HER MISTRESS'S VOICE

I'd like to tell you a brief bit about my story, life with HMV.

I grew up in Melbourne around the corner from where they film Neighbours (no joke), so it was a bit of a suburby nothing for a young kid. I fell in love with British indie music by way of a very odd encounter featuring Alanis Morissette (don't ask, I was 15), and all I could do from that day on was aspire to be part of this amazing scene.

You may scoff, but for a kid growing up in a very dull soundscape, Britpop meant a lot to me. And then, one day, the shopping centre up the road got redeveloped and it had an HMV.

I immediately knew that I HAD to work there, to be a part of the people who could talk to me about the Stone Roses without thinking I'd said AC/DC. So I embarked upon a mission. Every day after school I would take my CV in (which at this illustrious stage included Target - Ladieswear).

The manager at the time tried to ban me, for pestering the staff. At the same time, I made friends, two of them still close, who worked there. One day, someone quit, the manager (result!) and they sighed and went, "ok, lets see what you've got".

It's not glamourous. It involves heaps of stickers, and ordering and doing your stock control. The best part? Helping people who want to talk about music. I thought I was on my own with that. In terms of Shed Seven, many would wrongly say I still am.

I then bothered another indie store, which was as indie as you can get - one guy. Same tactic. Constant CVs and talking about music. I loved that place too. Paul thought my ordering of records was so good he gave me an engraved pen when I decided to up sticks.

Obviously as some point, I was going to have to move to London, and looking for a Christmas job, so broke I was living on bagels (25p and fill you up), I immediately walked into the biggest HMV in the country. And bumped into my boss from the suburbs back in Melbourne. He loves Kylie. I got a job.

I spent the greatest year of my life working on that shop floor. The friendships we made over music have now become friendships we have kept for the rest of our lives. I've been to their weddings. They've been to mine. We've gone through all of this together.

And after you make a bond over music, it doesn't leave you. My mates from there still give me shit about my "apparently" poor taste in music, but you can spend hours in others companies talking about stuff like this. And it bonds. I yearn for 2005 every, fucking, day.

A number of my dear friends and partner still work for the company. We are all in bits about that news, so we must remember 2005, guys. Let's remember no matter what happens, it was music that brought us together, and we will stick like glue. And be there for one another.


I love you all my HMV friends. Very, very much.

Courtney Hodgkiss

PS Also - Hoggboy and Mensw@r were VERY UNDERRATED.