Ep254: Lenny Kaye - Record Collector

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Nate Goyer

Music, Music History, Music Interviews

4.7 • 579 Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2021

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As a guitarist, composer and long-time collaborator with Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye has a record collection compiled from a lifetime of travel and seeking out new and interesting music. Today Lenny shares all about his record collection, tells tales of the rare records of his career, discusses the genesis of the "Nuggets" compilation and much more.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

Lenny's location (Pennsylvania) vs. Nate's (Sydney, Australia)
Australia's strict COVID quarantine requirements for visitors
Record stores as part of Lenny's travel itinerary
His habit of smoking joints before browsing record stores
Record collecting as Lenny's equivalent to others' golf game
Supporting independent record stores through purchases
Lenny's routine when entering a record store
Started collecting records at age 12 in 1958
His first records purchased (Sheb Wooley, Conway Twitty)
Saving lunch money in high school for record purchases
Early interest in group harmony/doo-wop records
Traveling to Newark for record shopping
Seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan changed his direction
First guitar experiences and early folk music interest
First recording as "Link Cromwell" with "Crazy Like a Fox"
Working at Village Oldies record store for five years
Jack Holzman at Elektra hiring Lenny as talent scout
Origin story of the influential "Nuggets" compilation
Kaye's attempt to get Elektra to keep The Stooges
Nuggets' longevity and influence on future musicians
First Patti Smith single funded by Robert Mapplethorpe
Self-pressing and distributing "Hey Joe/Piss Factory"
Long-lasting musical partnership with Patti Smith
Lenny's substantial record collection (approximately 6,000 records)
Organization system for his record collection
View on first pressings vs. reissues
Record collection disasters (water damage, floods)
No specific "holy grail" record he's pursuing
Records most precious to him (Patti Smith records)
DJing with selections from his collection
Records from artist friends who have passed away
Australian music scene (Scientists, Radio Birdman)
Music's ability to transcend national boundaries
Missing live performance during pandemic
Plans to return to Australia when possible

If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related.

Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0
Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Well, hey everyone, it's Nate here. Happy New Year. Welcome to 2021. Wow. We not only made it through the
0:09.8	toughest year of many of our lives and certainly the most surreal, but I think we're stronger,
0:15.2	hopefully wiser, and in a much better state to move forward. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in.
0:20.7	If this is your first time listening to the Vinyl Guide podcast, I want to welcome in a much better state to move forward. Thanks everyone for tuning in.
0:21.0	If this is your first time listening
0:22.6	to the Vinyl Guide podcast,
0:24.4	I wanna welcome you.
0:26.1	Grab a drink from the fridge,
0:27.7	make yourself comfortable, kick up your feet.
0:30.0	This is episode 254 of the Vinyl Guide,
0:34.1	the podcast where we talk all about records,
0:36.5	vinyl, rare recordings, and more.
0:39.0	And I think you'll all enjoy today's conversation with Mr. Lenny K, long-time collaborator
0:45.2	with Patty Smith, songwriter, producer, and, well, you guessed it, record collector.
0:51.9	Lenny has been such a music fanatic since his youth, not only has he spent his
0:56.9	life cultivating this marvelous record collection, but Lenny was even tapped on the shoulder from
1:02.2	Elektra's Jack Holtzman to create the compilation Nuggets, which is noted as one of the most
1:08.5	influential compilation albums ever, one that helps spawn
1:12.5	punk rock as we know it, and a record that is still desirable and relevant to this very
1:18.0	day.
1:19.0	Now today we talk to Lenny all about that compilation, the early self-funded records with
1:24.1	Patty Smith, his record collection, and heaps more.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Nate Goyer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Nate Goyer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.