Crash!

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Pretty sure Crash is no stranger to most in Fredericton. You hear him all day at work and see him emceeing some of the best rock concerts that pass through our city!

I met Crash only once. My Wife and myself went to the Fox hole when they had their last open house in the fall. He greeted us as if he knew us his whole life. Let us stick around while he did some live broadcasting and even welcomed us on the air! But better yet, Crash is the reason I havent had to pay for the movies in the past two years. Well him and my Wife. Seems like every time we get low on movie tickets my Wife always wins on Crash's afternoon show! (Thanks Fox!)

I follow Crash on twitter and encourage everyone else to as well! He always keeps me up on whats going on in Fredericton and always seems to be able to make me laugh! @Crashola

I thank Crash (and all my other interviewee's) for taking the time to allow me to interview him for my blog! So here we go!


Name: Ryan Barton (aka Crash)

City/Town: Fredericton

Job: Mid-Day Host for 105.3 The Fox

Maritime Vinyl (MV) - What do you collect? Vinyl; CD’s; Cassettes; 8 tracks; bootlegs; music memorabilia; magazine; etc..

Crash - The bulk of my collection is CD’s, but I do have some vinyl, which is all the stuff my dad collected when he was a kid – lots of great classic rock stuff. I also dig posters and stickers, and have quite a collection of those.

MV - Do you prefer one audio format more than others? (example: vinyl more than cd’s)

Crash - Sound wise, Vinyl is warm and inviting...there’s a nostalgia to listening to vinyl that takes me to a time before my time, which is kinda cool – vinyl is an experience. Having grown up in the 90’s, though, CD’s were my vinyl, so they’d be my preference...the sound’s so crisp and despite the sound wars driving everything to the max, there can still be a dynamic in the music. I have digital copies of a lot of my stuff, for taking on the go...but when I’m near a player (at home, or my car, etc), I put the disc in.

MV - What is your favourite genre of music? Some of your favourite artists?

Crash - I’m a rock guy; have been since I was a kid, thanks to my parents, but I have a pretty wide spectrum of music I love, so it’s hard to narrow it down to one genre. I like anything with heart and soul in it. If it brings about an emotional response, then I’m all for it.

I’m a huge Foo Fighters fan – on top of other 90’s stuff like Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, STP, etc.

My parents brought me up on the stuff they listened to. My Dad’s a drummer and he instilled in me a love for Zeppelin (The first time I heard the drums for When The Levee Breaks, I was hooked) and he gave me a deep appreciation for Rush, which is his favourite band. I dig Rush, but not the way most fans do, haha.

I’m a big Matthew Good fan – one of the best shows I’ve ever been to was him, solo, at the Playhouse in ’06; just superb! Big Wreck’s 1st album is one of my all-time favourites – and I’ve had their latest, Albatross on repeat in the car since it came out at the start of March...it’s a nice bluesy guitar-laden return. Hey Rosetta!, Elliott Brood, Our Lady Peace (Burn Burn wasn’t my favourite, and is the only one of OLP’s I don’t own. I’ve heard the new one, Curve, and I’ll be happy to add that to my collection)

I’m a huge fan of the talent in the East coast too: Matt Mays (one of my favourite Canadian artists, period), Ross Neilsen, The Stanfields, Andy Brown...I could go on forever... I like Plaskett a lot too; though not like Uncle Rob, haha.

MV - How big is your collection?

Crash - I have around 400 CDs, I think; close to 100 Vinyl. Plus walls of posters and a guitar case plastered in stickers. I collect movies too...so i have a lot those, with a good section of music DVD’s/BluRays.

 

MV - Do you concentrate your collection on one or more artists in particular?

Crash - Dave Grohl is obviously a big one, between Foos, Nirvana and his other projects (that Queens of The Stone Age album he drummed on is fantastic.), he probably takes up the biggest chunk of my collection in everything from CDs to DVDs and posters. Also, anything Jack White touches is welcome in my home, haha. I wouldn’t say I concentrate on it so much...but I’d be more apt to add stuff - beyond just a CD – to my collection if I’m a big fan.

