i bought a neumann 87 many years ago and it’s been a workhorse, a very transparent perfect mic for all occasions but then you hear peter gabriel sings through a 58 or some such stories and you have to ask yourself how much of me liking the more expensive thing is based upon real experience and how much is doing what others tell you to do? some years ago, a salesperson at long and mcquade was persuading me to buy this two thousand dollar microphone or that three thousand dollar microphone, insisting this or that was sensational but then i asked do you own one? do you use it yourself? they said no, they couldn’t afford it. so you haven’t actually lived with it and used it? no they hadn’t. i was left to conclude from this and a few other unimpressive details about them, they were merely repeating what they saw in advertisements. i think it happens a lot, people sell stuff and act as though they know all about its virtues when they don’t necessarily walk the walk. it’s one of those tricky things when you are a parent wanting to show your kid how the world works, like whether to buy the strawberries marked down or to inspect closer and realize there’s mold, whether to trust cops or fear them. an episode on saturday night live eons ago with the original cast i found hilarious. about a store in a shopping mall that only sold scotch tape. people entered, dan ackroyd greets them “tape today?” i was reminded of it when a couple years ago a store opened on roncesvalles that only sold olive oil and balsamic vinegar. only two ordinary items on a high rent street. i caved finally, walked in two weeks ago and asked the clerk to please explain more about their business. he gave me a crash course. it was mostly the vinegar i was curious about and when i tasted some i have to admit it was nothing like the balsamic i know. this was aged and made naturally sweet. i bought a small bottle for $20 and now in my hot sauce or soups it is a pretty amazing secret ingredient. doubt i’m going back to the cheaper balsamics but who knows.