“I started collecting vinyl when I was in the 9th grade. There was a record shop called Poobah in Pasadena that only sold vinyl. Me and my friends would go there every weekend and walk out with like 4 records for 10 bucks.”
“Listening to an album on vinyl is an event. It’s a commitment. The ritual of pulling the record from its sleeve, setting it on the table, lifting the needle and setting it down, hearing that comforting crackle. I’d lay down on the floor, close my eyes, and import the dark sarcasm of the Dead Kennedys, the stonsey punk of the Meices, the controlled chaos of Sonic Youth, right into my suburban bedroom.
Back when I was in high school the vinyl renaissance hadn’t happened yet so we bought our record players at the Salvation Army because it was the only place you could find them. Mine was a piece of shit, but it didn’t matter. Watching that big piece of plastic turn and hearing the music come out of the speakers was magic. It seemed both primitive and the pinnacle of technology.
I would shop by record labels in those days: Subpop, Kill Rockstars, Alternative Tentacles, K Records, SST. They were curators I trusted and I was rarely disappointed. I felt like I’d been granted access to this secret world of subversive, brutally honest art and culture. I was part of a tiny minority, a tribe, a community of weirdos who’d stumbled upon this treasure.
When I found out my brother had pawned my record collection to support his drug habit (he’s clean now) I went through the 5 stages of grief. But I found some comfort in the thought that maybe my albums would find a home with someone like myself. Another kid somewhere closing his eyes on his bedroom floor, finding comfort in the crackle.”
—Max Collins, FITNESS
The new project from Eve 6 vocalist Max Collins and ex-AWOLNATION keyboardist Kenny Carkeet, FITNESS’ full length, debut release Karate is in stores now.
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