How did we get into this crazy hobby?

In reading another thread, a person noted that many of us became interested in the hobby at about the same time. I think it would be interesting as to what got us interested and how it started. Perhaps manufacturers may ultimately want to take note.

For me, it started in elementary school when my parents allowed my sister and I to each choose a new record (album). Which I think I wore out in less than a year. I found listening to the radio was unsatisfying as I had to listen to music I was not interested in. It went from this to tyring to record off of the radio (yes, with mirophones) onto either 8-tracks or cassettes (to give you a timeline, this was the mid/late 70s).

In junior highschool I got a paper route and made $23 per week. Just enough to buy 3 new albums per week. I went to my local record store, Beggars Tune where I would choose 2 new albums, Rocky (she worked there) would be given the responsibility to choose my 3rd album of the week. She turned me on to some very good stuff, jazz, rock, classical, Grateful Dead and much more.

In highschool (9th grade), the silver pre 1964 quarters that my grandparents had given me every year since I was young shot up in value thanks to the Hunt brothers in Texas. When my parents were out of town, I took my quarters to the local coin store and sold them at 20 X face value ($5 per quarter). I got about $1,500 for this and took the bus to Sound World and bought my first real stereo system (AAL speakers, Teac Cassette deck [with auto reverse V-9 I think], Luxman integrated amp and BIC turntable.

Two years later and up to a couple hundred records I convinced my parents to get me a Thorens table for Christmas, best Christmas present I ever received. Just got rid of that table last week!!!!

Many years later and like many of us, I could probably benefit from some sort of 12 step group program and be cured once and for all.