I first met Robert at a record fair in London in (I think) 1995. I was only briefly introduced to Robert and we didn’t really speak. Over the years we traded a few times, lost touch for a few years, got back in touch, and then, in May 2005, I went to visit Robert at his private residence, where I saw his record collection first hand. I was blown away at both the quantity and quality of what he has. He seems to have pretty much every limited pressing of every US hardcore record, from Minor Threat to the current day. In my opinion, Robert must have THE best hardcore collection in the UK (and probably one of the best in the world) yet very few people know him. Most famous for being the brother of Sean “Rugger Bugger Wat Tyler Hard Skin” Forbes, Robert has had 2 books published, and lives in a part of the UK known as “The South”.

 

What’s the date today, and how is life treating you at this moment in time?
Today’s date is 8th September 2005. Life, hmm… The last year and a half has been an emotional roller coaster. My marriage of ten years came to an end. Since then I have loved and lost and loved again. Five months ago I got divorced which had dire financial consequences for me. But in the words of our beloved Frank Butcher of Eastenders notoriety: ‘I am still here’. And enjoying life!

How old are you?
Forty, however, by the time this appears in print I will be forty-one. [Did you know that once you reach the age of thirty-five you are deemed middle-aged?]

Where do you live?
Amersham, Bucks, near the M25 ring of traffic.

What do you do in life at the moment?
In the words of my brother, I am a fascist dictator and we best leave it at that.

Why do you think that I decided to interview you?
You know why Marcus, honey.

How long have you been into hardcore / punk?
27 years and no I did not see the SEX PISTOLS at the 100 Club! Nevertheless, the first punk record I heard was the SEX PISTOLS’ ‘Never Mind the Bollocks’ which a next door neighbour played this young impressionable teenager, and soon after came CRASS.

Are you of the opinion that you can ever be “too old” to be into hardcore?
I agree. I remember going to many Anarcho gigs in the early 80s and seeing a guy, a Spanish anarchist I think who must have been in his fifties or sixties, dancing along to the bands. I always knew that would be me in later life, well except for the dancing part.

How long have you been collecting records?
I have been buying records since 1978. The first single I ever brought was ‘Hanging on the telephone’ 7” by BLONDIE, which, I might add, is still a great song. That was probably purchased in Boots or Woolworths. Anybody else remember those fond days? However, my real addiction probably started in 1990, I think, when I got into straightedge. That is when I started to label myself a ‘collector’.

What was it that made you first start collecting records?
I think there is a collector in all of us and I just happen to collect records. I brought/collected records in the early 80s for the music as well as the literature. I was interested in politics and most anarcho releases bombarded you with information. I was eager to learn as much as I could about the ‘ills’ of war, government and society. For me, such information was not available elsewhere. Remember this is pre-Internet. However, by 1986, with the demise of the Anarcho scene coupled with an increasing boredom of politics, I was in search of something different. That something proved to be the band DEATH IN JUNE, who corresponded much more to my inner emotional turmoil at that time. And so it came to pass that I immersed myself in the world of ‘industrial’ music (the likes of CURRENT 93, SLEEP CHAMBER, NON/BOYD RICE, IN THE NURSERY…) for a number of years. Because I was a late comer to this scene the first releases I picked up were vinyl or CD represses of earlier released material, which always left me unsatisfied. I wanted the original releases, some of which had different covers and were on different labels. That is when I first started to collect records for the sake of owning them. Years later, I got into the American straight edge scene and with it the world of coloured vinyl and different presses, which took my addiction to new highs or lows, as you will.

Possibly the hardest question of all… WHY do you collect records?
Within the term “hardcore” means a lot to different people. What kinda records are you mainly interested in collecting these days… I mean like early Dischord, early Boston stuff, Revelation stuff…? I pretty much have all the early Dischord, early Boston (punk points to the JERRYS KIDS ‘Is this My World?’ LP and the GANG GREEN tracks on the ‘This is Boston not LA’ comp), early NYHC, and Revelation stuff I want/need. Yes, a ‘Chung King’ would be nice, but it’s not essential ‘in my eyes’. Presently I mainly collect Japcore, straightedge and anything Dutch.

Have people ever made fun of you for collecting records?
All the time, including the wife and girlfriends past and present. I did not hear the wife complain when I sold a small part of my collection to fund the honeymoon to the States. More fool me. Mind you I came back with more records than I sold in the first place! Married to the vinyl… However, few people are actually aware of the extent of my collection. Anonymity is really the best disguise!

Do you mainly trade or buy these days?
Mainly buy.

What’s the best trade you ever did?
Don’t recall.

