Enoch's Interview Thread

[Enoch]

Now it was my turn to fidget. I sent @duke86fan some pretty personal questions. I did so for a very specific reason. In my experience of talking and observing others in my jobs, I have found people easily identify, empathize, and sympathize with others that have similar struggles and backgrounds to their own. duke, I think has some struggles that may be foreign to many on the forum, so I was hopeful she would be willing to answer these question to expand our ability to understand, empathize, and sympathize.

[I know you don’t identify with your “birth gender,” how has that experience shaped you? Do you have a supportive community?]

How has being trans shaped me?

thats a bit of a personal question to ask, but i like its in good enough taste so i will still answer it. it definitely has made things a bit unique, i often have major fear that i'm a "fake", that i'm not worth HRT and all this stuff.. i don't really have the most supportive community at home, my parents are supportive but at the same time they are very doubting and believe im not "feminine enough", which makes it uncomfortable, most of the time i vent these emotions out on discord in trans specific servers like my friends support server and the server for the web comic "Rain" (thats where my picture comes from btw.. and where the trope "dude, shes a lesbian" comes from)

[I have general and social anxiety and you have shared you do as well. Do you find the forum to be a safe place for you to express yourself or does the forum intimidate you?]

About my anxiety?

I do feel this place has been a safe ground for talking about my anxieties, beyond just venting to them with said discord people it can be useful to get my emotions out through here, i feel safe around you all since you have been basically family to me, I honestly feel really nice about how you all have treated me.

[Not only being one of the youngest members of the forum, but you have also been on the forum longer than most. In what ways have you seen the forum change and do you feel the forum has been an influence on your teenage years, helped formed the person you are today?]

About being one of the youngest and longest lasting members?

Its certainly effected my life, I go on the forums almost daily because you guys honestly are great friends and it really does feel like there is connection.. i remember seeing things like the menomena album being guessed at the very first post of the guess thread, or the torres chips hint, or the memes about me (this isn't even my first forum i've been on, i used to be on the telltale games forum, so forums in general have impacted my life for a long time)

[What song/album would describe your personality?]

Albums that describe my Personality?

This was honestly a really hard one for me, but I chose I Love You Honeybear by Father John Misty again because it feels strangely accurate to me. like me, josh tillman is snarky but serious, detatched but human, its an album that really clicks and feels personal.

[What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)]

Album that describes my beliefs?

I have a very personal story about this one, you see, i chose the album Pinkerton by Weezer for this option, not because i feel i am always "emo" and depressed, but more because its the ultimate adolescent time capsule. I relate to the frustrating feelings of just songs like "tired of sex" and "across the sea". some songs almost feel autobiographical, since i do actually have some very good friends who i could never see because they are across the sea, i am sometimes as offensive and dirty as rivers was in that album. and "butterfly".. the line "i'm sorry for what i did" hits me more than it really should, because i done things to friends i honestly regret, i lost some friends because i was jealous of them, wishing i was better than them, in fact that jealousy is some of the proof i have of being trans, no cis man would be jealous of a trans woman coming out to the point of being stalkery.

so hows that for an answer.

[If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?]

If i met someone who's never heard music what would i show them?

At first i was gonna shitpost and say Trout Mask Replica, because in a weird way i assumed if they never heard music they must be aliens, and we fight alien logic with alien logic, plus might as well put them on the deep end of music. but then i thought "if i seriously wanted to show them the wonders of music, what would i want to show them". so i went with Frank Ocean's Blonde, an album full of ambient texture to reel the person in, and lyrics and singing personal enough to make them feel true emotion. i feel like showing this to someone would knock them off their feet and have them looking for more.. and thats what a good first album should do

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

Was there any album you didn't expect to enjoy as much as you did? maybe it was one you thought was just a joke or one you thought was not for you personally, but then wowed you?

 

[Enoch]

Interview 6:

@JonnyH is always in the mood to play you something on the radio (maybe not but he will advertise when he actually is). I associate him most with Third Man Records just because he has been a vault member from the get-go (jealous much, yes I am).

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

I've been writing for Slyvinyl.com since 2013, and I've always enjoyed subscriptions as they fulfill my dual needs of receiving mail and new music. I remember being aware of it when it very early on and keeping an eye on it. It's possible the first time I heard about it was when they ran underwriting on KEXP(where I used to hang out), but I feel like I had heard of it by then. I first gave them money was for FJM's I Love You Honeybear. I missed out on the Loser Edition of the first album and got fearful that I would miss out on a special edition of the second one. So I signed up for VMP to lock one in, then I bought the Loser Edition on release day and, I know this because I just packed all of my records to move, I've yet to open my VMP FJM.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do remember what the first one(s) was?)

From Birth? I remember having all of these Gremlins read along records that came from Hardees I think: https://www.discogs.com/No-Artist-Gremlins-Story-1-The-Gift-Of-The-Mogwai/release/2025966?ev=rr

And I remember seeing this on a TV commercial and begging my mom to buy it, she did not:

https://www.discogs.com/The-Smurfs-Merry-Christmas-With-The-Smurfs/release/1443643

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

I live with my wife and cats. We both make use of the turntable whether the other one is home or not. The records are the focus of our living room, so when people come over they'll often want to put something on, and I encourage that.

I have a AT LP120 cause I'm a DJ, and I have a Technics SA-EX310 receiver(which is almost vintage now). I have 4 Bose 141 series I bookshelf speakers and a bose video speaker that people on this forum would care less about.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

If I am buying a record and there is a rarer variant available then I'll try to get that one. So for example I try to always listen to Sub Pop releases because I trust them as a label and I need to decide if I should get the Loser Edition of this particular album or not. I buy stuff I like and want mostly. I'm not trying to get something that will definitely be valuable or collectible later, I just like having a cool looking collection of music that I love.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

Sure! Conor Oberst for example, fingers crossed that orange Better Oblivion Community Center order from bullmoose goes through. Jack White and related bands. Courtney Barnett- I'm only missing one early 45 and I almost bought it a couple of times but shipping from Australia on a single 45 is rough. Neko Case. Jenny Lewis and related bands. Open Mike Eagle. Frank Ocean.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

I have a copy of Conor Oberst's - Gentleman's Pact which was a tour only release in 2008 and limited to 1,000 copies.

It's really good, and rare, and I've never seen one for a sale in a store before.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

I inherited around 200 of my Grandpa's old 78s. Mostly big band and country, but they really mean the world to me. My mom wasn't allowed to touch them as a child- that's why they still exist!

A close runner up is the White Stripes split red/white limited to 300 that my wife got me when she lived in Memphis for 6 months before we were dating.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues triple decker record. The 45 contained inside are the only Dead Weather songs I don't own.

@duke86fan asks: Was there any album you didn't expect to enjoy as much as you did? maybe it was one you thought was just a joke or one you thought was not for you personally, but then wowed you?

Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon. I read a review of it when it came out, and I picked up a copy thinking it would be a funny thing to put on at parties, but it blew me away. It's SO good if you haven't heard.

 

[Enoch]

So many questions came up for me, I had to delete a few. @JonnyH and I seem to have a lot overlap in interests (but he has been able to live more of them?). So instead of necessarily digging down I went broad and wasn’t disappointed with the results below.

You said subscriptions help feel a need for music and mail, what other subscriptions are you a part of? Do you think you can rank them?

I have all of the TMR vaults. If the answer to "How many live White Stripes albums can you have?" Is, "There is no limit!" Then you should definitely sign up for this. I have gotten good value over the years from ticket presales and from their vault members only store that I'd still rank it at the top for me personally. Out of their store I've gotten variants of the Jack White Acoustic Recordings and the variants for the American Epic volumes, and I spin those all the time.

I've ducked in and out of VMP over the years.

I had a Secretly Society gift subscription for a while and I really liked that one. My personal music tastes line up with them quite a bit. I also like that it's more rare than the VMP releases. I plan to sign up with them again at some point in the near future.

I've always really loved monthly 45 subscriptions going all the way back to the second Sub Pop one. I'm really looking forward for their new one that starts in April (you can still sign up for it if you haven't yet!)

Graveface Records subscription is really great if you dig their roster. You get subscription only variants and hand numbered and random other weird packages.

Joyful Noise VIP is pretty cool too. I dropped out when there were a lot of flexi discs and I don't have the patience for flexi discs, but I know that's not a problem now. My love for all things Kishi Bashi makes me want to sign up again.

I think that's it. If I had to rank them....

1. TMR Vault - hey if this one's for you then you know it, and this one is for me.
2. Sub Pop - the classic 45 subscription is back baby!
3. Secretly Society - like VMP, but all new releases and reissues and limited runs.
4. Graveface Records - I really like what they've got going on. Any 1 person operation I find really intriguing. Like, can I do that too?
5. VMP - cause of all of ya'll! And like many, I keep coming back for Classics.
6. Joyful Noise - I think most people in it currently would rank this higher. They are good people over there!

How did you get into the radio business? I know you recently got a promotion, what has that been like?

At the end of 2007 I moved to Seattle for a job. Within 2 months the company started to go under and since I was the last person hired I was the first to go- eight later I would be sitting in a bar in Key West watching a tv tell me that we were officially in a recession and that it started 9 months prior.

So, with my newly found free time in a new city where I knew barely anyone, I was temping and applying for jobs and listening to the radio a lot. One day for the 100th time I heard the spot for volunteers, and I thought, "Yah, what else am I doing?" And my first volunteer shift at KEXP was stuffing envelopes. A lot of the people who were volunteers then became my friends and my show going buddies, and people who I love dearly and see to this day.

Then I just kept showing up and asking if there was anything else that I could help with. At the end of 2008 I applied for a DJ Assistant position and I got that. Then for the next 5 years I was the DJ Assistant for the Monday Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole (who was Prince's DJ for his private parties throughout the 80's and 90's in Minneapolis), and then with Stevie Zoom for 2.5 years after that.

By the time I left Seattle in June of 2016 I'd done a bit of everything behind the scenes there.

