Steven Blush

Steven and I met over dinner with his wife, Alyssa, a mutual friend. Only after a few weeks, I discovered this impressive and eclectic collection hidden in Steven’s apartment on 5th Ave. It has hardcore, cheesy pop, loads of signed records, and an almost complete catalog of Black Flag. I was happy to enter this world of music, which I knew so little about. The cherry on top was discovering another music genre I didn’t even know existed… Hair Metal! Oh Yeah! It’s time to pull on those well-buried tight leather pants and hit the power chords with great pride.

Blush shelving an old LP in his wall of records.

In his physical media lair, Blush sits with his favorite–Black Flag–among others.

 

What do you do for a living?

I’m an author/filmmaker, two of my books are American Hardcore and American Hair Metal. I was also a New York club DJ from 1985-2005.

What was your first album? How did you get it? At what age? Can you describe that feeling? Do you still have it?

Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire and I Walk The Line. I was like seven years old; my dad bought them for me at Sam Goody’s on Route 18 in East Brunswick, NJ. I realize I was into the fact that he was The Man In Black. And yes, I still have them.

What prompted you to start collecting? What age did you start?

In high school, I had 25-30 Hard Rock albums, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Bad Company, Mott The Hoople, and UFO. At 16, I went to London and caught the last whiffs of the punk scene; I saw The Clash before they toured the US (the show in their film Rude Boy when Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey joined on “White Riot”). After that, I was hooked. Back in Jersey and in the Lower East Side where my dad worked, I spent endless hours in record stores, taking home what I could afford.

“This was before ‘Alternative,’ when these bands were a true alternative. Anyway, between the station’s 20,000+ record library plus the hundreds I had coming in.”

ZZ Top – Tejas. “Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, from ZZ’s 1977 classic Tejas LP.”

Do you remember the day when you switched from being a record listener to a record collector?

Not the exact day, but as music director of my college radio station in the early 80s, I contacted every underground band and label I could find listed in any music mag or zine. This was before “Alternative,” when these bands were a true alternative. Anyway, between the station’s 20,000+ record library plus the hundreds I had coming in.

Picking through albums with a Misfits 45 peeking out.

Frijid Pink –Frijid Pink. “Detroit rock’s answer to a soul band made one 1970 self-titled album with a minor hit cover of ‘House of the Rising Sun.’”

“Vinyl is music’s organic fruits and vegetables–CDs and MP3s are crappy junk food.”

What was your Initial interest in music? Did you get influenced by your family?

There was very little music in the Blush house. My mom had a few Nat King Cole and Harry Belafonte albums, and my dad had a batch of bad operettas on 78rpm. As for instruments, the piano teacher told my parents not to waste their money. When I got really into music, everyone seemed very surprised.

Why vinyl?

Vinyl is music’s organic fruits and vegetables–CDs and MP3s are crappy junk food.

Sex Pistols – “God Save The Queen.” An original pressing of one of the pistol’s early releases.

Any specific genre?

No limits, but heavy concentrations on hardcore punk, hair metal, DC go-go funk, ‘80s NYC hip-hop 12-inches, Christmas novelty records, and lots of crazy cover versions.

Hair metal!? What the hell?  Most people would have these records locked deep down in the basement.

Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg in 1985 before he joined Whitesnake Tony Harnell from NY and three guys from Oslo who rocked in a Bon Jovi style Wrathchild’s Stakk Atack (1984), the worst example of airbrushed album art 1988’s hit album by Britny Fox set new standards for big hair and frilly clothes Tigertailz, Britain’s biggest contribution to the Sunset Strip Hair Metal scene.

 

Hair Metal is one of those guilty pleasures few people will admit to. I never dressed the part, so I have little to be embarrassed about. My DJ friends like to drop the occasional rock breakbeat–AC/DC, Billy Squier–but I can blow them all away with phat beats by Poison or Warrant.

So you decided to make a book out of it. That’s interesting. As a documentarian, I wish I had been there to document the book launch party.