MV - What is the first album you remember purchasing? Do you still have it?

Crash - First album I bought with my own money was in 1997; Our Lady Peace’s Clumsy, and yeah I still have the disc. It’s in surprisingly good shape, too. I played the hell out of it, and took it everywhere (with a discman) when I was younger. I think I must’ve replaced the jewel-case, because I know it was in pieces at one point, haha.

 

MV - What is your favourite item in your collection?

Crash - That’s a tough one to answer...but, the Alice In Chains Music Bank box-set is pretty sweet. I have The Who’s Who Are You on red vinyl which was a Canada only release, I believe. Coloured vinyl in general is just cool. I have the gold vinyl edition of Framption Come’s Alive.

On the visual-art side of things, I have a limited edition screen-printed Elliott Brood poster (I have #34 of 65), and a wooden-framed promo poster for The Foo Fighters debut album, which I just found lying around the office (it hangs over my desk at work).

MV - Do you still actively collect or was this something you concentrated on in the past?

Crash - I still collect, but it’s definitely mellowed a bit. Getting married and buying a house will make you concentrate your funds elsewhere, haha. I’m not a single guy who can just buy whatever anymore...which is fine because it allows me to focus on getting what I really deem “worth it”.

MV - What is your preferred way of adding to your collection? Shopping online? Flea Markets? Independent music stores? Etc… Any favourite store or websites?

Crash - I still like going out to an actual store to buy my music, but I have shopped online too – sometimes the price is just better; or as in the case with the Guthries album Matt Mays played on, I had to go to ebay for that. I also get sent a lot of stuff digitally (.wavs) through work, which acts as a nice preview; if I really like it, then I’ll buy the actual album. Occasionally the label or artist will send in a physical copy, but it’s increasingly rare, these days...and usually they go to Uncle Rob first, haha. (the perks of being Music Director)

As far as favourite stores, I think Backstreet Records has to be the place to go for Vinyl or a good poster. I do like perusing Digital World for CDs too; every couple of weeks I drop in just to see if I can find something. In fact, most of the CD’s I’ve bought in the last year or two have been used copies of the music I downloaded with Napster when I was in high school. Kind of a way of catching up with the bands I dig.

MV - How do you store your collection? Shelves? Boxes? Your attic?

Crash - My stuff is all stored in my “Man Cave” in the basement. The music is all on shelves and the posters are on my walls. My computer, guitars and turntable and everything is there too, so it’s kinda like a college dorm-room, haha; I love it.

MV - Does your significant other support your collection? Did you have to convince him/her?

Crash - Erin’s cool about it, but she’s not really into it herself. She likes music, but a burned copy or a download of what she likes is fine with her. I like having the physical copy and the artwork and liner notes, etc...

We share an account for bills and joint purchases, etc. but we also have our own personal funds, and we’re free to do whatever we want with that; guilt free, haha. So, no convincing is necessary if I wanna buy some music or whatever.

If I wanted a new guitar, though...that might take a little sugar, haha.

MV - What is on your “wish list” at the moment?

Crash - I’d really like to have the Foo’s covers collection, Medium Rare, which was a vinyl only Record Store Day release last year...I was working that morning and didn’t make it to Backstreet in time to get one of the two copies Eric had. A friend of mine did, though...and I’m jealous. I’ve seen it on ebay, but I’m just not willing to fork out the cash people want for it.

Also, the only thing I don’t have by Matt Good is Loser Anthems & Lo-Fi B-Sides; I’d like to get those someday, but they’re rare and cost a pretty penny. I do have the deluxe edition of In A Coma, which included all of those songs, so in a way i do have them....the original releases would be cool, though.

MV - Do you know any other collectors?

