Back in the GROOVE

Spotify and iTunes may dominate convenience, but vinyl embodies the crackle of connection. In a world fixated on perfection and speed, what if the secret to a richer, more connected life lies in slowing down and dropping the needle on something authentic? 

This UNCOMMODiFiED episode dives into the surprising life lessons Tim Windsor is learning from rediscovering the world of vintage vinyl records. Tim challenges listeners to embrace the crackle of imperfection, commit to deep connections, and live with intentionality in a fast-paced, digital-first world. 

Packed with neuroscience insights, practical strategies, and thought-provoking questions, this episode is a call to stop streaming through life and start living with a richer tone and texture.

Tim Windsor
the UNCOMMODiFiED Podcast – Host & Guide
tim@uncommodified.com
https://uncommodified.com/
 
PRODUCERS: Kris MacQueen & Alyne Gagne
MUSIC BY: https://themacqueens.com

Transcript

PLEASE NOTE: UNCOMMODiFiED Podcast episode transcriptions are raw text files and have not been proofed or edited. They are what they are … Happy Reading.

© UNCOMMODiFiED & TIM WINDSOR

[00:00:00] There's something visceral about watching a needle drop onto a vinyl record. A hum and then wonderful sound. Music coming alive in a way that feels tactile, raw and real. Vinyl forces you to commit to the process. Playing a vinyl record forces you to commit to the process. There's no shortcuts, there's no shuffle, there's no skipping over.

And if your life feels like mine does sometimes, like a little bit of a digital blur, maybe it's time to get back to analog in our lives and learn why real growth and experience spins at 33 RPMs, not just 5g speeds. Hey, my friends, welcome back to the uncommodified podcast. I'm Tim Windsor. And today we're going to spin an idea on the turntable of life and play something that I believe is rather extraordinary.

Today we're going to be talking about records. Not the ones that are in the files on your desktop computer, but the records we're spending in our personal and professional lives. I've recently fallen, fallen is not the right word. I have plunged. I have dived [00:01:00] headfirst back into the world of turntables and vinyl records.

And it's taught me more than I ever expected about the analog versus digital tension that exists. Not just in music, but actually in our lives, in my life, I think it exists in your life as well. So here's a question, why the hell is vinyl making a comeback in a world where Spotify is king? In 2024, vinyl record sales exceeded CD sales for the first time in over three decades, 30 years.

According to the Record Industry Association of America, vinyl brought in a whopping 1. 7 billion dollars last year. Billion! Why? Well, here's, here's the thing. It's not, it's not the convenience. Digital wins there every time. It's not the cost. Vinyl isn't cheap. I think it's the experience. When you listen to vinyl, you listen.

There's no shuffle button, no skipping a track on a whim. It forces you to commit to the groove, to the imperfections even of a vinyl record and particularly a used vinyl record like I'm [00:02:00] collecting. And it calls you to commit to the process of listening to that album. And that I believe is where the magic is.

And neuroscience actually backs this up. Studies show that the tactile and deliberate nature of playing a vinyl record engages more sensory and cognitive systems than simply hitting play on a digital app. The brain thrives on this kind of engagement. And for this reason, vinyl isn't just heard. It's felt, it's experienced, the crackle of a record actually stimulates areas of the brain associated with nostalgia for people like myself, and the area that's connected to emotional processing.

It's a full body, it's a full mind, it's a full soul experience, and isn't that something that you're craving and that I'm craving? I think it is. Now here's where it can hit it even a little deeper. Analog versus digital isn't just about sound. I think it's a metaphor for how we live, work, and connect.[00:03:00] 

Analog is rather messy. It's imperfect. It requires attention and patience. Digital, of course, is clean, fast, efficient, but it's often superficial. Think about the way we interact with people today. Texts, DMs, emojis, quick, efficient. But how often do we lose the depth? Do we lose the texture? Do we lose the crackle?

of real human connection. Here's a stat that drives this home for me. According to a study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the depth of emotional connection in face to face conversation is 34 percent higher than digital interactions. Why? Because Human connection, analog, the real messy human connection is rich in texture and nuance.

