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

Fountains of Wayne's Chris Collingwood talks about bringing the band back after Adam Schlesinger's death, pros and cons of "Stacy's Mom," songwriting memories and what's next for the band.

Topics Include:

• Fountainheads, Elle Macpherson and kangaroos: Chris's surreal first Australian visit.
• Late bandmate Adam's presence, and how punk-bred Max reshapes the sound.
• Beatles, boarding-school hand-me-downs, Moody Blues and UK post-punk: formative records.
• Rickie Lee Jones obsession, and why Chris refuses the nostalgia circuit.
• "Stacy's Mom": Chris argued against recording it, fearing novelty-act status.
• Welcome Interstate Managers' anything-goes plan; Sky Full of Holes' unresolved fights.
• Debut written in one afternoon; Adam built thirty years on it.
• Napkin song titles at the Radio Bar launched the band.
• Drunk sessions, the "dumbest" co-writes, and Adam's resistance to criticism.
• Breath-friendly rewrites, "gerbil" over "hamster," and finishing Adam's half-written "Sick Day."
• How Chris darkened "Sick Day," and learning to edit after Utopia Parkway.
• A Gordon Lightfoot tangent, and Adam A/B-ing mixes against "Jessie's Girl."
• Title-first Adam versus structure-breaking Chris on "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart."
• Proudest songs: "Cemetery Guns" played at a real military funeral.
• "Senator's Daughter" began as "Tape Recorder"; "Mexican Wine" imitates Chris.
• Why Chris prefers Bowie-style ambiguity, and twenty years sober.
• The narrator isn't the singer, plus a provocative take on Pearl Jam.
• Adam's cynicism: the Stones and Clash as cons, songwriting as craft.
• "Richie and Ruben," Adam's failed-business obsession, and a name-dropping critique.
• Unreleased outtakes, and why re-recording "Stacy's Mom" hit a snag.
• New Fountains of Wayne music is underway, and it might be jazzy.
• Fans thinking the singer died, a Yokohama arena, and Bowling for Soup.
• A late roadie's haunting "Survival Car," and the magic of fan covers.
• Weezer's TikTok revival, music outliving its makers, and a health crisis.
• Antidepressants, losing 35 pounds, and back pain at Milwaukee's Summerfest.
• Eight months of yoga straightened his spine, restoring his 1998 range.
• Songs return to original keys; "Hey Julie" remains a tough one.
• Reviving "Maureen," skipping "Amity Gardens," and the story behind "Cemetery Guns."
• Writing "Places" on tour, and an unauthorized reissue mastered from CD.
• Reissue typos, bad timing after Adam's death, and B-sides for seven-inches.
• Stacy's Mom's first-ever gold download, plus a Sky Full of Holes reissue.

Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek shares tales from his memoir Full Throttle, from early Stooges & MC5 memories, Lou Reed's part of the Radio Birdman story, becoming a doctor, flight surgeon and piloting the band through their final 50th-anniversary shows.

"Full Throttle" book here | Deniz' solo work

Topics Include:

• Deniz Tek joins from Hawaii, crediting moderation and coffee for longevity.
• His memoir Full Throttle arrives October 27th.
• Birdman documentaries revealed bandmates' hidden frustrations and poor communication.
• Murray Engelhart's Retaliate First illuminated the scene surrounding the band.
• Mum taught him to read; his Turkish migrant dad drove achievement.
• Engineering at Michigan, then medicine, partly to dodge his dad's classes.
• A non-rock-loving father still bought his first electric guitar.
• Mum's old 78s, then Beach Boys and Beatles records with allowance.
• First sighting of Iggy: behind the counter at Discount Records.
• MC5's high energy versus the Psychedelic Stooges' oil-drum noise experiments.
• How the Stooges lifted jazz riffs the night before recording.
• Three months of lessons, then learning guitar by ear from records.
• Australia's vibrant 1967 scene had become stale covers by 1972.
• AC/DC as early rivals; Birdman skipped the suburban pub slog.
• A Lou Reed no-show launched the Oxford Hotel residency.
• Rob Younger, already a fan, loved Deniz's firsthand Detroit stories.
• Music first, medicine second: a day job buys creative freedom.
• Flow state links medicine, flying, and music, alongside discipline and checklists.
• Emergency medicine's surprises and over 100,000 patients seen.
• Joining the Navy as a lieutenant; guards saluting his car.
• Playing Philippine bars with shipboard band Dust in the Rotor Heads.
• New Race bootlegs traced to Ron Asheton's sold rough-mix cassette.
• Albert Studios tape stash discovered; New Race reissue now underway.
• Ending Radio Birdman at 50 years and the setlist-building dilemma.
• Prime Minister Albanese hangs backstage

Phonots by Jeremy Belinfante

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Circle Jerks drummer Joey Castillo reveals the story behind the new "Revenge of Nervous Breakdown" record, the importance of Raymond Pettibon cover art and what's next for the Keith Morris-fronted juggernaut.

