History Through Thrifting

Thrifting has lots to recommend it.  The items are cheap; the selection is unpredictable; and the impact on our environment is positive.  Giving another use to something headed for consumerism's huge landfill is socially laudable.

To this list add another benefit -- brushes with history.  I had that today when I browsed my local thrift-store and found two treasures.  A Jerry Garcia necktie and the original cast recording of "A Chorus Line" on vinyl.

Jerry Garcia was the lead musician of the Grateful Dead, a Sixties band celebrating hallucinogenic drugs, tie-dyed clothes and endless music.  They toured for years and had a loyal fan-base (DeadHeads).  You still see their emblems on cars. 

It was mind-blowingly odd when this countercultural icon started designing neckties.  Ties?!  Only squares wear ties!  But Jerry was a true iconoclast.  His designs were funky and cool.  The ties adorning them look great.  I own several.

Jerry Garcia neckties are expensive ($40), so when I saw one for $3 in my thrift-store, I lunged at it.  Here's a picture.

Jerry started painting and designing ties in the late-1980's.  Sadly he died in 1995 from complications caused by his lifetime of drug-use.

My thrift-store now carries vinyl records in addition to clothes, so I browsed its wares.  I found an original cast recording of "A Chorus Line" from 1975.  Every generation has its musical ("My Fair Lady," "Grease"; "Chicago"; "Kinky Boots").  "A Chorus Line" was huge during the Seventies.

My favorite trivia about the show concerns original cast member Carole "Kelly" Bishop who won a Tony award for her performance.  Three decades later, Kelly Bishop played Emily Gilmore (Lorelei's mother) on "The Gilmore Girls."  Her character on the TV show is starchly conservative, so it's fun to imagine her dancing in a leotard as a nubbin.