Michael Bizon is an artist and musician in Los Angeles, CA. I interviewed him by email in March 2011. Thank you, Michael, for sharing your collection and for all the great pictures and YouTube links you sent.
Mmm, not sure and not up for counting right now, but I can say i have two 3 foot wide crates worth, plus thirty or so 45s
What kinds of records do you collect?
I have a little collection of 45s.. the funky kinda stuff, and then alot of rock based things, deep psch, weirdo electronic, alot of local Detroit bands from the past 10 years, thematic sound tracky things, epic 80s, instructional records, et al. Pretty much all over the place.
Do you remember the first kind of music that you got excited about buying on vinyl?
I do remember the first record i bought. It was "In A Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly. Still have it, still think its an awesome record.
I was also into the thematic stuff from the 50s and 60s when i first started purchasing records because i loved combing through thrift store bins hoping to find long-lost gems.
Outside of the high school years i got pretty excited about the Social Registry label. I subscribed to their monthly 45 club when it was first offered. Through that label I was introduced to Psychic Ills, Gang Gang Dance, Vietnam, Blood on the Wall, I.U.D, Electroputas, Telepathe, Ghost Exits and others.
How do you find the records you're looking for?
They usually find me. I often find things at thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores. Well that bit about them finding me is kind of a cop out. I sometimes get obsessed with an artist or label and look for those, and when i go to a record store like Amoeba i have to pack a list or it gets ugly.
Do you have any records or group of records that you treasure most?
The early Social Registry records are pretty special to me, I also went through this ebay stint of buying every Kraftwerk original pressing i could get my hands on.
Oh, and Yello, i have a handful of Yello records i think i will always be in love with. Same for Tangerine Dream.
What are some recent things you've picked up and where did you find them?
Geez, i havent gotten a record in a couple months, its been all digital and tapes lately, but the last records i got were a Vangelis soundtrack, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, the live Television album The Blow Up, and the New Sounds of Detroit comp, Shiftless Decay.
What kind of effect has your recent move to L.A. had on your record collecting habits?
None, well i didnt really thin down my collection. I moved all of the records with me, which probably wasnt the smartest thing, but im a sucker for holding onto objects. After moving ive been pretty broke so ive been trying to stay away from the record buying binges.
A couple records that i sought out and that were hard for me to get my hands on were Moolah, Woe Ye Demons Possessed, the McDonald and Giles album, and Black Widow, Sacrifice.My three Dictaphone instructional records are pretty weird, and the The Organ Shout 45 by Dave "Baby" Cortez on Chess is pretty amazing.
As far as one serious record collectors would love to have... I still have my copy of Snap, Crackle, Pop that i mailed in my 3 UPCs from Rice Crispy cereal to get.
What records are you looking for right now?
I have a list from the Birdman label of things i am waiting to buy. Greg Ashley is a genius and any project he dips a finger in is gold. Birdman distributes most of his things.
