0:00

This. Episode is brought to you

0:02

by V M G vinyl.com Professional

0:04

record cleaning, restoration, rejuvenation and grading.

0:06

Refresh your records with B M

0:08

G vinyl.com This episode has brought

0:10

to you by Groove Washer The

0:12

best record cleaners and protective sleep

0:15

for your vinyl collection. Ask for

0:17

the Groove washer from your local

0:19

shop or Gotta Groove washer.com discount

0:21

code Vinyl Guide Ten and now

0:23

on with the show. Welcome.

0:28

To the Vinyl Guide the Podcast

0:30

For record collectors and music nerds,

0:33

here's your host: The biggest record

0:35

nerd of a mall. Make Goyer

0:37

Hello everyone Nate! Please

0:40

forgive. The gruff voice is weak. I'm fighting

0:42

off a cold. I'll keep the up friends

0:44

nice and short guys or hopefully enjoy that.

0:48

Look. This week, we're talking with

0:50

Tom Flynn of Boehner Records.

0:52

Now, Boehner Records as an

0:54

amazingly strong history with underground

0:56

music in California, in the

0:58

west coast in general, and

1:00

they're still added some forty

1:02

years later. The label

1:04

started with the band Fang, which

1:07

Tom was part of and along

1:09

the way earned many, many fans,

1:11

including a very young Kurt Cobain

1:13

who reportedly admired Fang and their

1:16

music, especially the Landshark album Help

1:18

Shaved His Art Boehner moved on

1:20

the other bands including Melvin, So,

1:22

Steel Bowl, Bath Tub, The Mr.

1:24

T Experience, The Boneless Ones, and

1:27

more. And. Right now, Boehner

1:29

is currently releasing a new project

1:31

from Antler Family. It's a new/new

1:34

ish Ban Tom as part of

1:36

there's a limited vinyl pressing of

1:38

two Hundred and fifty records up

1:41

at Antler Family.band camp.com I put

1:43

the Lincoln this episode page. grab

1:45

one of those limited vinyl pressing

1:47

if they're still available. Most of

1:50

the stuff to make sells out

1:52

pretty quick, so get up there

1:54

quick! Antler Family dot Band camp.com

1:57

Now today. Tom talks all about

1:59

his history of the record label. The

2:02

original tapeworms single on Am Aphrodite

2:04

Records Making The Landshark I'll be

2:06

writing the song "The Money Will

2:08

Roll Right" Are having

2:10

that song covered by

2:12

Nirvana signing Melvin making

2:14

that Kiss parody albums

2:16

Story of the Melvin

2:18

Lysol Lawsuits The Band

2:20

does. The hibernation of the

2:23

label, and the recent awakening of Boehner

2:25

Records with the release of Antler Family.

2:27

There's a lotta history here, people, so

2:29

bottle up I'll you enjoy the initial.

2:34

Here we go: Welcome to the

2:36

model that podcast some flynn of

2:38

a phone records as an. Hour

2:48

you. Okay how they don't

2:50

or I get your coffee or you

2:52

t year with ever lubricate you need.

2:54

I already have to. terrible that's

2:56

a. Good look

2:59

out of you know much about the showtime

3:01

but we do talk of a bit about

3:03

records. We don't go too nerdy. Hopefully.

3:05

We don't go too nerdy, but if is

3:07

there some nerdy facts than feel free to

3:09

share all it will Will dig around until

3:11

we find the limit for it. Oh hell,

3:13

no doubt more inappropriate or are you a

3:15

bit of a record nerd dumb? No.

3:18

I'm not a lot of the look

3:20

at the have a record collection do

3:22

play records. I have some records I

3:24

owner would call it a collection but

3:27

I do. A smattering of

3:29

just a matter of record set of

3:31

been. Accumulated over time

3:33

but to in. Are

3:35

not a collector. Never really been a collector

3:37

just to do is. I

3:40

like to music and I don't need

3:42

to have the object as as much

3:45

sentence. okay or I do. You play

3:47

and that much are they just sitting

3:49

in a a box somewhere for years?

3:51

Ah, I don't play the actual I

3:53

played The most. Music I listen to

3:56

is basically online in my car or

3:58

through. You know, their services. Digital

4:00

copies and know I don't really sit

4:02

around and. Play records I

4:04

guess. Unfortunately, no guy life just

4:06

got that way some now. Itself

4:09

is, there's so many things that

4:11

you've. Projects. You been involved

4:14

in and I'm quite fascinated by especially

4:16

being a Melvin fan and Spear. No

4:18

going back to some of the other

4:20

bands at You or your part of

4:22

Fang. Eyes. One I

4:24

recognize. You also have

4:26

this Do Antler Family

4:28

album I I'm first

4:31

up. Did Boehner Records

4:33

have a website? Ah

4:35

no. on. Because.

4:38

I mean by by the time

4:40

it would have made since I

4:42

was releasing any new product and

4:44

so. He. Just didn't.

4:46

I never never happened. I mean,

4:49

I wish I did, because I

4:51

would try to do it in

4:53

some weird funny way. Better just

4:55

to. Would. Make sense to spoil.

4:58

Our because it with is it is it

5:00

too late. Quite frankly if it's a. Month.

5:04

But. You had to trying trying to find some

5:07

information, especially on things like you know, like the

5:09

and or family. I've had to rely on third

5:11

party so I don't know what's real and what's

5:13

not. So

5:16

they will learn to live too

5:18

much say is slated Lyle you on

5:20

as fines as is not a

5:22

congressional record or anything is if this

5:24

is a that. Oh. Where

5:27

did you start? Do it. I think

5:29

you're You're west coast in the Us.

5:31

Were you born in the in the

5:33

Bay Area? Where you know I was

5:35

born in non East coast in Connecticut

5:37

near New York City. And

5:40

down. The. First

5:42

dad's first real fan. I was

5:44

in school tape worm in high

5:46

school. And. We're.

5:49

Kind of started almost as a joke. that

5:51

sort of not as like we decided to

5:53

discovered punk rock and we're kind of It

5:56

stood in. The. we we

5:58

liked that he would confuse our class classmates

6:02

and all kinds of things. So this was a, we

6:05

started basically just to have a band to

6:07

play in our high school talent show and

6:09

to like make everyone annoyed and

6:11

angry at the talent show. And

6:13

once that happened we really liked

6:16

the weird response we got and

6:19

so we decided to make a single which is

6:21

the tapeworm single which we did in high school

6:23

which that is probably the most collectible thing I've

6:25

ever done which we had

6:28

200 copies made and it sold

6:30

for like $2,000 a piece by now. So

6:35

that kind of gave us the idea, made the idea

6:37

of you know, oh this is how

6:39

you actually can make a record,

6:41

there's no real magic to it, you know, you

6:43

just find the plant

6:45

and you give them some money and they'll make a

6:47

record for you. You know, it wasn't like some

6:50

sort of weird voodoo that had to happen. So

6:53

we did that and then so

6:55

that was my first opportunity in making a record. So

6:58

let's pause on that because that

7:00

record again you said to yourself,

7:02

very collectible, you made 200

7:05

it's on a mafradite record?

7:07

Yeah, the band was tapeworm so it was

7:09

for mafradite records, you know, it was just

7:11

sort of the whole thing was just sort

7:13

of made up as we went along, you

7:16

know. You're picking all sorts

7:18

of points to provoke. Yeah,

7:21

well that was the point I guess. We

7:23

were new to punk rock, it was in

7:25

1977 when we really started playing and the record

7:27

was made

7:31

in early 1978 and

7:34

we were all, I guess, 15 when

7:36

we formed and the other guys were

7:39

16 or 17 and so it was

7:41

all new to us, you know. So

7:44

you made this record, you made 200 copies,

7:47

did you guys had to pool your money together?

7:50

Yeah, actually because the

7:53

other two guys in the band wanted to Spend

7:55

some extra money to make 200 copies instead of 100 and I

7:58

was like, no. Oh

8:00

no one's gonna want to spitting. and so

8:02

I only one way. One hundred. So actually.

8:05

Put in less money and they put

8:07

in more money and make up more

8:09

more records. Thirteen incidents of the yellow

8:11

should have made you know. More.

8:14

Assess the thanks us. There was a

8:17

second practice at the first pressing. correct

8:19

me if I'm wrong is the small

8:21

hole one and then there's another pressing

8:23

that's the same year or around that

8:25

that's kind of the large hole one.

8:28

Know. That never happened. There

8:30

might have been good. there was probably there

8:33

was some bootleg. Maybe

8:35

ten or. So. Years

8:37

ago. Or maybe something like

8:39

that. I

8:41

don't know can a whole them and then

8:43

and then I'm. Then. There

8:45

was an official release which way to do

8:47

but term. Death. Phone Records in

8:50

Canada put it out. Thousand.

8:52

Five years ago. right?

