Essay: my dad lives on, through the record albums he left behind | members only

It’s been two years since Jula’s father died. But in recent months, she’s been getting to know him better, through the massive vinyl record collection he left behind. In September, the

24-year-old decided to invite the public on her journey of familial discovery. Each day she pulls an album (usually at random) from among the roughly 10,000 her dad, Richard, owned. She

gives it a spin on the turntable and posts a video to Instagram with her thoughts on the music. Her account, @soundwavesoffwax, blew up practically overnight (to the point where she

protects her privacy by not revealing her last name), and she now has more than 400,000 followers. Most important, the exercise has led to a whole new relationship with her late father — and

unexpectedly, with her mother too. She shares her story of intergenerational connections with AARP: I moved back in with my mom last April, and I made the record room my bedroom. She said I

could decide what to do with my dad’s records. Since I was surrounded by them daily, I started a nightly listening routine. I’ve always been aware of his love and appreciation for music,

but listening to the records, I’ve been shocked at some of the random music. Each day Jula pulls an album (usually at random) from among the roughly 10,000 her dad, Richard, owned. She gives

it a spin on the turntable and posts a video to Instagram with her thoughts on the music. Amber Bracken Finally, a friend suggested I post about them online. My goal with the account was:

How can I continue having a dialogue about music, especially older music? I just wanted to have an online record listening party, kind of like a book club. I thought I might get about 10

followers who would be interested. His collection is varied and eclectic in a way I wasn’t expecting. Some of the obscure music brought up a lot more questions about him. And when my viewers

comment, it sometimes offers clarity. I’ll think, “Maybe that’s how he felt as well.” Or they’ll say, “This record was probably in the bargain bin and he probably just liked the cover.”

Having people talk to me about the records is like having my father listening to them with me. After talking about my dad’s records publicly, I started to reach out to some of his friends

and family. I wanted to better understand why he collected records, get stories about the vinyl, and ask which ones they remember him playing the most. Through that, I’m starting to

understand different time periods of his life. When he was alive, I never really asked him. A common thread is that his love for records started in early childhood. His mother says that from

6 years old, he was obsessed with records and played them to the point that his family didn’t want him to collect anymore. They thought he was wasting his money. But instead, he continued

to buy, hiding new purchases in his jacket and running straight to his room with them. That’s probably my favorite story. After Jula listens to an album, she writes down her thoughts and

sticks them next to the record. Amber Bracken Most of my big memories of my dad involved him playing songs for me. When I was 6 years old, he would explain lyrics to me. He was really into

songwriting, talking about lyrics and explaining things like, “This guy uses a double entendre.” I’ve been raised with that. I listened to a lot of the Monkees and the Archies growing up.

And he really liked the Who, the Beatles and Frank Zappa. Also, Burton Cummings; I went to a bunch of his concerts with my father. We listened to the _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor

Dreamcoat_ musical all the time. I don’t think that I could listen to it now. I got burned out on it.