Preorder Circle Jerks "Revenge of Nervous Breakdown" single here - or here in the UK

Topics Include:

• Joey returns from tour and adjusts to life back home.
• Tour life, family logistics, and dogs that act up when he's away.
• How a Circle Jerks Black Flag single came together.
• Fans kept asking for Black Flag songs; Keith said no pressure.
• Road-testing Depression, Revenge and Nervous Breakdown at European festivals.
• Why Joey calls Keith Morris the blueprint for every Black Flag singer.
• Everything Went Black versions became Joey's template for the songs.
• The first Black Flag EP and Keith's staccato vocal delivery.
• Recording live, in set order, at Tim Armstrong's studio.
• Keith rejects the first take: "That doesn't sound like us."
• Pillow out of the kick drum; the second take nails it.
• The closing block where these songs send crowds bananas.
• Other contenders discussed: Gimme Gimme Gimme and Louie Louie.
• Discovering Nervous Breakdown via older friends and Rodney on the ROQ.
• Growing up in Gardena, where skating and punk went hand in hand.
• South Bay bands like Redd Kross, Descendents and Nip Drivers.
• A neighbour's red sparkle kit and an instant connection.
• Self-taught by playing along to records, no formal lessons.
• A friend's tip lands him the Wasted Youth gig as a teen.
• Fixing bad habits, practice pads, and Neil Peart's mid-career reinvention.
• Learning by watching Lucky Lehrer, Chuck Biscuits, Bill Stevenson and Spit Stix.
• Replacing Chuck Biscuits and Dave Grohl: respect what's already there.
• Why Chuck Biscuits remains his favourite drummer to watch.
• Still feeling like a kid behind the kit at 60.
• Dream gigs: Bon Scott-era AC/DC, Iggy Pop, and Cheap Trick.
• A short reunion stretches into 2027, plus the Repo Man shows.
• Keith's legendary stage raps, curfews, and when the band nudges him.
• Six or so new songs demoed; only killer tracks will see release.
• Raymond Pettibon's cover art and his lifelong bond with Keith.
• What's next: Doom Regulator, a Bronx Halloween show, maybe Australia.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Ahead of Mudhoney's Australian tour, Mark Arm talks vinyl rarities, bootlegs, Australian imports that blew Seattle's mind, and the daunting task of singing Chris Bailey's songs in The Saints 73–78.

Mudhoney's Aussie Tour Info & Tix here | The Saints 73-78 Aussie Tour Info here

Topics Include:

• Mark Arm preps for Mudhoney's Australian tour, then the Saints.
• He's worked at Sub Pop's warehouse for 21 years.
• Not a collector anymore; he's cleaning out via Discogs.
• Bandcamp lets fans try before buying; vinyl prices feel abhorrent.
• The rarest "Touch Me I'm Sick"? The plain black radio copies.
• Sub Pop's colored "Loser Edition" first runs get band input.
• Holding Mr. Epp's first seven-inch felt unbelievable at age 20.
• A cheeky flyering campaign caught the eye of Seattle's Pravda label.
• Rodney on the ROQ played them, briefly charting above Toni Basil.
• Music wasn't a career, just entertaining bored suburban friends.
• Rock records were banned at home; his mother loved classical.
• He smuggled forbidden seven-inches home under his coat.
• Radio staples like "Radar Love" gave way to Cosmo's Factory.
• Devo on Saturday Night Live was a Beatles-on-Ed-Sullivan moment.
• He thought bands needed virtuosos, until friends started making noise.
• Downtown punks, he realised, came from the same suburbs.
• Steve Albini tipped him off to the Saints' Prehistoric Sounds.
• A surf chat in Torquay sparked Saints 73–78.
• Nailing Chris Bailey's phrasing and facing Saints purists felt daunting.
• New Saints material? Ed has old songs; Mark's open.
• Tom Hazelmyer ran Amphetamine Reptile from a Marine barracks footlocker.
• His holy grail: Randy Holden's Population II, found in Vienna.
• Records as time machines: even bad Jefferson Starship lyrics stick.
• Doo-wop's market vanished, Stones records stall, yet Rumours keeps repressing.
• His wife's first Stones album? Black and Blue, a stubbed-toe start.
• Early Mudhoney bootlegs, possibly Long Gone John's, felt like a badge.
• Deep Six codified Seattle's heavier punk underground.
• Gambles on Australian imports like the Scientists and Feedtime paid off.
• 1990: bunking above the Lansdowne, and an empty second Auckland night.
• Now: East Coast dates, Raglan surfing, and Saints shows with Jim White.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Author Ben Merlis traces the Beastie Boys' wild leap from young hardcore punks to rap's first number-one album, revealing the rare records, recordings and scrapped ideas behind Licensed to Ill.