8:55

But. There was no, there was no

8:57

other. There was no second pressing. We

8:59

may back then for sure. Oh ok

9:01

or and there was no the Lakes

9:03

back then because known as instead at

9:06

All So that was recently revived like

9:08

in the late nineties. Snipe, I've got

9:10

a plan for riches. Let's bootleg this

9:12

high school punished ban assist. I'm okay

9:15

so I'd I hate to contradictory but

9:17

there aren't. There are two versions from

9:19

back in the day. One is a

9:21

small ones a large hole. Also the

9:23

this information feel I. Am yeah,

9:26

I'm never. I've

9:28

never experienced. Are seeing that know what

9:30

that would be? Oh that, know what

9:32

will? Maybe one is a bootlegger? Maybe

9:35

one is. Maybe your bandmates made another

9:37

pressing behind your back since you're sort

9:39

of snelling the official. They've been written

9:41

in the money and that as witnesses

9:44

me as the first press. In fact,

9:46

if I'm wrong, it's it's it's It's

9:48

a colored pressing. It's It's a bluish.

9:51

Pressing. Ah, it's weird.

9:53

It spits black vinyl, but.

9:56

I. Don't know if it's subjects some cheat final

9:58

or work because when you go. That up

10:00

to the like, It. Looks kind

10:02

of purple is. That

10:05

the. It's. Just black Miles

10:07

for the name. That's it you guys paid for

10:09

he thought a black vinyl you may I know

10:11

the yeah we didn't play for any colored vinyl

10:13

it makes it's really black though and it's like

10:15

a said it's he was weird. Really noticed that

10:18

when you like. Held. It up

10:20

behind me not to let it would

10:22

seem turn purple is no fit in

10:24

with up as discuss it of final,

10:26

so cheap or somethin or their. Oh

10:29

added bonus pounds. So

10:32

camera, so tape worm. Goes.

10:34

On to Conquer America! As we all know,

10:38

What we're next steps after that. Ah

10:40

well Then the next year in high school

10:42

is a man called Safety Patrol with their

10:44

one of the other guys some tape worm.

10:46

the we never released any product. Then.

10:49

I moved away after high school. After

10:51

high school I moved away to California.

10:53

It's. And in Nineteen

10:56

eighty. A form of

10:58

them fang with the. With.

11:00

My friend Brian from high school who

11:02

was also and in tapeworms and was

11:04

farmed originally just as a duo. And

11:07

in early Nineteen Eighty One, we're be

11:09

the quarter to seven and switch. He

11:11

released. Oh

11:14

no to to no interest with

11:16

sufficient sets tests Sid Caesar did

11:18

a pattern mirrors no interest whatsoever.

11:22

So he moved across America. It

11:24

was for music reasons, personal reasons

11:26

or little both. Air was the

11:28

he was. Personally I mean I

11:30

have left high school and I

11:32

moved to Chicago. To. Supposedly

11:35

go to college but a. Guy.

11:38

Dropped out in Northwestern University in Chicago

11:40

after to steal weeks. And

11:42

I moved out California and is someone

11:45

who. Saw. It I went to

11:47

high school with the down California so I

11:49

moved out there to stay with them. As

11:53

the I didn't they just him in it

11:55

and. The other option was

11:57

going back home to my parents' house

11:59

and. In. A while

12:01

you'll do that. Athena served but you moved out

12:03

with a ban me or least one year old

12:06

families that are. There must be some sort how

12:08

he he i to move out with him but

12:10

he joined me. He moved to Texas when he

12:12

joined me like a year later so I was

12:14

in contact with them. Then he. Was.

12:16

Spots and around in Texas and he.

12:19

Couldn't. Getting go in there. So

12:21

he moved out to join me

12:23

in California. So with this new

12:25

single the Fang the ban sang

12:28

I enjoy the view yukon fine

12:30

with that record that actually has

12:32

picture sleeve as well. Yeah.

12:35

Big time. picturesquely bird really gone

12:37

up north as their heads of

12:39

bullets a big causes pressing for

12:41

a small ban. Now

12:43

lived in San Francisco, so ah

12:45

so there must have been some

12:48

strong confidence behind that for you

12:50

as well. Ah well, we just

12:53

don't know, We just. Feel.

12:55

Really figured it was a way to get some

12:57

interest in the band. You know likely to know

13:00

what else to do. And so we're. We.

13:03

Had leave really to sing. I think

13:05

we both made that Tapeworms single. So

13:07

we're We're familiar with the concept of

13:09

making a single and months, so it

13:11

seemed like the obvious thing to do.

13:14

That how would you sell the sea

13:16

gulls? I go go back to tape

13:18

where my means his friends steam room

13:20

you to sell it to friends of

13:23

ours at school or nino or parents

13:25

are just so anyone really really sell.

13:28

That many ready a dollar apiece. And

13:30

nino. So. I'll that these

13:32

high school friends that have all gotten

13:34

rich after Tapeworms singles cause they've been

13:36

selling him for fifteen hundred dollars and

13:38

stuff. and the very. Thankful.

13:41

I'm pleased that we could see weeks

13:43

do that for them. Ah

13:46

yes ah those. We didn't seltzer any

13:48

distributor and knew that sang singles. Over.

13:51

When we released and we went on

13:53

a tour of some sorts around the

13:55

country so we'd so it shows their

13:57

and also. They. go into

13:59

the local rec stores and sell

14:02

them there and I know eventually we only

14:05

made 500 so eventually I sold a

14:07

big box of them to a rough

14:09

trade a distributor and

14:12

they did something with them. Who

14:16

knows? I don't know they

14:18

paid me money for them. It's

14:20

up to them. Yeah, it's their

14:23

business now. So going from that

14:25

single to then that

14:27

now that wasn't Boner Records. No,

14:29

it didn't exist at all

14:31

then. How did Boner Records

14:34

come to be? Well

14:36

it just was a way because when Fang

14:39

the membership shifted around and by 1982

14:41

when we recorded the Landshark record

14:46

we had sort of vaguely thought about trying to

14:48

get someone else to release the record but we

14:51

kind of looked around and eventually I just said

14:53

well I can just do

14:55

it myself would make the most sense and probably be the

14:57

easiest way to do it and

15:00

at the time I

15:02

had no concept that

15:04

this would be an ongoing record company was

15:06

just a way to put the record out

15:08

of my band and the

15:11

name was just because I lived on the street

15:13

called Boner Street in Berkeley and so it was just

15:15

I'm using you know we called

15:18

it Boner Street and so it was Boner Records

15:20

on Boner Street and there goes and and

15:23

I found out by doing that that

15:25

I really enjoyed the whole process of

15:27

releasing records and so I

15:29

kept it going from there. Did

15:32

you prefer that sort of function

15:36

in music to playing and

15:38

touring? No

15:40

I didn't I

15:44

no I prefer playing

15:47

but I

15:49

couldn't really find the right people to play

15:51

with I think so I kind of got

15:54

away from it and just started releasing

15:58

releasing the records that way. I

16:00

think because I would sort of like to

16:02

be in charge of things, like to be

16:04

the decision maker and being

16:06

in a band, you can't really, unless

16:08

you want to be a total asshole about

16:10

it, you can't order everyone around what to

16:13

do, you know? So having,

16:15

owning a record company, being the sole employee,

16:18

you really got to do whatever

16:21

you want. It

16:23

seems to me Boner was set up just

16:26

for your personal releases, but at some point

16:29

you start bringing on other bands,

16:31

ones you weren't part of, yeah? Right,

16:34

yeah. Well, I put the, we did the

16:36

first two Bang Records,

16:39

and then there was this special

16:41

forces album, which was sort of

16:43

a weird thing because I just

16:45

was friends with the people in

16:47

the band, and they were going to be

16:49

putting up all the money for it, and

16:52

they just wanted me to help them sell it. And

16:55

I was, I sort of said, okay, sure, you know,

16:57

that's fine. And then after

17:01

that, I quit Fang,

17:03

so I wasn't in Fang anymore, so then

17:05

I still like putting out the record, so

17:07

I decided to make that Boner's

17:26

compilation. Right. All,

17:28

not so quiet on the Western Front, I think. I

17:30

got a copy somewhere around here. How

17:32

did you get involved in that, and were

17:34

there any lessons you learned from working

17:36

with alternative tentacles that you brought back

17:39

to Boner Records? Well,

17:44

not any lessons. We got involved because

17:46

they, it was Max from Rock and

17:48

Roll was putting it together. And

17:51

the various people involved, Tim

17:53

Yuhannan and Ruth Schwartz and

17:55

Biafra and maybe

17:57

Ray Farrell, I'm not sure who

18:00

was involved with picking back. But

18:02

I think they were picking every single, there's

18:04

47 bands, they were picking almost

18:06

every band that existed in the Bay Area.

18:11

I think it might have been

18:13

Beofra who sort

18:16

of picked us because I

18:19

don't think like Tim Euhannon and Jeff Bale, they

18:21

were more interested in things that were, if it

18:24

wasn't political, they weren't interested. The

18:28

lyrics weren't about El Salvador or

18:30

Ronald Reagan or something along those

18:32

lines, they said, what's the point?

