S*T*U*F*F* Reloaded

I like the writer Haruki Marakami a lot - well, not so much recently, as I think his novels have become a little less intriguing than they were. When I lived in Japan, I was delighted to find a collection of small, palm-sized versions of Murakami novels which were unpublished in Europe at that time - Norwegian Wood (in 2 parts), Pinball 1973, Hear the Wind Sing and a two-part version of “The Wild Sheep Chase”. I bought a set for myself and a set for a friend, but thought nothing more of it. I ended up trawling Kanda in Tokyo for every last remaining copy of “Hear The Wind Sing” I could find, and continue to give these as gifts to Murakami fans that I meet. I gave one to Leo Abrahams when we met for the first time, in Lab bar in Soho, to discuss him playing for S*T*U*F*F*.

A few years ago I was in a bookshop in Soho when I saw a stainless steel case with “Norwegian Wood” engraved into it - it was a collectors’ edition of the book, one of five hundred made. I opened it up and saw that the signed card had number 101/500 printed on it… when I lived in Japan, in the halls of residence of Okayama University, I lived in room 101, so I bought it for £50.

Now I find that some nutter is prepared to pay £195.00 as a starting bid for the limited edition on eBay (not my copy, which is not for sale), and there is a signed copy of “Pinball 1973″ for over £500!!! I do find that there is a certain joy in getting these things before they are sought-after, for the right reasons… because you like the creator, you like the quality of the item.

I just don’t really understand collectors… and I dread to think how many beautiful guitars are languishing in specially made display cases when they could be making music. I collect only dust.