Since 2016 I've been at KAOS in Olympia, a radio station where Nirvana played early early on in their history. And just over a year ago I became the general manager of KAOS. That's been a stressful, at times difficult, but overall really fun year, and I hope it lasts forever.

Of the 78s you have is there a particular one that you remember grandpa playing or a favorite among them?

I actually only have a handful of them with me! The rest are in a box in my parents basement and I bring a few back with me each time I go back (which is only once every other year). So a lot of them I haven't even heard. But I'm particularly drawn to the Hank Williams "You're Cheatin' Heart".

Did you ever get Merry Christmas With The Smurfs?

No! It comes up in conversation sometimes as a record specific memory from my childhood, but I've never sought it out as an adult.

If you could ask Jack White only one question, what would it be?

"What's your favorite Sister Rosetta Tharpe song?"

What song/album would describe your personality?

Bright Eyes- I'm Wide Awake It's Morning

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

The Weakerthans - Sounds Familiar


If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

Music has always been really important part of my life, and I didn't realize until I got to college just how fortunate I was to have the music education that I did in public schools growing up. My elementary music teacher Miss Spain was an older woman, and she had these great cardboard info posters that she put up every February for Black History Month and she would tell us about them and play their music for us. The one that was always my favorite was Lead Belly.

So, I would tell them the story about how he sang his way out of prison, and that he was probably a murderer, and then I'd play them this:

Leadbelly - Where Did you Sleep Last Night


What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed? (While I am asking this in part 1, this will be the last Q/A posted)

What’s the most you've paid for a record, and what is it?

 

[Enoch]

Interview 7:

I am going to be honest, I only know two things for sure about @Chucktshoes (won’t spoil it here) and since I didn’t know a lot about him I thought he would make a great next candidate for this series, plus for some diversity due to one of the things I know about him.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

Facebook ads. I kept seeing ads on Facebook for VMP and finally subscribed when Nada Surf - Hi/Low was the ROTM. It was an album that got lots of listening from me back then and I was really excited about seeing a vinyl release for it.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do remember what the first one(s) was?)

I’ve collected records at three distinct eras in my life. First when I was as a young teenager after my parents bought me a compact stereo system for Christmas one year that had a turntable/cassette/tuner. The first record I bought then was Aerosmith’s debut. The second go around was in my 20s when I was heavily involved in the rave scene and learning how to spin. I think the first one of that time frame was a 12” of Underworld’s Born Slippy. Most recently when I started collecting again, I started with Dire Straits - Making Movies and Pink Floyd - The Wall.

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

Current setup is a Grado Gold 1->PLX 1000->Ifi iPhono 2-> Rogue Audio Sphinx V2-> Elac Debut F6/Sennheiser HD700. While I do listen by myself sometimes, the hifi is in the den. Anyone who is awake and at home gets to listen with me. My daughter is my favorite listening companion. She has shown herself to be responsible and careful enough she has carte blanche to listen to my records and or use my hifi. She’s 7.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

First and foremost, I’m a listener. I’m not focused on collectibles or variants. I want records I can play, so I buy records to play. I’m slowing down as I need to spend less on records for the moment, so I’m taking less chances on new stuff that I’m not already familiar with. Mostly I’m filling holes right now.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

I’ve already completed most of my complete discography goals, but I do have just a few left. Still need to finish up my Steely Dan and Weezer collections along with a few others. I’ve already mentioned I’m not a variant hunter.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

Probably a 3 way tie between Fiona Apple - Tidal, Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

It’s one I don’t actually have yet as it’s a preorder. The Cardigans - Gran Turismo. That’s a CD my wife and I listened to a lot together when were first dating. Lyrically, it’s a depressing record about the implosion of relationships. Musically, it’s a sensual and sexual and record. OG pressings have been insanely priced forever and I can’t wait to throw it on and listen to it on vinyl with her....after the kids are in bed.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Anything in my discogs wantlist? I don’t really have any white wales because I just buy them.

@JonnyH asks: What’s the most you've paid for a record, and what is it?

I bought the Anberlin boxset from a seller in Australia, and that was about $400. I guess the most expensive single album purchase was $100 for The Dear Hunter - Act I: The Lake South, The River North. I blame @Jake! for that one.

 

[Enoch]

Now it was time to ask him about the two things I know about him.

I stay off the political threads on the forum nowadays, but I know you lean conservative/right on the political spectrum. Just from what I have seen leak out I would guess that many on the forum lean the other way, do you find that to be discouraging/a barrier to interacting on here? How did you come to your political leaning (grow up that way, have you changed greatly at any time)?

I was very active on the politics thread for a time being because apparently I’m a masochist. Ultimately it did become a barrier for me and my ability to interact here so I abandoned the thread altogether. Instead of fostering understanding, it just made me really dislike some of the folks here. If I wanted that kind of mess in my life, I’d still be on Facebook and Twitter. As far as how I got where I am politically, that’s a long meandering story where I started off the child of Reagan Democrats who adopted socialism in my uneducated youth out of misguided ideas of “fairness”. In my late twenties I underwent some major life changes and had to reevaluate what it was that I actually believed. (A period of time being homeless had a major role in pushing me away from leftist ideas.) I explored the Republican Party and found them just as distasteful and full of crap as the folks on the left. I found an uneasy home with the Libertarian Party, then started reading books on economics, the state, the nature of liberty, etc., until eventually I found myself as an anarchist wrestling with the questions of practicality, utilitarianism, and morality as it applies to societal hierarchies. I don’t have any real answers, just a few moral principles that make it hard to buy whatever system anyone is selling.

What is the one thing you think left-leaning people fail to understand about right-leaning politics?

Just because folks don’t want the government to perform a task, doesn’t mean that they don’t think the task should be performed at all. Folks on the right as a rule are big believers in voluntary charity over a government program. (The data on charitable giving bears this out as well.) It’s healthier for all parties involved, both the recipients and the givers. As the government has taken over that role of helping the needy, I believe as a society we are poorer in our souls for it.

I know you are a truck driver and spend a lot of time on the road. How does that affect your music listening experience? How does it affect other parts of your life?

I listen to a lot of SiriusXM and podcasts when on the road and binge on records when I’m home. As far as how it affects the rest of my life, not in a positive manner. That’s for sure. I have no work/life balance and my family suffers for it.

Reading your responses to the first set of questions, it looks like you listen to a wide variety of genres, would you say there is a specific genre or era of music that is a favorite?

I do have quite varied tastes, but like most folks I always come back to the music of my youth. In this case that’s 90s alt rock/grunge. Basically, the playlist for the SiriusXM station Lithium.

What song/album would describe your personality?

Dirt Nasty 1980

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

Jeremy Riddle - Full Attention (The conflict between this answer and the answer to the question before it perfectly exemplify the battle between my baser and better selves.)

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

 

[Enoch]

Interview 8 (conducted live on Feb 1, 2019, via discord)

First I want to thank @ModernCyrus for saying he wanted to do the live interview (said so when he asked to participate) anxious to try it out, I selected him. Obviously, this won’t be broken up in the two parts like previous interviews, but it is too long to fit on a single post, so I have broken up to fit at hopefully a convenient point.

Thanks for joining me today

no problem! excited for this

What inspired you to agree to being interviewed?

Mostly that I've loved reading others' interviews and learning about them, both from a musical standpoint and a personal standpoint. Participating in that experience myself is something I was really intrigued by and I hope others will be inspired to do it too

How did you find the VMP forum?

So I started VMP membership in January of 2017. Somehow--it makes 0 sense to me now that I've been a part of the forum and seen complaints--I received the Nick Hakim secret 7" in April (I think) 2017. Those records had a forum plug on them and I thought it would be a cool place to watch people figure out what the record was and hear their opinions on it. Little did I know this place is a black hole that will suck you in with conversations about music, products, and life.

So you got an imaginary secret 7", how does it feel to be in this imaginary subset?

Honestly, pretty special. I love being part of this conspiracy and furthering this idea that these records exist. It's like a real life illuminati and boy, let me just say, this side of the curtain is LIT

ha, ha

When did you first start collecting vinyl?

I started relatively recently. I grew up looking through my dad's collection and occasionally listening to an album, so the medium was always something that intrigued me. I didn't start collecting for myself until March 2016 when my parents gifted me a crappy Crosely All-in-One and about 1/3 of their collection to get me started

I definitely didnt anticipate it being this addicting or fun

What do remember spinning from your dad's collection?

Oingo Boingo. Dead Man's Party. [Funny aside after the interview, I was doing a crossword puzzle and this was answer]

Its a pretty shitty album, but its the one my family loved to spin and laugh at

Any treasures from the 1/3 of the collection you received?

Nothing with much monetary value, but a few that I really like for one reason or another. My dad gave me his copy of Dead Man's Party (he and my mother each had one) so thats pretty treasured for me. Theres also a Beethoven's complete 9 symphonies box set performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that I love to spin every now and then

You mentioned first having an all-in-one Crosely, what is your current setup?

Yea it was pretty quick that I upgraded. I'm rocking a Uturn Orbit with an Ortoferon 5e red cartridge and some small, but powerful AudioEngine 2+ speaks at the moment. Just a beginner's setup, but it works for me right now. I'm about to enter the workforce and have some disposable income for the first time ever, so another upgrade may be in the works within the next 3 years

What are you thinking of upgrading too?

Unsure yet. Need to do some research. Maybe an AudioTechnica...regardless, I think I'd like my next table to have an easier way to switch speeds. I love some of my 45rpm records, but the switch from 33 1/2 --> 45 on the Uturn is more trouble than its worth sometimes

I hear you on the ease of switching as someone who has a lot 45 rpm vinyl.

Congrats on joining the workforce, what is your profession?

I'll graduate from medical school in June and start a residency somewhere in the US in July

Do you have a specialty or are you going into general med?

I'm going to be an ER doc. lots of chaotic days and high pressure situations

It is, be sure to use your chaplains to help dealing with the families.

