Q&A With Musician and Music Writer Will Sisskind

1. Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork? Yes! I was thrifting and saw this absolutely cursed probably-bootleg French collection of Judy Garland live tracks. The typeface is inexplicably futuristic and the front cover image makes it look like you are seeing Judy through an acid trip. 

1. What is your most memorable vinyl buying/receiving experience? I went to Ithaca College, which is a stone’s throw from Angry Mom Records, which is in the basement of Autumn Leaves Used Books. It was one of the dustiest, moldiest spots that ever hosted a legitimate business, and every time I dug through the one-dollar boxes, either a spider bit me or the dust caused me to have a serious allergic reaction. I believe since I’ve graduated, they’ve moved out of the basement to the top floor of the bookstore, granting their customers fresh air while they enjoy their search for new records. Cowards! Suffer in the thick smog of the underground like your predecessors!

2. What’s the most treasured album in your collection and why? I have an original copy of Billy Joel’s debut album Cold Spring Harbor, which was released at too high of a speed, making Billy’s voice sound like a chipmunk. Despite the technical error, I think it is sonically and thematically the finest Billy Joel album by far, and I will die on that hill.

3. What’s one record in your collection would you be most eager to share with new friends? To share? Most likely Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key Of Life”. To give them permanently? I have about a dozen copies of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” I’m looking to give away.

4. Do you have a definitive album of choice for spring, summer, autumn and winter? I don’t really know if I could pick a record for each season. A lot of the music I play could fit any time of year. That said, most of my vinyl is theatre-related. There is never a bad season for theatre. I have the Hello, Dolly soundtrack featuring Carol Channing and that can go on the turntable at any moment in our household.

5. What is/are your white whale records, something you have your eye on but haven’t been able to get? It’s hard to say, because I’ve been fortunate to have parents and other friends and family members who have lent their records to me over the years. So a lot of the stuff that I might be looking for, they’ve had in their collections for years. It is definitely one of the benefits of being raised in a musical household, and aligning myself with other musical people throughout my life. 

6. Who/what got you hooked on records? My parents had an old Technics turntable from the ‘60s, which I believe belonged to my grandfather. It was one of the old direct drive systems attached to a stereo with a reel-to-reel player and AM/FM radio with the first consumer-grade equalizer and compressor units attached. I was obsessed with it, although I was forbidden to touch it when I was a kid, since I had a knack for breaking things. But my parents would gladly put on records for me, playing whatever was in their collection. Lots of Sinatra, Streisand, and show tunes. My folks were both boomers from Long Island and I grew up in a Jewish household, if you couldn’t tell.

7. What’s your favorite record to listen to on headphones? I’m going to be basic here, but definitely The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. The final buildup and chord at the end of “A Day In The Life” is insane to hear through a good pair of stereo headphones.

8. Tell us a little about your favorite record store. My current favorite record store (aside from Angry Mom, already mentioned) is The Poet’s Vault, part of the Sleepy Poet antique store in Charlotte, NC. The Sleepy Poet itself is a giant warehouse filled with old stuff, but about a quarter of the space is dedicated to the Vault, which has all sorts of records, from new releases to Edison recordings from the 1900s and everything in between. My wife and I stopped there on a trip to visit family, and we lost hours picking through the shelves, making us nearly late for dinner. Absolutely worth a visit for any audiophile passing through the Queen City. 

9. What’s the weirdest record you own? Can I call Elton John’s “Leather Jackets” weird? (I know it was recorded at a tough time, but come on.) Anyway, I have a copy of Attila’s only record. That was my white whale for a long time, to be honest. Most people would find this early side project of Billy Joel and his friend Jon Small weird, but I think it’s art in every way. Truly two guys ahead of their time, making music with only a drum set and an organ played at maximum volume, taking a picture for their album cover in full Viking garb inside a meat locker.

10. How has your record collection and appreciation for vinyl evolved over the years, and what has influenced your tastes? I think in general, I’ve come to appreciate the act of playing a record. Music is at our fingertips now, especially with streaming services. But to play a record, not only do you have to find it in the store, you have to make the conscious decision to get up, take it out of the sleeve, put it on the turntable, and move the needle over to the first track. And then if you don’t want to listen to the next song? You can’t just tap a button. A vinyl record is an exercise in patience and conscious thought, something we could use more of these days. (If that makes me sound like a Boomer, then fine. We Millennials have one foot in the grave anyway, compared to these Gen Alpha whippersnappers.)

11. Name the top three records you own that could describe you or your vibe. Lou Reed’s New York, for one. A lot of the aforementioned albums would fit my vibe as well, but I don’t want to repeat myself and I don’t want to mention Billy Joel again, so I would probably say U2’s Boy and New Order’s Brotherhood. 

12. What’s the last record you played? Springsteen’s Born To Run is sitting in a weird place on my record shelf, which makes me think I played it last, but I can’t be sure because my memory is bad. I think it was The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis. Now that is an album that you must listen to all the way through. It’s a journey.

Will Sisskind is a writer for Start-Track.com and a singer-songwriter who performs under the name the Paris Buns. 

*Bluesky handle: @willsisskind.com*