18:35

And Beofra was more interested in kind of weirder sort

18:37

of music and so I think it was through

18:41

him that we got on the album,

18:43

although I'm not really sure. And

18:47

we weren't really, it was never,

18:50

we never dealt with alternative tentacles directly,

18:52

it was always just handing Tim Euhannon

18:54

basically the tape and they

18:57

took it from there. I'm

19:00

not sure, I know we were supposed to, alternative

19:04

tentacles gave everyone instructions on

19:07

how to like copyright

19:10

the songs or do some, I don't know, there

19:12

was some reason they wanted everyone to have to

19:15

fill out this legal garbage in order to,

19:17

you know, it was strange because no

19:20

other label is really bothered with any

19:22

of that. And I don't think

19:24

it was, there's any point to it, I think they might have

19:26

read a book that said they were supposed to do this or

19:28

something or other, I don't know. But

19:31

yeah, I didn't really,

19:33

didn't get any direct inspiration

19:36

from, I got inspiration from it, but you're gonna

19:38

need direct like clues on how to run a

19:40

record company, but it's just sort of they were,

19:43

I saw they were a record company, it was

19:45

around, you know, another example of being

19:47

able to do it yourself, I guess. Because

19:51

just printing your records and

19:53

getting them out there and learning organically,

19:56

it's a pretty slow

19:58

process and, you know, getting them out there. be

20:00

rife with mistakes, which I'm sure there are

20:02

mistakes made. But I guess

20:04

at some point, you would have had to

20:06

have had some sort of, perhaps, guidance or

20:08

seen how someone else was running

20:11

record company and started taking

20:13

lessons from that. Does that...

20:16

Well, I mean, I guess it

20:18

came from various places. I know

20:21

probably I asked around, like, you

20:24

know, where do you get your records pressed

20:26

and where do you get your coverage made?

20:28

I think I talked to Steve Tupper, subterranean,

20:30

and maybe

20:33

alternative tentacles, maybe the guy there,

20:37

who was doing it, I was just kind of

20:39

microwaving, might have been, I can't remember. So

20:41

yeah, I might have got just various addresses and

20:44

phone numbers and then, you

20:49

know, various people to hear about

20:51

where you can get the records distributed. So

20:53

there was systematic and rough trade

20:55

where it could, you know, they'd take your

20:58

records and sell them stores. And so

21:00

it kind of was a gradual process

21:02

of different people telling me

21:05

different stuff and finding out

21:07

what didn't. But then you had,

21:09

I mean, because you built up enough knowledge, or

21:11

at least people thought you had

21:13

enough knowledge to where bands like Special Forces were

21:15

coming to you and saying, hey, help us out,

21:17

man. Right, right. Yeah, they said, well, yeah, we're

21:19

going to have this thousand records and what do

21:22

we do with them? And I'm like, well, I

21:24

can sell them to Systematic, they'll take 25,

21:27

you know, or whatever. And that's, wow, great.

21:30

Do that. So that's how

21:32

you were kind of getting like Landshark

21:34

out there through Systematic and a few other

21:36

distributors. You just made these relationships and started

21:39

working. Yeah, yeah. Well, Systematic and Rough Trade

21:41

were the easy ones because they were in

21:43

San Francisco. So they were the first

21:45

easy ones. And then from then I, I

21:48

don't remember, I started selling to Important,

21:51

you know, their Relativity in

21:53

New York and, geez, there's

21:56

Green World in Los Angeles. And I

21:58

don't know, I gradually I'd

22:00

see either advertisements in

22:02

magazines or I'd see other people were

22:05

distributed through these places and so I'd

22:07

call them up. I

22:09

just figured the more distributors the

22:12

better until a few years later I found

22:14

out that a lot of them just go out of

22:16

business and don't pay you. It

22:18

screwed me up after a while. Were

22:21

you making a little bit of money early on

22:23

or at least not going backwards? Yeah. Yeah,

22:26

the Fang Records would slow it.

22:28

It broke even after a year

22:30

or so and from

22:32

then it was making money and so

22:34

I was lucky enough that the first thing

22:37

that I put out actually wasn't

22:39

a money loser. Right. Okay.

22:42

Now, that first album, Land Shark,

22:45

it opens up with The Money Will Roll

22:47

Right In, which is

22:49

such a fantastic

22:51

song. It's an anthem. That

22:54

song seems to have developed

22:56

the life of its own. What

22:58

do you remember about making that song? Well,

23:03

Fang did it. We

23:07

recorded it actually before our singer Sam

23:09

joined, not recorded it, but we wrote

23:11

it before our singer Sam joined. It

23:15

was actually our bass player, Chris,

23:18

had the music sort of. He had this sort

23:20

of weird thing that he was doing in his

23:22

old band. They were actually

23:25

doing it as a cover of

23:27

Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel and

23:30

he was playing that bass line of bar, bar,

23:32

bar, bar, bar, bar, bar, bar, bar, bar, bar,

23:34

bar, bar, and so somehow

23:36

I think in that I had written the

23:38

lyrics. I

23:41

still actually have the old notebook with the lyrics.

23:43

It's pretty funny to see that recently. Somehow,

23:47

eventually, I just fit, I

23:50

arranged his music to fit the

23:52

lyrics and it was one

23:54

of our, yeah, it actually was sort of a real

23:57

memorable thing right from when we first started playing it

23:59

because we originally. Chris was playing

24:01

bass and I was playing guitar and singing.

24:04

So I would be singing it and

24:08

then pretty soon after that, Sam joined and then

24:10

we recorded a version of it. It

24:14

really has been almost an

24:16

albatross around my neck with

24:18

this song, the thing that

24:21

everyone wants to talk about. Do

24:24

you not want to talk about it? No,

24:26

I'm happy to talk about it. It's just

24:28

funny. Everyone comes up to me, hey, did

24:30

the money roll right in? Oh, that's enough

24:33

with it. Jesus. I

24:36

imagine though it was an immediate fan favorite.

24:39

I think so. I must have been. When we

24:41

put it first on the record, we knew it

24:43

was the catchiest thing on there. I'm

24:46

sure we played it every single show. The

24:48

good thing about it, I remember we got people to,

24:52

before we played it, we got people to throw

24:54

money at us on stage,

24:57

especially on tour. So it really helped like

24:59

people would be throwing coins and we'd get to

25:01

scoop them all up and be

25:03

able to buy some top Ramen that

25:06

night or whatever. You

25:08

use it as a gimmick in that

25:11

way. Now that song is gone and

25:13

it was covered by Nirvana. Yeah.

25:17

Probably the height of their powers and

25:19

released on, I think, the Reading Live

25:21

album. Is that something, is that like a,

25:25

how did your life change due to that? Was

25:27

there any? No,

25:29

it didn't. I didn't even actually

25:31

know about it for like five

25:35

or more years after

25:37

it happened. I'd kind

25:40

of seen weird things online saying

25:42

Nirvana playing that money

25:45

roll right in, but I thought people were confused

25:48

and it was actually Mudhoney,

25:50

because Mudhoney recorded a version also.

25:53

So I thought people were referring to that. So

25:56

I didn't really, it wasn't really definite that

25:58

it actually happened until. Universal

26:02

actually contacted me when they were actually

26:04

planning on finally releasing it and

26:07

you know getting the rights and all the other stuff. So that

26:09

was when I really knew it happened. But it

26:14

wasn't like an immediate anything

26:16

really. It was

26:19

a nice thing to happen but didn't really

26:23

make me a millionaire. Nice.

26:25

Did they play it just that once or was it kind of part of their set for

26:27

a while? I think they played it

26:29

a few times. I'm not really sure. I

26:31

know they see they played it a few

26:33

times. I think they actually and

26:36

then sometimes they played it where when

26:38

Kurt would get on stage with Mudhoney and he would

26:40

like sing it while they played. And

26:42

so that's why I thought that's why I

26:45

was confused and people were saying Nirvana did it. But

26:48

yeah, I think they did it more

26:50

than once. But I'm not really sure if there's other recordings

26:52

of it or what. Okay.

26:54

All right. Because Kurt loved Fang

26:57

from what I understand. Yeah,

26:59

I never talked to him

27:01

about it. I met him briefly a few

27:03

times in various places but

27:05

he never mentioned Fang

27:07

to me. But I don't

27:10

know if he ever saw us when we were up

27:12

in Seattle or not. It was probably a little before

27:14

his time because we were up there with

27:16

me anyway. We were up there in like 1984. And

27:20

so he might have still been 15 years

27:23

old. I don't really remember. Right. Okay.

27:25

All right. Because yeah, he listed Landshark as

27:27

one of his, I guess,

27:31

foundational records. Right, right.

27:33

Yes, yeah. And

27:35

then of course we also know he had a

27:37

love of Melvin's. Yeah. I

27:41

think he identified himself as a Melvin's roadie

27:43

even through some of his mnemonic. Yeah, I

27:45

think that's what people say. And I think

27:47

what it really, I mean, people call themselves

27:49

roadies like, you know, he rode

27:52

in the van with them to their show

27:54

and probably helped him carry a nap inside.

27:57

If that means being an official roadie,

27:59

I don't know. Usually just

28:01

because you'll get in free, you know, or something.

28:03

Guys. So we're starting

28:05

to work with Melvins. How did Melvins come on

28:07

your radar and how did they end up on

28:10

Boner Records? We'll

28:12

be back after these messages. Well,

28:19

hey there record collectors. There's

28:21

a new service available that

28:23

specializes in record cleaning, restoring

28:25

sticker removal and professional grading.

28:27

VMG vinyl.com VMG Vinyl can

28:29

help you make the most

28:31

of your collectible records. From

28:33

professional cleaning of records and

28:35

sleeves, removing old price tags

28:37

and store stickers, dry cleaning

28:39

and rejuvenation of old shrink

28:41

wrap to make it look

28:43

like new, even providing you

28:45

a professional play-tested third-party grade

28:47

with either removable grading or encasing

28:49

in plastic. You have a wide

28:51

range of choices at VMG vinyl.com.

