Record Store Day Special: Fan Spotlight #3
Something tells me The Pavilion’s Aisling O’Riordan and Jack Collins may be tempted to pop into Plugd Records this Saturday…
They say if you stand still in New York for a short space of time the entire population will pass you by. Stand still in Cork music venue The Pavilion for just ten minutes and stage production manager Aisling O’Riordan will have probably passed you by at least a hundred times, greeted everyone in attendance, put out a dozen fires and still be available for a quick chat, which is what we – and the original midnight marauder himself Jack Collins did earlier in the week.
The G-Man: What is your favourite record store, where is it located and why does it hold a special place in your heart?
Aisling: It has to be Plugd Records. The equal love and abuse I get each time I walk in holds a special place in my heart!
Jack: It has to be Plugd. Buying records in there has ended up in me making a lot of friends over the years. When Plugd was running out of An Réalt Dearg (after temporarily closing a few years back) when I worked there was something I’ll always remember too. It’s an absolutely essential resource in Cork city, for natives and out-of-towners alike. Buying music in a record shop is infinitely better than downloading digital files from the internet, and I think that Plugd is the best place in Ireland to do so. With the exception of Buddhists, we humans hold a certain amount of affinity for material possessions, and I’d rather have a record in my hand or on my turntable than a load of 1s and 0s on my iPod.
What do you get from local independent record stores besides the obvious?
Aisling: There’s a lot more personality in a local independent record store. I know that when the lads (Jim and Albert) recommend me an album I’ll generally like/love it!
Jack: Abuse from Albert.
What is the last record you bought?
Aisling: Water on Mars – Purling Hiss.
Jack: Bande Apartment – ‘Rita, Kate & You Too’, an essential for anyone’s collection, even though it only dropped a few weeks ago. Psycho-disco edits on Kenny Hanlon’s Apartment label in Dublin. Taps aff!
How has a record store benefited your life/current job etc.?
Aisling: Greatly! I always go to Albert [Twomey of Plugd] to give out/get advice/vent and god bless him, he always listens! I’ve been working in [Cork bar and venue] The Pavilion for about a year and half and the lads from Plugd have been an immense support!
Jack: Well I started buying a lot of 12”s so I thought it might be a good idea to try and play them out. Luckily The Pav allows me to do just that every Thursday at Midnight Marauders with my partner in crime Caoilian, and I get to play them at Keep on Jumpin’ in Gulpd once a month with my friends Gilbert and Dean.
Do you visit record stores when you head off on holiday? What is the weirdest (or simply most original) record store that you have ever visited?
Aisling: The best record store I’ve visited abroad was Avalanche Records in Scotland. They have two branches, in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I think they may have changed names/shut down in the last few years. Everything is organized by a band and all the labels are hand-written, feels nice and homely.
Jack: Yes indeed. I haven’t really been to any particularly ‘weird’ stores though I suppose. Spacehall in Berlin is probably the coolest one, the place must have around 15 listening stations and a house and techno section you could spend a month looking through. As well as that, they have really cool wallpaper in there.
What would you say to a young music lover who has never visited a record store before?
Aisling: Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations. I wish I had asked more, I wouldn’t have listened to a load of shite music when I was a teenager.
Jack: Don’t be shy. Go to the section of records or CDs you like and pick out something you like and buy it. And if you can’t find something ask the nice man or lady behind the counter if he can order it for you. Also, if you enjoy your experience there prepare to part with a significant amount of your future earnings.
Describe your last record shopping trip.
Aisling: It was a while back (still waiting for pay day!). I went to Plugd for a chat and Albert starting pulling out loads of records which I loved, so I spent lots of money and didn’t eat for the rest of the weekend. My ears were happy though!
Jack: Scraped €40 together, bought pretty much that amount of records. Dibs’d any incoming releases that tickled my fancy. Bought a coffee in Gulpd (Plugd‘s sister business, a lovely café downstairs) with the change. Left happy.
What record store rituals do you have if any?
Jack: Always make a trip in on payday. Never have more than €100 worth of records stashed away behind the counter. Go to the jacks beforehand if you’ve just had a coffee and know you’re gonna be in there for over an hour, nothing worse than needing a wee when at the listening station.
What does Record Store Day mean for you?
Aisling: It’s a nice excuse to go to Plugd and buy lots of music.
Jack: I suppose that it celebrates something that is really important to me, but it’s also very important to remember that record stores are open all year round so music-lovers should be sure to frequent their local store and buy music there regularly. That’s a weird enough question, G.
April 20th 2013 will be the sixth annual record store day. Any fond memories from previous Record Store Days that you would like to share?
Aisling: My favourite purchase from the last few years was probably the Domino Zine from last year which had Dirty Projectors, Real Estate and Villagers tracks on flexi-disc which won’t play on my record player without a glass sitting on them!
Jack: It has to be when Kim and Aoife worked in Plugd when it re-opened in the Triskel. They’re way sounder than Jimmy and Albert. I got my ears pierced in Newcastle while on a stag party on Record Store Day last year (not in a record store, by the way). I was 24 years old.
Have you got eyes for any special RSD releases this year?
Aisling: I haven’t paid as much attention as usual this year but I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on the Goat release but I’d say all the Plugd copies will be claimed already!
Jack: Oh certainly. That David Guetta 12” looks awesome. Seriously though, I’d like to get the Grizzly Bear/Eno/Nicolas Jaar 12″ and the ‘Rip It Up’ by Orange Juice record and that book that’s coming out about the Roland 909 drum machine.
Why would you be an amazing/terrible record store owner?
Jack: Cack’s Sack o’ Wax.
Why would you be an amazing/terrible record store owner?
Jack: I would be destitute as I would be able to buy whatever arrives into the shop before anyone else. I’d probably just pay myself in records. I’d be pure sound though, but there’s no way I’d open before midday.
Aisling: I would be terrible. I like listening to the same songs over and over which I get to do working in the office on my own (most of the time) but I would try and do that in a store too and wreck everyone’s heads! Also, I know a good bit about music but nowhere near enough!
For more on The Pavilion visit:
– Record Store Day takes place across thousands of independent record stores on Saturday, 20th April
– For further Record Store Day content click here