Pick up "Licensed To Ill at 40" book here

Topics Include:

• How a short 2017 article landed Ben Merlis this book deal
• Why the Beasties' punk-to-rap story fits Ben's two obsessions perfectly
• The process of writing the book
• Pollywog Stew: an unknown pressing run
• How a Black Flag show sparked the Beastie Boys' hardcore beginnings
• The Upper Broadway loft where they formed, demoed and played first
• Lucky, well-connected teens, and why young genres are meritocracies
• Scrapping an EP, crank-calling Carvel, and stumbling into Cookie Puss
• Downtown dance-punk, and sets that switched from hardcore to rapping
• Def Jam's surprising origins as Rick Rubin's punk label
• Meeting Rubin over a bubble machine; Kate Schellenbach gets pushed out
• Rubin, Dr. Dre, Hurricane: were the Beastie Boys' DJs really members?
• Rock Hard & Beastie Groove
• Def Jam's collectible burgundy-sleeve era, and how to spot them
• British Airways steals Beastie Revolution and pays out $40,000
• The settlement money buys an 808 instead of a Rickenbacker
• No band cooperation, then a surprise interview with Mike D
• The grief behind the jokes: losing parents young
• Counting the White Castle references on License to Ill
• Opening for Madonna at $500 a night with fifteen minutes' material
• Recording Licensed to Ill, and pinning down its real release date
• Fight for Your Right: written last-minute on Palladium cocktail napkins
• MTV, race and radio: how they scored rap's first number one
• The album's shockingly offensive working title, and why CBS killed it
• The crashing-plane cover, Led Zeppelin worship and uncleared samples
• A runaway tour, alienated fans and a messy split from Def Jam
• Rubin blocks their movie, royalties stop, and lawsuits follow
• Legacy: everything dope and whack about the 80s in one album
• Rare pressings: tour show vinyl, blank Spanish LP, "Licensed to Kill"
• French seven-inch box sets, Peruvian covers and a Japanese laserdisc

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing shares stories from the Bleach era, Love Buzz single & other collectables, getting knocked out by Chris's bass and digging through his rare vinyl.

Topics Include:

• Chad's prized find: an original Australian Dirty Deeds from a rummage sale
• Hunting a Bill Evans record, and why jazz demands clean vinyl
• Dad played LA jazz bass; Mom once sang with Chet Baker
• How jazz quietly shaped his "drummer for the song" philosophy
• Describing his drumming style in one word: adaptive
• Nirvana's only instruction when he joined: powerful but simple
• Coming from a math rock band with 13-part songs
• The one time Kurt openly praised his drumming: In Bloom
• How "About a Girl" got its name from Chad
• Kurt finishing Bleach lyrics in a notebook while driving to the studio
• Shelved songs, lost tapes, and Chad's forgotten cassette in the box set
• Owning Love Buzz single #3; Kurt had #1, Chris #2
• His blank-label Bleach test pressing, housed in a homemade cover
• Nate authenticates Chad's Australian Waterfront blue vinyl live on air
• The ultra-rare purple Waterfront pressing and why most were destroyed
• Swirled Sub Pop variants, and why he's never played some
• Knocked out by Chris's bass at the Bleach cover photo show
• Tracy Marander's undeveloped rolls of never-seen Nirvana photos
• Sub Pop steering early decisions while the band went along
• Packed European shows: the moment they realized something big was happening
• The Blew EP and its gynecologist-chair cover he never chose
• Hiding under the drum riser with Kurt as bottles flew
• Stuck alone in a broken Manchester elevator for half an hour
• His European tour posters, including the coveted Lush show poster
• Could his beat-up distortion pedal be Kurt's missing Astoria pedal?
• A gifted Mustang, his kit at MoPOP, and heirlooms for his kids
• Smart Studios sessions, and Dave Grohl keeping his drum parts
• Here She Comes Now, Sappy, and becoming a Nirvana fan afterward
• MS, a childhood leg injury, and a memoir about 73 moves

The wonderful photo by Rosetta Greek

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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From teenage Flaming Lips flyers to Nirvana and Soundgarden posters and record covers galore, Coop shares art-creation stories and the chaos of his record collection.

Grab one of Coop's "Poster Boy" books here!

Topics Include:

• Introduces Poster Boy, his massive new career-spanning art book
• Kickstarter (via Zoop) already blew past $40k raised
• Coop admits he's "too much" of a record collector
• Closing in on 10,000 records, out of shelf space
• 3,000-4,000 are 45s he actively spins as a DJ
• Recalls chasing UK punk records early in his Discogs days
• Loves Jamaican 45s for their rough, charming pressings
• Tells story of scoring a stash of 60s garage 45s
• Traces another haul to a Miami DJ's Jamaica trips
• Confesses completist streak for The Fall, Guided by Voices
• Owns up to buying every Bandcamp vinyl color variant
• Prefers Bandcamp since money goes straight to the band
• Talks Austin's record fair and reconnecting with old LA dealers
• Describes current obsession hunting weird beatnik novelty 45s
• Buys mostly on vibes and wild, bizarre label artwork
• Explains how he broke into art through poster connections
• Credits Greg Shaw and Long Gone John's Sympathy label
• Became a top poster artist alongside Frank Kozik
• Poster work opened the door to major record covers
• Tells the wild origin story of the Lords of Acid cover
• Discusses keeping Discogs updated for his family's future
• Shares recent grails: a Beefheart 45, rare beatnik pressing
• Explains his (mostly) organized system for shelving and DJ crates
• Talks trading doubles, then wraps with a final Poster Boy plug

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Laura Jane Grace opens up about tours and donating gear to the Punk Rock Museum, her massive vinyl obsession, the wild story behind her first Against Me! record and more.

