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Interview with LEW HOUSTON of VINYL -A- Go Go.
Vinyl -a- Go Go is a way cool pop punk e-zine that has all sorts of info on pop punk as well as info on record players, vinyl, and other related stuff. Definitely one of my favorite sites! Enjoy the interview and be sure to visit Vinyl -A- Go Go!
Regular Text = Lew
Underlined text = Me
1)What made you decide to start Vinyl-A-Go Go, and when did you start it?
I started Vinyl-A-Go Go around December of 1999. I started it mainly because I felt that there was a need for more zines covering underground pop-punk, and doing a zine is something I love to do anyway. The idea behind having a vinyl and record player theme came because I could never find anyone who mentioned how one was to find a good record player these days, yet they were more than happy to espouse vinyl and bitch that no one owns a record player on which to play it. I had found a few cool online places that sold record players and the related stuff and I thought I could share those with people while trying to provide some other neat stuff about vinyl and all things related. So far VaGG has become more of a standard pop-punk zine but I still try to focus on vinyl and record players, it just gets difficult sometimes. Especially since a week after I started the page certain people declared that the vinyl format was officially on its way out, which I understand from a ! record label's perspective, but not from a fan's.
2)What is your favorite thing about doing Vinyl-A-Go Go?
My favorite thing would have to be knowing that I have the ability to let band's and labels know that I appreciate what they're doing. Without the band's that work their asses off to practice, record, and tour just for us, the fans, there wouldn't be a pop-punk underground. And if it wasn't for the labels that sacrifice years of their lives just to put the product into our sweaty hands there wouldn't be anywhere for those bands to be heard. I sometimes feel both of the above mentioned people don't get enough credit for how much they give to pop-punk, and it makes my day when I find out that something I wrote let them know how much they are appreciated. That's ultimately why I do it.
3)What do you like best about getting records in the mail?
I'm going to assume you mean promo-wise. Unfortunately I don't receive much promo for VaGG. Not that I really mind, I understand that my page isn't viewed by enough people to make it worth a label's time to send me stuff. There are a few nice labels and people out there, though that have given me stuff, and that's always very much appreciated. It is sometimes a little difficult to keep up with the influx of new stuff coming out of the pop-punk underground, which is definitely a positive thing, but not so much when you're goal is to document it all. I try my damndest to buy as many new releases as I can. It's not like I wouldn't anyway, and it actually gives me an excuse for splurging on records, knowing that it's really not just for my own entertainment, it's also for the greater good of society. I sometimes wish I was buying more vinyl though, as it would be nice to review some, but I suppose there aren't that many vinyl releases coming out these days (or maybe I'm ! getting lazy)... If you were just speaking of the act of mail-ordering records (which I assume you weren't, but will pretend you were), then I would say the best part about getting them in the mail is that split-second right before you open the envelope and your heart starts beating faster in anticipation of the possible greatness of the record you are about to receive. It's somewhat of a high I think, and at times seems more dangerous than most hard drugs. However, I have yet to overdose on vinyl, and my friends and family don't suspect a thing.
4)Do you have any plans for future improvements to Vinyl-A-Go Go, and if so, what are they (if you don't mind me asking)?
Of course I don't mind you asking. I'm sometimes wary to give away too many of my plans, because I have a nasty habit of never finishing what I start, therefore if no one knows what I'm starting they'll also never know whether or not I finished. I eventually want to get the page to a level where I know a lot of people are checking it out on a regular basis. I know there are a few people out there doing that right now, but I'd like to see the numbers increase. I have however determined that there are no plain old "fans" of underground pop-punk, so far nearly everyone who has commented on the page has either been in a band, run a record label, or done their own zine. Which is super and just attests to how vital and self-sufficient underground pop-punk really is. However, none of that really answers your question now does it? I've recently made a few additions which I'm really proud of, and had wanted to do for a long time, mainly the photo-album section, which obviously contains pictures I've taken of various bands, so far only Dirt Bike Annie, the Ergs, and Charlie Brown Gets a Valentine. However I would love to see that section grow, assuming I get to anymore shows this year (which seems darn unlikely). I think that pop-punk tends to do a bad job of documenting itself and one of those areas it's lacking in is photography. There are only a few places on the web that I know of that feature any sort of pictures of pop-punk bands, which is sad. Another thing I would love to do is have a substantial columns area, with several columns by anyone really, but hopefully by kids with an interest in pop-punk, vinyl, or both, as well something interesting to say. I attempted to drum up some columnists a few months ago, but that didn't really work, so it's definitely something I need to work on. If anyone's interested please get in touch. I'd also like to get more stuff on the page specifically about vinyl, so far I have one pirated article on the history of 45's which is extremely cool, but it's not much. So that's always something in the back of my mind. I've also been planning on giving the page a face lift, but that could take awhile, and right now I want to focus on writing reviews and getting some substance on the page. I think it looks ok right now so I'm not going to worry about that for awhile. Vinyl-A-Go Go is a constantly changing project, I'm always coming up with new ideas and become inspired by lots of different things. So I'm never really sure what's in store for the future.
