Jeff does a zine called “Start Today”, and also runs a record label called Bottled Up Records. He is also famed for having a jaw-dropping record collection. If you’ve ever seen any photographs on the internet that you thought were fakes, because nobody could possibly own that many Gorilla Biscuits records, then chances are you’re already familiar with Jeff and his addiction to vinyl.

 

What’s the date today, and how is life treating you at this moment in time?
October 26, 2005. Today is looking pretty good. I just made a cup of tea, a huge burden at work has been lifted from my back, and my 3-year anniversary is in 5 days.

How old are you?
30

Where do you live?
I live about 5 minutes outside of Philadelphia, PA. If you live in the city of Philadelphia, there is an extra wage tax you have to pay, forget that!

What do you do in life at the moment?
I work for a post-graduate college. Not exactly what I went to college for, but it’s not too bad. I pretty much do paper work all day. This gives me time to work on Start Today Fanzine as well.

Why do you think that I decided to interview you?
Because my buddy Aram suggested I might be good for this. Besides that, I’m not too sure. I’m pretty stoked about it though.

How long have you been into hardcore / punk?
I bought my first “punk” cassette tape in 1987 and things have snowballed since. About a year later I got Minor Threat- Out of Step and there was no looking back.

Are you of the opinion that you can ever be “too old” to be into hardcore?
I don’t believe in that at all. I hate the idea of being “too old” for anything. I still go to shows, buy new records, skateboard, play videos games, but I do balance it with my normal “adult” activities. I honestly couldn’t do one without the other. I might not be able to be as active as I was 10 years ago, but I still get out as much as I can.

How long have you been collecting records?
I got my first records around 1989, but it wasn’t “collecting”, rather that was the only format the music was released on, so if I didn’t want to wait for a friend to make me a cassette dub of it, I would have to buy the record. Over the years, I bought records here and there, but didn’t start “collecting” until about 4 years ago.

What was it that made you first start collecting records?
I grew up in Pittsburgh and then spent a few years close to Syracuse, NY but when I moved to Philly in 2001, that is when the collecting bug really hit me. There were awesome record stores, great shows, and there were always good records to be found. Constant exposure started a fire in me.

Possibly the hardest question of all… WHY do you collect records?
Because I am trying to deny that I am getting older. Haha. Just kidding. I’ll start with the old answer of “vinyl just sounds better”. I have a good turntable, so my vinyl sounds good. I enjoy having to flip the records, being able to hear the needle hit the record. I guess it is one of those things that you either “get” or you don’t. I appreciate the extra effort that goes into releasing vinyl. Cds are too uniform. You can do a lot with records and their sleeves. Makes things more interesting.

What was the first record you actively sought to acquire, rather than just bought (i.e. one that took a lot of effort to get hold of)?
One of the turning point records for me and my collecting was the Gorilla Biscuits 7” on yellow. I can remember seeing one many years ago and thought it was the coolest thing. Once I started to collect, that was one of the records I really wanted. It was easy enough to find, but I am still excited when I see it. I made a trip to Double Decker and got that as well as a 1st press.

 

 

When did you start labelling yourself as a “collector”?
I don’t know if there was ever a moment when I said “ok, I am a record collector.”

The term “hardcore” means a lot to different people. What kinda records are you mainly interested in collecting… I mean like early Dischord, early Boston stuff, Revelation stuff…?
My main interest (as far as older records) is Revelation. I grew up listening to those bands and every time they would release something, you knew it would be awesome (the first few years anyway). So obviously the bands from that time period are special to me. I like the early Dischord stuff, I’ve had the 7”s and actually traded some away. I would like to get all the Minor Threat 7”s as I have every 12” (minus tests of course). I collect current stuff as well.

Have people ever made fun of you for collecting records?
My wife, almost daily. My friend Geoff and I are both pretty big Revelation collectors, and when we hang out our wives poke fun at us when we leave to go, as they say, play records. As dorky as it might sound, there have been time when I would take a box of Rev stuff over and check out the different color variations and stuff like that.

Do you mainly trade or buy records these days?
A little bit of both. Sometimes you have to sell some stuff to buy a record, so that is kind of like trading, right? I’m a really hard person to trade with because I have always been somewhat of a pack rat and I could tell you a story about almost every records I have (where I got it, what I was doing, etc.)

What’s the best trade you ever did?
I traded a GB on green for a YOT-CCME Some Records press. I was super happy about that trade.

What’s the worst / stupidest trade you ever did?
I don’t make bad trades on my end. I have gotten some STUPID trade requests though. I usually try to be cool when turning the offer down. Most recently I was trying to get a test of a GB boot 7” off some kid and he wrote back wanting all of my American Nightmare records and 3 Carry On lps. I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. I would also like to take a minute here and talk about some douche bag that emailed me trying to trade records that he didn’t have and used someone else’s photos. Don’t be a dick and rip people off.

