How long have we known each other now?

[Gurn Blanston]

Was that Matthew Tepper?

http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/

He still exists, and apparently still likes ducks.

Yes, that's it!  I remembered his first name (same as my brother) but not his last. Actually, at that time it wasn't a particularly nasty place, not like it got in post-millennium.

Actually, I remember you too, although can't remember your name. At CMG. I bought a CD from you on eBay and somehow the subject came up in the discussion of shipping. My user name on eBay was similar to this one and I think you asked me about it. Otherwise though, we ran with a different crowd over there. Ultimately, the lack of organization and the constant political rhetoric doomed me to retirement.

All this talk of the newsgroups inspired me to take a look at alt.rec.whatever.it.was and google myself.  Sure enough, I was there around 2000, and I even found a post where David Hurwitz called me an idiot, personally.  Now that's an honor, I think. 

I'm so jealous I can hardly contain myself!  0:)

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Was that Matthew Tepper?

I see him, as well as a few other people I recognize (including from GMG), at the Facebook "Pretentious Classical Elitists" group or whatever they call it. I've posted there a few times, but in general I don't like Facebook as a forum for serious discussion.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I can't remember the exact year - maybe Gurn can help me here - but I was an avid lurker during the "Purple Haze" days of GMG with that garish purple background and orange/yellow type. I started posting right as GMG jettisoned it.

Coincidence?

[Gurn Blanston]

I can't remember the exact year - maybe Gurn can help me here - but I was an avid lurker during the "Purple Haze" days of GMG with that garish purple background and orange/yellow type. I started posting right as GMG jettisoned it.

Coincidence?

Donwyn,
That had to be late 2003 and into 2004, which is the year we went pastel (IIRC). I think that was the first software upgrade. Worked pretty well until the huge crash of early 2007, when there was no choice but to archive the old database and start over. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth at the time!

[Daverz]

If you don't have access to a Usenet server, you can still read/post to r.m.c.r using the google groups interface:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/rec.music.classical.recordings

[SonicMan46]

Wow; I had completely forgotten that I too, had posted in the news group rec.music.classical.    Funny thing is, I was making recommendations for the Durufle Requiem and complaining about Don Vroon.  Hah!  1999 - so last century ...  No one called me an idiot but the thread I started about Vroon ended up being over 600 posts, including a fairly nice exchange with Philip Haldeman.  Is he on GMG?

Hi San Antone - I sure HOPE NOT!  If so, then incognito?  Back in the spring of last year, I left a post in a Schubert thread (HIP symphonies, I believe?) about an email exchange I had w/ Mr. Vroon (see quote below; you were involved in the exchange) - since then I've cancelled my subscription to the ARG - Dave 

Now, I subscribe to the American Record Guide but about to drop my subscription - in part (OR, maybe the reason?) because a year or more back I sent Don Vroon an email complaining that he should have his publication archived (like Fanfare) for his subscribers to search easily through previous issues going back for years - unreasonable?  WELL, not to me - in a shocking surprise he responded almost immediately basically stated that I had a lousy suggestion because most of his subscribers did not even own computers!  NOW, I'm NOT lying - and this is a pretty good approximation of his response - for me, I did not feel that a response would help (like convincing a blacksmith @ the turn to the 20th century not to buy a Model T from Henry Ford)

[Daverz]

Hi San Antone - I sure HOPE NOT!  If so, then incognito?  Back in the spring of last year, I left a post in a Schubert thread (HIP symphonies, I believe?) about an email exchange I had w/ Mr. Vroon (see quote below; you were involved in the exchange) - since then I've cancelled my subscription to the ARG - Dave 

I think the real reason is that he wants to unload back-issues.  They've offered a cumulative index, first on floppy, and now online, for as long as I can remember.  And they've offered PDF copies of the current issue online for many years.

In fact, I remember at one time ARG reviews would show up in google searches.  So somehow they were being archived. 

