Nate is a record collector, music lover and vinyl maniac. Join him on his journey to discuss, share and review all things related to vinyl records. We feature stories about and interviews with musicians, artists and people of knowledge in the area of vinyl records. Additionally we share information on desirable pressings of records, how to tell a $5 pressing from a $500 pressing and care and maintenance for your cratedigging hobby. Subscribe and share with your record-nerd friends. Cheers!
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 27/10/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Ep570: Full Throttle with Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman
Episode 570
Monday, October 26, 2026 • Duration 51:45
Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek shares tales from his memoir Full Throttle, from early Stooges & MC5 memories, Lou Reed's part of the Radio Birdman story, becoming a doctor, flight surgeon and piloting the band through their final 50th-anniversary shows.
Joey returns from tour and adjusts to life back home.
Tour life, family logistics, and dogs that act up when he's away.
How a Circle Jerks Black Flag single came together.
Fans kept asking for Black Flag songs; Keith said no pressure.
Road-testing Depression, Revenge and Nervous Breakdown at European festivals.
Why Joey calls Keith Morris the blueprint for every Black Flag singer.
Everything Went Black versions became Joey's template for the songs.
The first Black Flag EP and Keith's staccato vocal delivery.
Recording live, in set order, at Tim Armstrong's studio.
Keith rejects the first take: "That doesn't sound like us."
Pillow out of the kick drum; the second take nails it.
The closing block where these songs send crowds bananas.
Other contenders discussed: Gimme Gimme Gimme and Louie Louie.
Discovering Nervous Breakdown via older friends and Rodney on the ROQ.
Growing up in Gardena, where skating and punk went hand in hand.
South Bay bands like Redd Kross, Descendents and Nip Drivers.
A neighbour's red sparkle kit and an instant connection.
Self-taught by playing along to records, no formal lessons.
A friend's tip lands him the Wasted Youth gig as a teen.
Fixing bad habits, practice pads, and Neil Peart's mid-career reinvention.
Ep568: Mark Arm - Mudhoney, The Saints 73-78
Episode 568
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 46:07
Ahead of Mudhoney's Australian tour, Mark Arm talks vinyl rarities, bootlegs, Australian imports that blew Seattle's mind, and the daunting task of singing Chris Bailey's songs in The Saints 73–78.
Mark Arm preps for Mudhoney's Australian tour, then the Saints.
He's worked at Sub Pop's warehouse for 21 years.
Not a collector anymore; he's cleaning out via Discogs.
Bandcamp lets fans try before buying; vinyl prices feel abhorrent.
The rarest "Touch Me I'm Sick"? The plain black radio copies.
Sub Pop's colored "Loser Edition" first runs get band input.
Holding Mr. Epp's first seven-inch felt unbelievable at age 20.
A cheeky flyering campaign caught the eye of Seattle's Pravda label.
Rodney on the ROQ played them, briefly charting above Toni Basil.
Music wasn't a career, just entertaining bored suburban friends.
Rock records were banned at home; his mother loved classical.
He smuggled forbidden seven-inches home under his coat.
Radio staples like "Radar Love" gave way to Cosmo's Factory.
Devo on Saturday Night Live was a Beatles-on-Ed-Sullivan moment.
He thought bands needed virtuosos, until friends started making noise.
Downtown punks, he realised, came from the same suburbs.
Steve Albini tipped him off to the Saints' Prehistoric Sounds.
A surf chat in Torquay sparked Saints 73–78.
Nailing Chris Bailey's phrasing and facing Saints purists felt daunting.
New Saints material? Ed has old songs; Mark's open.
Ep567: Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill at 40 with Ben Merlis
Episode 567
Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 01:36:26
Author Ben Merlis traces the Beastie Boys' wild leap from young hardcore punks to rap's first number-one album, revealing the rare records, recordings and scrapped ideas behind Licensed to Ill.
How a short 2017 article landed Ben Merlis this book deal
Why the Beasties' punk-to-rap story fits Ben's two obsessions perfectly
The process of writing the book
Pollywog Stew: an unknown pressing run
How a Black Flag show sparked the Beastie Boys' hardcore beginnings
The Upper Broadway loft where they formed, demoed and played first
Lucky, well-connected teens, and why young genres are meritocracies
Scrapping an EP, crank-calling Carvel, and stumbling into Cookie Puss
Downtown dance-punk, and sets that switched from hardcore to rapping
Def Jam's surprising origins as Rick Rubin's punk label
Meeting Rubin over a bubble machine; Kate Schellenbach gets pushed out
Rubin, Dr. Dre, Hurricane: were the Beastie Boys' DJs really members?