Do you buy / collect non-hardcore records too? If so, what sorta stuff? If not, why not?
The word hardcore can be interpreted in a few different ways, so I’m not going to put too much into the meaning. I collect Misfits records. There are some “punk” bands that I have always had a fondness for that I try to pick up if I can get them at reasonable prices. Bands like Social Distortion, Dead Kennedys, Green Day. I wouldn’t mind some Descendents records on color.

In total, roughly how many records do you currently own?
I’d have to say around 3000.

What’s the most money you have ever spent on a single record, & what record was it?
I can’t disclose that information, but the record I spent the most on would have to be my Chung King.

What’s the most money you have ever spent at one time on a batch of records? If it was a lot, could you actually afford it, or did you have to do borrow the money or something?
Normally I buy collections for $200-300. These aren’t loaded with Abused and Warzone 7”s, keep in mind. Obviously that isn’t a lot of money so a quick trip to the ATM and I am ready to go. On a related note, I had gotten a tip on this one guy’s collection from Pennsylvania who was down with all of the youth crew dudes. A friend of mine was wearing a Chain hoodie and they started talking and of course records came up in the conversation and he said he had about 100 records left (Chain silver sleeve, Abused, etc.) he was thinking about getting rid of. My friend emailed me with the guy’s email address and I jumped on it. He got back to me quickly and was down to sell. Then I didn’t hear from him. A month passed and he said he was out of the country and we’d get together and I could see what he had. Then he fucking disappeared again. I still email him every three weeks or so. I’m not going to give up on this one.

Have you ever stolen any records? If so, tell me the story.
No way man. That is bad record karma. There was a mix up once, and I did my best to make everything ok.

Do you own any records that most kids would kill for that cost you pretty much nothing?
Of course. That is part of the fun of collecting, tracking good stuff down and getting it for cheap! Any schmuck with a credit card and ebay account can build a good collection in 6 months, but where is the fun and adventure in that?

Which record (or records) are you most proud to own?
I’m really stoked on my Misfits and Revelation collections. I have some crazy Rev tests that I never thought I would ever see, not to mention own.

 

 

What record in your collection would you say is the most valuable & how much do you estimate it to be worth?
Again, we look to Judge for this answer. Everyone wants a Chung King and lately they have been going for around $1500.
Tell me a good record story, i.e. an interesting tale of how you acquired one of your records.
I used to work for Relapse Records. About 3 days before Christmas, I got “laid off” from there. I came home and was pretty bummed out. I checked the mail and there was a 12” package waiting for me. I thought it was the Breathe In pre-order from Bridge 9. I went to open it and saw it was from one of my best friends, Alan who lives in Portland, Oregon. I opened it and inside was a copy of Bonds of Friendship on white, along with a note that said “what do you get someone who has everything for XXXmas?” That made me feel so much better. Another time, I was over my friend Donny Mutt’s house right after my wedding and he grabbed a 7” box and put it on his bed. He told me to go through his collection and pick out any 5 records I wanted as a wedding gift. I told him I appreciated it, but I couldn’t take his records. We argued for a few minutes and finally I said “fine, but when you come to your senses you can have them back”. A few months later, he called me the day before One Up was going on tour and asked if I wanted to buy his collection because he was moving that day and didn’t feel like taking them with him. I love that kid.

Have you ever sold or traded a record, and then wanted to get it again? If so, tell me the story.
I think we all have at one time or another. 2 that stand out are my Project X with stamped labels and Samhain- Initium on pink. The PX was traded in part to get a test of Break Down the Walls and I haven’t been able to track another down and it is getting frustrating. Last year I sold my pink Initium (there are only about 15 copies) for a ridiculous amount of money and I got some stuff I wanted pretty bad with it, but I do miss seeing that record in my collection.

What one record that you don’t own would you most like to own?
There is never just one. My main wants right now are all Misfits related. I would really like a Cough/Cool, the Bullet 7” on red, and a Legacy of Brutality on red.

Do you keep all your records in protective sleeves? If so, poly bags or PVC sleeves?
Polybags from Bags Unlimited all the way. I use 6 mil bags on the higher end records.

Where do you store your 7”s?
7” boxes in a cabinet I call “the vault.” I am about to outgrow that though.

Where do you store your 12”s?
I have a shelf that is great for holding 12”s. It is the shelf that everyone has from Ikea.

What’s your opinion on the 10” format?
Name one good record that came out as a 10”.

What’s your opinion on picture discs?
Useless.

