Paul Pledger

I’m a music-head and a passionate one at that. I hate mediocrity – I’d rather it was total shit or total brilliance. No middle ground, no laziness. I used to write the charts down when I was a kid and I air-drummed to Top Of The Pops every Thursday, much to my parents chagrin. I never got the drum-kit though, just the sticks. Bugger. At least I can actually play them as well as DJ.

I now have a library of 6000 records due to my parents buying me a flip-lid Bush record-player that squeaked when I switched it off. Job done – I was hooked on records. I discovered New Wave and Punk and never looked back (after a short relationship with ELO and Disco that is). I moved from the countryside to the city and found a Virgin Megastore with 12” singles and that was it – endless debt caused by a desire to collect. And collect I did. My first true loves were XTC. Real music, real lyrics and an attention to detail that some bands only dream of these days. I moved on to Magazine, Devo, 4AD and Factory Records. Thanks Iain, thanks Tim and thanks Darryl – they played their part in lacing my shelves with quality. I listened, I absorbed and I also found my own unique way around endless record shops, record fairs and Rhythm Records of Lisson Grove, Plymouth. Thanks Nick, thanks Ray and thanks Meat Whiplash.

And I was the first kid in my circle to play “Blue Monday” in public……(house party – messy…..very messy)

I worked for 2 years at a DIY superstore in Plymouth before getting a job with Our Price. During my first week, I discovered a pile of sleeves in a store-room that included 4AD, Factory, Crepuscule, Real World and Rough Trade’s catalogue dumped in a pile because (according to my then boss) “they don’t sell”. They did after spending a few lunchtimes of master-bag matching and re-pricing them. I had found my niche – selling niche music. And writing for fanzines.

I spent the next few years buying so-called indie music, World music and reggae/dub music before hopping around the country with my employer and gathering more vinyl dust. But my dream job was with Beanos in South London – a 3 floor mecca of musical memorabilia and shit-loads of collectable vinyl. Vinyl that needed pricing and selling. I fell in love with drum n bass, fell out of love with £50 Hip-hop 12” that wouldn’t sell, fell back in love with Hip-hop 12” that sold at £20 (after I repriced them without the glint of greed) and bought DJ collections from around the region (oh and Doncaster). I dug out skip-loads of collectable music from their damp (and squirrel-laden) vaults and prised lots of money out of Japanese buyers. It was fun and it was fast. We used to visit the EMAP offices of Q, Mojo and Mixmag and clear out their cupboards. Beanos have recently folded – sad but a reflective sign of the times. I miss them.

But the wages were bad – time to go back to the High Street. Tough decision.

Back to corporate and disorganised Our Price for a few months before going back to Virgin for a 2nd time. Never the same as before, but it did allow me to cuddle up with reps and stick great music on listening posts (and see it sell). I got a bollocking for one album – the Chumbawamba CD with graphic images of a birth (“Anarchy”). Racked up 20 copies on a listening post, told by HQ to remove it, took it off, watched Regional Manager leave the store, stuck it back on sale – fuck ‘em, the kids wanted to buy it. Sold out in 24 hours. Got roasted. Then forgiven. Kept it quiet. Yeah.

Now I’m a victim of Zavvi going splat and since writing for you, dear reader. But not before spending a few years banging my head against the wall trying to push what I liked upon the masses. I now live in West London with no kids, no pets and a tolerant record player. My girlfriend must have the patience of a saint but she accompanies me to most gigs these days. She even likes Section 25 but not as much as I do.