Why Do I Collect These Things?

Hi. Bill Cahill again.
You might be wondering "Why in the heck does he collect these things?".
Well, in a way, the answer is simple, albeit somewhat lenghthy. Let me start.

When I was very young, say about 3 years old, my father wanted to get me interested in electronics, as he was, to a degree. So, one of the first things he did was to buy a kit crystal radio set.
He "helped me build" this simple radio set, chich did play. Actually, he did most, if not all the work. But, it did spark an interest in me.

At about the age of 5 we had to have our family television serviced due to break-down. While the repairman was busy behind the set I sneaked behind to have a look.Wow! I saw all those little glass things (tubes) in there. He plugged in the set. The tubes started lighting. The sound came on, and shortly after, the picture. I thought to myself, "What makes all those little glass things make a picture on that big thing, and the sound in that big round thing under the tv?".
Ah, the catalyst that sparked my interest. I was hooked. I had to start finding out what made these things work.

My father also owned a beutiful 1946 Magnavox radio-phonograph in a beutiful cabinet. He often listenned to different types of music on the radio, or would occasionally play some 78 RPM records on the record player. This was always fascinating to watch, although that set was always "hands off" territory.
I started dismantling my record players to try to find out what made them work. This moved to the family tv, much to my mother's dismay, as I destroyed many speakers trying to find out what made them play.

At about age 8 I started searching the family attic for old junk radios, and whatever, to feed my interest. This upset my mother very much, although none of the stuff left up there even worked any more.
I remember one early record player I was tearing into my mother in a panic called my father at work, and, complained,"You'd better do something about Billy. He's taking apart his record player."
My mother handed the phone to me, saying, "You just wait until your father gets hold of you!".
I answered:"Yes?" Father: "Billy, your mother says you are taking apart your record player. Is that true?" Me: "Yes." Father: "That's good. Just do me a favor. Don't plug it in. Now, give the phone back to mommy." Me: "O.K. I won't."
Well, I had alot of fun tearing that machine apart.
A few years later, I believe after my father passed away, I would have been about 11, or, 12, then, my insanity surged to picking up old junk tv's out of the neighborhood trash in front of people's homes. My favorite time of year was the first week of May, when the city sponsored, and paid for a neighborhood clean up week, where you were invited to throw out all your big items, such as old tv's, radios, furniture, washing machines, stoves, refrigerators, etc....
I had a field day during those weeks, and would often sneak a treasure into the house, and put it in our basement so I could tinker with it. My mother clearly wasn't happy whenever I did this. I will also point out here that my father fully supported me to learn what I could about these things.

At the age of 16, I should point out this would be in 1965, I got my first job. I worked for a very nice boss by the name of Craig W. Knox, who owned, and rain a small repair shop by the name of "Rainbow Television Service". He had another man working there as a technician by the name of Eugene Petuna.
Craig, and Gene, as he was called, taught me many things in servicing tv's, radios, record players, tape recorders, etc... My insanity was also fed very well there, as Craig was storing a very large bunch of very old tv sets from the 40's through early 50's. He sold them to me cheaply, and delivered them, much to my mother's dismay, free of charge straight to the basement, where I would tinker with them in my off time. I even got some of them playing again.

Well, over the years, I collected, repaired, stripped, more antique tv's, radios, and record players than I can remember. Those are gone now, but, the insanity isn't.
In fact, in 1968 I actually got my first antique wind-up machine, a outside horn Victor talking machine with a large brass belled horn. I bought that from "Mrs. Mac" the owner of the "Classic Records"store who rented the little space in the back to my boss Craig.
My God, I never knew there was such a thing as a wind-up phonograph! Now, I was more hooked.

Well, over the years, the insanity grew. I learned to do proper repairs, and then, total restorations on television sets, radios, record players, wire recorders, and, yes, wind up phonographs!

I am now 56 years old, and, collect, restore, and love all my treasures, along with thousands of records of different types. I am a music lover, thus, the name "Fanatic Bill".
I love many types of music, including Big bands, spriritual, early rock 'n roll, comedy, home spun, symphonies, etc.. One of my biggest favorites is Spike Jones and his City Slickers.
I'm also very partial to Glenn Miller, and the Andrews Sisters.

And, to think, this all started with a simple crystal radio.........

Bill Cahill