Way back in 2017, I got the idea to put together a binder corresponding to subjects referenced in the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire".
Fun way to combine the hobby and history, right? Took damn near a decade, but I've now finally filled every open slot.
Is every selection a perfect match? Nah, there are definitely some cheeky placeholders that might be a stretch, and occasionally small/flat non-card items take the place of cards, plus a few homemade customs for subjects where no viable card/item could be found. So while it's still very possible that I upgrade/change a spot here and there in the future, I'm good with the group as-is and appreciate the closure of the now-filled binder.
I'm not sure the best way to share the experience without flipping though the binder yourself while the song plays. I'd be tempted to make a video, but I still haven't really cracked the nut of making YouTube videos, plus there's the whole "legal rights to use the song" headache.
So I'll link to the song above via YouTube then show full-page scans, hopefully legible enough for you. You might want to first scroll down without the music, so you can go at your own pace on each card, and maybe then go back and give it a quicker go while the song plays. Or do it the other way: trying to keep up with the song first, then go back afterwards to take a closer look. Or don't even play the song at all, if that's asking too much. Regardless, enjoy!
And now here's the recap in text form. First card is an introductory custom I made in 2017 using the cover of the song's single.
For more info on specifically what Billy Joel was talking about, Wikipedia has you covered with a handy page: List of references in We Didn't Start the Fire.
It might not be perfect, but I like this ragtag group of assembled cards. Years included range from 1910 up to modern stuff. Some cards were sourced from my collection, a lot I bought specifically for the project, and several were traded to me back in the project's early days. I didn't blog about it much over the years, though, just slowly kept it going on the backburner. I know fellow cardblogger Nick V. in particular has spoken highly of the project in the past, and so I'm relieved to get this follow-up post done that I've felt I owed him for several years.
I don't doubt if another collector put together a similar project from scratch, it would look much different, though I'm sure there'd be some only-card-of-the-subject-out-there repeats. Feel free to make suggestions for cards that could upgrade a slot for me-- especially if you're offering it for trade or kindness-- as long as you don't be snobby about it.
I probably ended up spending more on this project than I would have liked-- some of those vintage cards and oddballs are tougher than you'd expect, so it's like, "Do I pony up a few bucks for a nice match, or settle for a cheaper card that's not quite a home run?" Sometimes I cheaped out, other times I ponied up a few bucks.
A brag-worthy eBay deal I looked up in my old emails: December 2018, I scored a hand-collated 200-card set of 2011 Topps American Pie for just $16.50 (free shipping), which as you've seen helped me fill over a dozen slots in the binder. Glad I've also hung onto the rest; These days the set's "Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift" card is no stranger to selling for 3-figures.. yowza! It's almost like the non-sport equivalent of the Mike Trout rookie from the same year. Thinking I should maybe get around to acquiring "dupes" of those several cards I plunked out for the binder so I'll have a separate complete '11 Pie set in the collection. They're added to my TCDb wantlist now, at least.
That'll wrap it up. Hope you enjoyed checking out the binder!
Genius! And well done!
ReplyDeleteI have waited since you started the project to see its completion, and so excited to see it done. Great job, I don't think I could or would make any suggestions to make it better.
ReplyDeleteCool concept and nice execution even if it isn't prefect.
ReplyDeleteNice job! Good thing you added some footnotes or I wouldn't have got some of those references, but what a project!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of cards tied to one song!
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