Ep500: Brett Gurewitz - Epitaph Records, Bad Religion & more
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds
Nate Goyer
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2025
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Epitaph founder Brett Gurewitz discusses rare records, early Bad Religion releases, the lasting impact of "Suffer", format transitions, and staying relevant through punk's evolution and vinyl's revival.
Topics Include:
- Brett's first record: Cosmo's Factory at age 9-10
- Lost entire record collection after breakup with Susie Shaw
- Greg Shaw's legendary garage rock collection inspired young Brett
- Vinyl revival surprised Brett after seeing format cycles
- Started Epitaph shipping vinyl from West Beach closet
- CD controversy: expensive, poor sound quality initially
- Made three formats: vinyl, cassette, CD for releases
- Vinyl nearly died in late 90s, warehouse troubles
- COVID lockdown sparked massive vinyl sales resurgence
- Indie artists need vinyl for merch booths
- Color variants important for hardcore collecting communities
- Epitaph's mission: help artists, don't make records ourselves
- Started Bad Religion at 17, Greg/Jay were 15
- No label knowledge, just entrepreneurial punk rock spirit
- Dad lent $1500, found Alberti pressing plant
- First 7-inch had skipping error, different pressings exist
- Rodney on ROQ played cassette before vinyl
- Fan mail arrived from Europe surprisingly early
- "Into the Unknown" prog disaster: 11,000 returns somehow
- Took day job selling gay disco imports
- Learned recording at University of Sound Arts
- Started West Beach studio in Pacifica's back closet
- Cocaine-fueled 80s work schedule: three jobs simultaneously
- "Suffer" recorded in seven days, transcendent experience
- Eddie Schreier at Capitol gave Brett confidence boost
- "Suffer" sound attracted top punk bands to studio
- Signed NOFX, Offspring through West Beach connections
- California harmonies influenced by Adolescents, Beach Boys
- "Beginner's mind" philosophy keeps Epitaph current today
- Authenticity and youth create that rock miracle
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Vinyl Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds. |
| 0:10.1 | Here's your host, the biggest record nerd of them all, Nate Goyer. |
| 0:13.6 | Well, hey everyone, it's Nate. |
| 0:15.7 | Welcome to yet another episode 500 of the vinyl guide, |
| 0:23.6 | the podcast for record collectors and music nerds. |
| 0:26.9 | And yes, you'll note, I said another episode 500. |
| 0:33.4 | As a reminder, we are now celebrating our 500th episode for the month of June. And we've had so many artists who were keen and willing to be part of our 500th podcast celebration. |
| 0:39.0 | We now have several episode 500s to enjoy. |
| 0:42.9 | Two weeks ago, we welcomed Mr. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins on the show. |
| 0:47.6 | That was incredible. |
| 0:48.9 | Last week, we were fortunate enough to speak to Mr. Billy F. Gibbons from a little band from Texas called ZZ Top. |
| 0:56.8 | Damn, he's so cool. You got to listen to that. And today, dear people, is also incredibly special. |
| 1:03.4 | We are welcoming Mr. Brett Gurowitz of Bad Religion. He's the boss at Epitaph Records, and he's speaking to us today. It is such an |
| 1:11.9 | honor. I mean, to me, I have always been such a huge fan of bad religion, you know, hoovered up |
| 1:18.5 | everything in the last 30-something years that they put out. The epitaph label is full of records |
| 1:24.1 | that I continue to play and enjoy heavy rotation in my house after initially |
| 1:29.0 | discovering them some time ago. Epitaph to me is just a super trusted label. I would be looking |
| 1:36.1 | at new music and I would see that gravestone e-logo as really a sign of quality I could trust. |
| 1:43.6 | And I don't think I've ever been disappointed by an epitaph release. |
| 1:47.1 | Plus, the words and the message of epitaph bands like bad religion that really shaped me as a youth and really helped me gain confidence in critical thinking, seeking truth, and standing up for myself. So again, it was an absolutely |
| 2:04.2 | huge honor personally and professionally to speak to Brett and have him featured on our episode 500 |
| 2:11.0 | series. So a little background. This interview was conducted in Los Angeles at the Epitaph |
... |
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