DISCAHOLIC CORNER INTERVIEW SERIES

Thurston Moore Interview, 2011

 

 

-How did your diskaholism got started ?

 

**ooh, when i was young boy i walked into the bedroom of a hippie teenager who was friend of my brothers, and i saw an LP jacket (”Bare Trees” – Fleetwood Mac) leaning against a speaker, looking like a piece of art, which it was. It immediately resonated with me that there was more to music than just music – there was records!!

 

Why?

 

**— I liked collecting thing, — first it was comic books, then Time magazine and TV Guide magazine, then records. Again, my brother was somewhat to blame. He started buying records first, slowly. One day he had about 8 LPs stacked up on his dresser. He told me that pretty soon the stack was going to reach the ceiling! I thought that was cool, like a sculpture of counter-culture noise.

 

When?

 

**This would have been around 1971.

 

 

-How is a diskaholics day– to– day life ? tell us how a ”normal” day looks like.

 

**Everyday I wake up and think how i need to go into my basement where I keep most of my LPs and weed out the unnecesarry LPs and just hold onto the jewels. Also about pulling out the LPs i owe you for those sick trades of free-jazz insanity I’ve procured from you. There is no normal day. A normal day does not exist. Every day I look and see where there may be a hiding place for the elusive side.

 

-What was the first vinyl you  bought?:

 

**I don not remember exactly which vinyl i bought first with my own hard earned money. I do know i asked my mother to buy me the  ”In-a-gadda-da-vida” LP by Iron Butterfly, which was my 1st LP! – i had some 7” singles before that. The first one of those was ”Get Together” by The Youngbloods, then it was ”In the Year 2525” by Zager & Evans.

 

-the first rock lp/ ep?

 

**The first rock LP was dinitely that Iron Butterfly LP, then the 2nd would have been ”Their Satanic majesties Request” by The Rolling Stones, another LP i asked my mom to buy me. The 3D cover of that looked really mysterious and i wasn’t even sure which group it was while we were waiting in the checkout line.

 

-the first free jazz lp/ ep ?

 

**Hmmm…that’s alittle blurry. I started buying Coltrane, Miles, Monk – classic LPs first after becoming very intrigued by Kim’s history of listening to this music when she was growing up and seeing  her old jazz records at her parents house. And also Byron Coley turned me on. I do think it may have been a Sun Ra side on Saturn, when those Saturn LPs were easy to find in any college town record store.

 

– the first noise LP/ ep?

 

**It matters what you are considering noise. It could have been the single ”United” by Throbbing Gristle.

 

-the latest one on vinyl?

 

**I get sent promos a lot so maybe that doesn’t count. The last one I bought was bootleg of Velvet Underground sessions when they were recording for Atlantic Records. But I left it on the front windowsill of my car and it warped! – Arrggh – that hasn’t happened to me in 40 years!

 

-What do you hit first when entering a new record shop, that  you havent visited before?

 

**1st thing you do is hit the wall where the heavy rare shit usually is.

–       2ndly?

**Make a beeline to the New Arrivals bins.

 

–       Thirdly?

–       **Go straight for the Avant-garde Jazz and/or Noise/Experimental bins

–       Last?

–       **The folk and gospel and blues and reggae bins

 

-What genre do you never check in a record shop?

**techno

Why?

**Erectile dysfunction

 

 

-what is the most important factor of a vinyl release?

**I realized the first thing i am attracted to do is the visual aspect, second the feel, third the smell.

 

Music?

 

**The Music is pretty much the fourth thing i’m interested in only because i kind of know what it’s going to sound like. I Like it when records are being played in record stores, they always sound good there.

 

Rarity?

 

**Rarity is a tough question, because one man’s rarity is another man’s boredom.

 

Obscurity?

 

**Obscurity is cool because it’s like a lost document to a never-ending story.

 

Graphic art work?

 

**I prefer black and white and stark no wave dementia.

 

Feel?

 

**Hmmm – a good matte sleeve is unbeatable.

 

Smell?

 

**I know a Japanese record dealer/collector, Kenji Kodama, of Time Bomb Records in osaka, who can smell a record and tell you which country it was pressed in.

 

Other aspects?

 

**Mysterious notes on the run off groove.

 

What is the biggest score you never made?

 

**I once picked up a white label promo copy of the first Stooges LP that had a press kit inside and it was only $9. When i brought it to the counter someone behind me started saying ”Oh my godm that is so rare!!!”, and the guy behind the counter decided not to sell it.

 

What is the biggest score you actually made?

 

**There was young cat in the early 90s who had most every Sun ra LP on Saturn and Thoth and i traded hima bunch of signed SOnic Youth test pressings for the entire lot.

 

Is trading vinyl the ultimate gesture of sharing?

 

**Yes, because it’s sharing a knowledge which is informed by spirit and beauty and fire.

 

What record has surprised you the most after first listening?

