Expecting Rain

The Guardian's Weekend magazine runs a weekly column called "One Million Tiny Plays About Britain". Today's (6th January '07) is authored by Craig Taylor and it's pretty good:

A man approaches the counter of a used record store in Soho....

Bill: Cash or trade?

Tim: Yeah, just trade.

Bill: Even this Blonde on Blonde?

Tim: God, yeah. Christmas gift. I only played it once.

Bill: They didn't know you already owned it.

Tim: I don't.

Bill: On vinyl, I mean.

Tim: No, mate. It's not my thing.

Bill: Oh yeah? I guess it's only the most essential album of all time in a few circles these days.

Tim: Not a big fan of him.

Bill: 'Him'? Sort of like saying you're not a fan of breathing.

Tim: I never heard anything by Breathing.

Bill: My wife would actually call the police if I traded in any Dylan. It's the first sign of madness, especially since B on B was playing in the room when my first daughter was born.

Tim: Yeah, it's just a bit old.

Bill: Oh yeah? You'll be trading in the Sistine Chapel next.

Tim: I've never heard their stuff either.

Bill: Let me just sit you down. Give it a chance.

Tim: Nah, I got to return a shirt, too.

Bill: I've got headphones in the back.

Tim: I'm not going in the back.

Bill: Headphones that really capture the texture.

Tim: I can take it somewhere else.

Bill: Specifically the purity, the aged yearning, and the way his words linger like the touch of a woman and then so quickly just cut like a razor.

Tim: Actually, yeah. Do you have Razorlight. (Pause) Mate? Hello?

Bill: I think it might be here. Judas.

Tim: Sorry? Near Judas?

Bill: No, here. Here, Judas.

Tim: Because it starts with R. Not a J. Can I still trade this? Mate?

"they didnt know you already owned that?" briliant,there was something like this in "high fidelity" a few years ago though,it was along the lines of ...."YOU DONT HAVE "BLONDE ON BLONDE"?! to a guy in the record store,never worked in a record store myself,dont think id be able to cope with selling anything i didnt like!....and god help anyone trying to return "blonde on blonde"

You mean, Craig Taylor ripped off the idea from High Fidelity? Or was Craig Taylor the author of the High Fidelity piece?

looked it up and the book "high fidelity" is based on is from 1996(the movie is from 2000),"ripped off" might be a bit strong but wouldnt be surprised if the guy who wrote the piece saw the movie,no classic but its not a bad movie,it uses "most of the time" at one point,thumbs up for that at least.....oh yeah nick hornby wrote it

Oh, got you. I've heard of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity and I must get around to reading it. Sounds like Mr Taylor's read it too.

But the Blonde on Blonde conversation of the film doesn't appear in the book.

EDIT: I liked High Fidelity, the book (not so much the film - why did they have to transplant it out of London)? Jack Black was funny in it, playing Jack Black.

didnt know that,i presume the guardian piece is new though,they just sound a bit close...i think anyway(saw the movie years ago but that scene came back to me straight away when i read it)