Oh for sure. Chaplains for families...and a good therapist for myself

Sounds like you got that handled!

 

[Enoch]

Turning back to vinyl, what would you say is your goal when buying vinyl?

For buying? Probably that I buy artists that I like, first and foremost. I really like colors of exclusives and such, so if those 2 conditions overlap, even better. However for my collection, I'd really like it to get to a place that someone, anyone, could come in off the street and find something they'd enjoy listening to. My greatest hope is that friends will gift me vinyl of bands and albums they love

Especially as a relatively new collector, I'm still trying to complete my list of "essential" albums for me. It gets hard to make decisions between things I might like (like Channel Tres or Moses Sumney) and things I definitely want to add but haven't yet (like Take Off Your Pants and Jacket). That middle place is where you'll find me most of the time

Do you have a lot of friends that are into vinyl?

local friends I should say

Not really. And that's a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I get to spend quality time with people I care about introducing them to music we both love or they might've not yet heard. On the other hand, it gets lonely when I want to talk about a VMP release or what to do about a new setup or something like that

I can relate to not having anyone, in person, to talk to about vinyl collecting. Do you feel the forum fills that gap for you?

For sure. Even if I don't always participate in a thread, reading about people's product opinions and seeing their "must buys" is always super great. Just the other day, @CAPacelli and I shared our thoughts about Toro Y Moi's new release with each other.

Would say there are any artists or labels that you just buy blindly?

Moses Sumney for sure. serpentwithfeet. Young Thug. Anything Blue Note if I have the money. Sufjan. There are probably more, but those are the big ones that come to mind

Out of any of those, do you buy multiples copies/different variants or do try to stick to one?

I try to stick to one just for $$ sake. The only album I've bought multiple so far was FJM's God Fav Customer--just because I couldnt decide between the Loser Edition with purple and alt cover and the VMP smoke version

Things like that get me too, I try to stay away from getting multiples of any albums, but I have two of each of FJM's albums

Would you say there is a particular genre you lean toward?

I try not to. Over the past year I think my Rap/Hip-Hop has expanded more than any other genre, but I try to be conscious of balancing my collection and my tastes

In defense though, its hard to justify NOT getting Noname, Denzel Curry, Saba, Clipse, De La Soul, Little Simz x2, J. Cole...it was just a really good year for hip hop

What would you say is your favorite album in your collection?

Probably Son House. Its one of the first albums I'll spin for people. I spent 4 years of undergrad in Jackson, Ms, and I'm a sucker for incredible blues artists like that, especially if they come from that state

Is that also your most meaningful album?

Yes and no. I love love love Son House and that album is so so good, reminds me of college with some of my best friends--in that sense yes. But there are so many albums I have sentimental connections to in my collection that its real hard to pick just one

Understandable.

If someone came up to you and said “I will get you any album on vinyl you don't currently have,” what album would you choose?

Blonde. Hands down. I started messing with preorders and heavy collecting about 3 months too late and missed it....and well we all know where that price point is now.

@Chucktshoes wants to ask: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

African or European?

That seems like the only correct response to that question!

Whew, glad it seems I passed that test

I have no idea what he was looking for, but I would have answered that way.

What song or album best describes your personality?

I knew this question was coming, and I still dont have a great answer. I'm always tempted to say Frank's version of Moon River--something classic but modernized in various ways. But I think the one song that best describes me is Wood by Rostam. It's pop, but Rostam clearly spent significant time and energy creating a pop song that feels both American and Persian, and I love that. Makes me feel represented and shit, ya know?

I will have to give it a listen!

What song or album best represents beliefs (how ever you want to define belief)?

God who even knows. This is an even harder question. I guess maybe either Lamentations or Carrie and Lowell? Both are softer with some religious overtones but feel distant from god and non-committal about that being's interaction with the world? Idk man, beliefs are tough.

I hear that and I am in that line of business!

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

Probably Bon Iver's 22 A Million. I think it would be far easier to show them a really great example of modern music and then retcon albums and artists from before to show influence and the evolution of music. For instance, 22 a Million wouldn't have happened without Sufjan's Age of Adz, or T-Pain popularizing auto-tune like he did, or Jazz musicians that paved the way for some of those sick sax runs towards the back half of the album.

And thats what I find most fascinating and wonderful about music: the way we keep using things from the past and present to continuously create, expand, and explore this beautifully pleasing concept. It makes me smile just thinking about it

When you describe 22 A Million that way it makes total sense and I never would have thought of that.

I think from a musical standpoint the case is easily made that it's Vernon's best work

No argument here.

Final Question: what would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview?

Great question, I was considering adding it myself, since I have you live, how would you answer it?

Tough....probably my opinions on T-Pain: that he is one of the most underrated pioneers in the history of the music industry. I grew up at the height of his popularity and our insult was that he used auto-tune too much and it covered up that he couldn't sing. WRONG. Watch his tiny desk if you haven't and realize that he used it as a choice. It was solely done to stand out and now he's essentially synonymous with that style. All he did was become a platinum recording artist by the age of 25 and change the way that other artists viewed technology. He is deserving of everyone's respect and a place in the everyone's personal Musical Hall of Fame.

Well, thanks for participating.

 

[Enoch]

Interview 9

@Melancholy_Melody comes to us from up North (if you are in the US). It is hard to keep a good ratio of genders because of the ratio (that I am aware of) on the forum so I am glad she signed up as it is great to have voices from all segments of the global society (also why I have selected quite a few international members too).

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

About 4 years ago, I joined VMP after finding it through google. At the time, it was a little too pricy as an international, so I cancelled shortly thereafter and forgot about it. It was actually @Hollywood and this forum that convinced me to resub. He told me how much it cost (with conversion it wasn’t as pricey anymore), and then I started lurking here in the forums and found kindred spirits. Like @jaycee, I never really participated in an online community before, and now it’s a regular part of my day.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do remember what the first one(s) was?)

I’ve collected at different stages of my life. As a kid, I was obsessed with those Disney Read-along book and record and had pretty much all of them. Besides those, the first albums I recall are Raffi (Canadian children’s entertainer) and Anne Murray “There’s a hippo in my tub”.

As a pre-teen, the first albums I bought with my allowance were Culture Club “Colour by Numbers”, Cyndi Lauper “She’s so Unusual”, and the Grease Soundtrack. At some point my parents got rid of the turntable (those heathens), and we switched to cassette and CD.

About 5 years ago, I decided I wanted to get back into vinyl. While I love having thousands of songs at my fingertips on my iPod, I really missed the ritual of dropping the needle and sitting with an album. I treated myself to a setup to celebrate a milestone birthday (see next question).

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

Project debut carbon
Marantz preamp
Wharfedale Diamond speakers
Isolation pads (until I get speaker stands)
Michell clamp

I mainly listen alone. I’m a bit of a hermit, particularly during the harsh Canadian winter. I love the idea of having people over, having a few drinks, and spinning records, but I don’t know too many people as into music/vinyl as I am. And I’m shy (hence the addition of drinks in this scenario).

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

When I first started collecting again, I went a little nuts and bought A LOT of records. I slowed down considerably, until I joined VMP and became active on the forums. FOMO is real (you monsters!)

Due to a change in my financial situation, I am now more discerning in what I buy and for the most part, listen to everything before I buy. For Classics, I still go in blind though.

My main goal is to have an eclectic collection that covers every genre and possible mood.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

I don’t buy multiple copies/variants, unless I find a better pressing of a favourite. I am a sucker for pretty colours though. And I try to remain consistent within an artist. If I have a colour variant for one album, then I try and get the rest of their discography in colour, and vice-versa.

There are definitely bands/artists that I automatically buy on vinyl:

Radiohead
The National
Leonard Cohen
Kate Bush

What is your favorite record in your collection?

This is a very difficult question! I can’t pick just one. Here are some of my favourites:

Astral Weeks – Van Morrison (it’s such a beautiful album)

Signed copy of “I’ll be Your Girl” – The Decemberists (this album just makes me happy and it’s only 1of 2 signed vinyl in my collection)
MOV Limited colour edition of Mama’s Gun – Erykah Badu
Tidal – Fiona Apple
Lilac version of Grace – Jeff Buckley
Remastered in Vinyl – Kate Bush

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

Hmmm. For purely sentimental reasons, I would say “Hooked on Classics” by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It reminds me of my childhood. My brother and I used to run around the living room table while it was on. It also gave me an appreciation for classical music at a young age.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Since Kate Bush recently released her remasters, I guess I’d say “It Serve You Right to Suffer” By JLH to complete my Classics collection.

@ModernCyrus asks: What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview?

The glory that is Jon Tabakin.

 

[Enoch]

@Melancholy_Melody hoping to help us to better understand how stereotypes permeate the vinyl world I asked Mel her experience.

Vinyl collecting (possibly music collecting in general) is stereotypically seen as a man’s hobby. Do you feel that you run into that problem (people making assumptions about you or wondering why you as a woman collect [buying into the stereotype yourself])?

I actually love this his question. I never thought of myself as an outlier, until I started attending record shows and RSD events. Total sausage fest! I was honestly surprised. It’s so weird to me.*

I have definitely met fellow collectors (male) that are patronizing. They assume I don’t know anything about pressings, or that I’m only looking for top 40 stuff. I went to a vinyl meetup once and I felt like I was in a competition for who has the most knowledge, who has the most rarities, whose collection is worth the most money, etc. Maybe there are more female collectors out there, but they feel intimidated by this sort of thing. I’ve had someone try to rip me off, assuming I’m ignorant, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m female or if he was just a jerk.

I’m also into scotch and beer, so I don’t know what that says about me. And yes, sometimes I feel self-conscious about the fact that I don’t subscribe to society’s ideals about what a woman “should” be.

*I was going to suggest it’s because I am single with no dependants and therefore have the time and money, but that’s not right either. I know women on here have children. And the men. I’m not well off by any means, but I choose to spend my money on records, books, food, and my pets.

