Dante calderona
Can You Tell Me Where To Dig On Sesame Street?
BY April Greene
When a new identity popped up on the Dust & Grooves radar, we knew we had to dig further. A couple of our Philly collector friends made mention of a local young man with a very rare collecting focus: Sesame Street records. And, they said, he digs hard for them.
We were of course intrigued, but with no other info to go on, we knew we couldn’t count on getting lucky and just running into the guy. On our last trip to Philly, we followed a couple of leads to try to cross paths with him, but kept coming up dry. It wasn’t until an hour before our bus was due to take us back to NYC that we got an excited text from one of our record store moles: “He’s here!!” With that, we abandoned our bus tickets, hopped back on the subway, and high-tailed it to Beautiful World Syndicate, a record store on East Passyunk Avenue.
We walked in and spotted our man immediately—easy enough, as he was the only guy in the store with a bag of Big Bird albums on his arm. We introduced ourselves and finally put a name and face to the legend: this was Dante, 24 years old, born and raised in South Philly. We chatted with him and his younger brother Christian, who was also there digging, and asked if we might be able to see more of Dante’s records. The brothers immediately phoned their parents, who very kindly, and quickly, packed up Dante’s entire LP collection and drove it over so we could stage an impromptu photo shoot on the sidewalk.
While Eilon got shots of Dante with LPs like the 1979 dance floor-ready Sesame Disco and 1977’s Let Your Feelings Show!, Dante’s mom Donna filled us in on the history of his obsession. “Dante has been a fan of Sesame Street since he was a baby,” she said. “And he developed a real love for collecting.” His collection not only includes tons of vinyl, but Sesame Street books, videos, and practically anything related to the show. “It was my sisters who had the original Sesame Street vinyl, and he really loved those,” she recalled. Over the years, his family took him to Sesame Street events and to Sesame Place—a theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania—where he always wowed, even scared, the puppeteers, actors, and producers with his encyclopedic knowledge of the show. Donna describes Dante’s room as being “packed with Sesame memorabilia of all kinds,” and mentioned that every Halloween he dresses up as his favorite character, Bert, and gives out candy to the kids in the neighborhood.
Hey, do you guys have Larry Levan’s remix of Cookie Monster’s ‘C is for Cookie’?
Passersby couldn’t help but notice Dante’s colorful record collection on display on the sidewalk. Some made an obvious effort not to look at Bert dressed like Bruce Springsteen on the cover of Born to Add. Some took the long way around us and paused to stare and smile at the mélange of vinyl. Others stopped for a minute to talk shop. “Hey, do you guys have Larry Levan’s remix of Cookie Monster’s ‘C is for Cookie’?” a slim young man in a leather jacket and glasses asked me. “I’ve been looking all over for that.” Apparently Dante is not alone! Soon Mom and Dad and Christian joined in on the scene and talked about their favorite songs and album covers and even broke out Dante’s plastic Sesame Street rain poncho, still like new, folded up in the box.
Once the sun started to go down, we grabbed a quick interview with Dante and then waved goodbye to the Candelora family as they rolled off in their minivan with Elmo, The Count, and Oscar the Grouch immortalized on wax. As you’ll see, Dante is a man of few words, but his collection speaks volumes.
“When will you stop collecting?
When I find everything.”
Bert’s Blockbusters: Dante shows off his favorite Sesame Street character’s first solo effort.
When did you start collecting?
When I was around 12 or 13. Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse records.
What was the first record you bought?
Bert’s Blockbusters was one of the first.
Why Sesame Street?
I’m a big fan of the show and the music—[songwriters] Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss…
Why vinyl?
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For the memories.
How many days a week do you dig?
Two times a week, maybe. Record stores, flea markets, record shows, on eBay sometimes. And I find a lot of information on [fan website] Muppet Central.
Do you collect anything besides Sesame Street?
Sometimes Disney soundtracks, other Muppets music or memorabilia. The old View-Master Interactive Vision VHS video game system—I’m trying to find the Sesame Street games for that. And I like the Sesame Street “All My Homies Are From The Street” T-shirts. I find those at Target.
Fair is Fair. This 1978 concept album covers topics such as getting along with others, speaking politely, and what to do if you hurt someone’s feelings.
How long has Sesame Street been going on now?
42 years. They did 130 episodes a season for 21 years. They’re not as good anymore, though—like they were with Jim Henson. Some of the old characters are dead now, but not all.
What tops your list of things to find right now?
Probably the Jack and the Beanstalk “Parts 1 and 2” 45 rpm single.
Dante brandishing his prized copy of Bert & Ernie Sing-Along (signed by Sesame Street actor Bob McGrath!)
Do you play the records, or just collect them?
No, I play them.
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a record?
About 15 dollars.
Do you like any modern adaptations of Sesame Street music, like Smart E’s “Sesame’s Treet?”
Yeah, I like some of that stuff.
Do you have a favorite Muppet? Or, if you were a Muppet, which one would you be?
Bert. He’s smart, like me, and yellow. Yellow is my favorite color.
What’s your family’s reaction to your collecting?
They’re happy about it.
“Why vinyl ?
For the memories.”
Gatefold party! 1973’s Sesame Street Live! included a quad-fold sleeve with a cutout of Big Bird that could be flip-flopped to show a different scene on the front and back covers.
Dante’s wish list is long, but he’s got stamina.
Is your family into music?
Oh yeah. Mostly house and disco music—Heatwave, Donna Summer, Daft Punk.
When will you stop collecting?
When I find everything.
You seem pretty patient about that.
Oh yeah.
Dante and our inside connector, Tony “Triple-Double” Larson. Thank you Tony!
Dante and family. April 2011