I was a subscriber from about 1989 until last year, but let my subscription lapse because I just didn't seem to need it anymore.  By the time a review would show up, I probably would have already bought anything I was interested in.  Don't need the review when I can hear for myself.  Also, I got tired of accumulating ARGs and Fanfares.

I now rely on you guys to alert me to new CDs that I might overlook.  Don't let me down.

[ibanezmonster]

When you were nine, right? 

Sarge

Man, I didn't even start listening to music until I was about 11. In 2004 I was 16 through 99% of the year, so that sounds right. The earliest I'd guess would be 2003, but I bet it was 2004.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Donwyn,
That had to be late 2003 and into 2004, which is the year we went pastel (IIRC). I think that was the first software upgrade. Worked pretty well until the huge crash of early 2007, when there was no choice but to archive the old database and start over. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth at the time!

Yes, how well I remember all that gnashing of teeth!

And you remembered my old screen name - a sure sign we've been around awhile.

Anyway, thanks, Gurn.

[mn dave]

I remember some of these old names but not who was attached to them.

I also remember M Forever, Hector, sidoze...   

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I remember some of these old names but not who was attached to them.

I also remember M Forever, Hector, sidoze...   

Yes, hard to forget some of those old posters. Lots of colorful characters. Some of them I wish would post again, like Hector. M, well, that's another story.

And speaking of old names and attachments, Dave, it's highly ironic that in becoming the "Name Changing King" you've managed to carve out the ultimate GMG niche, and have thus become totally immortalized (that is, unforgettable)!

[Karl Henning]

He'll always be Apollo to me . . . .

[DavidW]

All this talk of the newsgroups inspired me to take a look at alt.rec.whatever.it.was and google myself.  Sure enough, I was there around 2000, and I even found a post where David Hurwitz called me an idiot, personally.  Now that's an honor, I think. 

Now you just need to get Santa Fe Listener and Norman Lebrecht to also insult you for completism sake!

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)

Happy Friday, Davey!

[mn dave]

And speaking of old names and attachments, Dave, it's highly ironic that in becoming the "Name Changing King" you've managed to carve out the ultimate GMG niche, and have thus become totally immortalized (that is, unforgettable)!

[Szykneij]

http://web.archive.org/web/20040803232544/http://www.penny-farthing.net/yabbse/index.php?board=9

I used the Wayback Machine to find evidence of a baseball thread I started in the Diner in August, 2004. I think I joined a bit earlier than that.

[Tom 1960]

I joined in spring 2005. It came about after I had a lengthy discussion about Bruckner with Andre (Calaf aka Lilas Pastia) on Musicweb comments board (or whatever was it called, I posted there only couple of times) sometime in late 2004 or early 2005. After that discussion someone (not Andre) sent me an e-mail telling me that there is this great classical music forum and that they would love to have me and that I should check it out, and gave me link. I did check it out and joined shortly after but to this day I have no idea who that was who e-mailed me.

Too funny to come across this post. I remember doing some recruitment for this forum in the very early days and first came in contact with Andre(Calaf/Lilas Pastia) on Musicweb. So it was probably me. I contacted many of the contributers on that site and mentioned this place. Mystery solved!!!

[Gurn Blanston]

Too funny to come across this post. I remember doing some recruitment for this forum in the very early days and first came in contact with Andre(Calaf/Lilas Pastia) on Musicweb. So it was probably me. I contacted many of the contributers on that site and mentioned this place. Mystery solved!!!

I got your letter even earlier than that, since I have been here since '03. You PM'd me on the Beethoven Reference Site. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? 

[Tom 1960]

I got your letter even earlier than that, since I have been here since '03. You PM'd me on the Beethoven Reference Site. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? 

8)ould

Gurn, does that site still exist and if so, could you provide me with a link? Would love to check it out for old times sake.

[Herman]

I joined around 2004. The catalyst for my joining was Eric Anderson's sabotaging of CMG and the mods' inability (refusal?) to do anything about it. But by that point, I was already kind of bored with CMG anyway.
.

My goodness, that brings back memories!

Now that guy was truly, deeply weird, and somehow affecting, too.