Do you still have your read-along records?

Alas, I do not. My parents told me they went to live on a farm along with my first dog.

Unfortunately, my family did not take care of their records. When I got back into vinyl, I decided to steal whatever they had left. What I saw was the stuff of nightmares: records stacked on top of each other, no outer sleeves, sometimes no inner sleeves, mould, and scratches. I managed to salvage ABBA, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors. I could not salvage the Motown and Beatles records. It still pains me.

You mentioned striving for an eclectic collection, but is there a particular genre you prefer, is there a genre you struggle getting into but try anyways?

I suppose I gravitate towards indie rock, folk, and singer-songwriter type stuff. I’m also building a stellar soul, blues, and jazz collection, thanks to the Classics track and my fellow forumites. I’m pretty proud of it.

The only genres I somewhat struggle to get into are country, heavy metal, and electronic. I’ve discovered some electronic and country artists that I enjoy (and I do have Johnny Cash in my collection), but I still just can’t get into metal. I have an open mind though. Why deprive yourself of good music because of preconceptions?

What is your favorite part/section/thing about the forum?

The sense of community. Beginners and expert aficionados are treated the same, and there is no public shaming for not knowing something, or being into whatever you are into.

The whole Tabakin thing (Tabakagate?) happened when I was at a particularly low point, and the ensuing silliness honestly helped me. And the kindness I see here regularly restores my faith in humanity.

What song/album would describe your personality?

I can’t think of an album, so I’ll go with songs.

Shake it Out – Florence + The Machine
Sorrow – The National
So Gangster – Pigeon John
Plea from a Cat named Virtute – The Weakerthans

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

Jon Tabakin by Jon Tabakin.














Serious answer?

Album: Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Songs:

Everything is Everything – Lauryn Hill
A Long Walk – Jill Scott
True Colours – Cyndi Lauper

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

Hooked on Classics.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

What artist living or dead, do you most regret not seeing live when you had the chance?

 

[Enoch]

Interview 10:

Got @roger up next even though he was really busy (as you will read below). Then we got delayed because, “so fun fact, i wrote like a 1000 word draft of this, my chrome crashed, and lost it all haha. im gonna try this again” I would say the delay was worth it.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

I got turned on to the forum because I was told by a friend and former VMP subscriber that the guess thread was infamous for figuring out the ROTM before they were posted. for awhile I considered myself more of a daily reader than an active participant in the forum, because as rule, I feel like collector based forums online are pretty exclusionary and unnecessarily serious (which honestly, this forum is also guilty of from time to time) but once I got exposed to the generosity and genuine goodwill of the PIF thread, I felt more comfortable being a regular voice.

I have a very love/hate relationship with VMP as a company. I find their social media outreach and transparency pretty terrible, but I also enjoy the exclusives enough to stick around. I keep going back and forth on canceling or not, but here we are.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

I first started collecting vinyl in earnest in the fall of 2009 (when I was 19). Like most sad boys, my record collection started because of a girl, a breakup specifically (see Kevin Devine's "Guys with Record Collections). I had been wanting to get into collecting for a little bit at that point but didnt have a table or means to do it because I was super broke in college. At the time i was dating a girl who lived in Boston and was taking the T into the city on a weekly basis to see her. After we split, I decided that reallocating the 15 or so bucks I was spending on the train on a weekly basis would be enough to get a collection going. The first records I bought were the white variant of Brand New's The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me and I think Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey". both of which I still own. ALSO, I'm gonna be honest, in high school I basically thought i was Rob from High Fidelity and figured why not close the loop.

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do you listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

I'm almost done moving so my current listening setup is in a cardboard box at the moment, but in a normal world I have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable, Ortofon Red stylus getting sent out through a pre amp into a pair of mAudio m40s, I want to upgrade my speakers at some point and get a less bass-y sound.

Listening to records is usually a solitary thing for me more out of the necessity of not wanting my collection and table in a shared space. My plan now that my girlfriend and I are moving in together is to have the table in the living room and the collection in our shared office, so I'm excited for the experience to be more communal.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

So this is probably the most pompous thing i'll say in this interview but when I was in college I was complaining to a friend of mine that first editions of books I loved from the 60s were too expensive to collect and he looked at me and said, alright, why dont you just collect first editions of stuff you like now, and then one day they'll be as old and valuable. That always stuck with me and is something I've applied to my collecting where I only buy records from contemporary artists as a general rule, or current reissues of old releases. I don't want to chase down old vinyl and would rather start fresh. I think in that way, my collection has become a bit of benchmark of times and places in my life, like how Rob in High Fidelity organizes his records autobiographically (which is something I sadly, also do)

I think seeing the boom over the last few years really hammered that home for me. that first Brand New record I bought was something I grabbed off of amazon for 12 or 15 bucks and now its worth 70 or 80. I generally stay away from standard, low weight pressings and gravitate towards buying limited releases directly from artists or labels.

I usually only buy stuff I like and for the most part will listen to releases on stream prior to buying, unless its an artist I know I already like, in which case i'll wait till the preorder comes in to listen to it on the table for the first time.

I'm not shy about the fact that I view my collection as a long term investment and that thinking occasionally leads me to purchase multiples of albums, one to listen to and one to keep sealed either for the collections sake, or to resell down the line as was the case with Frank Ocean's Endless release. I rarely buy records with the sole intention of reselling them, but I'm more inclined to take chances on artists I know will hold their resale value should I not like the album, which i think is honestly one of the really fun parts of having a record collection. Unlike basically all other forms of physical media, you're rarely going to lose money on a record as long as you take care of it, so it takes some of the stress out of the process and opens yourself up to new genres. My collection early on was very alt rock/punk leaning, now its basically a mix of everything. I'm going to be honest, I love the feeling of tracking down a limited pressing of something, or getting a pre order before it sells out, its human nature.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

Kevin Devine is the only artist that I'm an automatic purchase on at this point. I started collecting records right around when his stuff was first getting released on vinyl and have sort of made it a mission to collect everything he's ever put out. I have over 60 vinyl releases of his, and at least one variant of every release so far.its honestly become ridiculous because certain records I might have 6 or 7 variants/releases. I actually just bought both variants of his latest rerelease yesterday, even though I really have the OG pressing, the OG European pressing, and the last reissue.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

Thats a tough one. Brand New was my favorite band for the better part of my life but their recent metoo related problems have really caused me to change my perspective on the band and as a result, I have a hard time listening to them anymore, which is a long way of saying that this spot would have been one of the uber rare records I have of theirs.

I would say my current favorite record to play right now would be Manchester Orchestra's A Black Mile to the Surface. I think the production on that album is incredible, and it was one of those exciting records that I didnt hear anything from until the first time it was on my table. I have that album on smoke vinyl as well as gold and the smoke is one of the better sounding spins in my collection. i would say my favorite VMP releases so far in my collection are Gang of Youths "Go Farther in Likeness", Caroline Rose's "Loser", Fiona Apple, Saba, and Denzel Curry.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

Kevin Devine's "Make the Clocks Move" on brown wax. It was my first KD album, and it was also the first album I ever got signed by him. He was doing his own merch and I dont think anyone really knew who he was, so we talked for like a half hour. I carried the cover all the way through that show and subsequently have never brought a record to a show again because of how much of a pain in the ass it is to babysit it through a set.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

When I moved to California 7 years ago I sold the three rarest releases I owned at the time to pay for my first months rent and would love to have those back. Even though my music tastes have changed a lot, I still love them, they are:

Airborne Toxic Event
Fall Out Boy
Brand New

@Melancholy_Melody asks: What artist living or dead, do you most regret not seeing live when you had the chance?

I had a ticket to see Chris Cornell reunite with the members of Audioslave at a small club in LA the night Trump got inaugurated and sold it because im an idiot. He died not too long after that and not going is something I'll always regret. I would say my dream show would be an original lineup reunion of Rage Against the Machine, a band I have never gotten the chance to see.

 

[Enoch]

I felt no need to mince words or topics and @roger dove head first into these questions. Again making it worth the delay.

I am glad you brought up the metoo movement and Brand New’s “involvement” in it. You mentioned you have trouble listening to Brand New because of it. I know there have been a few conversations on the forum about Artist as a person and the art they produce. What is your personal take (if you have developed one) on approaching situations like this.

First off, great follow up questions. I know this sounds like fence sitting but I take it on a case by case basis. I can still personally watch Woody Allen and Mel Gibson movies. I can't watch Louie CK standby anymore.

When the allegations came to light related to Brand New and specifically to Jesse Lacey, the only way I could describe it was feeling like I got cheated on by a spouse. I know that sounds dramatic and maybe it is, but it felt like a betrayal of trust on a massive scale. I think the intimacy of music amplifies those feelings. With music, theres literally someone in your ear, speaking directly to you in a oneway stream of thought. (even though yes, these songs arent about me, or any of us). I grew up with that band, have seen them a million times. They were the soundtrack to high school drama and breakups, the feeling of morose angst and teenage isolation, and when you find out that the person who's been in your ear this entire time is actually a scumbag, someone who's lyrics you've related to immensely and unfairly or not, have seen yourself in, when that person ends up being the type of person who has been accused of grooming people for sex, what does that say about you then? the guy who's been listening for years, who hears a lyric and says yes! thats me! what does that say about you?

Congrats on moving in with your girlfriend, does she have similar tastes in music? Does she understand/buy into the vinyl craze?

Thanks! Its funny, when we met in college she was a bigger brand new, kevin devine, and manchester orchestra fan than me. We lost touch after college and when reconnected several years ago, on a different coast no less, I found out that those acts were literally where our common music threads ended haha. Shes much more into hip hop bangers and the Drakes of the world than I am although I feel like since we've started dating shes opened me up more to that world and I've opened her up more to the weird indie hip hop I enjoy like jean grae, qualle chris, saba etc.

Well I just unloaded the collection in our shared office last night so its definitely hitting her what that means haha. I know she respects that I enjoy it as a hobby without really understanding why I like it so much, which is really all you can ask for.