Topics Include:

• Nate and Laura Jane Grace preview her Punk Rock Museum dates
• She's donating her amp, guitar, and clothes, mostly for storage space
• Museum's jam room lets visitors actually play donated instruments
• Her photo greets everyone entering the Punk Rock Museum
• Favorite museum artifact: Joe Strummer's last bag of weed
• LJG is an avid vinyl collector who abandoned CDs entirely
• Her collection fills Ikea shelves plus boxes of seven-inches
• She now collects complete artist discographies, especially posthumously
• Bowie's late career shows the appeal of complete discographies
• She's donating a rare, flawed first-pressing Against Me record
• Physical vinyl feels more meaningful to her than streaming stats
• Reinventing Axl Rose has hundreds of variants; she's wary of the trend
• Axl Rose has never publicly acknowledged their tribute record
• She loves browsing new-arrival shelves during unhurried store visits
• Their first pressed record had accidental distortion, but still sold
• Touring made scheduling test pressings a constant headache
• Warner Brothers surprisingly gave White Crosses back to the band
• Her label, Total Treble, drew lessons from mentor Fat Mike
• She worries algorithm-driven social media and AI hurt musicians
• Her teenage son's DIY punk scene offers genuine hope
• She discusses redemption debates and a German venue's IDF controversy
• She closes by naming favorite record stores worldwide

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Punk in the Park founder Cameron Collins breaks his silence on a $250 political donation that split the punk scene - and reveals plans to bring the festival back.

Topics Include:

• Punk in the Park traces roots back to pandemic
• Prior fests: Punk in Drublic, Sobroso, Scallywag festivals
• Live Nation courtship briefly paused earlier festival branding
• Punk in the Park debuted, drawing thousands nightly
• Cameron explains his hands-on promoter and producer role
• His punk awakening: hearing the Ramones as a kid
• Punk rock's meaning: distrust, self-reliance, misfit belonging
• Cameron opens up about his $250 Trump donation
• Donation explained as protest against Biden running again
• He admits regret, calling it a costly mistake
• Initial backlash was mild, mostly online chatter
• Dropkick Murphys' onstage denouncement escalated the controversy
• Cameron feels singled out versus other political donors
• He highlights years of charity and community giving
• Bands say they're paid and treated better here
• Festivals act as touring anchors for national routes
• Headliners reportedly earn more at fests than clubs
• Cameron's booking philosophy: all viewpoints get a stage
• Hard line drawn: Nazis and hate groups banned
• He booked a singer after his own separate cancellation
• He acknowledges marginalized fans' real safety concerns
• New Silverado festival branches into psychobilly and Americana
• Silverado revives a legendary Southern California festival site
• Cameron pushes for dialogue over reflexive cancel culture
• He shares a cross-political friendship with a fellow musician
• Conversation turns to America's deepening political polarization
• Cameron argues both parties ultimately serve the same interests
• He champions smaller government and personal freedom
• Cameron confirms plans to relaunch the festival by 2027

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Bass legend Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, etc) reflects on Fripp, John Lennon, near-misses with Zappa, Pink Floyd, and life on the road.

new Stick Men album "Let's Thrak Again" available here

Topics Include:

• Scheduling chaos / Ron Carter
• Stickmen's "Let's Thrack Again" reworks a King Crimson rhythm concept
• Tony defines "thracking" — playing five against seven simultaneously
• Robert Fripp names complex King Crimson riffs with odd phrases
• Tony rarely forgets bass parts, even decades later
• Simple transitions, not hard parts, cause live disasters
• Upcoming Beat tour features Zappa alumni, except Tony
• Tony's first NYC band included ex-Mothers of Invention members
• Peter Gabriel froze onstage during a hostile Zappa co-bill
• Tony regrets missing a Herbie Hancock/Joni Mitchell session
• He also turned down touring with Pink Floyd
• David Gilmour flew in unannounced for a Les Paul tribute
• Radio Registry once dispatched interchangeable NYC session bassists fast
• Tony preferred live touring over endless studio session work
• He's a self-described "road dog" still touring at his age
• Off-stage, Tony writes memoirs, poetry, and takes photographs
• He owns many basses but doesn't consider himself a collector
• Discipline started as a side project before becoming King Crimson
• Tony chose the Chapman stick over bass in that first rehearsal
• Fripp lets players interpret parts; Gabriel invents wild new techniques
• Peter Gabriel suggested cymbals on fingers, inspiring "funk fingers"
• Tony isn't certain whether "Blood of Eden" used fretless bass
• He senses a song's emotion before lyrics are finished
• Tony learned King Crimson disbanded from a stranger at the opera
• He never actually felt Thrak function as a "double trio"
• No Australian dates planned yet, though he'd love to visit
• King Crimson's future depends entirely on Robert Fripp's instincts
• Aging has slowed his technical dexterity, but not memory
• He recalls John Lennon's advice: "don't play too many notes"

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Chad Kassem of Analogue Productions, Acoustic Sounds, QPR breaks down vinyl's post-COVID boom and bust, the fragile global supply chain behind every record, and his new Vinyl Summit celebration.

