When Cool is Still Just Cool Enough (An Interview wth Etsy seller Just Cool Records)

Collecting is cool and in the age of the internet it's even cooler. For one it puts you in touch with other collectors. People you otherwise would've never been able to meet years ago you can now say hi to with the click of  a mouse. Also it can put you in touch with other people who might have records you want, or want records you have. Or maybe both and you just want to groove on the records you share.

Lisa  Sumner is a rare example because she is all three. She's into Soundtracks, Metal and Punk/Post Punk and 80s gear and under the moniker of Just Cool Records she also a seller. She runs her own shop on Etsy (JustCoolRecords - natch!) and boy does she sell some good stuff.

Very cool right? Beat Street, The Story of Return of the  Jedi, Pac-Man Fever, Conan, Tolkien reading Lord of the Rings and it doesn't stop there. She even sells cool record cases and even rare cassettes!!! Remember those??

Wind on Lead Pencil Optional

She also has recently listed some amazing  Sci Fi & Horror holy grails which she has been selling  on commision for a close friend whose fallen on hard times. I'm not sure what those hard times entail  but  by the look of these items they were not easy to just cough up. You can also tell she wants to make sure they go to good homes just as much as he does.

So naturally I thought she was the perfect pick for our next interview here at Pencil Neck Record Geek
so I got on the inter-blower and sent her some questions and here are her awesome answers.

Enjoy,.....

How old are you and where are you located?

Well I’m gonna have to go with the adage that it’s not polite to ask a lady her age, but suffice it to say I’m older than you. ; )

I am located in the Pacific Northwest, in Washington State.

How long have you been running your etsy shop?

My shop will have its 4th anniversary in October. My, how time flies...

Where do you get your records from?

Anywhere, and everywhere I can. Garage sales, estate sales, local record shops, online, trades with friends and strangers...

You sell some amazing stuff. How do you decide what to keep and what to sell?

Haha! Well, thank you so much for saying so. Sometimes it is indeed difficult to decide whether to keep or sell particular records because my inventory is dangerously close to my personal collection. That being said, I have a hard time keeping records that are extremely rare/desirable/expensive, because invariably I’m behind on the bills, and I love having as many cool records as I can in my shop.

How big is your collection and do you collect from any specific genre (i.e. soundtracks) or do you collect other kinds?

Surprisingly, my collection is not as large as one would think, roughly only 600 records. My collection is very specific, and I don’t like anything extraneous clouding it up. Aside from soundtracks, I collect most any Halloween and/or Horror related records, old school Punk/Post Punk, New Wave, Pop and Rock. Cool children’s records, 1960’s French Pop, torch singers, 1950’s & 1960’s crooners and rock-n-roll. A little disco, buttrock, hard rock and heavy metal. Basically nothing past 1990, with only a few exceptions (White Stripes and a few others).

Here’s a shot of most of my collection. The records facing front represent the records/genres in each cubby behind it. 

 

   

How long have you been collecting?

Well that’s a two-part answer. I of course grew up in a time where it was pretty much records and cassettes only, so I started buying my own records at a fairly young age. Then, as it does, life got in the way of my collecting, and after many moves and the rise of the almighty CD, I stopped collecting for about 20 years. But I picked it up again roughly 5 years ago, and will never again let life get in the way of my passion for vinyl.

Do you collect for love or money or both?

Definitely both. The more record hunting I do, the more hooked I get. And there’s nothing like the feeling of finding a rare record for someone who has been searching for it for 20 years.

What's your most favourite record?

Oh good lord, I couldn’t possibly answer with just one...so I’ll give you my top three in Soundtracks: (in no particular order)

1. Return of the Living Dead Soundtrack
 

 

2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre II Soundtrack 

3. StarStruck Soundtrack (Australian film 1983)

Although my recently acquired Maniac Soundtrack (2013) is fast becoming a favorite, I can’t stop playing it!

 

What's the most valuable record you own?

Ooh that’s an easy one, The Monster Club Soundtrack. Ridiculously rare and worth a few hundred dollars. Priceless to me, it’ll go to my grave.

What's your holy grail? What record(s) have you been looking everywhere for but still elude you?

Hmm...that’s tough because I have recently gotten the two most desirable records that I have been wanting for a long, long time; The Cramps Big Beat From Badsville and the Nosferatu soundtrack--the German pressing with this particular cover.

What was the first record you bought?   Do you still have it?

Haha! It was Adam and the Ants Antmusic EP from 1979. And yes, I’m pleased to say it was one of the very few records that survived my many moves and poor decisions.

What draws you to collecting Soundtracks? Was there one clear record/film/soundtrack  that started you off?

I have always been an avid movie fan, from the time I was a small child. But music has always been my first love so I suppose it was just a natural progression to get into soundtracks. But what got me into selling them and more specifically specializing in them was the Legend soundtrack (Tangerine Dream version 1985). It was the perfect niche market for me to get into because of my love and knowledge of movies, and an excellent building block for my growing business.

I started selling media 10 years ago and by total accident I found that there were many soundtracks (on CD) that were out of print and worth a ton of money. That also fueled my desire to expand my knowledge of soundtracks and discover which were desirable and highly collectible. Now, I always pay attention to a film’s soundtrack, especially if there is a vinyl release of it.

So there you go friends or fans. Another cool chat with someone at the very hub of the vinyl revival. Make sure you check out the Just Cool Records Blog and Etsy Store and she has just let it out that you can grab her great stuff at Discogs as well. Drop by, check out her wax, hop onto her blog and maybe if you're keen help her help out her friend and buy some great Horror LPs.

Til Next time peeps 

Luke Pencilneck