Interview with an insane Bad Religion record collector

Alright, thousands delays later and the interview got posted. 

After a few interviews that was hardcore related one way or another, I've come to terms with a new approach which my last interview gave a taste of. I am aiming to have more focus on collecting records (preferably hardcore), not gonna exclude a potential good interview if the guy or girl collects something similar to hardcore. Isn't that hardcore-mentality right there? - everybody's all right. 

This interview is with a mildly addicted record collector from Richmond, Virginia. 25 year old Robert Cheeseman is probably a man you don't wanna battle with on Ebay over the first pressing of the Bad Religion self titled 7"! .....Just sayin'.... I talked to Robert about collecting wax, being obsessed with completing collections and the hunt we all thrive under; shooting white whales.

Robert, introduce yourself - who are you and why do you collect records?

Hey Rune! My name is Robert and I'm from Richmond, Virginia. I grew up in Northern Virginia (Washington DC suburbs) and finally made the move down to Richmond late last year after spending the last two years of my life out on the west coast in Los Angeles. 

The reason I collect records is a pretty multifaceted answer so I'll try to keep it as simple as possible! I've been collecting stuff since I was a kid and most of the members of my family have some sort of collecting hobby. When I was younger I was all about Star Wars related stuff; books, action figures etc. Then sometime in early High School I bought my first record (Bad Religion - Atomic Garden 7") and I was so stoked on it that I just became this fiend for Bad Religion records... Originally I had no intention of ever collecting other bands or to move strictly to purchasing vinyl, but here I am some 10-11 years later and I've got a pretty healthy collection going that's always expanding!

What do you do for a living?
I am a freelance recording engineer. I own my own studio and record bands... Nothing too crazy yet as I just started to get things up and running within the last year but that's what I do.

Tell about your passion for Bad Religion and your collection

Bad Religion were without a doubt the band that got me into punk rock. When I was in 3rd grade (around '94) a friend's older brother was getting way into punk rock, probably with the whole explosion i 94 with Dookie being released and everything. I remember being at his house hanging out and then his brother played Bad Religion - Suffer CD - I was instantly hooked. I was 9 at the time so I wasn't necessarily allowed to be listening to some record with a kid on fire on the cover, so I just borrowed the CD from him for like a year probably and listened to it non-stop. It was the first CD I ever got and to this day it's still my favorite record. 

As for my actual collection, I guess it was in middle school (late 90s) I started buying Bad Religion singles/bootlegs CDs off of Ebay because they weren't something you could find online and certainly not in any local record store in Virginia, so I had a pretty extensive (probably around 35-45 CDs) collection before I even started collecting vinyls. Then I found that Atomic Garden 7" at a local record store in Woodbridge called Hi-Fidelity and from that moment I got into collecting records. That was probably around 2000 or 2001 so it's been at least 10 years of collecting. I've never really tried too hard to collect things, a lot of it was pretty easy to come by early on - just me buying stuff off of Ebay before it got really popular. Now it's more of a few "white whales" as they're called that's eluding my grip... and test presses! I've got a few but would love to own more.

What are the thrills in record collecting for you?

I'm a pretty big fan of just going to stores and sifting through piles and rows of records in hopes of finding one or two gems in a massive unorganized mess. Plus it's just aesthetically pleasing to be able to hold a big record with big artwork, and to have this great sounding item that isn't just some crap looking CD.

Do you believe you'll ever finish your collection? In other words, isn't that 1st press if their first 7" getting a bit annoying?

Realistically I'd like to hope that one day I could complete my Bad Religion collection. My most complete collection is my Latterman collection, of which I'm only missing a test press of their split with Nakatomi Plaza, so I'm pretty proud of that. I'm 99.9% sure I have one of the most complete Bad Religion discographies ever assembled though, so that's an accomplishment that I'm also pretty proud of. I don't know if I'll ever find a copy of that Bad Religion EP in its first pressing. I still have yet to actually see a physical copy and I'm sure so many of them got lost or forgotten about over the years by kids who were punks in L.A. in the early 80s but moved on in their later years. I've even heard that people like Brett Gurewitz doesn't even own a copy of it anymore. If I'll get the opportunity to ever get a hold one a copy I will absolutely go for it. 


