Scattered here on this board and across other SM sites are a few comments from those who bid and won or bid and “lost” on this past weekend’s Becker Auction. I’d love to hear from all of you and gather your comments here.
It would also be interesting to hear from those who just observed — either in person, or via the live-stream.
I was at the live auction for most of the time, and what I missed in person I was streaming at my hotel room. Matt, I think, was there 100% of the time; would we possibly expect otherwise from First Lieutenant Atticus Matticus, Director Of Operations, Technology, Motivation, and All-Around Righteous Action?
I have plenty of observations of the action, both the substance (items, bidders, prices) and the process (the mechanisms and the social psychology of the event were fascinating), and I’m betting Matt and you do too. Collecting reports here from all sides of the event would be pretty interesting, and would be a place for questions and answers (or hypotheses) about this mysterious and brutal ritual.
[In my dreams, it's also a place where I finally respond to the worst of the know-it-all know-nothings. ooooo, so tempting...and it would be so satisfying...!]
I'd also love to hear about fans who managed to snag something; it's been great to read, for instance, that one of you got a blue Hahn...and that a musician friend got the dreamy White J-style Sadowsky bass. So wonderful to learn that some of our lovelies haven't disappeared into the far nowhere after all.
Are you game? If you’ve posted your experience elsewhere, can we convince you to drop a line or two here as well? And I promise lurkers will be gently welcomed, with our gratitude.
I’ll start off with with a couple of mine, in no particular order:
[These edited out. Reason: excessive MeMeMe!]
So in short 🤣— let's hear from those who snagged something ..what did you get, and did you get it at your price? …was your guitar well set-up?…what about those who missed out on something?…what was the bidding experience like? … did you go too high or stop too soon?…did you learn something about ‘human nature’ or the ‘engines of commerce’ or ‘modes of production’ lol or whatever?…oh it’s just endless.
C’mon in!
I would certainly be willing to share on that basis. They all have previously been in Julien's online listings, so this may be easier, they are still visible, in possibly better quality. For example, here is a link to one of them.
https://www.julienslive.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/320/lot/137916?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F320%3Fpage%3D2
The best way to find them is to google the lot number,
eg. walter becker julien's lyrics lot 61
Then you get a direct link to the auction page and can move to the next or previous lots.
One that I am pleased to own is lot 48, which is actually the mastering notes for Aja, ready for the cutting room, in Donald Fagen's hand.
Even nicer, in a way, is a track listing for The Royal Scam, lot 69, in Walter's hand that shows the preferred mixes for compiling the album.
As this is a part of what I do as a process in my own recording, they are great pieces to own.
Let me know if you need any stuff!