THE WORLD’S BIGGEST RECORD COLLECTION?

BOB GEORGE aims to collect two copies of every vinyl album ever made. He’s well on the way to doing it. Stephen Nessen reports from New York

On weekends Bob George goes to yard-sales in upstate New York. He buys small pocket-knives that cost less than two dollars, tiki mugs, and colorful plastic tomahawks. “You have to put some restrictions on yourself,” he said. He also buys about 100 vinyl records each week.

George’s greatest fear is that he’ll die alone and that his dog will eat his body before he’s found. He’s seen the dark side of collecting, the debilitating obsession that consumes lives. “I didn’t want to be a collector. I’m not that interested in owning stuff,” George said, despite the fact that he has amassed over two million vinyl records, the largest collection of popular music in the world.

George has a doughy face, and silvery, two-day old stubble that matches his thinning hair on top, which could use a trim. He smiles often and speaks quickly but quietly, enunciating every word. He is a professional record collector. But unlike the amateurs who scour yard sales and second-hand bins looking for forgotten gems, George has the support of music legends like Keith Richards, Lou Reed, David Byrne, John Hammond, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Paul Simon as well as the filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme, to underwrite his purchases.

George wears a blue …

by Stephen Nessen
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