Extended version of interview at https://Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Topics Include:

• Nate welcomes back Chad Kassem to discuss vinyl and Vinyl Summit
• Chad recalls moving to Kansas in 1984 as CDs launched
• He rebuilt his collection, going against the CD trend
• Vinyl grew slowly for decades before COVID hit
• Chad bought his pressing plant and presses starting 2010-2011
• CD had a 30-year lifespan; Chad always believed vinyl would survive
• COVID caused explosive demand, "gasoline on fire" growth
• Overbuying during the boom led to storage and inventory problems
• Chad had to borrow millions for the first time post-COVID
• Uneven state shutdown rules gave some competitors unfair advantages
• Post-COVID growth normalized back to its long-term slow trend
• Chad discusses his own taste: blues, jazz, rock from the 50s-70s
• Younger collectors now chase 90s titles like Alice in Chains
• Collecting interest shifts as older genres' fans age out
• Comparison to toy collecting trends fading with generations
• Rising interest in audiophile pressings like UHQR and One-Steps
• Chad explains why quality mastering and pressing both matter equally
• Originals aren't always better than modern remasters, and vice versa
• Small improvements across many steps add up to great records
• UHQR picks focus on undisputed classic albums Chad genuinely loves
• Kind of Blue UHQR sold nearly 40,000 copies combined
• Debate over pressing records at 33 vs 45 RPM speeds
• Vinyl compound and material costs rising, but slower than expected
• SACDs, reel-to-reel, and cassettes seeing renewed collector interest
• Only one lacquer manufacturer remains, a major industry vulnerability
• Skilled cutter-head repair techs are extremely rare and aging
• Chad discusses fragile supply chain: lacquers, tape, cutter heads
• Vinyl Summit announced: October 15-18, Salina, Kansas, 40th anniversary
• Event replaces old Blues Masters concerts, adds vinyl-industry access
• Details shared: tickets, guests, and proximity to Austin Record Fair

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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The Damned's Captain Sensible talks vinyl rarities, back catalogue, scented records, chasing the "perfect album," and what may be their final Australia and New Zealand tour dates.

Topics Include:

• Captain Sensible is a record nerd - Still plays childhood favorites: Groundhogs, Pretty Things, Moody Blues, loves Bee Gees' first album
• Grew up around his dad's pub singing, informally musical
• Paper round savings meant records played obsessively, analyzed deeply
• Cites Shane Fenton's "I'm a Moody Guy" as formative
• Joe Meek's Telstar and tiny Holloway Road studio praised
• Recalls magical Motown Hitsville USA studio tour in Detroit
• "Sonar Deceit" track was band's Motown tribute song
• Lyric inspired by marine biologist's whale-stranding sonar theory
• Describes uncanny ability to instantly recall and replay songs
• Hosted radio challenge replaying requested songs live for charity
• New Rose confirmed as first UK punk single release
• Stiff Records signed them with a bribe of cheeseburgers
• Beating the Sex Pistols to release still amuses him
• Sydney Opera House gig ironic given past band bannings
• Royal Albert Hall sent rejection letters into the 1980s
• Mentions unlikely celebrity fans, including Australia's prime minister
• Recalls Barney Bubbles' art department and album cover mishap
• First pressing's mismatched back cover became a collector's item
• Says he collects 60s psych, not punk records himself
• Discusses Brian James tribute covers album made after his death
• Five reunion shows almost didn't happen, no live release planned
• Loves live show chaos, unpredictability, and Rat Scabies' drumming
• Confirms no hidden unreleased Damned tracks remain in vaults
• Notes band rarely controls or profits from its own catalog
• Explains "Strawberries" album concept and its scented vinyl insert
• Describes love of vinyl artwork, liner notes, and physical ritual
• Talks pursuit of first editions and test pressings today
• Names rare Cowsills albums as his current collecting holy grail
• Tells story of Sid Barrett nearly producing their second album
• Recalls haunted, sleepless sessions recording Machine Gun Etiquette
• Reflects on creative bond and offstage humor with Dave Vanian
• Closes with tour dates, S.F. Sorrow recommendation, and one-step vinyl talk

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
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Rhino Records co-founder Richard Foos reveals how a scrappy record shop invented reissue culture, chasing master tapes, getting arrested for selling bootleg records, memories of Frank Zappa, Darby Crash and more.

Topics Include:

