The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

• Ep508: Forming The Germs - Chris Ashford of What Records

  Chris Ashford of What Records? discusses releasing the first LA punk single "Forming" by the Germs, rarities, tapes, memories of Darby Crash and early punk scene stories. Topics Include: Chris Ashford founded What Records? and knew Germs members George (Pat Smear) and Paul (Darby Crash) He worked in record stores through high school and was fascinated by record labels Chris decided to start a label while his friends formed the Germs band He had no formal education about making records, learned from Richard Fuse at Rhino "Forming" was recorded in a garage with two-track deck and two microphones The single had multiple takes but most were erased years ago B-side used cassette recording from Germs' Cheech & Chong "Up in Smoke" audition Master tape for "Forming" is missing, possibly in Canada, but Chris owns rights Cheech & Chong footage shows Germs performing "Sexboy" - same version as B-side They kept the cassette source secret initially to avoid potential lawsuits Lou Adler excluded Germs from movie because audiences wouldn't believe they were real Chris missed the "Up in Smoke" taping because he had to work his day job He financed all What Records releases including "Forming" himself Black rectangle on sleeve was intentionally ambiguous, meant as tongue-in-cheek band photo Address on record was Chris's parents' house where he lived He quickly moved to P.O. Box and removed address to protect his mother First pressing had wrong labels on wrong sides due to Monarch pressing plant error About 1,000 copies were made, most of original pressing was destroyed 600-700 defective records were thrown down hill as frisbees for fun None of them expected anything significant to happen with the record "Forming" was technically the first independent DIY punk single from Los Angeles The record served as legitimizing calling card for the Germs Darby Crash was gifted lyricist despite his troubled background and demons Chris received Germs burn from Michelle Ghaffari at the Whiskey without warning Germs burns became insider thing in summer 1977, wider trend came later Darby never fully matured, died at 22 before becoming complete person Germs often performed as chaotic train wreck, unlike disciplined bands like Stooges Darby had difficult childhood and family problems that created his demons David Bowie was Darby's favorite outlet, influenced his dreamy/nihilistic worldview Chris saw potential for Darby to become writer beyond just being lyricist Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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• Ep500: Brett Gurewitz - Epitaph Records, Bad Religion & more

  Epitaph founder Brett Gurewitz discusses rare records, early Bad Religion releases, the lasting impact of "Suffer", format transitions, and staying relevant through punk's evolution and vinyl's revival. Topics Include: Brett's first record: Cosmo's Factory at age 9-10 Lost entire record collection after breakup with Susie Shaw Greg Shaw's legendary garage rock collection inspired young Brett Vinyl revival surprised Brett after seeing format cycles Started Epitaph shipping vinyl from West Beach closet CD controversy: expensive, poor sound quality initially Made three formats: vinyl, cassette, CD for releases Vinyl nearly died in late 90s, warehouse troubles COVID lockdown sparked massive vinyl sales resurgence Indie artists need vinyl for merch booths Color variants important for hardcore collecting communities Epitaph's mission: help artists, don't make records ourselves Started Bad Religion at 17, Greg/Jay were 15 No label knowledge, just entrepreneurial punk rock spirit Dad lent $1500, found Alberti pressing plant First 7-inch had skipping error, different pressings exist Rodney on ROQ played cassette before vinyl Fan mail arrived from Europe surprisingly early "Into the Unknown" prog disaster: 11,000 returns somehow Took day job selling gay disco imports Learned recording at University of Sound Arts Started West Beach studio in Pacifica's back closet Cocaine-fueled 80s work schedule: three jobs simultaneously "Suffer" recorded in seven days, transcendent experience Eddie Schreier at Capitol gave Brett confidence boost "Suffer" sound attracted top punk bands to studio Signed NOFX, Offspring through West Beach connections California harmonies influenced by Adolescents, Beach Boys "Beginner's mind" philosophy keeps Epitaph current today Authenticity and youth create that rock miracle Enter to win a record from us to celebrate Ep500 High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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• Ep500: Billy F Gibbons - Vinyl, Vintage Guitars, and Music History