I didn’t think about it but I saw Chris Cornell at the end of 2016 in LA for KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas (a major misnomer for most of the acts that play). I am going, to be honest, I didn’t really know much about him, I actually thought he was Country/Americana. He did actually play acoustic. (That isn’t meant to be a brag but an almost similarity/connection for us so…) I am sorry you missed seeing him. What is your favorite era for him?

No brag taken! I'm glad you got to see him. I think the safe answer is Soundgarden but I actually loved Audioslave when they formed from the ashes of RATM. When I was a kid, were talking 11 or 12, I gave my uncle a list of music to download off this thing he had called Napster (lolz). the list consisted of cringe worthy acts like the backstreet boys. he took one look at it, said I'm not downloading this for you, and gave me Rage's burning monk album and GnR's Appetite for Destruction, and said "you're going to listen to this instead." Its kind of wild how that basically set the course for my whole life. Which is a long way of saying that when that supergroup formed, he and I were all about Audioslave. I live in LA and occasionally see a celebrity from time to time and normally I do the forced LA apathy thing of pretending they're just like everyone else and going about my day. However, I was at a small music venue a while back when Tom Morello walked in. There might have been 50 people there (it was literally like a monday or tuesday night) and he stood in front of a friend and I. I about lost my shit and decided the hell with it, went up to him and totally fan boyed, thanked him for his music and told him how much it changed my life. he was incredibly gracious all things considered. (thats a brag haha)

You mentioned vinyl/online forums being exclusionary and feel our forum is at times, I wonder in whats ways you feel it is? Do you feel at times you contribute to being so?

I think forums involving anything are extremely territorial, especially for perceived outsiders. use the wrong abbreviation when trying to buy something, post a request in the wrong thread and you're going to hear it. I also think collecting anything creates a sense of competition. When you're talking about collecting limited run records, the laws of supply and demand create a feral sense of urgency that brings out the worst in people most days. I wish we'd all just take a collective breath and try to avoid the immediate and entitled outrage the internet creates. You see that alot on announce days here, or when something ships and the obi strip is wrong etc. Which is something I definitely have fed into in the past.

What song/album would describe your personality?

in this moment, the album "After the Party" by the Menzingers basically sums up what i'm about right now , with the title track as well as "Your Wild Years" being the biggest statements about the feeling right before or right after entering your 30s.

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

god what an impossible question. I co dj'd a college radio show in school and I'd play Noose Like a Necklace by Kevin Devine at the end of every show because I felt like it was something my generation needed to hear constantly. So I'll go with that. Here's a taste:

"My neighborhood drunk's on line at the deli
With his shaky hands and his swollen face he waits for his coffee
He blacks out curbside every night
And every day crawls back towards wall street
So I don't see it like it's us and them
I just see everybody working for that same eternal weekend
Droning on and on and on and never doing what we wanted
Heavy legs two steps behind some forever dangling carrot"

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

Shit these are tough. I think to really sticky pudding with them I'd make them listen to Captain Beefhart, Trout Mask, and just see what happens.

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview? (Yes I am stealing and incorporating this question from @ModernCyrus)

I'm left handed, also collect Mondo Prints and wish to god I had capitalized the "R" in roger for my forum name. you live and you learn.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

I work in film so im going to ask a non music related question, If you could get one more season of a tv show no longer on the air, what would it be?

thanks for your time and your patience. this was fun!

 

[Enoch]

Interview 11:

@JoeMac7 one of our Irish friends. Be careful around him as he is a lawyer (though not criminal). Beside that, he is a fun member.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?

So I first heard of VMP around about the time of the St Vincent ROTM, i think on Facebook, maybe on Twitter. I clicked in as i was intrigued but wasn't that keen on the new art so stuck with the standard hot pink vinyl/package. I checked in a few times after but didn't jump as I wasn't sure on Jazz or Ethiopian Funk and hate both Moby's music and persona with a passion. My first VMP release was the War on Drugs Slave Ambient from a flipper on discogs. I eventually caved with the Beach House snap, crackle and pop ROTM and its snowballed from there!

As for the forum itself. I was really bored one evening last March and clicked on the forum link. I was initially scared off by the insanity of the guess thread and some of the saltier characters on there (but buzzing about the possibility of the Artic Monkeys debut). I eased myself in with What's Spinning and Challenge threads and the whole place is now as comfortable as a nice old pair of slippers.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

So i did have some vinyl when I was a child. My first records was a 7" of the second, terrible, Stock, Aitken and Waterman Band Aid, i was probably 4 or 5. I grew up surrounded by my Dad's music, it'd always be playing when he was home from work. I also remember having a Muppet Show album and some bible story 12" my Mum decided to get us, they only ever went near the table when she insisted...

In 1991 my dad's turntable gave up, he got a CD player and gave away all his old bIattered records. That was the end for a while.

Then in 2007 Radiohead did the surprise issue of In Rainbows. In the uncertainty of whether it'd get a proper physical release i ordered the disc box. I loved it! The size, the art everything. It stoked my imagination but my finances weren't amazing back then so i never actually did anything about it. I later added the King of Limbs newspaper edition and Oasis' Don't Believe the Truth disc box but only ever played the CD's from them. Back in 2013 my dad wanted to get me something special for my 30th, he was banging on about a DSLR but i don't take enough photos and thought "Ah, a turntable!". My ears have been delighted and my wallet has been depressed ever since!

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

So my system is in my signature and its just had a big upgrade on the amplification front. It is in my living room and I listen mostly in the evenings, I particularly like a late evening/night listening session on a Friday with a nice bottle of red wine! I live alone so 90% of my listening is done on me tod, but i love playing music to people who come and visit!

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

Its all about the tunes. I do like nice packages and colour records but collectability is irrelevant to me, I just want great music.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

Too many, when i fall for an artists music I tend to go all in and become an utter completionist. I have a well documented problem with owning lots by The Beatles, Bowie and Dylan, also of course Radiohead. Anyone lurking in my discogs might also notice that between Oasis, the brothers and Beady Eye I have around 100 releases between CDs and records...

What is your favorite record in your collection?

So its either my In Rainbows disc box or my mono White Album. Very fond of both of those. I'll go for the Radiohead one.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

So I'll go in a different tack here and its about the music rather than the record. I played the first two Oasis albums, Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, to death as a teenager in the 90's. They were my gateway into being a music fan and mean a hell of a lot to me.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Back in 1998 when Oasis released their b-sides collection The Masterplan they released a fan club only vinyl box set on a series of 7" records.

I was, predictably, a member of the fan club but my dad wouldn't let me buy it with my savings because it was the 90s and I was likely never going to own a turntable.

I'd love that one in my collection!

@roger asks:
I work in film so im going to ask a non music related question, If you could get one more season of a tv show no longer on the air, what would it be?

I'm going to bring it back to music. Growing up in Britain in the 80s and 90s there was a music institution that used to have everyone in the country plonked in front of the tele for half an hour listening to the biggest chart hits every Thursday.

Top of the Pops was a cultural institution! Come on BBC, bring it back!

 

[Enoch]

As usual I was curious about life where @Joe Mac lives (though I stayed away from leprechauns in rainbows) and some more personal questions. Let’s see how much he bends.

Living in Ireland, is it difficult to get records (for a decent price)? Is there a record scene there?

I think that there is no getting away from the fact that we have a higher cost of living that most other countries. Also, Dublin being the capital its not a cheap place to live (or for the store owners, run a business). However, there has to be an element of being paid relatively highly (in terms of raw numbers rather than in a true comparison) because of that. We also have the UK on our doorstep, as probably the second biggest producer of popular/rock music behind you guys in the USA it does provide us with a lot of choice online and while they're still just about in the EU its tariff free to buy from there.

That said in Dublin there is absolutely no lack in choice. I can get anything I want that is available for sale in one of the 6 different shops that I frequent in the city centre. There are probably 3 or 4 other shops too that I don't tend to shop in. As a result I do most of my buying in local stores rather than online. Outside of Dublin i don't know if the options are there so much. I'd like to move to Galway and have always spent time down there (my Mum was from the rural part of the county and when we were there on holiday we would visit the city) and there is next to no dedicated stores but that said it does have a fantastic live music scene in pubs.

So yeah, in Dublin there is a great record scene and also a great music scene, nearly every major act has Dublin as a night on their European tours.

My favorite band is U2, but I understand they have mixed reviews in Ireland. Do you think their upcoming exhibition center in Dublin will improve their status? (Is there another band/artist you think should be more associated with Ireland?)

This is a more complex question that perhaps the black and white of looking in from afar and impinges on a bit of the Irish national psyche...

U2 are absolutely massive here. I'd say they are bigger and more revered in their home country than anywhere else. For example last time i saw them play was in Croke Park and there were 100,000 in attendance and it sold out in minutes. They could have sold that gig five times over just as quick. This is a country of only 4.7is million people. I think there is a huge amount of pride that a band that big could come from our little country.

They have 2 issues. Irish people fetishise humility as a character trait and as a result people who are over-confident can be viewed with suspicion/distain. This can lead to the press and people grumbling at people that they see as cocky or that have gotten too big for their boots. Ive seen this be called "Irish begrudgery" by people here lol. The other issue they have is Bono and his God complex, that turns people off them too.

As for the centre its a nice thing but its one of those things that will probably mean more to U2 fans and be another great tourist attraction in what is already a city that is great for tourists. I don't know if it'll win over any detractors.

My dad played music a lot too as I was growing up (I know a lot of classic rock without knowing who sang them.) Fortunately for me, my dad has kept his rather extensive record collection (probably rivals Yer Ol' Uncle D collection.) Have you thought about or actually replaced/bought the albums from your childhood that your dad played in the home?

Loads! Music that we both like is probably the foundation of my collection. My dad was born in 1956 so grew up in the 60s and came of age in the 70s. He has a big old collection on CD (around 3,000 id guess).