What’s the worst / stupidest trade you ever did?
One sticks in my mind or the throat. I traded away the HEART ATTACK-God is dead 7” (yes, the original) and AGENT ORANGE-Your mother sucks cock in hell 7” for next to nothing because both were not in totally dead mint condition. I thought I would find them again no problem and some ten years on, I ask myself the question, have I? Of course, you know the answer…

Do you buy / collect non-hardcore records too? If so, what sorta stuff?
I still continue to buy and collect industrial records, including the likes of VON THRONSTHAL, DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL, DER BLUTHARSCH, A CHALLENGE OF HONOUR…

In total, roughly how many records do you currently own?
8000, maybe slightly less…

What’s the most money you have ever spent on a single record, & what record was it?
It’s a toss up between CURRENT 93-Emblems LP Test press only of 25 copies (brought from Record and Tape Exchange, Notting Hill) or the SPAZZ-1” of 14 copies (E-Bay auction). Probably £250+, I really don’t recall.

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?
In the early 90s I think I ended up spending £600 on one batch of early American hardcore records from a collection. I got the likes of the NEGATIVE APPROACH 7”, ANTIDOTE-7”, first two MINOR THREAT 7”s, SOA-7”, the aforementioned HEART ATTACK-7”, URBAN WASTE-7”, both NOTA-7”s, CIA-7”, NECROS-IQ 32 7”, and KORO-7”, and much, much more! At the time I could actually afford it. Quite a different matter now…

Have you ever stolen any records? If so, tell me the story.
No.

Which record (or records) are you most proud to own?
I am proud to own the following:
WAT TYLER-‘The shit series’ five LP set (five LPs of WAT TYLER and limited to 27 copies, totally outrageous!)
LIMP WRIST-great band and I own test presses of the 7”, the US version of the LP and the UK version LP (thanks Paco)
INFEST-2nd 7” TEST PRESS (just thought I would throw this one in because my friend and fellow record collector Clint ‘the Mercenary’ Chapman desperately wants this from me)
The three box sets by THE EX, which have incredible packaging, especially the one about the Spanish civil war as seen through the eyes of the Anarchists.

 

 

 

     

What record in your collection would you say is the most valuable & how much do you estimate it to be worth?
Difficult to say because I don’t follow E-bay prices for early American hardcore or classic NY straight edge records. Moreover, I own some records that are unique for one reason or another whose worth are more to me than their monetary value. For example, I have a ‘Robert Forbes Edition’ of the EYEBALL 7” complete with a different cover of 6 copies, which was done specially for a trade.

Tell me a good record story, i.e. an interesting tale of how you acquired one of your records.
I once brought the first two DEATH IN JUNE records in a shop for the princely sum of £1.15 when they were fetching a combined total of £70! Also, I scored the XTRAVERTS-Speed 7” (UK punk/KBD) for 10p!

Have you ever sold or traded a record, and then wanted to get it again? If so, tell me the story.
Yes, even though I really should learn by my mistakes. The HEART ATTACK 7”, the AGENT ORANGE-Your mother sucks cock in hell 7” and the LIFES HALT 7” with Black Sabbath rip off cover. Also, I traded away ‘A Farewell to Arms’ comp LP (Selfish Records) because one corner of the cover was a little pushed in. Honestly, I swear you needed a microscope to see the damage, but then I was kind of paranoid about the condition of my records, particularly the covers.

What one record that you don’t own would you most like to own?
It’s a toss up between the following:
VEGAN REICH-Hardline 7” TEST PRESS on red wax (every home should have and play regularly this amazing record!)
Japcore classic ZOUO-The final agony 7” (AA records)
CRASS-wedding flexi
The MOB-Crying again 7” in mint condition with an original insert, which is one of all time favourite records. (Thanks to Paco for trading me his copy though.)

Do you keep all your records in protective sleeves? If so, poly bags or PVC sleeves?
Yes. I use both polybags and PVC sleeves. For rare records, I normally place them in a polybag and then a PVC sleeve.

Where do you store your 7”s?
Cardboard boxes.

Where do you store your 12”s?
Most are in an IKEA bookcase unit, everyone’s favourite! The others are stored in various book units.

What’s your opinion on the 10” format?
Love em. They are cute and cuddly.

What’s your opinion on picture discs?
Hate them. First off, most picture discs, in any format, rarely come with a cover and lyrics. And the sound quality is normally poor. Question: are picture discs more expensive to manufacture? I don’t know, but I wish I did because I feel quite aggrieved at the prices new picture discs demand.

 

 

 

   

What would you estimate your collection to be worth, in total?
Like you Marcus, if you put a conservative estimate of £5 per record, then we’re talking £40k. However, the true worth I believe to be more.

Do you think you will ever sell your collection?
I have (see above). Also in the early 80s I seem to recall a clearing out of records, including all of my THEATRE OF HATE records, which were eventually collected again. I’m still not sure what happened to my TOH T-shirt that came with the single though.

