the little white GE 3.5″ portable tape recorder vanished and was, as in a dream, replaced by a bulky, suitcase-sized 1950s Webcor 7″. it was a gorgeous machine, its tweed speaker grills framed in burgundy-enameled steel, with a hefty, diamond-shaped microphone at the end of a long, braided cord, and a level meter that glowed a radioactive green.
my grade-school friends and i had a blast with this thing, recording fake radio programs and being goofballs.
i recorded Alvin and The Chipmunks off the TV, slowed down the tape and discovered to my horror and delight that Dave and Alvin were the same person.
during thunderstorms, i dangled the mic out my bedroom window; my interest in field recording started early.
and then, as with the little white GE, the Webcor, and every recording made with it, disappeared from my life. i’ve no memory of its disappearance. it’s a recurring theme!
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