Hi-fi that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg; or, why people are trash

 So yeah man, check out my new turntable. Kinda nice, no? 

Gemini XL-500 II: not designed for heavy duty cuttin' and scratchin' 

OK, it's not a flashy Technics or - god forbid - one of those heavily-designed things set on a massive block of dark granite costing thousands of pounds (check out this forum for an earnest discussion of which type of stone "has the best acoustic properties for turntables" for a glimpse into the not-so-appealing world of high-end hi-fi one-upmanship). No, my lovely new Gemini XL-500 II is a fairly bog-standard direct-drive turntable which a real hi-fi buff would probably consider little more than a joke (for example this discussion thread features a guy grudgingly saying that while the Gemini is alright it's "not the best choice for heavy scratching and turntablism". Thanks Paul from 5 Jan 2004, I'll bear that in mind). So no, it's not an audiophile's dream deck, but ... it's mine and I like it. But the point (if there is one) to this blog post is the fact that once again I picked up this not-bad piece of music equipment very cheap from just around the corner from where I live in Hackney in east London. Very cheap as in ... free. And picked it up as in  ... leant down and picked it up off the pavement where it was sitting next to an unsightly collection of black bin bags, some split and disgorging their contents. And not only that, but the turntable was in the rubbish pile alongside this receiver/amp ...

The Sherwood pictured coming under attack from a house plant 

Needless to say, both of these chucked-out bits of kit appear to be in perfect working order. Either way, they've already supplanted my own humble turntable and my receiver-amp - both Sony ones I was perfectly happy with but in each case probably slightly inferior to these newbies. So for about the millionth time I'm forced to ponder the inscrutable ways of man, the weirdest species ever to disgrace planet Earth. Why did the previous owner put them out with the rubbish? Is it really possible that they couldn't be bothered to make even the pretty minimal effort of slightly separating them from the general rubbish and sticking a couple of Post-it notes on them - "Please take - in working order" or whatever? For fuck's sake! People are just so lazy. Not to mention thoughtless, selfish and unaware of their own privileged state. Yeah, basically people are trash. Anyway, someone else's moronic rush to dispose is my gain, I suppose. I made this double-freebie find quite late at night walking along on my own on the way back from a gig. That looks good, I thought, and just picked up the (deceptively heavy) turntable and set off with it awkwardly cradled under my arm. It was only about 400 metres from my flat, a piece of cake. By the time I made it home - hot and sweaty - my arm was half-paralysed from the weight. It was still aching the next day. So yes, I guess a painful limb is the price of Hackney hi-fi that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Anyway, this Scaners single was the first record I tried out on my Gemini XL-500 II - a new (second-hand) acquisition which I hadn't yet played. Sounded pretty good to me ...

This alien is unimpressed by the recycling habits of mankind