28:54

Buying a highly collectible record and

28:56

you want it checked out by

28:58

an expert, VMG Vinyl can do

29:01

that too. Head over there now

29:03

and see what VMG vinyl.com can

29:05

do for you and your collection.

29:07

That's VMG vinyl.com The one-stop shop

29:09

for professional third-party grading, cleaning and

29:11

record restoration. That's VMG vinyl.com Oh

29:16

and hey record nerds, don't forget

29:18

to clean your records with the

29:20

very best and safest record cleaner,

29:22

the Groove Washer. Make your records

29:24

look and sound their very best

29:26

and store them with confidence using

29:28

the new Groove Washer Groove Guard

29:30

record sleeves. You gotta try this

29:32

out, it makes a huge difference

29:34

to the quality of your vinyl

29:36

experience. Ask for the Groove Washer

29:38

by name at your local record

29:40

store and accept no substitutes. Or

29:42

head over to groovewasher.com and use

29:44

discount code VINALGUIDE10. All

29:46

hail the Groove Washer. That's

29:49

groovewasher.com discount code VINALGUIDE10. Now

29:52

we return to the program already in

29:54

progress. Melvin

30:00

Come on your radar and how they end up

30:02

on Boehner Records. Ah, There was

30:04

some. Be. In Nineteen Eighty

30:06

Eight, this friend of mine,

30:08

stephanie Sergeant who was the

30:11

original guitarist and. Seventy.

30:13

Or bits from Seattle familiar. Then she

30:15

moved out. I met her through sang

30:17

a few years before that. Anyway, she

30:20

moved down from Seattle to San Francisco.

30:23

And. So she was. Sounding.

30:25

Me about putting out. Near

30:27

Melvin. Staying in I'd I'd

30:29

heard of Arm and Certain,

30:32

but I didn't really know

30:34

much about them and. She

30:36

gave me a tape of a good

30:38

porch treatments and I was kind of

30:40

blown away by that. those like Maria

30:42

great detail. It's do or six good

30:45

for two weeks so I met and

30:47

melvin soon after that and or. This.

30:49

They're only. They're

30:52

only requirements for the record. They.

30:54

Wanted it in a twenty four tracks

30:57

studio. And. They wanted

30:59

to bring. Mark. Do Trump

31:01

who had produced reports humans.

31:03

In. The producer news living in England

31:06

bend so he had a slutty on

31:08

the fly martyred from over from England

31:10

new wanna do it and twenty four

31:12

track studio because those city really like

31:14

to legally poor treatments came out and

31:16

he wanted to be just as good

31:18

or better sounding than that. It's of

31:20

as the only requirements knows I okay

31:22

sure we can do as you know

31:24

and. That. So he did

31:26

so. he was recorded in San Francisco

31:29

and it's court in San Francisco. Yeah,

31:31

I think may. May.

31:33

Eighty Nine. Really quick to

31:35

they do everything first takes pretty much

31:37

just sleep. You. Know

31:39

that Super. Supernatural musicians I

31:41

guess it just you know have everything

31:43

to everyone if and probably rehearsing the

31:45

stuff every day, all day for you

31:48

know, easier and such as came in

31:50

and bland. So. in back that

31:52

were super disciplines coming in and

31:54

just not yes yeah they i

31:57

was the near there was no

31:59

foreigner. New Years to Noom Am

32:01

Bam Bam Bam Bam. All done. And

32:03

do you recall what Marx added to

32:05

the sessions? How he color did. Ah,

32:09

Mark added a

32:12

snobby attitude to

32:14

excuse. Of

32:17

specialist I was his name's

32:19

contributions in my mind, but

32:21

no, yeah. He.

32:24

I know he like to use. A

32:27

lot of room and the answer? My ex

32:29

around so that. That. Was nice

32:31

so gave a good done so

32:33

it it's. Roomy, Sound of

32:35

the asthma sounded ended up sounding a little

32:37

strange on here now, but. Other

32:40

now I'm A. he was a lorry,

32:42

the bass players old boyfriends and he

32:44

he knew them all real well and

32:47

so are. You. Saw a

32:49

friendly easy going you know, but. I

32:51

know are. There. Was

32:54

a bit of a little saying at the end

32:56

where. East officer not a

32:58

blue ask me for he said well

33:00

what about my see it's and as

33:02

like what are you talking about your

33:05

fish is it nice like law and

33:07

my fee for producing the wreck and

33:09

like oh this is the first I've

33:12

heard about this button and he said

33:14

i stories posted bruyneel from England his

33:16

eichel yes but then I need to

33:18

see from this is it's and so

33:21

he had and then queen he worked

33:23

as a specific I'll say. Slip.

33:26

Him a few hundred dollars and okay, fine

33:28

there's see. Okay,

33:30

and and the reception of

33:32

asthma how was it's were

33:34

originally eighty nine, right? There.

33:37

Timeouts. The Fall Of Eighty Nine. Yeah,

33:39

Fall Of Eighty Nine. It was a.

33:42

Avalon interest right away. I mean, there was

33:44

the whole. Sub. Pop thing

33:47

was really to so it it's taken

33:49

off at the time. In

33:51

so. They. Had

33:53

to Seattle connection and a sad

33:56

day know their old bass player

33:58

plays and mud honey now. He

34:00

was just all this. Automatic

34:03

connection that the. Really?

34:05

Made thing. So right

34:07

away. Me made a people instead

34:10

of and what's the heard it they really

34:12

great you know give me more okay with

34:14

and they were touring around really work and

34:16

the record yell a detour. they did some

34:18

west coast stuff and in there of her

34:20

get a tour in. The.

34:23

Spring and Nineteen Ninety and

34:25

then. of soon before there

34:27

was there are leaving and was all set up.

34:30

Laurie. Couldn't leads with them. So.

34:32

They asked me to do it. Because. They knew

34:34

I could. We were friends

34:37

with me and I knew I was

34:39

around and I can play and so

34:41

as to then I ended up doing

34:43

a tour and like May and June

34:45

of Nineteen Ninety which was lot of

34:47

foreigners, lot of interest and good shows

34:49

and stuff. Were you involved in any

34:51

of that cover artwork for example was

34:53

Mar Eggnog or Bullhead was that. None

34:57

None are not really a.

35:01

The asthma cover with some sort of

35:03

something is almost traced from a book

35:05

in in color dan and changed around,

35:07

but I have nothing to do with

35:10

it and. Back

35:12

cover was yeah, just turned

35:14

Buzzes handwriting and bear with us

35:16

And nothing I was involved

35:18

in Bullhead. Ah,

35:22

I mean I probably did the typesetting of things

35:24

in and lay out and stuff but it was

35:26

never is Zoe to the melvin in charge of

35:28

would have a gun on the Clyde. Okay

35:31

that's been nice to than way. it's every reckon

35:33

to put out is pretty much the band is

35:35

said. Here's what this is going to be: too

35:37

Tasty. This do this and this and you know

35:40

and I'll. Do. Pay stubs

35:42

and do stuff but as just.

35:45

Grunt. Work that really creative work I

35:47

guess so as as the guy

35:49

can a brand the label near

35:51

happen checks when a band comes

35:53

to you with an album cover.

35:56

D u I guess and was a judge

35:58

it but did you think about it? Is

36:00

is going to help sell the record?

36:02

Is this? Is it? A concern of

36:04

yours at all. He. Ah

36:06

ah. But it's

36:08

kind of like there's nothing I can do about

36:10

it if that's what they on. I think I'm

36:13

trying to think of. When

36:15

I've. Had anything to say

36:17

about it? I

36:19

know how and steel pull bass of

36:21

put out the Alerts record didn't have

36:23

their. Name. On

36:26

it anywhere. On the and

36:28

so on. Said.

36:30

Well that's not the best idea because you

36:32

know people will slip by it in a.

36:35

Store and will see it. So actually.

36:38

A got them to put stickers on the

36:41

front. Those said only. The. Only

36:43

thing man turned knickers any other. News

36:47

and Hall record which to nearly have their

36:49

name on the front either but other name

36:51

really big on the backs that I was

36:53

like okay it's really big on the back

36:56

fine that's good enough but yeah the earth.

36:58

Have never had a liquor. A

37:02

disagreement artistically about. like

37:04

this. This. Particular art

37:06

isn't any good or this or.

37:09

Won't help sell the record, It's more don't

37:11

think I think of as yeah your name

37:13

should be on their side. Okay so and

37:15

Melvin came to you with the idea for

37:18

the Solo Records. The

37:20

In Than paradigm like Kiss solo

37:22

records. When you member that conversation,

37:24

what was your reaction? Ah,

37:28

I don't remember particularly Buddy. I thought

37:30

it was funny and let's do it.

37:32

You know? I

37:35

mean by that point. Anything

37:37

they made was that was no financial

37:39

risk because I mean it would. You

37:42

know who was not gonna be a

37:44

money loser? Whatever they did and. I

37:47

thought it was a great. Idea

37:49

that m A to a server. Such a

37:52

weird stupid idea that it was the. Perfect.