• Foos discusses being called originator of reissue culture, credits early employee's phrase.
• Started as a Los Angeles record shop in 1973.
• Recalls how scarce and cheap rare records were before collecting culture existed.
• Describes hunting records at warehouses, swap meets, and Salvation Army stores.
• Notes punk rock's DIY ethos sparked broader music fandom and collecting.
• Rhino's shop became a punk hangout; Darby Crash was banned for chaos.
• Explains how punk bands pressed 45s since albums were too costly.
• James Brown's out-of-print catalog became Rhino's breakthrough first major reissue.
• Details licensing process: major labels' passive licensing departments simply approved requests.
• Rhino insisted on original master tapes, never secondary sources or stampers.
• Engineer Bill Englott restored recordings purely, never altering original mixes.
• Some projects stalled without usable masters, like a punk box set.
• Nuggets compilation missed "96 Tears" for years due to licensing issues.
• Foos explains Rhino's sequencing philosophy: welcoming newcomers, not strict chronology.
• Doo-wop box set, initially unpopular internally, became Rhino's best-selling release.
• Discusses 20-25 year nostalgia cycles driving collectibility of past decades' music.
• Notes scarce 2000s vinyl pressings now make that era highly collectible.
• Rhino focused on best listening experience over rarities for rarity's sake.
• Foos recounts pre-Rhino bootlegging ties and friendship with bootleg artist Bill Stout.
• Reveals he was arrested for selling bootlegs during a warehouse sale.
• Discusses how record labels misunderstood fandom, limiting artist output and bootlegs.
• Reflects on vinyl's spiritual appeal despite many records never being played.
• Compares cassette-era scarcity to streaming's shifting availability of licensed content.
• Predicts streaming remains the future, praises YouTube's vast musical accessibility.
• Doubts catalog values will keep rising, questions which artists endure historically.
• Criticizes a post-Rhino "L.A. Nuggets" box set for prioritizing rarity over listenability.
• Recalls Kinky Friedman rejecting a hits compilation over disliking his originals.
• Explains publishing hurdles licensing music for Freaks and Geeks and WKRP DVDs.
• Describes working with Frank Zappa on Beat the Boots and elaborate packaging.
• Shares current work: Shout Factory, wife's Narrative Method, and a new podcast.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
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John McCrea of CAKE discusses their elusive catalogue on vinyl, rarities of the band, upcoming Australian tour, new recordings, record nerdery and more.

Tickets & info on CAKE's Australian tour is here

Topics Include:

• John McCrae discusses collecting records, revisiting old favorites like Perez Prado
• He describes "chasing goosebumps" — the feeling of rediscovering great music
• Shares vivid teenage memory seeing Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, England
• Recalls dancing to washing machine rinse cycles as a toddler
• Names early formative records: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie
• His parents played accordion and folk guitar, shaping his musicality
• Discusses his dad's Eastern European minor-key accordion versus polka music
• Talks about "Rancho Seco," his first recorded song, a protest track
• Song addressed a nuclear plant illegally releasing radioactive steam locally
• Connects Dylan influence and poets to his built-in social justice streak
• Reflects on growing up near Sacramento, Berkeley, and Nevada City, California
• Compares old Bay Area culture to today's flashier Silicon Valley wealth
• Describes Cake's early '90s formation, self-financed four-song EP release
• EP funded through show earnings and merch, later expanded into album
• Album got European distribution and unexpected early popularity in France
• "Rock and Roll Lifestyle" got college radio play before wider fame
• Cake signed to Capricorn Records, a small Southern rock label
• East Bay Ray advised McCrea to fight for keeping album masters
• McCrae says most bands don't retain their masters like Cake did
• Vinyl of Cake albums historically hard to find, tied up licensing
• Discusses 2014 box set now reselling for $700–$1,000 secondhand
• New Cake album is finished, awaiting mixing, targeted early 2027
• Explains he avoids forced album themes, focuses song by song
• Reflects on why Cake albums come infrequently, citing family, industry fatigue
• Criticizes modern music industry as increasingly exploitative and financially unsustainable
• Explains reduced touring due to travel dislike and environmental concerns
• Considers eco-friendly vinyl options and shifting kids' preference toward CDs
• Discusses Cake's DIY visual identity, homemade posters, and lino-cut aesthetic
• Talks rare live vinyl pressings, including $300 Crystal Palace release
• Wraps up promoting Cake's Australian tour dates and Sydney ticket sales

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

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Neurosis's Steve Von Till reveals how the band secretly rebuilt itself, creating a career-defining album and making future plans for the Neurosis victory-lap that few thought possible.

Topics Include:

• The Secret recording of An Undying Love for a Burning World
• Neurosis walked away seven years ago under uncertain circumstances
• Four remaining members reunited quietly at end of 2024
• Aaron Turner brought in to help complete the musical puzzle
• Reunion tied to Firekeeper Alliance, a suicide-prevention nonprofit
• Heavy music framed as protective factor for indigenous mental health
• Steve reflects on tribal rhythms and humanity's forgotten earth connection
• Band knew instantly the new material had to be Neurosis
• Reunion forced confrontation with ego, identity, and aging as musicians
• Firekeeper Alliance's Fire in the Mountains offer pushed them forward
• Album written and recorded in secret across three studio sessions
• Secrecy maintained even among close friends touring together in Australia
• Fan reaction described as unexpectedly emotional, healing, and hope-filled
• Steve discusses reduced stigma around vulnerability in heavy music today
• Vinyl pressing strategy explained: budget-driven first run, quick sellout
• Running Neurot Recordings on a teacher's salary, tight cash flow
• Multiple color variants pressed across regional distributors and mail orders
• Debate over black vs. clear vinyl sound quality explored
• Steve's approach to buying vinyl: music over pressing obsession
• Talk turns to Melvins, Hazel Meyer, and DIY label camaraderie
• Where the line sits between fan service and variant exploitation
• Vinyl side-length considerations shaped decision to make a double LP
• Aaron Turner's artwork process detailed, sketched live in the studio
• Album title changed at the last minute, forcing new artwork
• Neurosis' visual style rooted in myth, symbolism, and Jungian archetypes
• Older catalog rights partly held by Relapse and other labels
• Steve wants a "forever version" repress of the band's earliest albums
• Original master tapes and artwork found corrupted or lost to time
• Talk closes on solo tour plans and hopes for Australia

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
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• Support the show at https://patreon.com/vinylguide

Comedian Shapel Lacey discusses the power of music, inspiration and how a 1981 Black Flag video sparked a lifelong punk obsession that shaped his identity, art, and resilience.

