Flea Love #2

My body was the furthest it’s ever been from a wonderland after wakeboarding on Saturday morning, but I was determined to make it to Flea Day that afternoon after my steals the previous time. My progress was slower this time due to my near-inability to return to a standing position after squatting to look at a stall’s wares, but it also meant I looked at stuff more carefully and spotted things I might otherwise have missed.

  1. CD: Curvatia (Spacek), $2
  2. Chunky red stone/bead bracelet, $2

  3. Red and yellow retro Volkswagon pin, $1
    Volkswagon Badge
  4. Turquoise tee with two robots dancing below the words “No Wave”, which pressed my music geek buttons so seductively that I couldn’t help but buy it even though it’s a little big, $4
  5. Black strappy purple stripey top with elasticized waist and buckles at the straps, am still deciding if it looks funkily retro or as if I have no taste, $4
  6. Emerald green sleeveless tee with old-school superlady comic graphic, $2
  7. Grey Ghostbuster tee! $6
Ghostbuster tee
I specialise in girls’ school toilets

CDs I passed up reluctantly because they were $6 each and I think that’s too high for a flea market where I have no guarantee they’ll even work and may never see the stallholder again:

  • Tri Repetae (Autechre)
  • Psychic Hearts (Thurston Moore)
  • The Whitey Album (Ciccone Youth)
  • Steady Diet Of Nothing (Fugazi)

“There are spots on this one,” I said, pointing to the back of the Tri Repetae disc. “Oh, I think that’s just mould,” the guy said. Fair enough, I understand it’s a flea market and stuff isn’t new, but I’d like to urge any flea market CD sellers reading this to please provide a CD player for testing! A Discman would do, after all. I’m a discerning customer who’s more likely than most to recognize the music you’ve got to offer, but I still won’t pay more than $4 if I can’t be sure I’m not just stocking up on coasters.

Flea Love

How much do I love flea markets? Let me count the ways:

  1. CD: The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone (Apples In Stereo), $4
  2. CD: Curtains (Tindersticks), $4
  3. DVD: American Splendor, $6
  4. Pink button earrings, $4
  5. Beige top with two guys who look like extras from MacGyver stencilled on it in prussian blue, $5
  6. Black top with rough-cut neck and armholes, small mustard yellow rose print, and lace all the way round the waist, $2
  7. Beige oblongish bag with criss-crossing lines of khaki leather and eggshell blue sequins, $2
  8. Dirty brown (in colour, not state) Jap-style bag with 3 cartoony guys with Afros, and “I LOVE AFRO” on the back, $3

I Love Afro

There was a guy asleep on the floor at one of the stalls, which is never a good idea if you’re at a flea market and have funny friends. (Click on the photo to view a full-size version.)

Guy with price label on ass
“Buy T-shirt & take loser home for free!”