Not too long ago, I did a post about an “ASSESSMENT WRITTEN (BY) RYAN ADAMS, HIMSELF,” in which Ryan purportedly summarized the worth of his own solo catalog in his inimitably self-deprecating style. It appeared to be a legitimate Ryan-penned artifact; and I am happy to report that it’s not only for real, but you can view the original item at an Indianapolis record store called Indy CD & Vinyl.
After hearing from a fellow who used to work at the store, I called up owner Annie Skinner to ask about it. She placed the date of origin as Aug. 3, 2006 — when Ryan played a nearby Indianapolis club called The Vogue with Juliana Hatfield.
“He stops by here pretty much every time he’s in town,” Skinner said. “And, um, he can be pretty messed up. (Note: Perhaps that accounts for the fact that Ryan claimed to be 33 years old at the time he wrote this, when he was actually only 31 in August 2006) I’m sure you know that Ryan will get into relationships with record-store clerks where he’s calling and sending stuff. There was one staff member here he became friendly with, a guy he put on the list for the show and even played a song for. That (self-assessment) was something he did for him.”
The Indy’s staff was kind enough to send along a picture of the framed document, which used to hang on the wall at the store until, alas, it fell and broke; note the bottom left corner of the frame. So they had to dig around a bit to find it. But anyway, here it is.
ADDENDUM (7/10/2016): Further record-store shenanigans in Minneapolis.
Losering Books 