Crash - Yeah I know a couple. My friend Diane Cole collects vinyl – she has that Foos record I mentioned above. My buddy Josh Linton has gotten into vinyl. He has Neil Young’s Massey Hall ’71 and it sounds so damn good! (tag that to my wish list, too haha. It’s possibly my favourite Neil Young release). Then there’s Uncle Rob...who as you know from your interview, has a pretty cool collection. He really wants my Elvis Costello Hollywood High EP...which makes me want to hang onto it even more, haha.


MV - I am a big fan of 105.3 the Fox (seriously, not even trying to kiss ass!). I enjoy Freddy and Mark in the morning, they getting me laughing every drive to work. I listen to you during work all day and Uncle Rob on the drive home every day! You guys always seem to have so much fun! Is it as much fun as you all make it out to be or are you guys just really good at faking it?

Crash - Well, we are all actors* ...but, no I totally dig it haha. I often say it never feels like work, so that is key for me. I never wanted to be stuck doing something I didn’t enjoy. I’ve been very fortunate.

 

*for real: Freddy has a stage background, while Rob has done mostly screen work. I continue to do stuff with the Film Co-Op, and I was in a TV movie on CBC back in August. (a few of the shorts I’ve been in are on Youtube.)

MV - Everybody has a bad day at work once in a while. How do you disguise this to not make it obvious on the air?

Crash - Vodka in my water bottle...

Y’know, that’s a good question, really. As much as I dig what I do, there definitely are days where you just kinda feel less enthusiastic. I don’t have a tried and true technique, aside from reminding myself that I have a job to do, and a reputation to uphold, so I just brush it aside and do what I need to do. There’s nothing worse than being sick and at work, though...I don’t care how much you love your job, haha; when a head-cold grabs ya, you don’t wanna do anything but stay home in bed.

MV - I really enjoyed the “Heads or Tails” contest you guys had during the summer. How did you luck in to doing all of the destructive things? (I remember you slashing tires for sure… maybe refresh my memory on some of the others’).

Crash - Haha! I happened upon that by chance, I think. It just so happened that the first destruction event was the Tire Slashing, and Freddy was busy in the afternoon (when we did the flip) I think, and Rob was on air, so I was the only choice left, haha. I played it up and had so much fun they just kept getting me back to do the destroying of property. I cut up a bed, threw a wallet in a wood-chipper and helped crush a car. It was reallyfun, and all of the contestants and “losers” were great about it; they got the fun of the whole contest, which is something I think we as the DJ’s were a little nervous about. I hope we do it again.

MV - You really seem to be a big fan of some of the acts that pass through Fredericton. What is it like getting to meet some of these guys in the Fox Hole?

Crash - It’s one of the coolest parts of the job. There have been enough people come through the doors that I’m fully aware they’re just people too. We tend to build up musicians or other celebrities because they seem so larger than life as we watch them, but for the most part – the ones I’ve met anyway – they’re no different than you or me; they’re shy sometimes, too.

MV - Are all of the artists you guys interview at the Fox Hole genuinely nice? Any of them completely surprise you as of who they actually are?

Crash - I’m often nervous about meeting artists I admire, because I have an idea in my mind about what they’re like, so I don’t want that idea ruined if they’re a douche, or something. But it’s been cool; most of the people who’ve come through the doors, or who I’ve had the chance to interview have been really nice. Coolest Interview I’ve had was Mike Inez of Alice in Chains; it was over the phone, but he seemed genuinely humbled by the fact the band was being well-received with a new singer and, as a fan, he was a cool interview.

MV - What is it like standing in front of the crowds at local concerts as the Emcee?

Crash - Emceeing things might be my favourite part of the job. Stepping out in front of a crowd is such a rush. I talk every day for however many listeners, but on stage, I actually have people there, looking at me. I never get nervous, but there’s definitely a different kind of energy during those moments; my own rock-star moments, if you will... even though the crowd couldn’t care less about me, haha. They just know that when I leave the stage, the band they’re waiting to see is coming on, so they’ll cheer when I ask...they aren’t cheering for me, they’re cheering for the band...but I pretend it’s for me, and it’s awesome, haha.


**Check out the video below of Crash slashin some tires during the no BS contest! (courtesy of the fox)**