The book release party in Hollywood was an outrageous mix of those who totally got the joke and those who definitely didn’t. At the night’s end, I had a lingering feeling that the joke was on me!

Wham! – Make It Big. A rare picture disc of the iconic Wham! LP.

Another famous hair piece, this time without the Metal, is the Wham picture disc laying proudly on your desk. What’s your excuse?

I went into my wife’s parent’s basement to look at an old box of records but only found one worth keeping!

Do you travel to find records? Where? How often?

I never travel to find records, but I search for used vinyl everywhere I travel. So, 4-6 times a year, I come home with a stash. I’ve slowed down my buying habits, but I still get about 100 albums yearly.

Daniel Johnston – Continued Story. “Texas musical mutant Daniel Johnston’s vinyl debut from back in 1985.”

“Own your record collection, don’t let it own you!”

How do you organize the collection?

Alphabetically, with smaller sections for 12-inches, compilations, and specialty records. It took me an entire weekend, over 75 hours, to finally organize the collection, and it was the best thing I ever did. Now, I can find what I’m looking for.

Tell me a helpful record storage/shelving tip!

Whatever you do, get all your records off the floor–own your record collection, don’t let it own you! And build or buy very sturdy shelves because record collections weigh a lot. I built a half-wall to support my shelves from collapsing, as it weighs well over a ton.

“Every collector has an impulsive, uniquely personal reaction to vinyl. The artwork attracts me enough to check out the package, but that doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily buy it. I particularly dig cover versions of hit songs; the more over-the-top, the better.”

Digging for an LP on his endless wall of records.

What do you look for in a record?

Every collector has an impulsive, uniquely personal reaction to vinyl. The artwork attracts me enough to check out the package, but that doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily buy it. I particularly dig cover versions of hit songs; the more over-the-top, the better. But to find good records, you must know a lot about music; you can’t fake that. You gotta know what you’re looking at. It’s all about the music.

Al Jolson – The World’s Greatest Entertainer, The Greatest Of Al Jolson. “The original wigger, world-famous crooner Al Jolson, wore a black face.”

What’s your partner’s reaction to this obsession?

Positive enough to marry her.

Have you ever kept a particular purchase secret from your wife?

Other than drugs and hookers, no.

Tell me about a closed-down record store you will grieve all your life!

I never got over the closing of Freebeing Records (129 Second Avenue) in the ‘80s. Not sure I ever will.

Tell me about the most unlikely place/occasion where/when you found records.

I got a Link Wray album at a Christian vegan restaurant in South Dakota.

Art Phag – Art Phag. “1987’s handmade, spray-painted debut album by Detroit band Art Phag.”

Name some golden finds from your collection.

I own two copies of the first Nirvana 7-inch individual numbered to 1000 copies, for which I was recently offered a few thousand dollars. I don’t know how much a Minor Threat test pressing or an original Sex Pistols single would fetch. I also have the first house music hit, “Jack Your Body” by Steve “Silk” Hurley (that I got for a quarter), and a whole bunch of Frankie Knuckles’ original 12-inches on Trax that I know are worth a few bucks.

“I go straight to the used records and look for the dollar bin. That’s where magic still happens. Never ever pay full price!”

Nirvana – “Love Buzz.” “The first Nirvana single from ‘88, with a young Cobain with hippie hair.”

Do you have a record-collecting philosophy or routine when you enter a store?

I go straight to the used records and look for the dollar bin. That’s where magic still happens. Never ever pay full price!

“A few months ago in the California desert, I did such serious digging through a filthy vinyl-filled shed at a flea market where I seriously scored that I had to shower. So there are still plenty of places to go “digging”—it might not be a conventional record shop.”

That leads to a fierce discussion. Some people say there is no such thing as “digging” in record shops. Even if it’s in the one-dollar bin. What’s your observation?

