Most birthday plans involve dinner or a party. For his 26th, one creator decided to throw himself a private dance floor instead, complete with 1920s clothing, an antique phonograph and a record that has been spinning memories for about a century.
@dr.parkinstine2 cleared the furniture, cranked the machine and performed a full Charleston, just because he felt like it.
@dr.parkinstine2
A room that looks like 1922
The setting is a vintage decorated room with red walls, patterned rugs, antique lamps and period dining furniture lit by warm incandescent bulbs. He walks in wearing 1920s attire, a suit jacket, trousers and a boater hat, and announces that it is his 26th birthday and he will be dancing the Charleston. Why? As he puts it, “Because I feel like it, and I want to.”
He moves the central table and chairs out of the way, being careful not to drop a lamp, and then sets up the music. The record on screen is labeled as an Edison record, and the title reads “Yes! We Have No Bananas.” He says he believes it is from 1922.
Cranking up the phonograph
The player sits in a corner of the room. He cranks the machine, starts the record and steps back into the space he has cleared. What follows is the real star of the show: scratchy, warm acoustic sound from the old disc, with surface noise that no modern streaming playlist can imitate.
The song is a novelty tune about a shopkeeper with no bananas, listing beans, onions, cabbages and an old fashioned tomato instead. It plays in the background while he kicks, twists his heels and swings his arms across the carpet for several minutes without stopping. When it is done, he winds the routine down, turns off the machine and says it was his second time doing the dance that evening. A final black and white portrait of him in a tuxedo and boater hat closes the piece with the words “La fin.”
The record and the dance
“Yes! We Have No Bananas” was a silly hit of the early 1920s, the kind of tune that was played by many bands and recorded on many labels. The Charleston, meanwhile, grew into a symbol of the decade after it was popularized by a Broadway song of the same name from 1923. Pairing the two is a perfect choice for anyone who wants to feel what a house party sounded like back then.
Playing very old records safely
If this has you thinking about spinning an antique record of your own, a few basics will protect both the disc and the machine:
- Identify the record type first. Many early discs are brittle shellac meant for a standard 78 rpm player, while some Edison discs used a different cut and need a compatible player and stylus.
- Use the right needle. A worn or incorrect needle can damage grooves permanently.
- Handle discs by the edges and keep them out of heat and sunlight, which can warp them.
- Store records upright in sleeves rather than stacked flat, and never lean them at an angle.
- Dust lightly with a soft brush before playing, and avoid water or household cleaners on old shellac.
- Do not over wind a spring driven motor, because an old spring can break.
How to start a small antique music collection
Old discs turn up at estate sales, flea markets, antique malls and sometimes in boxes in the attic. Start by looking for records in good condition with clear labels, and check them against the light for cracks and deep scratches. It is often better to buy a few discs that you enjoy than a huge stack that you cannot play. Local collector clubs can help with identification, and a reputable dealer can tell you which discs work with which machines.
Values vary widely. Some common discs are plentiful and inexpensive, while a few rare pressings attract serious interest. Condition, label and demand matter most, so it helps to check recent sales rather than assume that age alone means a high price.
Common questions
Can any record player play a 100 year old record? Not always. Speed, needle size and groove type differ, so the right equipment matters.
Is it safe to dance near an old phonograph? It is best to keep the machine on a sturdy surface away from the dance space, since stomping can make the needle skip or damage the record.
The takeaway
Nostalgia does not have to be passive. You can listen to the past, dress for it, and even dance in it. A birthday spent with a century old record, a hand cranked machine and a pair of good dancing shoes is a charming reminder that old music still moves people, quite literally.
Credit for the original post goes to @dr.parkinstine2 on TikTok.
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