what really is the "holy grail" of TMBG collectibles?  The Flex-Disc?  An original Demo Tape?  One of the few copies of LTW or Montana Single on CD?  That CD copy of an earlier version of "Thunderbird" that TDK somehow got his hands on?  What do all y'all think?

Posted: September 02 2005 at 10:57am | IP Logged

I last saw Them at a free in-store show in the Spring.  I wanted to bring half my collection to have them sign.  In the end, I just brought two things:  They Got Lost, because Flans had signed it at the '02 Park City show where I bought it and I wanted Linnell to sign it; and Unsupervised, because I figured it would be awkward to have something for Linnell to sign and not Flans.  Somehow, it didn't occur to me to bring ABCs, which was what they were promoting and everyone else had them sign.

I don't know what to suggest about improving your odds at an autograph.  The only reason I got my first autograph in Park City was that I was so dehydrated after the show I had to stop at the bar and buy a $4 bottle of water (which I promptly chugged and soaked up like a sponge).  By the time I had waited in line to buy my water and drank it, Flans was at the t-shirt booth.  I got autographs at the in-store because They waited around and gave everyone autographs after the show.