37:54

For the end of. That

37:57

the artwork of those records. I mean,

37:59

it. Really looks like the Kiss our work I'd

38:01

I'd We would surprise me if it was the same are

38:03

if you got the same artist the be able to do

38:05

it. Yeah, we got to serve

38:08

the Sky. Actually, that's where we knew,

38:10

well, the Sky. Harvey Stafford's. His

38:12

tests they are. They wanted him

38:14

to do the three. Front

38:17

covers and then under three posters to.

38:20

And they have to solo album seo to

38:22

show him. And they did at

38:24

the only. The. Way they paid

38:26

him was they played a show.

38:29

In his last. His

38:32

birthday party his birthday party in

38:34

Islam. They played. And. He

38:36

got to pick a surplus like eager to

38:38

take all the songs that they would play

38:40

is the that was that enough That was

38:42

the only came into turn. That.

38:46

It's that he needed below now is probably

38:48

sold the I were to better at the

38:50

time it was there. Is.

38:52

A good deal. February a hospice. So

38:55

the artwork stayed with him. You don't have

38:57

the original artwork of that. Know.

39:00

Okay, Does. That ever come

39:02

and be problematic. and if you

39:05

do reissues or anything, well. Norman.

39:08

To think. It.

39:11

Has never come up to be a

39:13

problem that moment or was weird because

39:16

the i think there was an issue

39:18

with it were. That.

39:20

Many of us are work I

39:22

had. it's like. You.

39:24

Know when when he put the records out. I have the

39:27

paintings. And so I'm just.

39:29

I just started with all the other artworks

39:31

you know they had and in. In.

39:34

Harvey came in one day like

39:36

started. Demanding. It back

39:38

him know they have. okay I guess

39:40

so I know and and I didn't

39:42

have deterred. It's May I never really

39:44

thought about and so I that okay

39:47

I guess I don't need is a

39:49

mean serve take it but I'm for

39:51

any reissues. It so

39:53

he's been. He's always been able to recreate

39:55

things that we have gone either it's going

39:57

from. the next generation

40:00

of the artwork, you know, there's never really

40:02

been a problem. Okay.

40:04

And any of them... It hasn't really been any... I'm

40:07

trying to think of any other record that has been

40:09

like any kind of fine art that someone has done

40:11

just for the record. A lot of times it's

40:14

just stolen stuff, you know, from... Right. ...mattees

40:16

or whatever. But there's a lot of records that... and

40:19

these days they get, you know, reissued. I

40:21

don't think anyone expected to be reissuing vinyl,

40:23

you know, 40 years later. But as

40:25

they make these records, some of the

40:27

problems of getting a really

40:30

good copy of the original artwork.

40:32

Yeah, I can imagine. When we did

40:35

the Melvins reissues,

40:37

luckily Buzz's

40:39

wife, Mackie, took care

40:41

of all the artwork. And she kind

40:44

of redid most of them all. I'm

40:46

not sure. She might have like

40:48

scanned some of them and altered them. I was trying to

40:50

recolor them and did kind of weird stuff to them. So

40:52

it all... You know, whatever

40:55

she did, it worked. I don't know. Okay.

40:57

Out of my hands and I was happy about it. So,

41:00

Boner Records, it tends to go... from

41:03

my perspective, you had

41:05

a lot of releases, then it goes quiet,

41:07

and every so often another release comes out.

41:09

So, Boner Records has always been in

41:12

business. It's just sometimes more active than

41:14

others. Yeah, well, I was

41:16

actively putting out releases till like 96,

41:19

I guess. The

41:24

last one was a superconductor bastard

41:26

song. Double

41:28

LP. The last one was

41:31

double LP with a gold on the

41:33

cover and also embossed and just... Anyway,

41:38

and then after that, I didn't really put anything

41:40

out. New

41:42

wise, till like... 20

41:46

years later, I don't know. But

41:48

it's always been in business as far

41:51

as everything. Most things have still been in

41:53

print. A lot of the

41:55

vinyl is sold out, but Everything

41:57

is available digitally, of course, but also...

42:00

The still Cds and Serbs and

42:02

some vinyl of things still available

42:04

them in and okay, every few

42:07

years you have to reprint melvin

42:09

stuff for some of the more

42:11

popular titles. Yeah, like care of.

42:13

Had to keep repressing melvin cds

42:15

pretty constantly every few years and

42:17

know. And then The

42:20

Melvin vinyl which was which was

42:22

released started be released sir. Alan

42:24

the was five or six years ago,

42:27

and so those have all gone through

42:29

a bunch pressing sonos. And or

42:31

anything, anything that makes sense to the.

42:34

Self to press five hundred more copies

42:36

of The Sovereignty. More copies. Unemployment and.

42:39

Snow. Or. You

42:42

know the only reason not to his affair not

42:44

going to press five hundred copies of his consultant.

42:46

Guide. And fan of and

42:48

so what he or recollections

42:50

around the Lysol. Fi.

42:53

Ask. Ah,

42:57

Bad. Ones I'm. Ah

43:00

yeah I did, but they came me

43:03

with this. They want us to call

43:05

the record Lysol and I don't really

43:07

think anything of it to stickers. You.

43:09

Know punk rock bands as. They

43:12

put all kinds of stuff new, no one

43:14

cares. You put these copyrighted stop or parodies

43:16

all kind, the garbage and records and you

43:18

know it sits on a low level and

43:20

no one really gives a shit and no

43:22

one bothers you about it. so I didn't

43:24

think they'd be a problem at all with

43:26

it. really. Ah, I'm

43:28

And then. Eventually a lawyer

43:30

popped up at the door with

43:33

a dig stack of. Papers.

43:36

explaining. The. Know.

43:39

How Lysol as a copyright Of this in this

43:42

and that and to subvert, you know, blah blah

43:44

blah blah blah. The law. New. In

43:46

eternity of a Cease and desist and Destroy

43:48

all copies and we need you to come

43:50

in for deposition and know this other stuff.

43:54

So. Is there a big girl? Has.

43:57

Since and my main concern at.

44:00

time was because the name

44:02

Lysol didn't really matter. It was just sort

44:04

of a random name buzzed through

44:07

on there. And luckily it

44:09

wasn't printed anywhere. It was only printed

44:11

on the outside cover and on the

44:13

spine, but it wasn't on any

44:16

inserts. It wasn't on the actual label of the

44:18

record or anything. So my

44:21

main concern was I did not want

44:23

to have to destroy, I think it

44:26

was, I think I had made probably

44:28

8,000 or so CDs and 5,000

44:30

records and 2,000 cassettes. And I didn't want

44:34

to have to throw all that stuff in the garbage because it was

44:36

probably worth 20 or $30,000. And

44:40

so we had to negotiate

44:42

with these lawyers,

44:45

these legal people that humorless

44:48

to the max, just

44:51

trying to... Anyway, so I had to go to court. It

44:54

was not like a suit. It was like just

45:01

I had to go with their lawyer and be

45:04

a judge. It was like, I forget

45:06

what the legal term is. But anyway, we went in

45:09

there and had to say what was going to happen.

45:11

And in court, the best thing was on

45:13

our first meeting, I

45:15

basically committed perjury because

45:18

I said, well,

45:20

I don't understand because this

45:23

release hasn't

45:25

come out yet. It's not even made yet. Nothing's

45:28

happened yet. And so what's

45:31

the point? I won't put it out and

45:33

let's forget all about it. And

45:35

then the lawyer

45:40

said, okay, well, in three

45:42

weeks, we'll have another status conference and see what's going on.

45:44

And then out in the hallway, the awful lawyer turned

45:47

to me and said, look, I know that you lied

45:49

in there. And you want me

45:52

to tell you how I know? I was like, yeah, I

45:54

guess I'm interested in that. And he took out a picture

45:56

of the actual CD. that

46:00

said lights all on it and

46:02

I was very confused as to how the fuck

46:05

did he get a picture of the CD and

46:07

they've only been in our warehouse

46:09

like what did he break into the warehouse

46:11

what is going on and

46:13

eventually I figured out from reading

46:16

all the documents that they had

46:18

hired some private investigator in New

46:21

York and he had

46:23

called me claiming to

46:25

write for some magazine in New York

46:28

asking for an advance copy and

46:31

at the time the Melvins were

46:33

going to be playing in New York right then

46:35

for I think the new music seminar or something

46:38

and so it made sense that they want a copy and I

46:40

sent a copy out there to them and

46:43

so that's the copy

46:45

they had and the

46:47

picture of me that's copy they had so they

46:49

took the picture they knew it actually existed it

46:51

wasn't something that didn't exist yet

46:54

and so they put a lot of effort

46:57

into that they put so

46:59

much money and it was just you

47:01

know the amount of legal hours they

47:03

must have been at $200 an hour

47:05

or whatever it's just sort of ridiculous

47:11

so eventually I mean

47:13

I guess they were kind

47:16

enough to work with me

47:18

to say okay you can just cover it

47:20

up and

47:23

you don't have to destroy them all and

47:26

so then I had to go over guy to cover up

47:28

every single mention of

47:30

Lysol thing and hire random

47:32

people that I knew to come in and sit

47:35

there and take speed and do the

47:37

fucking stickering and just take typing on

47:40

doing over the marking over and all

47:42

this God but

47:44

it was just a that first day

47:46

when he accused me of committing perjury

47:48

in court I was like oh my god am I

47:50

going to jail now like what's getting

47:52

from worst to

47:55

worst so it's the fact that they

47:57

let you cover up that stuff is

47:59

actually surprising result. Yeah,

48:02

it could have been really assholes and they

48:04

were on that path anyway. Yeah, I mean

48:08

maybe they had some legal reason that that was easy

48:10

enough for them to do. I don't know how, but

48:12

somehow they were agreeable to it.