I think everyone here knows I'm a big fan of The Beatles. That came from him. Ditto Bowie, Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and so many others that I don't want to bore you all with as an extensive list.

One of the things that we both really enjoy when I'm in England/Galway in his houses, or he's in mine, is putting on music that we both like and sitting down with a drink and chatting. He has a pretty encyclopaedic knowledge of music scene and musicians from when he was younger too.

Sorry to hear about your mom (even if it has been a few years). If you know, what was her favorite album? What would you play her if had a chance to play one more album for her (if different from her favorite)?

Funnily enough I don't really know. I talk a lot here about my Dad here because I got my taste and love of music from him but I was actually always closer to my Mum growing up. She was not really into music like I am, or he is. She liked having it on but didn't own any albums of here own that I know of and tended more to just have the radio on in the kitchen and in the car (she liked classical music, but relaxing classic music rather than dramatic, she had a uk station called Classic FM tuned in all the time) while she went about her day and like hymns when we were at mass.

So i suppose i would hunt down a really nice and relaxing classic music piece or a collection of the sort of hymns that we would have sung whilst at mass.

What song/album would describe your personality?

I don't know if a song can ever fully represent all the madness and complexity that is a humans persona. However if we're talking about a song that I feel "understands me" or resonates when i hear it I suppose right now I'd go for The Bends by Radiohead.

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

I was brought up in a very religious family. My Mum was a devout Catholic and her faith was the foundation of who she saw herself as and was the most important thing in her life.

I'm not religious or spiritual at all to be honest. The church lost me when I got old enough to realise some of their more judgmental beliefs didn't correspond with the actual real people I knew. Also the whole child sex abuse scandal. I think that faith is a very positive and a very personal thing but that all religions are fundamentally corrupt and bad.

I kind of put my belief in the general goodness and kindness of normal people. So Im going to go for this off the top of my head

Friend Of Ours - Elbow

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

I would spend ages obsessing, worrying and creating a 100 album long list and then just stick Abbey Road by The Beatles on.

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview? (Yes I am stealing and incorporating this question from @ModernCyrus)

I don't think that there is much about myself that I haven't revealed in one place or another on here over the last year, I post too much...

So I suppose I like to tell everyone here that they all are amazing. This wonderful weird corner of the internet never fails to surprise me every time I log on and cheers me up no end when I'm feeling low.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

I get this is quite a personal one but I'll answer it myself too.

If you could bring back a person who is no longer with us for just one day, who would it be?

My answer is my Mum. We lost her in October 2011 to the shit that is cancer, she was only 54. I now have an 18 month old niece and I'd love to give both her and my Mum a chance to spend a day together and get to know one another.

 

[Enoch]

Interview 12

@AndySlash is one of the forum moderators and from what I have seen doesn’t mind voicing his opinion on subjects. Be on the lookout for a great deal in this section!!!

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

i’m one of the forum geezers that was a vmp member before the forum existed. there was an email that went out announcing that a forum had been set up and inviting us to join, which i promptly did. here’s my first post. reading now i’ve probably repeated those comments 7-8 times now in the intervening years. like i said, forum geezer... hard to believe we’re coming on five years.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

oh, i most certainly do. the first records i purchased were the dead’s ‘terrapin station’ and zeppelin’s ‘the song remains the same’ at a flea market for a buck each back in 1994 or 1995. i was 16/17 i guess. i still have them:





after that i’d pick up things here and there. as the late 90s and early 00s were the nadir of vinyl sales, i’m glad i chose to buy new release records by bands like pearl jam, the smashing pumpkins, r.e.m., and such where those records became hard to find when the vinyl resurgence began.

i didn’t get a record player to play any of them until 2008. i probably had over 100 albums, if not more, by that point. i certainly miss the days of being able to buy new-in-shrink albums like isaac hayes’ ‘hot buttered soul’ and shuggie otis’ ‘inspiration information’ for $9.99 while the cds still went for $12.99 or more.

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

i don’t have anything fancy that anyone here would be remotely impressed by, just an at-pl120 i bought on amazon for just under $200, the same one i’ve had since 2008. it’s currently fitted with an at120eb cartridge. i’ve used accumulated vmp store credits to help buy those kanto yumi speakers, kanto subwoofer and u-turn pluto that were in the store forever. prior to that i just had some large 80s era hand-me-down kenwood speakers, so getting this other stuff was certainly an “upgrade”. i really don’t anticipate going all-in on making this any better, this all suits me just fine for now.

as for listening habits, i do mostly listen alone, either while working or playing video games. i don’t use headphones for vinyl listening. i do have friends that come over that like to find things to spin, so that’s nice.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

man, i don’t have any ‘goals’ at this point. i’m pretty liberal, probably too liberal, with my vinyl buying habits. i could probably stand to downsize, if anything, but i just can’t bring myself to do it. i never know when i or someone else might finally want to listen to that beat up copy of yes’ ‘close to the edge’ that i was sent as filler in a discogs order years ago, so i keep it JUST IN CASE.

that said, i’ve been meaning to join the pay it forward thread as i’ve accumulated a few shipping boxes that i need to get rid of. but instead of offering up records there just yet, i am going to offer them up to you, dear readers, to the first persons that pm me their address (and post their claim here to let everyone else know) in response to this post. the records i’m offering are:

the black angels – directions to see a ghost [not available anymore]

i bought a second copy shortly after the first about ten years ago when it seemed like these were going to be hard to find. (narrator: they weren’t.)

the secret machines – ten silver drops (recent run-out groove reissue) [not available anymore]

[aside here I have this album and recommend it, though had I waited a few weeks…]

this has some very minor top-side seam splits and dings on the cover because it was horrendously packaged loose in a 13”x13”x4” thick box for shipping. they kindly sent me a new one even though i let them know the records were fine and i wasn’t requesting a new one as the damage could have been much worse, i just wanted to let them know that the way it was shipped was among the worst i’d ever seen. they sent another one anyway. the outer sleeve is from the new one- i swapped those because of the upc markup.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

pink floyd and related solo projects, pearl jam, r.e.m., peter gabriel, jj cale, johnny cash, phish, dave matthews band, janet jackson, the black angels, alela diane, alicia keys, gybe!, the orb, radiohead, sigur ros, and lil’ bub, to name a few.

as far as variants go, i don’t really go for the ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ attitude. i certainly have multiple copies of many albums across various formats (i’d guess i have somewhere between 20 and 30 versions of ‘dark side of the moon’), but if an album comes out on a bunch of different colors from a bunch of exclusive retailers or whatever, i don’t really give a shit, i’ll buy the one that appeals to me the most or seems like it will be the most worthy investment.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

jeez, i’ve given this question a lot of thought and i’m not sure i really have a good answer. the obvious answer might be pearl jam’s ‘october 22, 2003 benaroya hall’ as it probably is my most coveted record, especially because i was smart enough to buy one from the fan club in 2004 for $35 when they came out. it’s a great acoustic show and arguably their best live release, and its ROI would be sky high if i ever had to sell it. but i don’t know that i could call it my favorite record in my collection. my favorite album of all time is floyd’s ‘wish you were here’, but i don’t think i could say that it’s my favorite record in my collection, either. i really don’t have a good answer i’d be 100% satisfied with. so let’s just go with this.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

pink floyd’s ‘a collection of great dance songs’. while the actual, physical record that’s in my collection holds little meaning to me, that record changed my life by showing me the power that music can have on the listener. i’m 110% confident i wouldn’t be sharing my thoughts on a music-based message board right now if i didn’t hear that album when i was 13, throwing off my headphones at the kitchen table because the ominous sounds of ‘one of these days’ was literally frightening me. that was the opening of the rabbit hole, and i fell in hard after that.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

pink floyd – 1965: their first recordings

this was a europe or uk only limited surprise record store day release done for the purposes of extending the copyrights. i’d very much like to have it in my collection.

@Joe Mac asks: I get this is quite a personal one but I'll answer it myself too. If you could bring back a person who is no longer with us for just one day, who would it be?

my uncle. not for me, but for my mom and aunt. it’s been over ten years, but i see it in their face every time his name comes up how much they miss their little brother.

 

[Enoch]

@AndySlash gave me a lot of different directions to go, but a few things stuck out to me, but I did have to ask about moderating too. After finishing the interview I remembered a question I wanted to ask but forgot, his user name.

What video games do you play while listening to your vinyl? Do you mute the game or have two sources of audio ‘bombarding’ you?

i don’t get to play games as much or as regularly as i’d like, so i am kind of a sucker for the lego games (lego batman, lego star wars, etc…) because you can just pick them up whenever, even if you haven’t been able to play a game for a few weeks, and not have to relearn how to play or remember what you were supposed to be doing. conveniently, they’re also good for listening to other music since you don’t really need to pay attention to the game music/dialogue when you are playing- it’s all pretty repetitive music-wise and you can have subtitles, so i typically just leave only the sound fx on.

lately, though (like, the last 3-4 months), i’ve been slowly making my way through red dead redemption, and it just isn’t as easy to play through this and have some vinyl spinning. you need to hear what people are saying and what is going on in the world around you. plus the music itself is just as much a part of the experience of playing the game that i don’t really want to miss out on that by listening to records.

Something tells me Pink Floyd is a favorite, what side project of the members do like the best?

first and foremost, pink floyd is truly one of those bands where the whole has always been greater than the sum of its parts. nothing any of them have done on their own holds a candle to the majority of the band’s work. if i have to pick one favorite of anything the members did solo or with other people, i think i would go with david gilmour’s ‘in concert’ show from 2001 meltdown festival that was released on dvd. it opens with a solo acoustic ‘shine on you crazy diamond’ and just gets better from there. it’s musically interesting, it sure seemed like it was an effort to get out of his comfort zone while playing familiar material, and proved once again that Gilmour was the best musician in the band.

if i have to pick an album, it’s either be gilmour’s first, self-titled solo record from 1978 or the album he did with the orb in 2010, metallic spheres.