Shapel Lacey tour dates | comedy special | Mad Peaceful band

Topics Include:

• Talks local record stores, Amoeba, old Sunset location
• Discovers deep-cut Swedish hardcore at Eastside Records, Arizona
• Reflects on pre-streaming era, hunting records in person
• Notices rosary on Crash's grave, debates his beliefs
• Traces punk discovery to junior high guitar class
• Friend introduces him to ska punk, then Black Flag
• Watches 1981 Target video of Rollins-era Black Flag
• Rise Above vocals trigger emotional, tearful revelation
• Explains Black Flag filled a void from turbulent childhood
• Contrasts Korn/Deftones' anger with punk's empowering message
• Credits Rollins with teaching self-understanding and personal growth
• Recalls performing onstage with Rollins at Ohio festival
• Anger management counselor used Rollins to redirect his aggression
• Growing up Black, punk, skateboarding in Arizona desert
• Faced criticism from all sides for musical taste
• Explored funk, hip-hop, grunge without genre boundaries
• Connects N.W.A. and Black Flag's shared themes of injustice
• Discusses punk and hip-hop confronting police brutality parallels
• Champions open-mindedness across seemingly opposite music scenes
• Describes local DIY scene at Mesa's Nile basement
• Panhandled for five dollars to attend all-ages shows
• Cheerleading came after punk, called "most punk rock" act
• Discusses tattoos, straight-edge culture, Minor Threat connection
• Shares personal encounters meeting Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye
• Praises Rollins and MacKaye's discipline, historical knowledge, friendship
• Draws parallels between punk and comedy's DIY authenticity
• Talks band Mad Peaceful, growing sold-out comedy success
• Discusses Australia tour interest, interview wrap up

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
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• Support the show at https://patreon.com/vinylguide

Blues legend Taj Mahal shares rare stories about Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and the unreleased Bill Withers song that shaped his stunning new record.

Topics Include:

• Taj Mahal discusses his new album, Time, and its origins
• Reveals his decades-long friendship and mutual respect with Bill Withers
• Explains how Bill Withers heard and loved this unreleased demo
• Bill Withers' wife gave final approval before the song's release
• Withers walked away from music rather than change his sound
• Why the industry pushed Withers to sound more commercial
• Taj shares why vinyl beats digital for capturing real sound
• Breaks down the "bell curve" problem with digital audio quality
• Approaches albums as full journeys, not three-minute singles
• Reveals how effortlessly he sequences songs like a live set
• Traces his musical roots to a tight-knit 1940s community
• Recalls learning piano, clarinet, trombone before finding the guitar
• Explains how guitar evolved from rhythm to lead instrument
• Names the blues legends who shaped his earliest influences
• Credits Ray Charles as one of his deepest musical influences
• Shares rare stories of jamming with Jimi Hendrix live
• Discusses bootlegs, tape trading, and the ethics of live recordings
• Compares the Grateful Dead's bootleg policy to other artists
• Tells the wild story of Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
• Recalls dancing Stones and Clapton watching him at the Whisky
• Explains how British rockers reintroduced blues to American audiences
• Describes his first-class trip to London and Stones' hospitality
• Reveals why Labor of Love was released only on vinyl
• Shares the surprising stat: vinyl never drops below 6% globally
• Talks new tour dates and hopes to return to Australia

Photo by Mike Coeyman

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
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• Support the show at https://patreon.com/vinylguide

Everlast traces his journey from Rhyme Syndicate graffiti kid to House of Pain to solo artist, revealing how Jump Around's success gave him the freedom to never chase a hit again.

New LP "Embers to Ashes" available here

Topics Include:

• Everlast's new album Embers to Ashes drops August 28th with vinyl available
• He collects art and guitars, not records — leaves vinyl to the DJs
• His guitar collection spans vintage Fender Strats, Gretsch Falcons, and Martin acoustics
• Grew up immersed in graffiti culture, his kids are graffiti artists too
• His house is essentially a private gallery of graffiti and street art
• Music was always on — mom loved R&B and doo-wop, dad loved Southern rock
• His dad had a guitar; Everlast taught himself basic chords by watching TV
• Hip hop took over at 15, but guitar quietly stayed in his life
• He plays guitar like a drummer — rhythm-first, not melody-first
• The breakthrough came post-House of Pain: suddenly he could play and sing simultaneously
• Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was conceived as hip hop — "What It's Like" changed everything
• Jump Around's success gave him the financial freedom to never chase it again
• He and Muggs deliberately made each subsequent record darker and more distant from it
• Soul Assassins kept management out of sessions — artistic control was non-negotiable
• His first ever rhyme came from tagging alongside Divine Styler and the Rhyme Syndicate crew
• Danny Boy introduced him to punk — Bad Brains and the LA hardcore scene
• His debut solo record split between pure artistic vision and label-pleasing compromises
• Tommy Boy won his loyalty over bigger-money offers purely on cultural credibility
• Just Another Victim with Helmet emerged organically on the Judgment Night soundtrack
• Lethal sampled and slowed Helmet's track, then sandwiched both versions together
• After eight-plus years away, Yellow Wolf simply asked "why don't you make a record?"
• COVID, divorce, and losing his house shaped the emotional landscape of the new album
• Yellow Wolf pushed him to fully sing — his strongest vocal performance on record
• A near-miss connection to the Bataclan attack was redirected by a last-minute camera detour
• He's got shows booked and eyes a final solo acoustic tour as his ultimate bookend

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
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• Support the show at https://patreon.com/vinylguide

Peter Hook reflects on 50 years of music, the emotional weight of performing Joy Division and New Order live, and the many memories and ghosts of his past.