Which Bad Religion records are you currently looking for?
For now, other than test pressings, I know that I am missing the following:

• Bad Religion - S/t 7" Black vinyl (First press /500) Epitaph Rec.
• Bad Religion - Generator Demos 7" Light blue labels

• Bad Religion - 80-85 Black vinyl Epitaph**
• Bad Religion - The Grey Race LP Black vinyl Dragnet Rec.**
• Bad Religion - Recipe For Hate LP Black vinyl (Brazilian press on Paradox)

The two with ** next to them are unconfirmed as to whether they exist or not. I've never actually seen a copy of either in person or online, but have heard numerous accounts that they exist. Both 80-85 in CD form (as in, a 12" LP that has the boots cover) and then The Grey Race on black vinyl... supposedly this was seen on Ebay in 2000 or 2001 in Germany and sold for a ton because both the US and Euro pressings are all on light-ish grey vinyl, but this was apparently distinctly black... maybe it was a test press, I don't know. I've seen the Brazilian pressing of Recipe For Hate a few times, I've just missed it every time. 

Bad Religion 7"'s 1/2

Tell about some of the most expensive records you've bought and how much you dropped.

The most expensive record I've bought was my 2nd press of Bad Religion's self titled 7" EP out of 1500. I paid $218 for it around 2003 which was normal for then and almost every copy since then goes for somewhere between $300-400, so I got a good deal on it. Other than that, the most money I've spent has probably been on test pressings and also a few other rare Bad Religion singles. Most notably my 21st Century Digital Boy 12" single with just the plain promo sleeve and my first copy of the Tested 2LP. Those were both somewhere around $100 a piece I believe.

How many collections do you have going at the moment?

I've got quite a few collections going currently, but most of them are in the final laps of being complete so I'm not buying records for them too often. I'm basically down to the really rare/hard to find pieces of each collection. Off the top of my head I've got collections for: Avail, Bouncing Souls, Latterman, Energy, Permanent, Propagandhi, Worn Thin, Faded Grey, Smoke Or Fire, Police & Thieves, Strike Anywhere and The Frontline. Obviously a lot of Virginia/D.C. influences as those were the bands I grew up loving in my local area.

Bad Religion 7"'s 2/2

If you were to start a new band collection, which band would it most likely be?

I've always wanted to get more into some hardcore record collections, but they are so expensive just to even start! I'd love to have a Battery collection as well as bands like The First Step or Turning Point, and it would be awesome to have a Count Me Out collection as well. I'd also like to get some solid collections going for other Fat Wreck bands and all the early Epitaph bands I grew up on.


What are your thoughts about all the online tools for collectors, such as message boards (Vinylcollective, Deadformat, How's Your Edge, etc.) and the fact that more and more labels do pre-orders. I'm guessing all these are big helpers in a collector's search for rare records, or get the records before they become rare. How many of the hard oneshave you gotten using these tools? Any good stories?
Message boards and sites like Deadformat and How's Your Edge are great tools for people who collect records without a doubt. I've been able to score some great records off of boards, both vinyl related boards and other punk/hardcore boards, from all over the world, so yeah, they're definitely a great help! I actually bought my first copy of Bad Religion - Tested 2LP from some dude on a European hardcore board for like $20. It was such a steal and I was so stoked. 


People have different standards as to the condition of a record before they buy it for their collection. I myself, won't buy a record, no matter how much I'm missing it, if it's scratched to the extent that it would affect play when spinning it. 
Yeah, I definitely prefer to get my records in as great a condition as possible. I don't think I own any scratched records thankfully, so I guess I have steered clear of buying any in that condition.


Have you ever gone record hunting in Europe?
I haven't really had the opportunity to. My mum lives in the UK, so I've been to a few stores there, mainly All Ages Records in London and found a few cool things. I haven't been anywhere else with ample time to look for records. I lived in Germany until I was 5 and traveled all over Europe as a kid, but that was well before my record buying days. The only other place I've visited as an adult was Paris for like 3 days, but I couldn't seem to find any record stores... bummer!


It will be hard to come by a fine first pressing of Bad Religion's S/t EP /500 without paying around $400-500 for it - are you prepared to spend that kind of money on one 7"?
Absolutely. No questions asked about it, if it's in good condition it's a done deal!

Bad Religion 12"s

The Pick 1's! - I'm assuming we're talking strictly Bad Religion, but just in case I'll cover both.
Pick 1 record from the 80s era - Bad Religion - Suffer / Dag Nasty - Can I Say
Pick 1 record from the 90s era -  Bad Religion - The Gray Race / Avail - Over The James
Pick 1 record from the 2000s era - Bad Religion - The Process Of Belief / Bouncing Souls - How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Pick 1 current band - Police & Thieves
Pick 1 reunion show you'd kill to attend (happening or not happening) - Dag Nasty


Any last comments?
Thanks for the cool interview, keep up the solid work and keep on hunting for those white whales... Perhaps I'll get that Bad Religion 7" some day, haha!


Robert's studio can be found here: myspace.com/nocontrolstudios

Some of Robert's BR shirts.