As a moderator, share a favorite story of something that came up that you had to deal with, obviously, that you feel comfortable with sharing?

i don’t know there’s a favorite story to be told here, to be honest. moderating this forum is either mostly tedious (like cleaning spam), or occasionally somewhat stressful (when shit hits the fan and/or difficult choices have to be made). personally, i do it because i found this community to be a valuable one to be a part of and i felt it important to try and contribute in some tangible way. despite the hiccups here and there, i’m grateful this community isn’t the cesspool that many internet communities can be; the forum community is pretty good at allowing its moderators to be mostly hands-off and instead just be another forum member. that’s probably my favorite thing about it.

Since you are “liberal” in your vinyl buying, what is the album that you think ‘Why did I buy this?’

in the last year or so alone i’ve bought at least three albums i already owned, so…

but, for this question i’ll say this album: love and kisses – how much, how much i love you

it has an absurd cover, with an absurd name, and two tracks that clock in around 15 minutes. it had to at least be interesting, right? well it’s not, it’s just bad disco.

What song/album would describe your personality?

when the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king what he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight and he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring there's no body to batter when your mind is your might so when you go solo, you hold your own hand and remember that depth is the greatest of heights and if you know where you stand, then you know where to land and if you fall it won’t matter, cuz you’ll know that you’re right

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

the first thing that came to mind that sums up my beliefs wasn’t a song or album, but this scene from the first ‘men in black’:

Man in black - ending HD


If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

yes - close to the edge

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview?

my real name isn’t andy.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed? (While I am asking this in part 1, this will be the last Q/A posted)

let’s play two truths and a lie instead. list two truths and one lie about yourself/your life. that’s all. and never, ever tell us what is what, just leave us guessing for the rest of eternity.

 

[Enoch]

Interview 13
(a lucky number?)

@ThePakoBuelna is another of our international friends (hopefully we can keep them with the new changes though I doubt they would leave the forum if they do end up leaving the club). In my experience with him on the forum, he seems like a pretty cool guy.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

I first found out about VMP forum after I subscribed to VMP.(Think it was on one of those pamphlets that used to come with the monthly boxes). As many, started lurking around until I finally decided to become more involved, and here we are.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

The first one I ever bought was Radiohead's In Rainbows boxset back when it was released, but didn't start collecting seriously until after I bought my TT(around 10 years later!)

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

I've got a fairly basic setup. AT-LP60 turntable with some Edifier Speakers I bought in a package. I mainly listen alone, but these days my friends come to my space and want to listen to more vinyl, but almost all my listening in home right now is vinyl.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

My goal right now is to have a collection that I love. Only the music I really hear stays in my collection. I do love the special editions of colored vinyl or limited ones. Although since I've joined the forums and FOMO has the best of us, I now go for blind listens on so much stuff recommended by our knowledgeable forum friends.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do you buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

Oh yes! Radiohead is my favorite band ever, so I buy almost everything I still don't have. I do buy multiple copies of albums I love or have boxsets of(Amnesiac,In Rainbows,A Moon Shaped Pool,) or just ones I think I need a backup copy of(Got backup copies of Over The Garden Wall, Cosmogramma, Archie Shepp, some jazz, and soon need to buy a copy of Satchidananda).

What is your favorite record in your collection?

Oof, that a tough one... I think the Radiohead In Rainbows boxset, its a beautiful package and was my first. Though I have to say I'm a sucker for pretty colored vinyl(Chandler's Outlook, The FlyLo bundle looks and sounds exquisite!)

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

Maybe Cafe Tacvba's Jei Beibi! Got my second copy at a gig and had a chance to talk with the members of the band a while. They signed my vinyl and some posters, it was pretty cool.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Any Cafe Tacvba would be awesome! They are my 2nd favorite band and I consider them the best band in Mexico right now. Would love to have the discography complete!

@AndySlash asks: let’s play two truths and a lie instead. list two truths and one lie about yourself/your life. that’s all. and never, ever tell us what is what, just leave us guessing for the rest of eternity.

I was almost a certified diver at the age of 15, but regulations in Mexico at the time only permitted people 18+.

I am trained in basic Culinary Arts but didn't graduate so never got a degree

When I was a kid, I tried to fly from a second floor and threw myself to down below, landed in a big pile of dirt, could move for 30ish minutes.

 

[Enoch]

Potential new first in this series with @ThePakoBuelna (though everyone is unique so this is quite right). So I wanted to highlight some of the known first (probably better way to say it).

I think you might be the first person I have interviewed who lives in a country that the primary language isn’t English (@Mather somewhat counts, I guess). How did you learn English and is the forum a challenge for you since it is in English?

I learned English from a young age, I actually studied in the US from Kindergarten to 5th grade, then got changed to a school in Mexico by the time I entered 6th. I don't find the forum a challenge due to almost having English as a 1st language too(along with spanish that is my mother tongue), but as any language I'm still learning(and interested in) all the differences and variations of English(and Spanish)

I am jealous you have the Radiohead - In Rainbows box (you and @Joe Mac can dog me for it). What is your favorite Radiohead album and what is favorite Cafe Tacvba album (who I have never heard of)?

My favorite radiohead album is definitely Amnesiac, but the one I always recommend to those who say they don't like Radiohead is In Rainbows. The Cafe Tacvba is difficult to choose one, but I'd have to go with their (almost) all instrumental album Revés, but if you'd like to check them out I'd recommend the Re album(very eclectic and lots of different influences throughout) or the newest one Jei Beibi! I'll share the links right here for you guys!

Café Tacvba - [Réves] Álbum Completo





Jei Beibi:


Strangely enough, I started with a Stanton TT but then downgraded to an AT-LP60 and now am back to using the Stanton. Do plan to upgrade your system, if so what would be the first thing you want to upgrade?

Yes! I would love to upgrade my whole system. I always see and read about how some albums change or discover new sounds from them when you guys post and that makes me very jealous haha. If/when I upgrade I would like to get a whole new setup, from TT to speakers to cart and everything I may need(hopefully I can afford it!)

If I remember correctly you live close to the US border. How do feel that changes your experience of both Mexico and the US from if say you lived in Mexico City?

That is a great question! I think that with the closeness and relative easiness to cross to the US, I've been able to experience things I would not have been able to(the VMP subscription or my schooling in the US as an example). This has an effect on things like celebrating festivities or even how the society acts. Most of the people living here is an amalgamation of US and Mexico and is vastly different to someone living in Mexico City. the cost of things for example are greatly different, stuff like food for example if more expensive than the center of the country, but we are able here to get some stuff not easily accessible over there. Luckily I've been able to experience the best and worst of both cultures.(Am i rambling now? sorry if I'm rambling, this one is tough and could extend very much)

What song/album would describe your personality?

Right now I would likely choose Radiohead's Amnesiac. The album has everything from dark jazzy moods to a little bit of glimmer and hope. Everyone has a little bit of darkness and light inside us, but may we never lose hope. We have to keep trying to see the light throughout everything that weighs us down. While in a way feeling alienated and so sick of everything.

What song/album best describe your beliefs? (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

These questions were difficult to answer, but I would have to go with Cafe Tacvba's album Sino. I personally love all the lyrics within the album, ranging from loss, desperation and that feeling where you are left wondering where is your ppace on the earth, to happy and joyful songs, where we are still glad to be alive in this moment of space and time, cherishing the company close to us.

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first?

I would go with Flying Lotus Cosmogramma, because that album os such a trip even if you have heard it before, plus you can see all the different influences it had. Then well... we could go on and on and on...

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview?

Hmmm... Thats a tough one too. I think this one would be different from person to person, but personally I would like everyone to know that even though I'm kind of an introvert in my daily life(as many here feel too), don't have many close friends and I'm not that sociable to begin with, I would gladly meet up with any of you fine folks around the globe and hope to eventually be able to grab a beer/whisky/joint/or any other thing of you liking and just talk about music all day long.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed? (While I am asking this in part 1, this will be the last Q/A posted)

If you had a chance to right a wrong in your life, would you do it if it would change your whole existence up until now?

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed? (While I am asking this in part 1, this will be the last Q/A posted)

If you had a chance to right a wrong in your life, would you do it if it would change your whole existence up until now?

Thanks for everyone for reading this, and to @Enoch for doing these awesome interviews, I feel humbled and glad to be able to be part of this wonderful thread and community.

 

[Enoch]

Interview 14

Count Vader joins us for this interview. In this first part, we bounce around a little from one genre to another and hear a little bit about his personal life.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Were you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

I learned about the Forum from the main website. I was already a VMP member (Tidal was my first RoTM) I subscribe to VMP though I cancel when my finances won't allow it (bought a house recently) and I re-up when I can.

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

I started collecting Vinyl 3 years ago I received a lot of records from my Aunt and Uncle Including a sweet First Pressing of "Sticky Fingers" & "Born To Run" (which is in fantastic condition) The first record I purchased was Gorillaz "Plastic Beach" I have a ton of Nostalgia from that album from Highschool.

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have? Do you listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

Project DC Espirit SB w/ Ortofon Red. Klipsch speakers (can't remember the exact model). A project Pre-Amp & A Yamaha Receiver (Can't remember the exact models of those either)

I listen alone, with my girlfriend and with her mother when she comes to visit and occasionally guests at our house.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

I collect vinyl for the sake of listening to the music. It's also one of the best ways to discover obscure artists that would have other not showed up on my radar. I buy things that I and my girlfriend like as well as things I may be interested in.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

There's several artists that I do that for and plenty of them have large discographies that I've enjoyed on other formats that I would also like to have on vinyl. Bowie, Waits, and Pink Floyd to name a few of the more well known ones off.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

One I just got actually. A Korean Psych- Folk Record from the 70's Kim Jung Mi "Now". I heard the opening track "Haenim" ("The Sun") and it's one of those songs that made me stop dead in my tracks it's an absolutely gorgeous song and the entire album is amazing. Highly recommend it. I immediately went on discogs and to my dismay I found that it was a hefty price but I was lucky enough to find a seller who was willing to haggle for a more reasonable price. Also, I have a couple of Japanese records already so it was really cool to get a Korean record to start my journey into the music of the other side of my girlfriend's heritage.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

My Autographed copy of Neutral Milk Hotel "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea" not just for it being autographed it was the first Vinyl Record my girlfriend and I ever sat and listened to together.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

Either Tom Waits "Rain Dogs" or "Bone Machine"

@ThePakoBuelna asks: If you had a chance to right a wrong in your life, would you do it if it would change your whole existence up until now?

