Q&A Remix With Jason Bombach

The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their record collection. Today we welcome Jason Bombach.

Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?

This may surprise you since I wrote a whole column about album art but, of course I’ve bought albums just based on artwork. It’s a great way to break out of a musical rut. It’s harder to justify than it used to be with prices as they are, but it’s fun to jump into the unknown. I have this record, I can’t even remember the band now, but the sleeve is just two pieces of a cardboard box with some abstract silk screening on it. It’s a strange record that I never would have heard if the art wasn’t so weird that it caught my eye.

What is your most memorable vinyl buying experience?

For a while, I had a real addiction to buying records. I’d go on a record store tour every week on payday and spend like $250 of my $400 check (oh the simple days of living with your parents). So I tried to control myself one day and insisted that I would keep my hand on the counter and not buy anything. I ended up with an Art Tatum box set.

What’s the first area you head for in a record store?

The record stores I go to these days I go to somewhat regularly so I just head to the new arrivals. If I’m traveling and hit a new store, I always ask if they have a local music section. I figure I can get most records back home, but local acts may only be at this store. Too few record stores have a local section though. Show so god damn pride in your town!

What’s the most treasured album in your collection and why?

I should probably say the record my old bands have put out or something but…meh. I have an old pressing of Piper at the Gates of Dawn that I’m very fond of. I am a massive Syd Barrett fan and It was my white whale for a long time. There’s also Axis of Evol by Pink Mountaintops which was a big part of opening up my taste to music beyond the tentpole bands of rock history.

Are you a completionist when it comes to artists? Which artist do you have the most records from?

I very much am unfortunately. I don’t really do live records or bootlegs but there are a ton of artists that I have every studio album from. Do Make Say Think, The Beatles, IDLES, the aforementioned Pink Mountaintops and their sister bands Black Mountain and Jerk With A Bomb. It’s a real problem.

What is/are your white whale records, something you have your eye on but haven’t been able to find?

So many. The problem is, the more you get, the more you want. Right now I really wanna find a copy of anything from Shipping News or June of 44. Here’s my Discogs Wishlist if you’re feeling kind dear reader: https://discogs.page.link/1JMvsCEDpg6r4Q3y5

What is your greatest “score;” could be on value or just rarity or something you were looking for the longest?

Well I already talked about the copy of Piper at the Gates of Dawn but I also have a club copy of Electric Ladyland. I bought it from my favorite store, PJ’s Records (which heartbreakingly closed) and they asked if I was gonna keep it sealed to preserve the value. I said, of course not, I’m gonna listen to it. So they gave me a discount. I miss those guys.

What are your first memories of listening to records?

My first record was Jimi Hendrix’s Smash Hits. I had a turntable but no receiver or speakers. So I just sat very quietly, laying on the floor as close to the turntable as possible and listened through the needle. I very distinctly remember the solo on Purple Haze blowing my young mind. I was a weird kid.

What’s your favorite record to listen to on headphones?

It’s gotta be Slint’s Spiderland. Just sit me down in the dark, headphones on, mind blank and drop the needle. It’s right up there with Marquee Moon as a perfect middle of the night record.

What’s the weirdest record you own?

I have a copy of this Alan Moore (the comic book writer) spoken word record called Unearthing that is so cool. It is just the story about his friend with all this experimental music behind it but it comes with a dot matrix print out of the story. He’s got a great voice. I actually have a decent amount of odd spoken word records. A lot of preachers and Doctor Who stories and satanic rituals. When I did radio at WCBN (the best radio station in the world) I used to do radio collages and all the spoken word stuff was great for that.

Tell us a little about your favorite record store.

Well, unfortunately most of my favorite record stores have closed up shop in the last few years. Victims of COVID or greedy landlords. I used to spend a lot of time at PJ’s Records in Ann Arbor where I bought my first records. The brothers that ran that place were very special to me. I also spent a lot of time in stormy records in Dearborn which was run by Windy & Carl who are both husband and wife and a fantastic ambient band. I miss them as well.

These days, I mostly stick to four places. Wyrd Byrd is the newest, here in Ypsi, it’s run by an old punk like me and has both records (mostly of the punk-ish variety) and books. Then there’s Matt’s store, Underground Records in Ann Arbor, which is kind of the last of the stores I’ve been going to for 20 years. Great selection and great stories if you’re not a dick. When I can’t find something at those two stores I make my way to either Encore in Ann Arbor or Dearborn Music in, well take a guess.

What’s the last record you played?

I think it might be Current Joy’s East My Love. Really like that record. Or maybe it was something in a large pile of 7 inches. I usually let those build up and then have a whole day of listening.

How has your record collection and appreciation for vinyl evolved over the years, and what has influenced your tastes?

My love of records spread into the rest of the media I consume. I also collect Blu-ray’s, books and comics and now own a small library of each. I’ve just become a huge advocate of physical media and an evangelical prophet warning of the dangers of streaming and not owning things, either personally or as a collective. I loan things out constantly because it’s so much more personal than just saying you should watch this thing and then having it sit on your watchlist till it’s taken down. You can tell a lot about a person from the art they enjoy and I hope when I croak people will think I at least had good taste.

Jason Bombach is an aging left wing punk who makes music under the name History History, writes, and shoots film. But mostly he scrubs toilets for money and is an organizer for the IWW. Check out his YouTube channel Death to The Algorithm or don’t. Yell at him on Bluesky at thecurmudgeon.bsky.social

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