Do you keep all your records in plastic sleeves?
Of course. I always have extra poly bags lying around. If I pull something out and the poly bag looks bad (dirty, worn) I replace it.

Do you think you will ever sell your collection?
You can never say never, but it would take something terrible to make me sell it. And there are always those records that would be the very last to go.

Is your collection insured in any way?
It is covered in my home owners insurance policy.

If your collection got destroyed in a fire or flood, do you think you would bother trying to get it all back (even if an insurance company gave you the required amount of money to get it back), or would such a disaster cause you to give up collecting? If you wouldn’t buy it all back, but you got the money from an insurance company, what would you do with the money?
If that were to happen, it wouldn’t stop me from collecting. Now I wouldn’t buy it all back because I do have a TON of horrible records that I just can’t bear to part with. I would replace all I was able to find again and maybe pick up some new stuff while I was at it.

Are you of the opinion that the internet in general has helped or hindered record collecting?
Overall I would say it has helped. It has made learning about pressings and that kind of stuff a lot easier, plus we can now find out about variants, rare presses, etc. Because of the internet I have made some contacts I wouldn’t have plus it takes some of the sketch out of trading with random people. In the old days, most trades went through the classified sections of MRR, and you never knew if you were going to get ripped off or not.

What do you think of eBay & the effect it has had on record collecting?
I think it has hurt it for the most part. Kids have a tendency to overpay for records and because of this, finding good stuff for reasonable prices in stores or privately is getting tougher and tougher. Some stores instantly put anything “collectable” on ebay. This is taking away the fun of hunting down records. Any dork with a credit card and an ebay account can build a sick collection in 6 months, but where is the fun with that?

What do you think about the fact that pretty much every kid who listens to hardcore collects records these days?
I think it is pretty cool that 20 years later, kids are still into records. Collecting has played a big role in the culture of punk and hardcore, in my opinion, so to see it continue makes me happy. One thing that bugs me though are people who think only collecting certain records is cool. I see kids getting bashed a lot for collecting records of a new band instead of older bands. I’m all for that. Obviously that band means something to the person collecting it, and isn’t that really what it is all about? And not everyone has hundreds of dollars to drop on Dischord or KDB kind of stuff.

 

 

What do you think of labels who make multiple “limited” versions of every record they put out? Do you think that this trend is helping to keep vinyl alive, or making a mockery of record collecting?
That is a good question. There are times when it can and does get a bit out of control. Doing a label and being a collector, I try to keep that in mind. I usually only press 500 records at a time (due to my budget) and make around 100 on color for pre-orders and the rest are on black. Occasionally I’ll use some of the black for Posi Numbers covers or whatever, but I try not to make things too crazy. I had problem with the Have Heart record and the many variants of that. I blame that more on my pressing plant than any intention I might have. It seems they just can’t mix their colors correctly. I think labels can do some limited presses and have fun with it, but keep things attainable. Often I have been known to toss variants or test presses in with orders. When One Up- The More Things Change came out, I made a special press of 33 and sent them out to the kids who had ordered all of the Bottled Up releases to that point. It was a thank you for the support they had given me over the past year. The worst part is I forgot to put one aside for one of my good friends, so I actually won a copy on eBay.

Do you think vinyl will ever completely die? If so, how much time do you think it has left?
It’ll never go away, especially with the renewed interest in hip-hop and dance vinyl. Things like that help keep pressing plants open and the prices affordable.

Do you collect anything else other than records? If so, what & why?
I’ve always been a pack rat. I grew up collecting comic books and baseball cards. I actually sold my comic book collection (except for some of my favorite titles) to start Bottled Up Records. Of course I have a big collection of Star wars toys that are just taking up space in my basement. I really should get rid of those. Right now I have a small collection of skateboards and a few pieces of original art from people like Daniel Martin Diaz and Chris Mars.

Have you ever thought about will happen to your records when you die? Do you care?
I should probably make a will as to who gets what records, haha.

Do you think you will ever stop collecting records?
Nah. That is the thing about collecting, you are never “done”. I have to admit my want list is getting smaller and smaller, but then I just find a new band to start collecting.

Do you think that a zine about collecting records is a stupid idea? How many copies do you think I will be able to sell?
I think it is a cool idea, and was stoked to be asked to be part of it! I’ve talked about doing something like that, but I honestly just do not have the time. As far as selling, good luck with that. Doing a zine is a labor of love, nothing else. Haha.

Have I asked too many questions? Did you enjoy answering them, or was it a pain in the ass?
There sure were a lot of questions, but they were pretty fun. I’m sure if we did this in person, I would have had longer, more detailed answers.

Finally… this is the end. Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions. Please use this space to say anything at all that you might want to say.
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