Is your collection insured in any way?
No.

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?
I guess I would not bother to try and amass my former collection. Let’s be honest here, every collection has its fair share of crap, which will never get spun again. However, I would buy back records that have transcended time, some of the ‘classics’. With the remainder of the money I would pay off some of my debts arising from the divorce settlement, but keep a little spare capital with which to start a record label (and I can hear you all groan, how original…)

Are you of the opinion that the Internet in general has helped or hindered record collecting?
The Internet has both helped and hindered. ‘Back in the day’, information on ‘foreign’ records old and new was hard to come by. Letters asking for information, even accompanied by a stamp addressed envelope or international reply coupon (remember those?) often went unanswered. Nowadays information is literally no more than a touch of a button away! Also the Internet has made it so easy to pre-order, order records. But for me it will never replace the excitement of searching through the racks of record emporiums far and wide. [Japan was an incredible record shopping experience!] Furthermore, I have met some great fellow collectors of the wax through the Internet (a big shout out to Judd Taylor and Jigs in particular, as well as to some of my Japanese contacts past and present). However, the Internet, for the record collector, is identified with eBay, which is a veritable ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of goodies, albeit it a price. Personally I know that my collection would not be as complete if it were not for the Internet and eBay. Therein lies the paradox.

What do you think of eBay & the effect it has had on record collecting?
Ebay has fuelled the collecting culture, including that of the wax. The thrill of the chase has all but gone; Records have appeared on eBay, that I have never seen in fifteen years of serious collecting. Look at your ‘wants list’ and I bet that most items have appeared on eBay before. For example last week two unreleased test presses appeared; the EXTREME NOISE TERROR/CHAOS UK split LP on Pusmort and the split APOSTLES 7” on Fight Back. [And before you ask I did bid on one, but was outbid!] In days of old it took patience and luck to be a collector, nowadays it is a question of money. And for those collectors who have the money they can amass a collection of rare records in no time at all. Nevertheless, although I believe there are fewer bargains to be had nowadays, there are still bargains out there.

What do you think about the fact that pretty much every kid who listens to hardcore collects records these days?
I would rather that they buy vinyl than CD, which might encourage some labels to release vinyl. I lament Indecision Records’ decision to go over to CD. Also, trends come and go in the world of punk and hardcore. Next year it might be CD again.

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?
Do I need eight different versions of the FINAL PLAN 7”? The answer is no, but I have. That is what makes me a collector. [For the record, excuse the pun, but I refuse to buy the FINAL PLAN/MY LUCK split LP because the vocalist of MY LUCK ripped me off.] Many of the labels that put out punk/hardcore records are done out of love for the music and also by fellow record enthusiasts. If multiple ‘limited versions’ help shift units then I have no objection. I realise that they have to get back the money they have invested in the label, to say nothing of the time and effort gone into the label. However, I do object to the practice of making ‘limited versions’ just solely for the purposes of trading.

Do you think vinyl will ever completely die? If so, how much time do you think it has left?
Allegedly, vinyl is dead now, although you would never have guessed. The answer is never.

 

 

 

   

Do you collect anything else other than records? If so, what & why?
I also collect books and have some 800, maybe more, covering, for the most part, the subject matter of the military history of the Third Reich [in particular the Waffen-SS and the foreign volunteer units], WW2 collaboration, the Holocaust, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the French Indo China War, and terrorism. And as you would expect I have a number of rare books in my collection, limited editions and signed copies, including the book I wrote about the French volunteers of the Waffen-SS which is currently eBaying at £150! As to why, I’m passionate about history. It is another interest.

Have you ever thought about will happen to your records when you die? Do you care?
They would pass to my brother, who would undoubtedly eBay most as he does not listen to the same sounds as me. I might even consider letting friends take five records each for their own collection, but I would stipulate that Clint is still not to get the INFEST test.

Do you think you will ever stop collecting records?
No, even though I don’t this year so far has been a particularly great year for new records, notable exceptions being the FUCKED UP-Generation 7” (even if I don’t agree with the politics of it), the GO IT ALONE-LP, and A STEP APART-7”.

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?
No, it is not a stupid idea. A couple of hundred perhaps…

Have I asked too many questions? Did you enjoy answering them, or was it a pain in the ass?
What? This reminds me too much of my place of work…

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.
Can I say a big Fuck off to those that have ripped me off? In no particular order, Jason Green of ORCHID fame, Mike Bendlin, Jack Labarca, Ben Cook of NO WARNING, James Knight of San Diego, LP Parenteau, Jon Hindman, Phil George, Jesse Higgins, Russell Alexander, Bill Frank, Clif Schumaker of MY LUCK… There have been others. This is so disappointing.