Thursday, August 16, 2012

Thoughts on Collection Intervention


So I finished up my half hour on the exercise bike and was too awake for bed. I decided to check out the new "Collection Intervention" show on SyFy-Lysis.

Elyse Luray is the host and quite frankly her cred from the History Detectives on PBS is why I decided to watch this show. That and she is easy on the eyes. Elyse welds those eyebrows the way Indiana Jones works a whip.



To be brutally honest, I was kinda leery of this show. I was afraid it would be a combination "Hoarders / Comicbook men" that would hit me squarely between the eyes and sting as I am a collector and accumulator of "Stuff" (Your stuff is crap; My crap is "Stuff"). If not done with some care and understanding, it could hit a little too close for comfort.

I have Silver and Bronze age comics, *some* Vintage Star Wars and Beatles items. But its not in every room of my home, or stuffed into a garage. I know what I have, where I got it, and have a good idea what I paid for it.

(I happen to have an actual car in my garage.)

The cute Pixie Star wars girl was out of control. It might be good for her to get professional counseling. At the auction when she was clearing stuff out... I couldn't help but wonder "What did you spend on that stuff?... are you breaking even or taking a bath on those items?.. It would be interesting know - THAT she was able to part with something wasn't quite enough for me.

Catnip-boy was.. well, just odd. I can imagine how much ridicule he endure as a youth collecting the "girl" stuff. That explains why he felt he had to hide it. However, hes another therapy candidate. he landed a cute girl, get her a cat-woman costume for the bedroom and call it a day, hes a winner in the game of life.

I have my collections. But I can walk in my house. I pay my bills. My wife kids aren't wanting for necessities. I guess that's why I'm not a candidate for the show. No "intervention" is really necessary.

I get how Elyse with her knowledge and network of contacts can help assess a collection and get folks to part with their treasures for a nicer than average price for television. That's good, its a start - but its only one part of a "true" intervention.

It would be nice to have the perspective of a normal collector, talk about proper storage materials and conditions. Feature some collectors with a balanced life to show that every collector isn't bat-guano crazy. It could set a bad stereotype if the other-side isn't shown.

I'll have to give it a couple of more episodes before I fully make my mind up on this show. Evey show deserves some time to find its "legs". In large part due to the Host, the show is handled with a certain sensitivity toward the "participants" - guests? - I'm not sure what to call them, exactly. I think it could go a bit further to really help these folks. They are seemingly out of balance and I'm not sure selling their stuff is the entire solution for them - or that could just be the "television" of it.

I call Jerry Springer "Genius TV" cuz I feel so much smarter than those SOB's on the show. Maybe that IS the point and is exactly what this show is supposed to do. To make average collectors feel better about what they do.