48:15

And the weirdest thing was a lot of the stuff was

48:18

already over at the European

48:21

distributor in England in advance and it

48:23

was sitting in their warehouse. And

48:25

so they had to do the same thing over there and

48:28

they were really confused because the Lysol

48:31

brand does not exist in Europe. So they

48:34

were like, what the hell is this Lysol?

48:36

What the fuck are we doing here? What

48:38

things is going on? But they actually had

48:40

to have some lawyer go in there and

48:42

check them all. And we had to have

48:44

a lawyer come in to

48:46

our warehouse and check all the things to

48:48

make sure they were properly covered up. So

48:50

you just had to order like, you just

48:52

had to make a whole bunch of little

48:55

blank or black tape that was

48:57

inside the cover. I don't remember. I mean

48:59

I'm such a cheapskate, I was trying to

49:01

figure out some way to have to do

49:03

this. And I think I couldn't

49:05

find black

49:10

stickers. So

49:12

I had to take white ones, I had

49:14

to spray paint them black. And then

49:16

I had a regular

49:18

marker wouldn't work on the coated

49:21

papers. I had to buy special

49:23

markers that would work on glossy

49:27

things or something, I don't know. But

49:29

yeah, I had to unwrap

49:32

them all and take the CDs

49:34

all apart and do the stickers

49:37

and do all this shit. And it just took

49:41

a few weeks for sure,

49:43

you know, drudgery. Right. Taping

49:45

over the thing, then you had to mark over the

49:48

spine. Yeah, and all

49:50

the records, you had to mark

49:52

over all the spines, which is easy enough, you put them all in

49:55

a row, go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,

49:57

boom, boom, boom. And you know, apparently, you

49:59

could just sort of to wipe it off with easel and two if you

50:01

want to. And then all

50:04

the stickers on the cover and the CDs were

50:06

a little harder because you actually had to unwrap

50:08

them and take it all apart and take the

50:10

back cards out and the books out, you know, take

50:13

them all apart and put them all back together. And

50:15

then I had to figure out I had

50:18

to get them all wrapped again and

50:21

for some reason I couldn't find

50:23

a good way to shrink-wrap

50:26

them again. I don't know

50:28

if it was, I don't think it was just

50:30

only because I was a cheapskate and didn't want

50:32

to pay extra money, but somehow I couldn't find

50:35

anywhere to get them shrink-wrapped so I had

50:37

to buy plastic bags, you

50:39

know, and then put them all in the plastic

50:42

bags and seal them up that way. And so

50:44

they all looked crappy and they

50:46

looked like, you know, used CDs and used

50:48

records, but it's better

50:50

than throwing them away. Yeah, that

50:53

sounds like a very, a bit of

50:55

a traumatic experience. Made

50:57

you question everything from that point. I lost

50:59

sleep, I lost sleep for a few nights

51:01

from it for sure. I mean it was

51:03

really just... Well those are quite collectible as

51:05

well and I think that's just the story

51:07

behind them and that a few escaped without

51:10

that sort of treatment on them. Yeah, I

51:12

know the ones, I mean, I think I'd

51:14

given them some to the band so they

51:16

probably had, you know, 20, 30

51:19

copies there so they probably

51:22

gave those to special friends or whatever they

51:24

did with them. I'm

51:27

sure I saved a few. I know I had

51:31

a few. I think right now I have one original,

51:34

I think I have an original CD

51:36

and original cassette as that's all I

51:38

have. So there weren't too many

51:41

that got out but probably in a lot

51:43

of them you could wipe

51:45

off the marker and you could probably, if

51:47

you worked hard at it, you could get

51:49

the sticker off that it would look,

51:52

you know, new. So that's all it

51:55

took. So there was one other parody,

51:59

the Sub Pop parody, Melvins and Speedable

52:01

Bandub. I'm assuming that seemed to

52:03

go a lot smoother than I

52:05

saw. No, they actually knew about

52:07

that. That was

52:10

Buzz's idea. I think he

52:12

originally, it was sort of like they had

52:15

the Mudhoney Sonic Youth Sub-Pop

52:17

7-inch, 12-inch, I don't remember. And

52:21

so then Buzz wanted to do something, I think

52:24

he originally was going to be them and Nirvana,

52:29

when he was just sort of giving out

52:32

wild ideas. And then they

52:34

would do, like Melvins would do, Mudhoney

52:36

and Nirvana would do Sonic Youth, I

52:38

don't remember what it was. So

52:40

then eventually it got

52:43

together with Melvins and Steelball Bandub where

52:46

Melvins did Mudhoney and Steelball Bandub

52:48

did Sonic Youth. And

52:52

Steelball Bandub remade the Sonic

52:55

Youth cover, you know,

52:57

they redid the art to look

52:59

like, you know, it wasn't exact but it was in

53:01

that motif or whatever. And Melvins

53:04

just said, let's use the exact same fucking cover

53:06

as mine anyway, whatever, just use that cover. So

53:09

he did, he just took a picture of that and

53:11

did it and then I made the, I

53:13

had to make the special Sub-Pop

53:17

label, I had to figure out

53:19

how to make it by hand, you know, I

53:21

wasn't really an expert graphic artist but I had

53:23

to, like okay, there's all the little stars and

53:25

there's this and this and whatever. And

53:27

I remember I sent it down to where

53:29

we got the records made and

53:32

they, it turned

53:34

out they were the ones who made Sub-Pop's

53:37

records also. So actually they called

53:39

me up and just want to make sure, is this going to be

53:41

okay? I mean, I just want to have, we're

53:43

not going to get in trouble for this or,

53:46

so I had to call up Sub-Pop to make sure it

53:49

would be okay. And then the clamp

53:51

down there said, well, you know, we can just

53:54

use the same plates or

53:56

whatever that we use for the

53:58

Sub-Pop labels and just see what happens. Instead of

54:00

using your artwork, we can use the actual sub-pop

54:03

artwork for these labels

54:05

and look better and be much easier. I

54:08

was like, yeah, that'd be great. So

54:10

that's what happened. So it came out really nice.

54:12

And then I told the sort

54:15

of, you know, making fun of collectible stuff

54:17

or colored vinyl and this and that. There

54:19

was all that sub-pop singles club happening and

54:21

people were getting out of hand with it.

54:23

And so we just decided to make the

54:25

stupidest collectible thing we could. I

54:28

just told the pressing

54:30

plant to just make, you know, every single

54:32

couple are imaginable. And they just went

54:35

through it and kept changing the colors around. And

54:37

so there's millions of different

54:39

color. I mean, we think we made 700 and

54:42

most of them are kind of unique because the colors

54:45

all mixed together as it goes along. Oh,

54:47

which pressing plant was this? I

54:49

think it was Alberti. It was either

54:52

Alberti or Rainbow. Okay. I

54:54

think it was Alberti. They went out

54:56

of business at the end of the 90s, but that's

54:59

who I used for most of the stuff back then. Rainbow

55:02

also went out of business. And at one point,

55:04

there was a scramble for people to get their

55:06

plates. They were storing plates of the

55:09

old. That happened in Alberti too. And

55:11

I didn't get that. I mean, I would

55:13

have had to travel down Los Angeles in order to

55:17

pick stuff up. And it was kind of like everything

55:19

at that point. No one was

55:21

buying records anymore. Anyway. It

55:24

didn't really matter. So a lot of my stuff got thrown

55:26

away at Alberti's

55:28

there. I know someone, because I

55:30

saw someone selling

55:33

one of the Melvin's plates

55:36

on eBay. So

55:39

I was like, where the hell did you get there? I

55:41

took another garbage at Alberti. Like, oh, all

55:43

right, whatever. So one other thing

55:46

I wanted to bring up is the band

55:48

Duh. I

55:51

love that band. I actually, I discovered them

55:53

when I found a copy

55:55

of The Unholy Handjob in a Burger King

55:57

parking lot. But

55:59

you. You formed, you were one

56:02

of the original duh founders. Yeah,

56:04

well, the record you're talking

56:06

about was a whole different

56:08

impostored duh. But... Oh,

56:11

okay. The original

56:13

duh was me and

56:16

Mike Murasky from Steel Pull Bathtub and

56:18

Bob McDonald singing and Gary Held who

56:21

owned the Revolver USA, the distributor and

56:23

Tupelo Records and stuff. So

56:26

we formed in 1990, I think,

56:29

and then we released the record Blow Hard in

56:31

92. And

56:35

then soon after that, we

56:38

broke up. I think we went

56:41

on tour in Europe with Steel Pull

56:43

Bathtub and then in 92 and after

56:45

we got back, sometime soon

56:47

after that, we kind of fell apart

56:49

and didn't stop playing. And

56:52

then Greg

56:54

Workman from Alternative Botanicals was

56:56

forming a band and as I heard it,

56:59

apparently he asked Bob McDonald, duh

57:01

singer, what should we call

57:03

our band? Bob said, why don't you just call

57:05

it duh? And he

57:08

was like, oh, okay. So

57:10

then they formed a completely different

57:12

duh with new members and

57:16

playing none of the same songs as far as

57:18

I know. Interesting, it's a really

57:20

different thing. But it kind

57:22

of went with the spirit of the whole

57:24

stupidity of the band that it's an impostor

57:27

band would form. And so they, and then

57:29

they released a record that looked pretty much

57:31

just like the one we made, except

57:34

the picture on the front now was of Bob

57:36

McDonald, our old singer, instead

57:38

of being some weird disabled person.