Rock Hard & Beastie Groove
Def Jam's collectible burgundy-sleeve era, and how to spot them
British Airways steals Beastie Revolution and pays out $40,000
The settlement money buys an 808 instead of a Rickenbacker
No band cooperation, then a surprise interview with Mike D
The grief behind the jokes: losing parents young
Counting the White Castle references on License to Ill
Opening for Madonna at $500 a night with fifteen minutes' material
Recording Licensed to Ill, and pinning down its real release date
Fight for Your Right: written last-minute on Palladium cocktail napkins
MTV, race and radio: how they scored rap's first number one
The album's shockingly offensive working title, and why CBS killed it
Ep566: Chad Channing - Love Buzz, Bleach & Early Nirvana
Episode 566
Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 01:09:13
Original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing shares stories from the Bleach era, Love Buzz single & other collectables, getting knocked out by Chris's bass and digging through his rare vinyl.
Topics Include:
Chad's prized find: an original Australian Dirty Deeds from a rummage sale
Hunting a Bill Evans record, and why jazz demands clean vinyl
Dad played LA jazz bass; Mom once sang with Chet Baker
How jazz quietly shaped his "drummer for the song" philosophy
Describing his drumming style in one word: adaptive
Nirvana's only instruction when he joined: powerful but simple
Coming from a math rock band with 13-part songs
The one time Kurt openly praised his drumming: In Bloom
How "About a Girl" got its name from Chad
Kurt finishing Bleach lyrics in a notebook while driving to the studio
Shelved songs, lost tapes, and Chad's forgotten cassette in the box set
Owning Love Buzz single #3; Kurt had #1, Chris #2
His blank-label Bleach test pressing, housed in a homemade cover
Nate authenticates Chad's Australian Waterfront blue vinyl live on air
The ultra-rare purple Waterfront pressing and why most were destroyed
Swirled Sub Pop variants, and why he's never played some
Knocked out by Chris's bass at the Bleach cover photo show
Tracy Marander's undeveloped rolls of never-seen Nirvana photos
Sub Pop steering early decisions while the band went along
Packed European shows: the moment they realized something big was happening
The Blew EP and its gynecologist-chair cover he never chose
Hiding under the drum riser with Kurt as bottles flew
Stuck alone in a broken Manchester elevator for half an hour
His European tour posters, including the coveted Lush show poster
Could his beat-up distortion pedal be Kurt's missing Astoria pedal?
A gifted Mustang, his kit at MoPOP, and heirlooms for his kids
Smart Studios sessions, and Dave Grohl keeping his drum parts
Ep565: Coop - Poster Boy, Record Collector
Episode 531
Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 55:13
From teenage Flaming Lips flyers to Nirvana and Soundgarden posters and record covers galore, Coop shares art-creation stories and the chaos of his record collection.
Introduces Poster Boy, his massive new career-spanning art book
Kickstarter (via Zoop) already blew past $40k raised
Coop admits he's "too much" of a record collector
Closing in on 10,000 records, out of shelf space
3,000-4,000 are 45s he actively spins as a DJ
Recalls chasing UK punk records early in his Discogs days
Loves Jamaican 45s for their rough, charming pressings
Tells story of scoring a stash of 60s garage 45s
Traces another haul to a Miami DJ's Jamaica trips
Confesses completist streak for The Fall, Guided by Voices
Owns up to buying every Bandcamp vinyl color variant
Prefers Bandcamp since money goes straight to the band
Talks Austin's record fair and reconnecting with old LA dealers
Describes current obsession hunting weird beatnik novelty 45s
Buys mostly on vibes and wild, bizarre label artwork
Explains how he broke into art through poster connections
Credits Greg Shaw and Long Gone John's Sympathy label
Became a top poster artist alongside Frank Kozik
Poster work opened the door to major record covers
Tells the wild origin story of the Lords of Acid cover
Discusses keeping Discogs updated for his family's future
Shares recent grails: a Beefheart 45, rare beatnik pressing
Explains his (mostly) organized system for shelving and DJ crates
Talks trading doubles, then wraps with a final Poster Boy plug
H
Ep564: Laura Jane Grace - Record Collector
Episode 564
Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 53:53
Laura Jane Grace opens up about tours and donating gear to the Punk Rock Museum, her massive vinyl obsession, the wild story behind her first Against Me! record and more.
