MB: So then you guys ended up recording Watertower in his studio.
Yeah‚ in Burlington. He's a good recordist and a good guitarist; he plays on the record too.
MB: I picked up a used copy on vinyl about a year ago. It's in great condition.
The vinyl?
MB: Yeah‚ Pure Pop had a vinyl sale and I was just flipping through the stacks and found it. It has a couple of stickers on it but its in really good shape.
I found a few copies of it. The label guy… the label was‚ uh-I can't recall that label. He had a lot of Eugene Chadbourne on the label. Eugene Chadbourne was the one who suggested he get me on the label.
I can't even think that label now. It went out of business for a while but it came back. I thought it completely just went out‚ which it did‚ but same thing is back again. It has the one little church on the logo? Another record of mine‚ Blue Navigator was made in Vermont. The studio burned with the original Blue Navigator.
MB: No way‚ where was the studio?
I think it was in-I can't remember the town. It was south of Montpelier‚ south of Stowe‚ and north of Bennington….
MB: Like in the White River Junction area‚ or Rutland?
Yeah‚ a little off from Rutland; I can't remember the name of that town.
MB: A lot of small towns in Vermont.
Yeah. That record had only one master. We only made 1‚000 copies and we bought 2‚000 jackets. We'd pay off the pressing plant‚ and when my distributors paid me off‚ I'd be able to afford to press another 1‚000 copies to fill those jackets‚ but the jackets burned up too in the fire.
MB: Was it a vinyl pressing‚ 1‚000 records?
Yeah‚ we made a thousand and no more.
MB: Did any of them get out or…
1‚000 got out.
MB: Do you have a copy?
Yeah‚ I have several copies. I was on a tour once and we were coming up from West Virginia and we had a gig in Pennsylvania and I had a few copies of Blue Navigator-we didn't know the studio had burned down‚ it probably hadn't burned at this point-but this guy at the coffee shop says‚ "How about you give us a copy of your album. Everybody that plays here gives us a copy of their album."
I said‚ "Well‚ I only have a few and I'm trying to sell them‚ how about you me seven bucks for one."
He said‚ "Aw no‚ people give them to us‚ so how about you just give us one."
I said‚ "Well‚ how about you let me make a phone call to my girlfriend and then I'll give you one."
He said‚ "Oh no‚ we don't know if we can let you use our phone."