quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I was surprised to see that there was a Yamaha dealer sharing the parking lot. There were several cars parked in front of the Yamaha place but only one in front of Pianos, Inc. A sole geriatric Town Car was parked next to the door at Larry’s place. Brown, IIRC.

I had brought my daughter. We were shopping for a nice grand and we wanted to see the Bechstein (the only Bechstein), see what made it so great and perhaps hear him play it. Classically trained, you know.

But it was not to be. The Bechstein was enshrined on a platform, and no one, not even Larry, would ever play it. If it had an action it you couldn’t prove it by me.

What I was presented with were two short rows of budget grade Chinese and Eastern European spinets. Not consoles, spinets. I get that this might what sells in Atlanta but it was a huge disappointment.

I was then treated to a one sided diatribe on how the Koreans were destroying the wheel cover market. My daughter was left to fend for herself. That situation did not work for me.

We exited promptly and I never paid any attention to anything he said ever again.

[edit] There was indeed a five pedal Wing Landfill Upright next to the front door. I thought it was the most interesting piano in the place.

Years, years, years ago, while he and I were still the tightest of friends and when my girls were still very young,but after he'd moved from Atlanta to Tennessee, our family was going to vacation in a southern location. The route was going to take us within about three hours of Sweetwater, and I messaged him that I'd like to change our vacation plans to include a side trip to meet him. I tried for probably two months to reach him, but he never replied to any of my many private messages trying to schedule the in-person meeting he'd said many times he'd love to have someday. Imagine - I thought so much of him that I was ready to drag my whole family hours away from their vacation plans, for me to meet a guy they didn't know and couldn't case less about, all the while burning up precious, finite vacation time. I kept trying, almost up until we were packing up the car, and nothing - not a peep from a guy that practically lived on that forum.

The day after we got home, I got a pm from him, apologizing and saying he'd never checked his pms and a had never seen any of my messages, and he was so sorry he'd missed the opportunity to meet. Forget that we'd routinely conversed via pm on almost a daily basis before I mentioned the trip and trying to meet him in person. About a week after that, we received a bottle of mediocre Tennessee wine from him as an apology for "missing" my messages.

I'd understood well before that experience that a lot of his online presence was fiction. This told me that the fiction was probably much more than I'd even imagined. He was literally afraid to meet

It was a weak and pathetic, but very revealing, act. Even if he didn't want to meet, he could easily have made up some reason to say he wouldn't be available during the timeframe. Instead, he just went completely radio-silent.

We still remained very close for quite some time after that, before everything went south, but I never saw him in the same light after that. At that time, he didn't lose my friendship, but he did lose my respect.

That is entirely my impression, formed partly by piano industry people that knew him. His real life and online life were quite distinct, and after he quit selling pianos there was simply no incentive for him to meet up with online piano people. Only downside.

Jon, do you know what he did for a living after he left "da business?"

If you listened to what he posted he owned a trucking company and a farm so big he didn’t know his way around it all.

If you sought him out on the internet he owned small retail shops such as video rental and later antiques. None lasted all that long and they were all in tiny towns that wouldn’t have much opportunity at all.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:
If you listened to what he posted he owned a trucking company and a farm so big he didn’t know his way around it all.

If you sought him out on the internet he owned small retail shops such as video rental and later antiques. None lasted all that long and they were all in tiny towns that wouldn’t have much opportunity at all.

It surprises me that you cared enough to check him out on the internet. I guess I can't say for certain that I've never done that, but I don't recall ever doing that.

Why did it matter?

I remembered having a PM discussion with him in one of his sock incarnations back at PW. The sock was "The Silver Tongued Devil." The socks were banned as soon as Frank discovered them ...

In that exchange we discussed the old Terry Wilson fraud saga, and he said very sensible things about what Wilson was up to with his over-the-top rhetoric, and why his claims -- "I'm the nationwide Costco piano delivery service!" -- were bogus.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I may be the only one here who actually met Larry. We were in a baseball trip to Atlanta and I decided to swing by his shop.

The most memorable thing about that visit was learning that Larry in person was exactly the same as Larry on line.

CathyS met him as well. She relayed the experience to me at jon-nyc's during our big Carnegie weekend. She was on vacation and swinging through so stopped at the 'antique' store.

IIRC, she said he didn't say much, the store was unremarkable. I suspect he had little to say as he was caught off guard by the visit and perhaps because he was face to face with a woman.

He is the primary reason I have left and have not gone back. The remaining wolf pack members will keep me away.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:
His real life and online life were quite distinct, .

I think a lot of people do that. I, for one, have been known to pass myself off as an elderly, cantankerous, junk food eating accountant online. It helps me avoid the idolatry that comes when people find out how what a brilliant and accomplished, saint-like Adonis I am in real life.

I've met Doug in person and can definitely confirm the part about his being an Adonis.....

quote:

Originally posted by Piano*Dad:

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Wait, he was a piano dealer in Atlanta??

See, you would have known more if you had hung out at TNCR ...

Before there was an old Coffee Room, when PW was just three forums, we all knew Larry owned a piano store in Atlanta. He was at PW to guide people looking for pianos, at least initially, that was his role. He was one of quite a few piano dealers who frequented the place.

I thought it was pretty self-evident that most of what Larry presented about himself online was pure B.S. Though he did really own a piano store in Atlanta--my BIL bought a crappy Chinese baby grand from him.

As I remember, his Atlanta piano store got flooded at one time and that’s when he decided to leave the piano retail business. Or maybe he had decided before the store flooded to leave the business? I don’t know.

He also had a coffee room forum. When Piano World’s Coffee Room disbanded, three new coffee room forums started up: WTF, the New Coffee Room with jgoo as the administrator, and Larry’s own forum named Fat Shirley. It was on a web site called armleg.com. I've never been to his forum. I just know about it because Larry would occasionally mention it on TNCR.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
I've met Doug in person and can definitely confirm the part about his being an Adonis.....

Same here!

Same here! That manly physique made me feel quite inferior.

I agree with much of what jon has written about this man; and no mention of any wife & children on the funeral notice is telling whichever way you wish to take it.


BTW, there is no death, we all live on.
Not to be esoteric, but our great work is the refinement of ourselves. Guess Larry is going to be busier than most.

Meanwhile
"Life here is short, play with your dog"