5)Were you involved in any similar projects before Vinyl-A-Go Go?
> > > > Yes, in fact I was involved in several, all of which helped me gain the skills I needed to pull off a page like VaGG. When I was fifteen or so I started a zine called Quadroceptive Infinitation, which was originally an attempt to showcase my artwork and talk about punk bands. I had however, never really read any other zines and therefore did a really shitty job doing my own. I had no idea what went into a competent zine, or really even why one did a zine. I had all of the drive, energy and inspiration and none of the know-how, which can be a good thing, but for the first two issues it was definitely a bad thing. I got many horrible reviews, likening the zine to a waste of paper and all sorts of other horrendous things. I persevered however and really hit my stride with issue four, which garnered a lot of positive reviews, and is my favorite issue. It's however now out of print. Issue five is the newest issue and is alright, for some reason the writing came out worse,! but there are some great moments, mainly the huge-ass interview with Josh Rutledge of Now Wave Magazine, an interview I'm really proud of. A webpage for Q.I. exists at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/3216 it's a little out of date, although the info. on issue five is fairly current. I believe the address is wrong which I should definitely fix. That was the first webpage I ever did and it helped me to gain a rudimentary understanding of html and all such stuff. I've since improved, though truthfully not that much, I've just sort of learned to manipulate things a little better. I also did a zine called stuck which existed for two issues. The point of that was to try and capture the experience of growing up and how it can both suck and kick ass all at the same time. Issue two is a collection of other people's writing and is really cool, it's still in print and more info. can be found on the Q.I. page.
I did a zine distro. for awhile as well. That was about three years ago and was on a really small scale, I did have some repeat customers though and one kid even told me I was the best zine distro. ever. That was very cool indeed. I used to be heavily involved in the whole zine underground, but sort of fell out of it, which is something I at times regret. It's always been my contention that it takes a person with no life to do a good job at doing a print zine. I don't mean a personality-less person, but rather a kid who sits in his/her room all day and does absolutely nothing but work on his/her zine and write to people, order zines, etc. It's a huge commitment but can be a lot of fun and really inspiring at times. It was that way for me anyway.
After I sort of stopped doing those projects I became a huge fan of underground pop-punk in general and the Connie Dungs specifically. I found however that they didn't have any webpages about them that were very good. I soon decided to start my own "unofficial" dung's page. It started out pretty poorly as I had no access to a scanner and was still figuring out the whole web design thing. Eventually though it turned into one of the better dung's pages out there. A few months after I'd started it I found out that Wayne, the bassist for the band, wanted me to get in touch with him, which I did, and I soon found that he was a really nice guy, willing to help me out with the page by supplying up to date info. on the band and other cool stuff. Needless to say I was extremely excited to be working so closely with one of my favorite bands (essentially THE band that introduced me to underground pop-punk AND Mutant Pop Records). There was also talk of making the page the official! dungs page, which I was also very excited about. A few months after Wayne and I first talked Dave Spodie joined the band and started talking about helping the band do their own official page. Dave and I had become friends awhile before all this happened, so initially it was going to be both him and I working on the page, something I was again very excited to be doing. Eventually it seemed obvious that Dave really didn't need my help, as he was becoming much better at web design than I and it just seemed silly for me to try and help. I had started the page because I felt the Connie Dungs needed a good place on the web for their fans to visit and find out about the band. With Daves page turning out to be a better place to do that I was content. The pages do share the same guestbook, but other than that I never really got a chance to help out much. I most likely would have kept updating my own "unofficial" page, but I lost my password and ended up getting it all screwed u! p with geocities, and haven't been able to access the page for over a year. You can still visit it though at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/7559
My experiences with the dung's page had a lot to do with my desire to continue doing some sort of webpage. I really felt like a part of the pop-punk underground while doing the dung's page, and it was a great feeling. VaGG is essentially a continuation of what I was doing then as it allows me to stay involved in and give back to something that's really important to me.
