In Sean Dunne’s film The Archive, we meet Paul Mawhinney and get an inside look at his collection. Having amassed what is estimated to be a $25-$50 million dollar collection (But selling for the low, low, price of $3 million) Mawhinney is the proud owner of the collection that puts self-proclaimed audiophiles on the league of mere dabblers. For years, Mawhinney ran the well known Pittsburgh record shop Record-Rama, which is now closed. Mawhinney is now legally blind, a result of his diabetes, and in a world where the quality of vinyl doesn’t seem to be valued anymore, things are a bit grim for the Record record- holder. But this short documentary is worth watching, just so you can see what such a vast collection looks like, and to hear someone who is truly passionate about archiving our music’s past speak.
