We’re pretty sure that there’s an old cliché that goes, “Your Youtube channel is a mirror to the soul.” You wanna see what’s inside a person, really get a sense of who they are and what they are about? Check out the weird shit they post on Youtube. And—watch this brilliant fucking segue—who at Decibel knows more about weird shit (at least the musical kind) than our very own Scott Seward: the man behind the “Wages of Din” column and a Decicomrade who has yet to meet a squeek, skronk or weird buzzing sound he didn’t totally dig. Witness.
He is our very own arbiter of the unusual and appreciator of stuff that is “difficult,” and for this we praise and admire him. Because he has his own “vintage vinyl” record store, John Doe, Jr., in Greenfield, Mass. (where the above video was recorded) he comes into contact with the kind of obscurities that only someone with an appreciation for the extremely extreme could tolerate love. Like this.
Anyway, a better glimpse into comrade Seward’s soul, or at least his musical tastes, requires a peek at his own personal Hall of Fame. We can guarantee you that none of these will end up in Decibel’s Hall of Fame, but in this video you will witness the rare, the weird, the bizarre and the downright kick ass. We personally have seen a small fraction of these obscurities and we’d like to think we’ve spent our fair share of time thumbing through thrift store vinyl bins. This stack of black wax you’re about to witness will frighten and amaze you. And if he actually listens to any of this shit with any regularity, he’s most certainly more extreme than we.
From what we can tell from the video below, John Doe, Jr. is the place one goes primarily for the unusual—like maybe some Blowhole—a true reflection of its owner’s musical proclivities. It’s probably not where you’ll want to go to pick up anything that ever sold more than about a couple thousand copies. OK, we exaggerate, because we definitely saw a Yes album in there, but check out this glimpse into the depth of JDJ’s unique selection.
We’d like to think that after perusing these vids and the dozen or so more on Mssr. Seward’s own Youtube channel we have glimpsed not only incredible vinyl curios, we have a much clearer picture as to his obsession with the fringiest of fringe dwellers. Youtube doesn’t lie.