57:42

So were you aware of any

57:44

of this? The record you love is the

57:46

crappy one that's terrible, what I'm saying. And

57:49

the good one is the one that I

57:51

played on which came out a few years

57:53

earlier. Okay, got it, no wonder they seem

57:56

very different. The credits are all smart

57:58

ass too, you don't. know what to

58:00

believe. Yeah, yeah.

58:03

Did you ever see the the impostor?

58:06

I did see them. I saw them, well

58:08

I think I saw them the first show they might

58:11

have played where some people

58:13

were confused because like the

58:15

dubs and we are not you know famous

58:17

or anything like that but people

58:19

are on town knew who we were and so some people

58:22

were at the show very confused

58:24

as to what is this band,

58:26

who the hell. And so yeah

58:28

I think that was the only time I saw them was might

58:30

have been their first show. The best thing about their first show

58:32

was they needed they wanted

58:35

to get t-shirts and

58:37

I told Greg that well you

58:39

know I have these

58:42

t-shirts left over from when from our band

58:44

and you can just buy those you don't

58:46

have to make new ones or anything so

58:48

he came in and you

58:50

know took about three dozen

58:52

t-shirts that cost off my hands

58:54

so it was a good deal

58:57

for me again. Another intertwining

58:59

of reality. Now with with with

59:01

Boner Records and the history of

59:04

Melvin Steele, Paul Bathtub several bands

59:06

have started at Boner had

59:08

part of their career at Boner before going

59:10

to you know major label or other

59:13

other spots. With the explosion of the

59:15

music in the early 90s were there

59:18

any overages of larger

59:20

labels coming with

59:22

interest of purchasing Boner Records?

59:26

No, no interest in purchasing.

59:32

No not at all. There was when

59:37

the Melvins released Houdini,

59:39

their first major label thing,

59:42

I was offered but but

59:44

to press the vinyl that it was through I

59:46

guess Melvin's just asked me to if I wanted

59:48

to do it and I

59:51

kind of didn't really want it just

59:53

didn't seem just

59:55

didn't seem worth it like you

59:57

know the reason I put out records is to be in on

1:00:00

the whole creative

1:00:02

to be involved in making this thing

1:00:04

and putting it out to the public

1:00:06

and having a part in that and

1:00:09

to just press a vinyl for their record like something

1:00:11

that was already made. It was like, well, what's the...

1:00:14

It probably could make a little bit of money doing

1:00:16

that, but it's kind of like, what's

1:00:18

the point in that? So I didn't

1:00:20

tell you. It's kind of a hard

1:00:23

thing to explain, but it just didn't

1:00:26

seem to have any enjoyment factor in doing that.

1:00:28

So I didn't do it. And so

1:00:32

they ended up having Infant and Reptile do it

1:00:34

instead, which he actually called me to make sure

1:00:36

it was okay with me that they

1:00:38

were doing it. And I was like, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

1:00:42

We talked to Tom about that. Apparently Atlantic

1:00:45

actually just paid for the pressing and just sent

1:00:47

him the records to sell. Yeah. I mean, it

1:00:49

seems that those... That's kind of like, what's

1:00:52

the fun in that? That's not like, what's the point?

1:00:54

Well, it's also like, okay, am I going to owe

1:00:56

someone for this? Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

1:00:58

Am I going to owe someone a favor or

1:01:00

something for... Sort

1:01:03

of missing the... And it's the whole thing. You

1:01:06

don't want to be involved as much in... Like

1:01:09

if they're pretending to be an independent label, like

1:01:12

if they want to make vinyl, why don't they

1:01:14

just put the vinyl out? Why do they want

1:01:16

to have this... To launder it through this independent

1:01:18

label to make it seem cool

1:01:20

to the right people or... I don't

1:01:23

know. It just seemed a little off putting.

1:01:25

I really wanted to be involved.

1:01:29

But no

1:01:31

one ever came with any offers

1:01:34

to me to sell out. Right.

1:01:37

Okay. All right. Well, fair enough.

1:01:39

So you continued making

1:01:42

music into the 90s. You decided to

1:01:44

put the pause button on for a

1:01:46

while. Right. Like where were you at in

1:01:48

your life? What helped you make that decision? It

1:01:51

was kind of in a way like all these bands. Melvins

1:01:55

went to major label and Steel Ball

1:01:57

Bathtub went to major label and... It

1:02:01

just sort of seemed like there was less interest

1:02:03

in the kind of music I was putting out,

1:02:05

like the last few things I

1:02:07

put out, like sales had really gone down

1:02:09

and I

1:02:13

went on a tour with my band Starpimp in

1:02:15

like 1997 I guess and it just

1:02:19

seemed obvious that the interest just was

1:02:22

not happening and it

1:02:25

just seemed like it wasn't like a problem with my band,

1:02:27

it was sort of a problem with the whole scene

1:02:29

I was involved in somehow, you know, I don't know

1:02:31

what what actually the deal was.

1:02:34

So I just lost interest in doing

1:02:38

it and I didn't really, I stopped, it

1:02:40

stopped being fun trying to do

1:02:43

promotion and all this other stuff and

1:02:45

because it started out almost like as

1:02:47

a, the way I was

1:02:49

doing a label is almost like a parody of a

1:02:51

record label, like every, every bio I

1:02:53

put out would be like lies and

1:02:55

every ad would just have in

1:02:58

jokes and weird shit on it and but

1:03:01

that kind of got old where you know

1:03:03

I couldn't keep doing the same type of

1:03:05

thing over and over again and it just,

1:03:10

the whole business aspect of it

1:03:12

and trying to compete

1:03:14

with majors and promote the way they do

1:03:16

it just seemed like what's the point, forget

1:03:18

it. So I, you know, I felt

1:03:21

like I had enough income

1:03:23

coming in and I didn't really need

1:03:25

to do this anymore and it wasn't

1:03:28

fun so I stopped doing it for a while.

1:03:30

Okay, did

1:03:32

you focus on other creative ventures,

1:03:34

music or? No,

1:03:37

I thought I would start making films for

1:03:39

a while but then that kind of ended

1:03:41

up being harder. I

1:03:44

mean because I, I'm

1:03:47

not a good collaborator, I'm not

1:03:49

a good at getting together with other people

1:03:51

and collaborating and meeting people and do networking

1:03:53

and all that kind of stuff and especially

1:03:55

for film work you need to have a

1:03:57

whole crew doing shit together. work

1:04:00

for me. But I like being in

1:04:02

bands and being able to do my stuff. Was

1:04:05

Bota Records pretty much yourself? Did you ever

1:04:07

have multiple people working

1:04:09

with you? Almost always myself.

1:04:12

I had a few employees. I had one

1:04:15

employee for a while and I had actually

1:04:18

Mike from Steelville, got to

1:04:21

work for a few months.

1:04:24

And they're always part-time. There's never

1:04:26

a lot to do. But then I

1:04:28

shared a warehouse with

1:04:31

Revolver USA, the distributor. And

1:04:34

so in that way,

1:04:37

they were able to sell all our stuff direct to

1:04:40

a whole lot of stores. And

1:04:43

so I got a lot of help

1:04:45

that way as far as distribution and

1:04:47

not needing a lot of

1:04:50

other people. But it was almost always

1:04:52

just me doing everything, like designing

1:04:54

all the ads, doing new promotions, sending

1:04:57

out the promotional copies, laying

1:05:00

out the record covers, calling up

1:05:03

the distributors, shipping of the distributors,

1:05:07

et cetera. Right.

1:05:09

So it was pretty much largely

1:05:11

a one-man show, but you had casuals

1:05:14

that helped you during peak

1:05:16

periods? Yeah. Okay.

1:05:19

And so recently you've got

1:05:22

this Antler family record. Now

1:05:24

what preempted stepping back into

1:05:26

the creative world? Well, yeah.

1:05:28

Like 10 years ago, I

1:05:31

started playing again. I played in the

1:05:33

band with the old singer from Fang

1:05:37

called Cornelia Fassburger.

1:05:39

And we put out a CD.

1:05:41

And then after

1:05:44

that stop, I started playing with Antler

1:05:47

family. This would have been like 2016. And

1:05:49

so for the next

1:05:54

three years or so, we played shows and we

1:05:57

ended up recording a whole album. And

1:06:01

then there was the pandemic

1:06:04

came along. And

1:06:07

so we couldn't play shows anymore

1:06:09

and just sort of people split

1:06:11

apart and did weird different stuff.

1:06:14

And just in the last year or

1:06:17

so, we've gotten gradually back together again.

1:06:20

And finally put

1:06:22

out this stuff to be recorded five

1:06:24

years ago. Finally

1:06:26

got it out on vinyl. And that

1:06:29

just was a few weeks ago when that came out.