 

**When i was younger so many records surprised me. First hearing Ege Bamyasi by Can, and Kimono My House by Sparks, and Stranded by Roxy Music.

 

What record has surprised you a lot after numerous listenings?

 

**I think maybe ”A Love Supreme” by John Coltrane, just the patience and feeling for space and energy is so sophisticated yet so genuine and natural to the human condition, both then and now.

 

What existing record shop in the world is the most KILLING one?

**If I told you that then you may go there and ransack it! – But there were was that one in Tokyo called Music Mine – or something  like that – that you and Jim and i went to which was, for awhile, considtently KILLING!

 

What record is the best in the history? The ultimate? Why?

 

**Wow…umm..i always think the first Ramones record is 100% the best in history because of not only what it was to signify to my generation but just in how it works bothe conceptually and honestly as music and form.

 

Which is the smallest record shop you ever went to?

 

**The one in Shibuya, Tokyo where only jazz records are sold and it’s in a basement and maybe 3 people can stand there (and smoke cigarettes!)

 

Do you want to talk about anything else then vinyls in this interview ?

 

**NO!!

 

Do you sort your collection alphabetically or by genre ?

 

*I have one set of bins that it alphabetical of the records i think are the most killing in all genres. Thena against the walls i have them sorted by genre and within genres alphabetical…snooozzzze.

 

If you open your own vinyl store, how would it look like? What focus would you take?

 

** It would be  set up as a visul gallery exhibiting the visual aesthetics i love about certain records…. – I do have a partnership in a record store in Northampton, Massachusetts called Feeding Tube where alot of my used records are sold – it’s pretty great – but i leave the design of the store up the two people who run it on a daily basis.

 

 

Would you throw people out from that shop if they are  asking for Spyro Gyra or Kenny G on CD ? Or would you try to convince them and make them change their minds and reprogram them?

 

*I would ask them alot of questions about the merits of Spyro Gyra and kenny G — remember Hal Russell LOVED Kenny G.s sound!

 

 

What would you play to them so they become better persons? What records would clearly make them change to the better?

 

*I would play them Whitehouse records and French underground black metal LPs at stun volume and then stare at them with little old lady sunglasses on until they freaked out and split.

 

Would you have different pricing depending on the look/vibe of the customer?

 

**Yes, all my good friends would get free shit, always.

 

What is the sexiest vinyl format?

 

**vinyl pantyhose

 

Is your Derek Bailey collection on vinyl and tape complete now?

 

**I…think..so…

 

What artists makes you wanna have their whole discography? To become a completist of the following:

 

**THose artists who are involved with the world of group interaction in improvising music—where the messages between the artists are contained within the grooves of the LPs, the documents.

 

 

What Swedish records, free jazz, rock, noise or other are you looking for? I m sure that the readers of Nya Upplagan might be able to help you out.  They can just send records to the editor and he will pack it all in a container and ship it over to you. This was the only reason why you agreed making this interview, right ? I wish I could do the same but the magazines and newspapers that is making interviews with me are always turning offers like this down…

Anyway – give us a list of what you need!

 

 

**Oh My God……—- If i can do this i will … but….. yow… — too much for me to do now – i have to get ready to go on tour!!!

 

Which one is the sexiest album ever recorded?

 

**”Blue Train” by John Coltrane is a good make out record.

 

What record is … no sex… AT ALL ?

 

**”Record Without A Cover” by Christian Marclay though maybe i’m wrong – it is naked afterall.. – but i like to do the undressing.

 

what is your feelings about the flexi disc? Are they coming back again soon ?

 

**Yeh some noise guy in Massachusetts by the name of Chris Forgues (records under the names KITES, mark lord –  amongst others) just started a flexi-only label.

 

what is so appealing with the music casette?

 

**Normal bias cassettes have a fat ferrous oxide killer vibe! Plus the economics of cassette production allows the poor man to distribute his message(s).

Can u share a recent mix tape selection with us? What would be your personal choice/ selection on a mix tape today?

 

**song first, then artist:

 

Acceptance –            Mecht Mensch

Ain’t You            – Kleenex

All This and More            – The Dead Boys

Barbed Wire –             Youth Brigade [DC]

Blinded By Love            – Johnny Winter

Boredom            – The Buzzcocks

Bottled Violence            – Minor Threat

Breakdown            – The Buzzcocks

Can’t Tell No One            – Negative Approach

Career Of Evil            – Blue Öyster Cult

Chunks            – Last Rights

Clear Spot            – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band

Click Clack            – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band

Confusion            – Faith

Dish It Out –             James Chance And The Contortions

Dominance And Submission            – Blue Öyster Cult

Draw Blank –             S.O.A.

Dying For It            – The Vaselines

Face to Face            – Faith

Fairytale In The Supermarket            – The Raincoats

Filler            – Minor Threat

Flashing Lights            – Lord Sutch

Friction            – Television

Friends Of Mine            – The BuzzcocksPM

Full Speed Ahead            – Youth Brigade [DC]

Get Up and Go            – Teen Idles

glue            – Ss decontrol

Go Bankrupt And Die            – Crucifucks

Gonna Hafta Fight            – S.O.A.