She's donating her amp, guitar, and clothes, mostly for storage space
Museum's jam room lets visitors actually play donated instruments
Her photo greets everyone entering the Punk Rock Museum
Favorite museum artifact: Joe Strummer's last bag of weed
LJG is an avid vinyl collector who abandoned CDs entirely
Her collection fills Ikea shelves plus boxes of seven-inches
She now collects complete artist discographies, especially posthumously
Bowie's late career shows the appeal of complete discographies
She's donating a rare, flawed first-pressing Against Me record
Physical vinyl feels more meaningful to her than streaming stats
Reinventing Axl Rose has hundreds of variants; she's wary of the trend
Axl Rose has never publicly acknowledged their tribute record
She loves browsing new-arrival shelves during unhurried store visits
Their first pressed record had accidental distortion, but still sold
Touring made scheduling test pressings a constant headache
Warner Brothers surprisingly gave White Crosses back to the band
Her label, Total Treble, drew lessons from mentor Fat Mike
She worries algorithm-driven social media and AI hurt musicians
Her teenage son's DIY punk scene offers genuine hope
She discusses redemption debates and a German venue's IDF controversy
She closes by naming favorite record stores worldwide
High resolution version of this podcast is available at:
Ep563: WTF Happened To Punk In The Park?
Episode 563
Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 56:01
Punk in the Park founder Cameron Collins breaks his silence on a $250 political donation that split the punk scene - and reveals plans to bring the festival back.
Topics Include:
Punk in the Park traces roots back to pandemic
Prior fests: Punk in Drublic, Sobroso, Scallywag festivals
Live Nation courtship briefly paused earlier festival branding
Punk in the Park debuted, drawing thousands nightly
Cameron explains his hands-on promoter and producer role
His punk awakening: hearing the Ramones as a kid
Punk rock's meaning: distrust, self-reliance, misfit belonging
Cameron opens up about his $250 Trump donation
Donation explained as protest against Biden running again
He admits regret, calling it a costly mistake
Initial backlash was mild, mostly online chatter
Dropkick Murphys' onstage denouncement escalated the controversy
Cameron feels singled out versus other political donors
He highlights years of charity and community giving
Bands say they're paid and treated better here
Festivals act as touring anchors for national routes
Headliners reportedly earn more at fests than clubs
Cameron's booking philosophy: all viewpoints get a stage
Hard line drawn: Nazis and hate groups banned
He booked a singer after his own separate cancellation
He acknowledges marginalized fans' real safety concerns
New Silverado festival branches into psychobilly and Americana
Silverado revives a legendary Southern California festival site
Cameron pushes for dialogue over reflexive cancel culture
He shares a cross-political friendship with a fellow musician
Conversation turns to America's deepening political polarization
Cameron argues both parties ultimately serve the same interests
He champions smaller government and personal freedom
Cameron confirms plans to relaunch the festival by 2027
Ep562: The Discipline of Tony Levin
Episode 562
Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 50:35
Bass legend Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, etc) reflects on Fripp, John Lennon, near-misses with Zappa, Pink Floyd, and life on the road.
Nate welcomes back Chad Kassem to discuss vinyl and Vinyl Summit
Chad recalls moving to Kansas in 1984 as CDs launched
He rebuilt his collection, going against the CD trend
Vinyl grew slowly for decades before COVID hit
Chad bought his pressing plant and presses starting 2010-2011
CD had a 30-year lifespan; Chad always believed vinyl would survive
COVID caused explosive demand, "gasoline on fire" growth
Overbuying during the boom led to storage and inventory problems
Chad had to borrow millions for the first time post-COVID
Uneven state shutdown rules gave some competitors unfair advantages
Post-COVID growth normalized back to its long-term slow trend
Chad discusses his own taste: blues, jazz, rock from the 50s-70s
Younger collectors now chase 90s titles like Alice in Chains
Collecting interest shifts as older genres' fans age out
Comparison to toy collecting trends fading with generations
Rising interest in audiophile pressings like UHQR and One-Steps
Chad explains why quality mastering and pressing both matter equally
Originals aren't always better than modern remasters, and vice versa
Small improvements across many steps add up to great records
UHQR picks focus on undisputed classic albums Chad genuinely loves
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds, a podcast by The Vinyl Guide - Stats, Episodes and Rankings - My Podcast Data