1:06:32

Now, obviously there's

1:06:34

been changes from when you were pressing vinyl in

1:06:36

the 80s and early

1:06:38

90s to now. What

1:06:41

sort of changes in the whole production

1:06:43

process, not just vinyl, but the packaging

1:06:45

and marketing and everything. You

1:06:47

know, is that, are you comfortable with those

1:06:50

changes? The

1:06:52

changes are, well, we're vinyl.

1:06:56

For some reason it takes like six months

1:06:59

to get anything made because

1:07:01

something where the pressing plants have closed

1:07:03

down and they still haven't opened new

1:07:05

ones back up because they don't know

1:07:07

when it's gonna, this bad

1:07:09

is gonna stop again. It's

1:07:13

very expensive nowadays, which I don't know if that's

1:07:16

all inflation. I think, you know, I don't know

1:07:18

what it is, but plus

1:07:21

you just don't sell nearly as many.

1:07:23

I mean, when I

1:07:25

made things in the 90s or anything,

1:07:29

any piece of garbage you put out, you'd sell

1:07:31

2000 copies, you know, just

1:07:33

putting it out to distributors or go out to stores and

1:07:35

people buy it. And I guess a lot of it is

1:07:38

people don't listen to music that way as

1:07:40

much anymore. They listen to it

1:07:43

digitally, just like I do. So

1:07:45

they don't buy as much vinyl.

1:07:47

They just, you know, they

1:07:51

subscribe to Spotify or whatever and they can hear whatever

1:07:53

they want that way. So

1:07:56

it's a much more, what a

1:07:59

boutique kind of thing. thing where you just like,

1:08:01

you know, you just make a few hundred copies and

1:08:03

sell them for a lot of money and to

1:08:06

people that want an actual product

1:08:08

to hold in their hand, I guess. And

1:08:10

you got a limited pressing here. What

1:08:12

sort of quantities are there on Antler family? Two

1:08:16

hundred fifty. And it's a

1:08:18

very involved pressing. It's a

1:08:21

nice color. It's nice creamy.

1:08:24

It's Antler family, Antler, Antler

1:08:26

colored. All right. So it's like, you

1:08:28

know, I think they might call it bone. I'm not sure. And

1:08:31

it has a nice kind of gloss, spot

1:08:34

gloss on the cover. It looks real nice. Thing looks

1:08:36

really nice. I mean, it was an expensive, expensive

1:08:39

thing. If we sell out of the two

1:08:41

fifty, we're ready to go on more, you

1:08:43

know, so we'll see what happens. Why is

1:08:45

the name Antler family? How did that come

1:08:47

to you? I don't really just threw it,

1:08:49

thrown around a bunch of names and somehow,

1:08:51

I mean, I've heard of bands before that

1:08:53

were something, something family. It always, it

1:08:56

always kind of seemed neat to me,

1:08:58

you know, the so and so family,

1:09:00

this family, Partridge family, you know, I

1:09:02

don't know. So I don't know. I

1:09:04

just said it had a nice ring

1:09:07

to it. It's of course, when you're thinking of names,

1:09:10

it has, you know, there's four

1:09:12

people and everyone's always going to hate

1:09:14

something. And so you have to, you

1:09:16

come up with something that everyone says

1:09:18

like, OK, that's good

1:09:21

enough. And it's like, great, we're

1:09:23

set. Let's go. You

1:09:25

have any other band names kind of in your pocket

1:09:27

just in case you need to pull them out? Yeah,

1:09:30

I don't have any. I

1:09:32

always wanted to have a band stump fetish, but

1:09:36

no one has gone for that one yet. Someone's

1:09:39

going to steal it now. I like

1:09:41

Antler family. It's kind of almost an

1:09:44

iambic pentameter. Yeah, it

1:09:46

just had a nice sound to it. I don't

1:09:48

know. Nice friendly, friendly, but

1:09:50

kind of dark in the same

1:09:52

way. Now, are you are you

1:09:54

starting to play live again? Yeah, yeah,

1:09:57

we play. Well, yeah, we we play. in

1:10:00

the few months ago and are going to

1:10:02

be playing again in March in San Francisco.

1:10:04

And so yeah,

1:10:07

we're on the, we're full

1:10:09

on. Okay. So this

1:10:11

project may be for

1:10:13

quite some time. This may be the

1:10:15

first of a few Antler family releases?

1:10:18

Yeah. Yeah. Because we have

1:10:20

new songs. I don't know if it's full album's worth

1:10:22

yet, but so

1:10:24

we should go in studio again at

1:10:26

some point and, you know,

1:10:29

this time we won't wait five years in

1:10:31

order to put things out. Okay. Well,

1:10:35

hopefully there's not another pandemic. Okay.

1:10:39

So I'm, I'm a little lost as to

1:10:41

where to direct people to order Antler family.

1:10:43

I went to forced exposure, but they're out

1:10:45

of stock. Well, you can,

1:10:47

you can go through mid heaven,

1:10:49

we haven't done or

1:10:52

you can order direct from us at band

1:10:54

camp or, oh, bank. Okay. What's

1:10:57

the bank camp? Yeah. That's Antler.

1:10:59

It's Antler family. I don't know. I don't

1:11:02

know the exact. Oh,

1:11:04

it is antlerfamily.bandcamp.com and

1:11:06

yes. 12 inch. Oh, very good.

1:11:09

25 bucks. What a bargain. I thought

1:11:11

it's on Amazon too, but they were selling

1:11:13

it for $71 and I don't know how,

1:11:15

where they're

1:11:18

getting that figure from. Cause I know they're not,

1:11:21

they're just buying it at a regular, you know,

1:11:24

20 something, whatever

1:11:26

dollars. So I don't know where they're

1:11:28

jacking it up to 71, but you don't have to,

1:11:31

you don't have to go to Amazon

1:11:33

unless you have a special love for

1:11:35

Amazon. You can buy it for much cheaper. Right.

1:11:38

Okay. Yeah. There it is. Buy

1:11:41

direct from the band antlerfamily.bandcamp.com.

1:11:45

So you're back busy with

1:11:47

antlerfamily and

1:11:49

boner record seems to have been revived.

1:11:53

Anything else going on? Well, I'm in

1:11:55

a band, a second band called suboptics. I

1:11:57

did play guitar and also. So

1:12:00

we should be recording sometime soon as

1:12:03

well and We'll see

1:12:05

what happens. We sure have enough songs too. So, you

1:12:07

know You got a lot

1:12:09

of stuff going on. You got more energy than I do Fantastic

1:12:14

okay, so we'll we'll be look is

1:12:16

there any anything on band camp for

1:12:18

them. Yeah. Yeah, there's actually there's a

1:12:22

There's a three song demo

1:12:24

we recorded it's not It's

1:12:27

not you know vinyl release but it's a

1:12:29

demo stuff you can listen to

1:12:32

their purchase there if you wanted to but Suboptics

1:12:35

is it headworm rocket?

1:12:38

Yes. That's it. There we go. Okay. I'll put that

1:12:40

link in this episode page as well Yeah,

1:12:43

three songs up there. All right. Well

1:12:45

Tom Thank you very much for for

1:12:47

joining us here and being patient with

1:12:49

the record nerd questions You did really

1:12:51

well, by the way a very very

1:12:53

good memory and yeah nothing Nerd

1:12:56

or something you kind of are a record

1:12:58

nerd. You may not know it or recognize

1:13:01

it You need to you can self identify

1:13:03

as a record nerd and no question it

1:13:06

I want to call people's attention to

1:13:08

antler family antler family dot band camp

1:13:10

calm again 250 records So

1:13:14

grab one and antler colored copy

1:13:16

at antler family dot band camp

1:13:18

calm and check out sub optics

1:13:21

sub optics dot band camp calm I'll put

1:13:23

those links in this episode page and Tom.

1:13:25

Thank you very much for for

1:13:27

joining us here and Again,

1:13:30

good luck with with all these projects going

1:13:32

forward glad to see boner. The boner flag

1:13:34

is still flying. Yeah. Yeah Well, they'll be

1:13:36

here forever. So yeah Ah There

1:13:51

we go lots of history there kiddos

1:13:54

Thank you, Tom Flynn a boner records for coming on.

1:13:56

I would have wondered what happened to that label I

1:13:59

thought that They were long

1:14:01

gone, but glad to see

1:14:03

they were only hibernating and

1:14:05

now they've reawakened. So again,

1:14:08

antlerfamily.bandcamp.com. And thank you,

1:14:10

Tom. You're welcome back to the show anytime. And

1:14:13

that's it for this episode of the vinyl

1:14:16

guide. Thank you so much for tuning in.

1:14:18

Hey, make sure you follow the vinyl guide

1:14:20

podcast in your podcast app. You got to

1:14:23

click the little follow button. I

1:14:25

need some Spotify and of course at the

1:14:27

top of the screen on Apple podcast. Make

1:14:29

sure you click that button because that way,

1:14:31

whenever we come out with an episode, it

1:14:33

lets you know, something news going on and

1:14:35

you could enjoy it right away. And

1:14:38

of course, thank you to everyone who's leaving

1:14:40

positive reviews. You know, if you haven't yet,

1:14:42

you can too. Go to Apple podcast or

1:14:45

Spotify. Say something really nice. Rate us five

1:14:47

out of five or something swell.

1:14:49

And we do appreciate that. And we'll be

1:14:51

back shortly with a brand new episode. So

1:14:53

until we talk next time, get out there

1:14:55

and buy some records, people. Cheers.