Guilty of Being White            – Minor Threat

Harvester Of Eyes            – Blue Öyster Cult

Heidi’s Head              – Kleenex

Helen Fordsdale            – Mars

Here Come The Warm Jets            – Brian Eno

I Hate the Kids            – S.O.A.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine            – The Slits

I’m So Green –             CAN

i’ve Heard It Before            – Black Flag

Ignorant People            – Void            1

In the Black            – Faith

Instant Hit            – The Slits

Into The Night            – Sweet

Is This Real? –             It’s About Time That We Had a Change

It’s Time            – Faith

Kill Your Sons            – Lou Reed

Last Word            – Youth Brigade

Let’s Build A Car            – Swell Maps            3:09

Liars Beware  – Richard Hell & The Voidoids

Love Und Romance            – The Slits

Message From The Country            – The Move

My Name Is Carnival            – Jackson C Frank

My Rules            – Void

New Pleasure –             Richard Hell & The Voidoids

Newtown            – The Slits

Nic Fit            – Untouchables

No Song            -Youth Brigade [DC]

Nothing            – Negative Approach

Out of Step (with the World) –             Minor Threat

Paniots Nine  –              Joe Maneri

Paris Marquis   –             Metal Urbain            9:25 PM

Ping Pong Affair            – The Slits

Police Brutality            – Urban Waste

Pressure            – Negative Approach

Puerto Rican Ghost            – Mars

Read About Seymour            – Swell Maps

Ready To Fight            – Negative Approach

run run run –             The Velvet Underground

She Is Beyond Good And Evil            – The Pop Group

Smoke And Fire            – Lord Sutch

Stolen Youth            – Deadline

Sugar The Road            – Ten Years After

That’s All I Know (Right Now)            – Neon Boys

Time’s Up            – The Buzzcocks

Trapped            – Faith

Two Of A Kind            – Syd Barrett

Vitamin C            – CAN

Who Are You?            – Void

Who Says? (It’s Good To Be Alive?) – Richard Hell & The Voidoids

You’re X’d            – Faith

3E            – Mars

 

 

What is the best guitar solo ever recorded on vinyl?

 

*The guitar solo in ”Dot Dash” by Wire and anything by Ron Asheton

 

What is the best guitar solo You ever recorded on vinyl?

*maybe the one on the song ”Benediction” off my new solo jammer Demolished Thoughts.

 

The worst ?

*hmmm – so many, hard to decide.

 

Can diskaholism be cured?

*only by replacing it with sex, dope and heaven.

 

What do you remember the best from your your Ystad trips in 2000 and 2002 ? ( the record shopping in copenhagen does not count….)

 

* playing in duo with Yoshimi.

 

Will we ever see the release of that infamous, dna – changing recording of Louie Louie that was made with Sonic Youth and guests at the Ystad Konstmuseum?

 

*send me the tape and i’ll put it out as a flexi-disc only release.

 

The readers of this site never ever send in lists when I have asked them to do so.. never…. And me and the editor love lists of any sorts…. So we gotta  ask people we know to contribute when our readers refuses. So…. Could you please make a top 5 list of the following:

–       the coolest record cover

 

*1.  Black Artists Group LP

2. Horses – Patti Smith

3. Stranger from Durango – richie allen orchestra

4. Strange strings – sun ra arkestra

5. Let’s go get stoned – lowel fulsom

 

–       the best smelling record

*Raw Power – Iggy & The Stooges

 

–       your favourite songs all time

*Penetration _ Iggy & The Stooges

*Career of Evil – Blue Oyster Cult (lyrics by Patti Smith)

*Born to Lose – Johnny Thunders and the heartbreakers

*Friction – Television

*I could live with you in another world – Richard Hell

 

–       best looking vinyl logo

*the early FMP logo

 

–       the most killin free jazz beasts?

*Echo – Dave Burrell

*Machine Gun – Brotzmann

*Alabama Feeling – Arthur Doyle!

 

Is this interview soon over ?

 

*Its never over, ive been a it for days!

 

Have you veer been buying Sun Ra 7”´s on the street ?

*one fine beautiful day in Japan I happened upon a boy on a bicycle offering Sun Ra 7”’s.

 

Is Joe McPhee the best dressed free jazz musician all time?

 

*I always thought Derek Bailey ws the most dapper, and Don Cherry the coolest, but McPhee does indeed have quite a sharp look.

 

How many records per day keeps the doctor away?

 

*there is no cure!!

 

What vinyl record will solve ALL problems?

 

*Raw Power _Iggy & The Stooges

*A Love Supreme – Coltrane

*Pink 12” _ Teenage Jesus & The Jerks

*anything in Boris Vian’s record collection

 

first published in Nya Upplagan, in swedish.