Any vinyl junkie will tell you that New York is totally picked over, and true, there are no more dingy record shops to do serious “digging.” However, you can still find plenty of stores with a box of used records out front, or if you go to the usual vinyl shops, they still have used records, but you may have to pay up to $5 per. When I travel to LA once or twice a year, I still make a pilgrimage to Amoeba on Sunset and spend an hour on my knees flipping through their extensive dollar bin, spending $20-$50. 

A few months ago in the California desert, I did such serious digging through a filthy vinyl-filled shed at a flea market where I seriously scored that I had to shower. So there are still plenty of places to go “digging” — it might not be a conventional record shop.

D Generation – No Lunch. “Punk revival pioneers D Generation’s 1996 album on double-10-inch.”

“I constantly go back to the same 25 or so albums, and they do transport you back to another time–similar to a drug fix but different in that with music, the perfect high can be recreated.”

Out of your great collection, there must be a few records you like returning to at any time. What makes them so special for you?

I constantly go back to the same 25 or so albums, and they do transport you back to another time–similar to a drug fix but different in that with music, the perfect high can be recreated. Recently, there’s been a lot of: the first House of Pain album, Social Distortion’s Mommy’s Little Monster, Bob Marley’s Catch A Fire, Stills-Young Band’s Long May You Run, and Manowar’s Battle Hymns.

House Of Pain – “Shamrocks And Shenanigans.” A fitting green vinyl for this 7-inch.

What is your favorite album art? Any special reason?

Black Flag’s Damaged. A 19-year-old Henry Rollins punching a pane of glass, shot by the world’s premiere rock photographer Edward Colver. There’s nothing more visceral and hardcore than this.

“Rare 1984 photos of Henry Rollins of Black Flag with long hair wearing a Speedo.”

Can you tell me more about your obsession with Black Flag? What is it that made you collect all their records?

Black Flag was the definitive band of the early ‘80s– they were the suburban American response to punk. For a few years, they were the greatest band on the planet. Their ferocious music, tireless work ethic, and independent attitude changed the course of music history. They certainly changed me. I saw Flag play over 20 times and own every one of their records, from singles and albums to interview discs, demos, and bootlegs. Every band I have seen since pales in comparison. Their historical minutiae are well-documented in my American Hardcore book and film (with director Paul Rachman).

“The Black Flag catalog on vinyl, autographed by frontman Greg Ginn.”

Black Flag – Who’s Got The 10½?. “Black Flag’s 1984 live album signed by Greg Ginn.”

Captain Sensible – “Wot!.” Not hardcore, but a classic.

“Record collections should be carefully cultivated, like in horticulture, where the healthiest plants get trimmed. Whenever I purge my collection of duplicates and duds, I enjoy it far more. I know too many ‘vinyl junkies’ who’ve allowed the sheer size of their collections to overwhelm their lives–in every nook and cranny of their house or apartment.”

What is the future of vinyl?

Record collecting is coming back in a big way. After the introduction of the CD, vinyl sales plummeted–there was only a small handful of us diehards keeping it alive. Now, with the introduction of the MP3, CDs are now of zero value, and vinyl has made a huge comeback. The future of vinyl looks strong.

This is your question… Anything you want to say, add, observe, criticize, compliment.

Record collections should be carefully cultivated, like in horticulture, where the healthiest plants get trimmed. Whenever I purge my collection of duplicates and duds, I enjoy it far more. I know too many “vinyl junkies” who’ve allowed the sheer size of their collections to overwhelm their lives–in every nook and cranny of their house or apartment. I love and respect many of these people, but it’s clearly made them severely mentally ill. I strive for a healthy relationship with my vinyl obsession.

Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. “Signed by Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill!”

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin. “Autographed by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.”

The ultimate Black Flag fanatic, Steven Blush, has written numerous books and is the founder of Seconds magazine, which ran from 1987 to 2000. He is also a filmmaker and journalist and can tell you everything about hardcore punk.

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Interview edited by Sam Cohen.

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Groove on,
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