KLSU alumni.net

Guess this falls under a "Where is IT now" thread...

I know they're out of business now, but I was wondering if that building (behind the Chimes or the ghetto, or whatever) was still there. Back in the day, they were on the second floor of some dinky little old building between Chimes and State Streets. Can't tell you how much money I spent in there... often didn't eat so that I could purchase some records for my collection. (oh, to be skinny again...)

Anyway, has anyone been by there recently? Is the building still there? If so, what occupies it now?

I know that they had moved to a little strip mall on Government St. in the early 1990's, I continued to spend money there until they closed for good several years back. It wasn't the same there, though - just something really nice about having them so close to campus. (many REALLY good used record stores I have been to were close to college campuses)

-barry

After having worked at G&S Record Exchange for a few years I share your curiosity. Don Smith called me about a month ago ironically and i've yet to get back to him. What i do know is that Don (along with his brother Ron were the S in G&S) moved to New Orleans to manage a large department store (i think it was nordstrom store) and left the used record business behind. those guys were great and running into you and other KLSU supporters there every day helped build our community.

Speaking Of G&S...whatever happened to Dr. Death? His import and indie section drained whatever minimum wage i made at G&S. In retrospect i can hardly imagine a more eccentric guy. i really found him so facinating while i know that most folks found him too disturbing to deal with. His style on the radio was pretty bizarre within the context of our station. Sending his tapes in for broadcast instead of coming into the station and all that oddity. I remember well our trips out to his estate in the sticks. I still have some of those tapes made on all his fancy equipment. I'm really curious whatever became of him and Deadly Records?

I will post a full update when i get more info from Don

Aah, G&S. The time I spent after classes picking through those dusty old stacks of LPs. Those were the days.

I'll alway be grateful to G&S, because that's where I bought my most prized LP (*cough*): a stone mint copy of the Lenny and the Squigtones album, complete with fold-out poster.

I'm pretty sure Barry got one, too. Right, Barry?

http://lennysquiggy.tvheaven.com/Lyrics/LennyandTheSquigtones.html

Well Alan--I certainly remember the Landing. I spent most of my waking hours from 1976-1980 hanging out there. I hung out so much they hired me in Jan. of 1978.

I only worked there for 2 years but they were the two most intense years of my life. I learned more in that time than I have in all the subsequent years combined.

Not sure who you knew there but I'll try and update you on the folks I know.

Sadly, Jimmie Stricklin died in the mid 90's of leukemia. I could not make it to his funeral but I understand he was buried wearing his SPECTRE ring and clutching a copy of a James Bond book. I believe Izzy from the Shitdogs slipped a tab of acid in there in case the afterlife wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Not sure where Mallory is--last I heard he was somewhere on the eastern seaboard doing some kind of (I think) archealogical thing.

Brad Pope (the classical guy) was doing the same thing for the CD Store on Jefferson Highway there in BR, but the last time I saw him was several years back. I'm not even sure if that store is still there.

Betsy Braud still lives in Baton Rouge and is a nurse. She uses music as a healing tool and still plays some gigs , I believe.

Norman lives in Austin and sometimes posts here--in fact, he may be able to update you on some folks more than I can.

Greg Payne (the jazz guy) is still in BR last I heard, enjoying the sort of quiet life he lived back then. I think of him everytime I play a Bill Evans record.

Liz Burns is still in New York and working as a paralegal. It's been a few years since I spoke to her as well.

Steve Wheeless was living here in Houston in the early 90's. I ran into him a few times when he was playing drums with Mary Cutrefello. I've lost track of him since then.

Not sure what happened to Homer Harris, Anne Baldridge or Surfer Matt.

Doug (one of the owners) did in fact have some issues which led to the closing of the landing after I left, tho it wasn't just that. The move to the new location killed all the funky charm of the Chimes Street location.

I'm sure Alexei is gone. He was the true owner of the store and could often be found after hours behind the dumpster sending information to the Politburo.

The New Orleans location was run by Pat Berry and Gilbert Hetherwick, both of whom are still in the music business. Pat runs 6 Degrees records in New York (Spearhead, Bebel Gilberto) and Gilbert is Senior VP of Sony's Classical division.

You can actually see two of the Ramones wearing Leisure Landing t-shirts in "Rock 'N Roll High School". Dee Dee is wearing one in the scene where he is playing bass in the shower and Johnny wears one in the climactic scene at the high school. They did 2 in-stores at the Landing. They actually requested the second one because they had enjoyed the 1st one so much.
Stricklin bought a gross of hot tamales both times and the band loved 'em!


I stayed in the music business as well and am currently working for a small label in Houston called Blue Corn Music.

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roar like a tiger!

Nope. That store closed a long time ago, around 1986, IIRC. However, if I'm thinking of the right store, it was located right off of Magazine Street before Louisiana Avenue if you're headed uptown. I used to go there at least once a week when I was in high school and marvel at their selection, and blew quite a bit of cash there. I bought tons of LPs there that I have never seen anywhere else again (OK, except maybe KLSU's old stacks).

But my favorite bar, The Bulldog, is right around the corner from its old location, and I always raise a pint to the store when I'm there.

I even bought my first two CDs there: Bowie's "Scary Monsters" and Andy Summer's "Bewitched." They came in longboxes .

Lawd how mercy! I was sitting here talking to myself about how KLSU sucks now(except for the Li'l Lighthouse: he's great and he plays Todd! Best show on KLSU for sure) and suddenly I hear Byrne/Eno from "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" followed up by more Byrne, Heads. I'm rockin out man. There is a Bob!

jeana

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Jeana (used to be Lewis) Esser

I had no idea that there was a Leisure Landing in Baton Rouge... Like Gene (and many others, I'm sure) I used to go into the one down here in N.O. (Gene's right - it was on the corner of Magazine and Octavia). When I was a Tulane student, I'd go into there with a few $$$ and grab some cool imports, since in the early 1980's they were the ONLY place in town that sold 'em. When I think of LL, I think of NEW WAVE... twas the times, I guess.

The other place you mentioned, Alan, was called "Metronome". When Leisure Landing closed we had The Metronome. That was one AWESOME record store... they had a cafe, and it was the first two-story record shop I'd ever been to. It was also the only place around here where you could get decent imports and a lot of weird vinyl pressings. I remember drooling over their selection, thinking "one day"... and for many of those items, that one day never arrived because I doubt I ever did buy most of them, since they were so rare I never saw many of them again.

I do remember being really surprised when I came up to LSU, that Baton Rouge had SO MANY places with eclectic record selections.

-barry

Wow... Lenny and the Squigtones... from Laverne & Shirley, THAT Lenny & the Squigtones? I don't think I got one, but Jenni may have!

That's exactly the kind of thing that G&S used to have all the time. Those little choice nuggets that made you say "holy shit!" And on occasion, I'd see that some poor bastard needed money to eat because I'd see something super-rare that I'd probably never see again... and of course, I'd be the one who went without eating so I could have it in my collection. Wish I did that more often, I've put on a few lbm since college.

-b

Actually, Gene, you were right - Barry got me the other copy. In fact, I brought it to play at WTUL, and Mellissa (who had the shift right before me that summer) commented that you had the same record. I still have it in my stacks - which are buried behind a couple hundred of Barry's video games right now! Grrrrrrrrrrrr.


You can tell that Barry posted this from work - where he automatically puts things in pounds-mass instead of just lbs.

-Jenni
(I just got a Mister Rodgers record in fantastic condition at a garage sale yesterday!)