Tickets for Peter Hook & The Light, Australia 2026

Topics Include:

• New Order toured Australia as early as 1982, helped by Factory Australasia's local support.
• Hooky calls Australia the only place he never wants to leave — he still suffers leaving every time.
• Peter Hook and the Light played their seventh-ever gig in Melbourne on their first Australian tour.
• He is now working through every New Order and Joy Division album ever recorded live.
• Get Ready features songs never played live as New Order, with Steve Morris largely absent during recording.
• The band's Grammy came from Orgy's heavy metal cover of Blue Monday — Hook loves the weird covers most.
• He revealed a plan to stage a full New Order classical concert, eyeing the Sydney Opera House.
• Ian Curtis performed with absolute conviction every single night — something Bernard Sumner couldn't match early on.
• Hook recalls first seeing Ian smash up a venue at 2:30am, dancing through broken tables — terrifying and electrifying.
• That chaotic Stiff/Chiswick talent show led directly to Rob Gretton becoming Joy Division's manager.
• Ian's lyrics, Hook says, are heartbreaking up close — Love Will Tear Us Apart masks devastating words in euphoric music.
• Singing Ian's words himself has given Hook a profound new insight into what Curtis was actually expressing.
• Tony Wilson signed them with a handshake — no contracts — while other labels arrived with thick legal documents.
• Bernard Sumner found the Unknown Pleasures pulsar image in a textbook; nobody planned the iconic sleeve.
• Hooky was actually sued for bootlegging the Unknown Pleasures artwork — which Factory themselves had originally stolen.
• Ian Curtis reportedly wrote a letter complaining about how Closer sounded — a detail Hook only learned years later.
• During Closer sessions, Curtis was being torn apart: marriage collapsing, new love, epilepsy worsening, the band pushing forward.
• Hook deeply regrets not seeing Ian before his cremation — but a gravedigger privately told him where Curtis is actually buried.
• The inquest into Ian's death so disgusted the band they decided on the spot to continue as New Order.
• Joy Division was deliberately boxed away for 30 years; Bernard called playing those songs "miserable" and refused to continue.
• Bobby Gillespie suggested the album playback concept so Hook could faithfully recreate Martin Hannett's studio sound live.
• Watching his son learn Joy Division bass lines at the same age Hook was then felt like staring into the past.
• Performing these songs, Hook says he is "living surrounded by ghosts" of collaborators now gone.
• The K-93 sessions saw Killing Joke's Geordie Walker move into Hook's Manchester home for six weeks, causing complete chaos.
• Those lost K-93 tapes mysteriously surfaced after the label went bankrupt — and Jaz Coleman promptly went silent again.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
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Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams Jr opens up about his new album "Contemplates the Afterlife," reflecting on death, faith, and a 70-year career that's produced over 2,000 songs.

Extended and high resolution podcast at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

Topics Include:

• New album, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, drops on S-Curve
• Swamp Dogg shares wild theories on what happens after death
• He opens up about faith, doubt, and fear of dying
• Reveals he's written over 2,000 songs across 31 albums
• His very first record came out way back in 1954
• Stories of opening for Sam Cooke and Larry Williams
• Names the R&B legends who shaped his sound early on
• Louis Jordan's band once crashed at his childhood home
• Tells the story of the worst gig of his life
• A gorilla costume gets stabbed onstage — true story
• Joining a traveling sideshow for five dollars a night
• Discusses which Swamp Dogg records collectors hunt hardest today
• Bob Dylan secretly covered one of his songs years ago
• Bonds with the host over their shared Australia connection
• Reveals his wild Beatles-cover novelty record made in Australia
• Explains how the record business vanished almost overnight
• Teases new Trinidad soca album and Black Grass II
• Black Grass II will feature Steve Earle and Margo Price
• Talks new collaboration album with Eli "Paperboy" Reed
• Reflects on his Nixon protest era and Jane Fonda ties
• Looks back on going broke after getting rich fast
• Recalls producing hit records for Gene Pitney and others
• Shares fond memories of legendary producer Jerry Wexler
• The stopwatch story behind his studio recording ritual
• On Phil Spector's massive ego and Wall of Sound
• Reveals which British acts covered his songs in the '60s
• Talks favorite record stores and his 100-record jukebox
• Hunting down rare 45s worth up to $1,000
• The story behind his dance hit "Let's Do the Wobble"
• Closes with favorite love songs and a wild birthday coincidence

Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: http://www.patreon.com/VinylGuide

• Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
• Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
• Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
• Support the show at https://patreon.com/vinylguide