“Broadway
Al” Trommers met "Bleecker Bob" Plotnik in the
late 1950’s working together at a record store in New York City. With experience
and passion in common, the friends decided to open their very own record store in 1967 naming it Bleecker Bob’s Records.
Unfortunately, Broadway Al and Bleecker Bob’s friendship did not last and they parted ways,
but Bleecker Bob’s Records went on to
live for decades.
For
the Records is a raw amateur documentary film by
Hazel Sheffield and Emily Judem that was made for Capital, an online news site based in New York City. It's a
great film telling the story of a once successful business and its current
demise.
We are given a glimpse of what Bleecker Bob’s must have been like in
its prime. It was known for having celebrities like Page and Plant digging
through the albums, Bob losing his temper and chasing out customers who piss him
off, and a steady flow of customers freely spending cash for the vinyl records.
Unfortunately, this quickly turns into a
sad story. In 2001, Bob suffered a brain aneurism and has never fully recovered.
He now lives in a special care home, unable to work at his record store.
He carries the illusion that his store is still booming without him, not comprehending that the store is quickly
reaching its end.
This documentary kept me interested
throughout: describing what a vinyl store was like in its prime, introducing me
to a colorful store owner and staff with a truly unique personalities, showing
how Bob’s loyal staff kept the doors open for as long as they could after he
fell ill (even though some have no interest in being there) and showing the
love of his girlfriend who has stuck by his side after he became sick. Sure we
don’t hear any stories behind our favorite album, or any history on how records
came to life, but it’s a nice real life story of what this great independent record
store went through in its lifetime.
This is a great little video. I really hope that Bleecker Bob's stays open, in one form or another. It kind of tug at the heartstrings, didn't it. For a student film, it was well done. Bob's certainly is a unique place and jammed full of music. (I had to laugh at the bootleg DVD's on the wall behind the counter though, LOL)
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