“Hello, this is Rainbow Music,” said the stooped man in the rumpled clothes, as he answered the phone in the middle of what could safely be described as a Grand Canyon of CDs.

“Yes, this is the Birdman,” he said. “No, that’s my name, I’m known all over the world as the Birdman.”

For 17 years, the Birdman was known among East Village music collectors as having the messiest CD store imaginable: Rainbow Music, on First Avenue.

During a visit to his shop recently, the Birdman reluctantly confirmed that his given name was Bill Kasper, and that he was closing for good at the end of the month, after running the shop seven days a week with little time off.