6)About how many 7 inches do you own, and what are your top 8 (I figure 8 is a good number between 5 and 10) from your collection?
I own only about 120 7 inches that I would consider worth owning, it's probably more like 150, but 120 is a good number. I guess that is probably a small amount compared to more avid collectors or people who have been buying vinyl a lot longer than I, but I'm sort of happy with it. I do see a need to expand my collection though, sometimes I find it wanting in variety, but I can honestly say I love about 95% of all the 7 inches I own.
As for my top 8. I had never really sat down and thought about this before you asked, so I found it sort of difficult. I probably relied on some safe bets in places, but overall I think this is a good representation of those 7 inches I consider most important to me, taking into account both how great the record is as well as the personal significance the record had on me. Here goes.
> 1. The Connie Dungs "Missy and Johnny"-Harmless Records
> 2. Spodie "Pop Punk-a-Go Go"-Cult of Teen Records
> 3. Dirt Bike Annie "Chocoberri Sugarpops"-Mutant Pop Records
> 4. The Kung Fu Monkeys "s/t"-Suzy Wong presents...
> 5. The Automatics "Ten Golden Greats"-Mutant Pop Records
> 6. After School Special "s/t"-Loss Control
> 7. Boris the Sprinkler "Little Yellow Box"-Bulge Records
> 8. The Peabodys "Dilemma"-Mutant Pop Records
7)What do you think about Mutant Pop cancelling the vinyl series and moving to SRCD's?
hmm...I've talked a little bit about this on Vinyl-A-Go Go and it's something I definitely have a lot of opinions and feelings about, but I'll try to keep this short. At first I was really surprised and a little let down. I sort of took it from a personal standpoint instead of looking at it from Tim's point of view, which was definitely not fair to him. I now however totally understand the reasons behind Tim's actions and support him 100%, although I admit that for awhile there I'd thought he'd gone off his rocker. I loved the singles series, and was looking forward to another few years of top-notch poppy punk records with ultra-cool packaging and dazzling colored vinyl, but it wasn't meant to be. It took a while to adjust but I've nearly gotten over the singles series and am starting to fall head over heels for the short runs. I'm still not at the point where my palms start sweating and my heart starts thumping upon arrival of the newest wave of short runs, but I think! I'm getting there. The past three waves have been increasingly cooler and I'm definitely starting to realize just what's going on in Tim's head.
8)I am very excited about the whole Pop Punk underground, and how great new bands are being introduced to the world by way of the MP Short Run CD series. Are you this excited also?
I am, I think the short runs are a great way for up and coming bands to establish themselves in the pop punk underground and eventually develop into heavy hitters. Of course the short runs are just a step in the right direction and it will still take the hard work and dedication (not to mention talent and such) that the heavy hitters of the past had. However, it will make it all a little easier. I enjoy the concept of a mini album that allows a band to showcase itself to potential fans who wouldn't have heard them otherwise. It's very cool.
As far as the whole pop punk underground is concerned, I think this year is turning out to be a really important one. Perhaps I only see it that way because of some of the experiences I've had or because I wasn't necessarily as involved during the last five years, but it seems to me a lot of vital stuff is happening. There's been a slight shift in the heavy hitters and a huge shift in the second and third strings, but it's all turning out for the best. The short runs, of course, add to the excitement and help to bring the pop-punk underground together, creating a tighter community. The Mutant Pop fest also did that for those who were able to attend. It's all about creating a network of fans, labels, and bands that can help each other out. It's obviously existed for years but it seems to me that it's become a little more developed recently. However there's also the simple fact that some really great bands exist at the moment. A lot of the new bands are proving to be just as exciting as some of the bigger bands that have moved on or slowed down in output and momentum, which is always good to see.
9)Any additional comments?
Thanks again Grant, for interviewing me. If you read this whole thing thanks for putting up with my obsessed rambling, please check out Vinyl-A-Go Go at http://www.geocities.com/vinylagogo and let me know what you think. rock and roll.
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer this interview, Thanks!!!
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