Razorcake writer Ryan Leach has compiled various interviews he’s done from 2005 to 2016 (some of them for this here publication) into a nice collection called Bored Out. Leach has some fairly specific tastes, primarily garage and punk, and these interviews focus on acts from the Memphis, L.A., New Zealand, and Austin scenes—all places where Leach has lived. There are a lot of interviews here, including Kid Congo Powers, Jeffrey Evans, Eric Friedl, Dave Alvin, and more. Some of their bands are pretty impressive: the Oblivians, the Urinals, Weirdos, Blasters, and Modern Lovers. In addition to these interviews, there are oral histories of Gun Club and the Klits.
Bored Out succeeds because Leach knows his shit. Reading the back and forth between him and the musicians, he always keeps up with them. His interviews are regular conversations between two people who love music and are on a trip down memory lane. Leach guides the musician with a look at the progression of their career. There’s no fanboy posturing or celebrity ass-kissing, just real conversations that engage and enlighten. I especially enjoyed the interviews with Eric Friedl of Goner Records and Larry Hardy of In The Red Records, as both helped me understand how these great labels emerged and how they’ve progressed through the years.
These interviews are a wonderful look at some more obscure bands. Even if you aren’t familiar with all these musicians, it’s safe to say that they’ve likely had a big impact on bands you know and love. If you’re into this scene, this is a good compendium to check out. –Kurt Morris (Spacecase, spacecaserecords.com)