It's the tone of voice, it's the hesitation in a pause, it's a raised eyebrow. It's what can't be compressed into pixels and keystrokes at the end of the day. It's the same reason I [00:04:00] think that vinyl feels so alive. Why digital can feel rather sterile. vinyl teaches us to embrace imperfection.

Every pop, every crackle on a record is part of its story. Particularly some of the albums I'm buying that are taking me back in time and are the original pressings, like, the series of Bruce Colburn albums that I've recently purchased, which I have fallen in love with again. It's a reminder, though, that perfection Of this digital thing is a little bit overrated for me, at least.

And neuroscientists have found that our brains are more stimulated by unpredictable patterns like the crackle on vinyl than the smooth, predictable ones in the digital world. It's why imperfection often feels more authentic and why perfection feels, robotic, I guess, at times. In our lives and work, chasing perfection often leads to burnout, but embracing the pops, the crackles, the skips, the messy parts, creates more [00:05:00] authenticity, growth, and connection at the end of the day.

Here's a question I want you to ask yourself. Where in your life are you scrubbing out the imperfections, the crackle, instead of leaning into it? In leadership? Is it in leadership? Is it in relationship? Is it with yourself? Here's my encouragement. Stop trying to sound like Spotify when your life was meant to groove like vinyl.

Now let's get practical. Let's spin one actionable idea that you can drop into your playlist this week to help you honor analog and vintage. Reconnect with the tangible. That's my challenge to you. Reconnect with the tangible. Choose one aspect of your life to bring back analog. Could be your work, it could be with friends, whatever you want.

Here's my challenge. Write a letter with pen and paper. Write a letter to someone important instead of sending a text or email. Experience the intentionality of putting pen to paper and the joy of sharing something [00:06:00] personal and physical with another person. Okay, as we wrap up this episode, here's what I believe the needle and the spin can teach us.

Here's what it's teaching me. First, commit to the process. Vinyl doesn't let you skip the hard parts. Life shouldn't either, I think. The best relationships, careers, and legacies come from leaning in even when the track we're playing gets a little bit rough. Second, create more depth. In this shallow world, anyone can stream a song or send a text, but building real analog level connections takes time and intention.

Stop multitasking during meetings. You can't do it anyways, but stop it. Be present. Stop liking posts instead of calling people. Drop the needle and sit back and really listen. To what's going on third, embrace the [00:07:00] crackle, embrace the imperfection, embrace its failure, but embrace its flavor that comes with it.

Own it. As Leonard Cohen said, there's a crack in everything. And that's how the light gets in. And finally, find and feel the groove again. Modern tools, digital shortcuts, they're amazing, but don't let efficiency steal the soul of what you're doing. In sales, in leadership, in life, people don't remember the flawless PowerPoint presentation that you made.

They remember the energy, the connection, the texture and the feel of human engagement. At night now, sometimes, when I sit down and I put on an album and I grab the liner notes and a glass of scotch and I start listening to a song on my new turntable, I realize it's more than a belt driven platter that's spinning.

It's a philosophy, I think. That's what I'm coming to believe. It's a philosophy that I'm falling back into. [00:08:00] It's a call to live analog in a digital world, to drop the needle in the groove of life with intentionality, connection, and a whole lot of crackle that comes with it. So here's a question. What track are you playing right now in your life?

Are you streaming a pre made playlist? Are you creating a one of a kind album? Think about it, and the next time you're tempted to skip the process, shuffle through the hard parts, or silence the imperfection, the crackle. Remember the needle, the groove, and the spin, and let your life play loud, raw, and real for you and others.

I'm Tim Windsor. Thanks again for listening in. Thanks for listening to the Uncommodified Podcast. Let's keep the groove going, on and off the turntable. Cheers.