Look Hear

Frequent the shopping mall and admire members of the opposite sex. Subject yourself to the sheer beauty of American gluttony. Survey the food court and gobble free samples. Indulge yourself in designer underwear and $80 bottles of perfume. Take a date to the mega-plex and drown in a tub of buttered popcorn. Escort your kid brother to the arcade and join him in senseless acts of virtual brutality. But for the love of democracy, stay away from the corporate record store! Granted, it might be tempting after spending hours observing scantily dressed teens saunter down the mall ways to enter their world of ignorant bliss and cough up $18.95 for a single CD. But, trust me, you?ll be kicking yourself in the morning.

Be brave and reap the benefits. Get off the beaten path of behemoth gauging and venture into an independent music store. Nestled cozily in the northwest corner of town, Look Hear offers a wide selection of new and used CDs, videos, and DVDs, ?from esoteric rarities to today?s hit makers.? Along with Sound Exchange, located on Bearss Avenue, and Vinyl Fever, located on South Dale Mabry Highway, Look Hear is one of only a handful of independents left in Tampa.

Have a question about the latest Miles Davis reissue? Curious about how Eminem?s current D12 project crystallized? Want to know where to find the original, acoustic version of ?All Along the Watchtower?? You could spend hours pouring over a music encyclopedia and scouring the internet. Or you could just waltz right into the independent record store and ask Look Hear?s owner, Steve, or any of his hand-picked staff. They know music. They live for music. But, don?t be intimidated, they?re not music snobs like the nut from High Fidelity. Steve and the boys cater to all tastes. Chances are they got what you desire in stock. If not, they?ll have it delivered within days, even if Steve must travel to the darkest depths of cyber world in order to find it.

Be warned, though, strange occurrences have been known to transpire within the friendly confines of Look Hear. One question leads to another and before you know it you?re 30 minutes into a conversation with one of the staff. Maybe you coaxed Steve into offering an anecdote from his rowdy drummer days. Perhaps you started shooting the breeze with Doug about the latest Austin City Limits broadcast. It only gets worse. Soon you?re stopping in every week, then twice a week. It becomes a sordid affair. Take note, your significant other may grow jealous, be sure to drag her/him along.

The place is addictive. Forget it. Don?t go to Look Hear. I repeat, don?t go! Pay absorbent prices to corporate bullies ? it?s safer. Listen to some sulking kid in a uniform grunt when you ask him where you can find the newest recording by hillbilly poet Terry Allen, or funk master George Clinton. At least you won?t run the risk of becoming hooked.

Look Hear is located at 10059 W. Hillsborough Ave. Tampa, Fl 33615. The telephone number is (813) 901-LOOK (5665).