No. The biggest wrong of my life lead to the biggest right. I won't weigh down this interview with the bummer story (or have anyone else who experienced similar to relive awful memories) but I was in a severely emotionally abusive relationship for four years and I eventually realized that I deserved better. I left my now ex girlfriend, I got a new job where I met my current girlfriend and I helped her get out of a similarly toxic relationship. And I'm the happiest I've ever been. I wouldn't change a thing. I think my current girlfriend is totally worth the years of bullshit I put up with and there's no way that I would change anything that could result in us not meeting.

 

[Enoch]

We get to hear some about Count_Vader’s life in this part. But a trend also continues in responses (how or why it exists I have no idea, but I like it).

“It's also one of the best ways to discover obscure artists that would have other not showed up on my radar.” I would like to hear more about this, how do decide what to “discover?”

Discovery is one of the purest joys of this medium! Some record labels even specialize in this (Light In The Attic, Now Again, etc.) Some obscure music that I've found was released when records were the dominant medium and was never re-released in any form. So a ton of out of the way stuff is out there to explore. For me personally it all depends on what catches me sometimes I see a really interesting album art, or I hear something that really floors me and catches my attention. (Like the aforementioned Kim Jung Mi) and YouTube random algorithms have been magical from time to time. But nothing beats finding something out there in the record store. For obscure music those are my go to pathways for discovery.

You mentioned your girlfriend is part Korean what is the rest of her heritage and how does that affect your relationship and you personally?

Specifically she is 60 something % Japanese 30% Korean (Japanese on her Korean side as well I presume) Interestingly her Korean family (mother's side) was descended from nobility (The highest they got is Queen) she's also somehow related to Admiral Yi Sun-sin if anyone here knows Korean History. Her being descended from nobility is really interesting because of how well documented her family history is. There is extensive writings on her family history which I've gotten to read a bit of and its super interesting. Her mother lives in Virginia her Korean relatives live in both Busan (which she tells me is essentially the Korean equivalent of Brooklyn, NY) and on Jeju Island which is off the coast of SK. (Her uncle lives in Busan with his family as well is her distant relatives and head of the Clan, her Grandmother and Aunt live on Jeju Island)Her Father lives in Miami and opens a chains of restaurants along the east coast, though he retired recently after a battle with lung cancer that he thankfully survived. Her half brother is a composer that travels the world making music and performing, her half sister works at Amazon corporate. Her Aunt also lives in Florida. Her Japanese family that still lives in Japan live in Sendai and Yamagata. I don't know what they do exactly but her grandparents have a farm in Yamagata. It doesn't effect out relationship too much. She has some ceremonial masks on that we have on the wall from her Korean side as well as a model of Admiral Yi's Turtle ship. It is cool though because we both are insanely into Japanese Art and History so we get to nerd out over that.

This may be covered in the question above but why does mother-in-law visit and how often? Is it a positive encounter mostly or a challenge?

My mother-in-law visits to spend time with her daughter basically, she works for the Federal Reserve and travels frequently so her visits are sporadic but planned out well in advance. They formerly had a very rocky relationship (Their business so I'm not going to elaborate) but its improved drastically in the last year and I'm really glad that I could help them mend their relationship. So now its very positive they can bond. She's also really knowledgeable about Jazz and Hip-Hop (The later I find a bit amusing but really cool)

Did you get the autograph yourself on Neutral Milk Hotel or did you buy it with the autograph already on it? If the former what is that story?

I was lame and bought it. I would've fanboyed to hard and embarrassed myself if I met Mangum in person.

What song/album would describe your personality?

Trout Mask Replica because I'm a strange confused mess. But still fun

What song/album best describe your beliefs (Spiritual, Emotional, Existential, Whatever)

"It's Never Too Late To Smile"- Jon Tabakin

If you met someone who has never heard music ever, what album would you play for them first? Rain Dogs- Tom Waits start 'em off weird

What is one thing you'd like the forum to know, that didn't come up in the interview?

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

What question would you like to ask the next person interviewed?

Has there been a song or album that has deeply impacted/changed your life? Has there been one that has healed you? Or Hurt you?

 

[Enoch]

Interview 15:

@ranbalam, out resident drummer is up next, but we also get to hear some of his heartache and new found joy.

How did you find this VMP forum? (Where you already a VMP member? Did you find the forum first and join VMP? Do you even subscribe to VMP?)

I joined VMP for Black Sabbath – Paranoid after I saw a Facebook ad for the second or third time. If I remember correctly, I found the forum while visiting VMP’s site the first time when I joined. (November of 2015)

When did you first start collecting vinyl? (Do you remember what the first one(s) was?)

I had a few 45s and a cheapo record player in my room when I was in elementary school. (probably 1976 or so) I remember having Snoopy vs The Red Baron by The Royal Guardsmen, and another was Dickie Goodman – Mr Jaws. (I don’t have either of those anymore.) My parents had a nice stereo set-up with a turntable, and I have a sister four years older than me who had a TT in the basement, so records were everywhere in my house. The first LP of my very own was Cheap Trick – At Budokan. I loved that record, it’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a drummer. I remember it well; my sister gave her copy to me which I almost immediately broke while running with it to my friend’s house because I was so excited. (I fell down) About a week later she bought a brand-new copy for me, which I didn’t break and still have. There was a big gap in my collecting though; after the late 80s or so I didn’t get back into it until 2014 when a friend suggested we go out for Record Store Day. The first purchase of the ‘new era’ was Steve Earle – Townes: The Basics

What is your current listening setup? What equipment do you have?

I have an AT120LP turntable, NAD C316BEE V2 amp and a pair of NHT SB2 speakers. It’s set up in the family room, the main place we hang out.

Do you listen alone, only with others, or some combo?

Definitely a combo. I listen alone plenty, but also with my wife a lot. And my close friend (and bass player in my band) and I get together for listening sessions at least once a month, we get a lot of inspiration and ideas for grooves we want to work on as we listen. I also host a lot of get-togethers with friends and I usually spin all night on those nights too.

What is your current goal in buying/receiving/collecting vinyl? (Do you focus on collectibles? Do you only buy what you like? Do you buy what you think you might like?)

Currently I am trying to cut back a little and that’s difficult because I love the discovery aspect of this hobby, but I am running out storage space. I will stay subscribed to Classics for the foreseeable future but I am in and out of Essentials and I don’t grab every VMP Exclusive like I tried to do for awhile. The FOMO was real! My boxes have been much smaller the last couple months compared to the first few months of my membership.

I even started a pile of records that I just don’t listen to. They are either going up for sale on Discogs or I may take them to a local dealer.

Are there any bands/artists you automatically buy on vinyl regardless? (Do buy multiples copies - all the different variants?)

I am trying to get all of Tom Waits’ catalog on vinyl, I am probably 2/3 of the way there. I only have one double in that collection though – Closing Time. I have mostly convinced my self that I don’t need more variants of the same record. I’d like to get all Zeppelin, Radiohead and Wilco records also. I have at least half of all those bands’ catalogs on vinyl at this point.

What is your favorite record in your collection?

This is tough. One of my best sounding used records is an OG VG+ copy of Workingman’s Dead, I always love putting that on. I have plenty of new and reissued stuff that sounds amazing, but it’s always pretty sweet when something a few decades old sounds that good. I’m not sure that makes it my favorite record but it’s among the first I thought of in response to the question.

What record means the most to you? (if different from the above)

I have a few of my mom’s old records, (stuff like Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell) and some old family X-Mas records that remind me of her as well. But the one record that has a story attached to it is my copy of Blackstar. I saw online while drinking my morning coffee that Barnes & Noble had a special edition of Blackstar that came out the night before. I checked with the location closest to me and they didn’t have one, but a location about 30 miles away did. I was able to put a 60 minute hold on it and went out there to grab it. Later that night my wife and I listened to it and were both blown away. We listened again the next morning because we couldn’t stop thinking about it. So then Monday when we woke up to find out Bowie had passed there was so much emotion attached to the news and also to that record in particular. I couldn’t help but notice the value on the B&S clear version skyrocketed but it mattered not – I had such a special listening experience with that record I knew I was keeping it.

If you were allowed to freely receive any record you currently don’t have, what would it be?

I have been delaying on buying Zeppelin’s How the West Was Won even though I set aside some cash for it. It’s so tough for me to cough up that kind of money on a vinyl purchase. Also, I am ALWAYS on the hunt for Bone Machine.

@Count_Vader asks: Has there been a song or album that has deeply impacted/changed your life? Has there been one that has healed you? Or Hurt you?

Great question, and I have an answer regarding a song that helped with the healing. The cliff-noted backstory is this: I have been divorced twice, the second time the marriage didn’t even last a year. It’s because I ended up with her on rebound, and she was essentially faking her way through that part of her life to somehow prove something to herself. I was collateral damage from that show. It hurt, I mean, when someone is so good at their show and it has you believing you are the smartest, funniest, best guy around…well, it’s quite a blow to the psyche when they dump you cold and say they never really were into you.

Chris Smither – Winsome Smile is a song that is so full of wisdom and hope and a bit of humor…it really helped me. I still get a little choked up when I hear it now. And the line “Your style don’t get a grip on her attention” just stings…as brilliant as it is.

Winsome Smile - Chris Smither


PS - The story ends well, as I am happily married to the sweetest person I have ever met.