  Billy Gibbons shares his lifelong passion for collecting vinyl records and vintage guitars, from his first Jimmy Reed single to his legendary "Pearly Gates" Les Paul, revealing the stories behind iconic instruments and rare recordings. Topics Include: Billy Gibbons has honorary doctorate from Musicians Institute Extensive record collection includes many well-preserved 78s Takes records on tour bus, plays DJ with Elwood About 1,200 legitimate record stores exist worldwide today Favorite shops include Waterloo Austin, secret Vegas spot Record stores create communities with great coffee, food British resurrected American blues through vinyl reissues Girlfriend "Stick" sent Hendrix record from London early Moving Sidewalks learned Purple Haze before tour Jimi appreciated their nerve playing his songs first Saw Elvis at age five in 1956 Houston Witnessed B.B. King recording at ACA Studios age six First record was Jimmy Reed single via housekeeper's list Parents supported musical tastes, dad was MGM pianist Mom "knew how to play the radio" best Dad's family immigrated 1908, became musicians avoiding gloves Samuel Goldfish (Goldwyn) brought dad to MGM Pictures Elvis lit fuse, B.B. King sealed musical deal Beatles introduced unusual harmonies, more than three chords First vinyl appearance: Moving Sidewalks "99th Floor" Recorded at Doyle Jones studio in Houston Houston had rich recording scene with multiple studios Various labels operated from Houston recording schools Pearly Gates Les Paul bought for $250 originally Searched for guitars matching Pearly Gates' magic sound Three vintage Les Pauls appeared at Carter Vintage simultaneously Nacho Banos recreating vintage Les Pauls in Spain Recently played Albert King's custom Flying V gift Recording "Chronicles 2" using Albert's original Flying V Robert Johnson legend, pictures and collectables Guitar collection includes meteorite picks, slides, Bo Diddley rectangle Enter to win a record from us to celebrate Ep500 High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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• Ep498: Birthing the End – Closing a Chapter of SWANS with Michael Gira

  SWANS founder Michael Gira discusses his final orchestrated album "Birthing," his creative process, and plans to transition to a simpler musical approach after decades of creating intense, transcendent live performances. Topics Include: Michael introduces "Birthing" as SWANS' final orchestrated album. Future SWANS work will be much simpler. He's 71 and finds intense performances physically demanding. No clear vision yet for his next musical phase. SWANS will tour US in October, then Europe. He finds Australian tours difficult due to jet lag. Triple vinyl/double CD includes concert film and documentary. Marco Porzia filmed the SWANS documentary. Christopher Nicholson filmed a solo performance in Norway. Great shows happen when "the music plays us." Natural venue acoustics enhance the performance experience. Songs transform and lengthen throughout tours. One song evolved to 82 minutes during tour. Three-hour sets leave performers exhausted afterward. Songs begin on acoustic guitar before band elaboration. He listens to guitar sound hole to hear potential harmonics. Directs band through gestures during live performances. The recording happened immediately after European tour ended. Uses same old Guild acoustic guitar for decades. Vinyl editions required some song edits for length. Gira doesn't listen to much music anymore. He art directs all SWANS releases personally. Created unique limited editions with handmade elements. Has done crowdfunding since 2000 for recording budgets. Once recorded personalized songs for top contributors. Will miss the elation of building live crescendos. No current plans for more fiction writing. Reluctant to write autobiography despite family encouragement. Can mentally play entire album from memory. Recently rediscovered early Led Zeppelin's brilliance. Order the SWANS LP "Birthing" here. Commercial free, high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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• ep497: mclusky is still here with andrew falkous

  andrew "falco" falkous discusses the reformation of his band mclusky after a nearly 20-year hiatus, their upcoming album on ipecac recordings, the rare catalogue of vinyl releases and more! Topics Include: falco confirms mclusky's new album "the world is still here and so are we." album will be released on may 9th on ipecac recordings. falco feels ipecac is the perfect label home for mclusky. he hopes this is just the end of "act one" for their reunion. falco approaches life expecting problems but finding humor in them. humor is essential to mclusky's songs without becoming a joke band. falco keeps files of potential song titles for future use. songs usually emerge from playing together in the same room. first takes often contain the magic that makes songs special. falco writes most lyrics but damien wrote lyrics for two songs. "your mother is a ballpoint pen thief" came naturally in writing process. falco describes songwriting as writing 1000 bad songs to get 10 good ones. performing gives falco confidence he doesn't have in other social settings. the current mclusky lineup consistently delivers intense live performances. "mclusky do dallas" remains their most popular album by far. steve albini recorded both "do dallas" and "the difference between me and you..." "lightsaber cocksucking blues" started as a throwaway whole lotta rosie parody. the line "flying is fearful of me" just emerged while performing. "she will only bring you happiness" had radio potential until "sex criminal" line. self-sabotage is part of mclusky's essence, even when unintentional. falco considers swearing an essential part of rock music. australia has been mclusky's strongest market since early in their career. melbourne, sydney and brisbane show strongest streaming numbers for mclusky. the band has toured australia approximately ten times since 2002. prescriptions music is falco's label for future of the left and christian fitness. falco considers mclusky "mostly my band" but credits all members' contributions. damien sayell (current bassist) recently recovered from a health scare. jack egglestone (drummer) has jazz training and remarkable listening skills. mclusky reunion began with charity shows for venues like le pub in newport. the current lineup feels like a distinct band, not future of the left playing mclusky songs. recording the new album was spread across three weekends over 18 months. bob weston remastered "mclusky do dallas" giving it a different sheen. future of the left albums and more christian fitness reissues are planned. their favorite songs on the new album are those recorded most recently. the name "mclusky" came from a character in british tv show "grange hill." order the new mclusky album here commercial free, high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.patreon.com/VinylGuide listen on apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 listen on spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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