Photography by Rachel Murray
RAZORCAKE
Interview with Daryl Gussin
By Stephanie Dubick
Nardwuar the Human Serviette may just be the most animated interviewer in the history of music journalism. His unconventional approach and combative line of questioning has gained him notoriety as an unabridged, off-the-wall server of exactly what it is we want to know about our favorite musicians. Like with Henry Rollins and the questioning of his “soup can cock,” (seriously, go Youtube this now!), or his brief, but caustic interview with former Skid Row front-man, Sebastian Bach, who, angered by a particular question, (which was the first and only question, mind you), felt compelled to smash the tapped interview and lose Nardwuar’s beloved toque in the process. This reaction is one that’s received on a more than regular basis, (well, maybe not as psychotic, but pretty darn close), ’cause no one engages with their interviewees with as much finesse and compassion as he does! It’s completely mad, but always brilliant. That’s why for the last ten years, Razorcake, the premiere DIY magazine for all things punk, (and the only magazine in the country to be recognized by the IRS as a completely non-profit publication), has remained a consistent staple in the punk rock underground, taking on writers with a passion for music and an integral sense of the subjects they cover. “I have been honoured to have been part of Razorcake and feel so lucky that (co-founders) Todd, (Taylor), and Sean, (Carswell), asked me to contribute ten years ago! Every issue I learn something new and exciting. Razorcake has everything: punk, politics and, Rev. Norb!” says Nardwaur. “I also love the fact they give it out free in LA! Through Razorcake, I have met some amazing people such as illustrator Mitch Clem, who has drawn record covers and DVD menu pages for my own projects! Razorcake: it’s the gift to punks that keeps on giving! Doot doola doot doo …. doot doo!”
Oh, Nardwuar. To gain even further insight into the anniversary of Razorcake Magazine, I sent some questions to Daryl, the sole employee over at Razorcake’s headquarters, who dug his way out of the tremendous amount of demos and paperwork he’s consistently buried in, to take the time and appease AMP’s always inquisitive nature.
First off, congratulations on the 10th anniversary of Razorcake! It’s wonderful! There was a celebration not too long ago in LA. Toys That Kill, The Young Offenders, The Hex Dispensers, and The Arrivals all came out to play for the show. How was the show? Was there a good turnout?
Thanks so much, the turn out was incredible. You know, it’s a party, as long as there are people there who enjoy the music and appreciate the bands I’m happy. And luckily that happened. It was the first time both the Young Offenders and the Hex Dispensers had played LA, and we did our best to show them a good time. Luckily they like pizza and beer.
The ten year mark for a magazine is a nice indication that you guys are doing things right. What do you credit to the magazines’ longevity thus far?
Other than just being very fiscally responsible, I feel the magazine’s longevity can be attributed to treating the readers well, treating our advertisers well, and not letting ourselves get pushed around by big time distributor crooks.
Since the beginning of the magazine’s start, the format and style of Razorcake has never changed. Why exactly?
I think the style has changed a decent amount since issue #01, but I understand where you’re coming from. We love newsprint, we love crisp black and white photos, we love 9.45 point Times New Roman; why change what you love?
It’s interesting ’cause MaximumRockNRoll, which is also a non-profit magazine, has been around forever and the look has never changed either. Was that magazine at all an influence on Razorcake?
It would be a good damn lie for me to say that MRR has had no influence on me, but not really in terms of graphic design.
The ethics and morals that surround the magazine have also been consistent from the beginning. Why is it so important to keep Razorcake strictly DIY/non-profit?
Well, our certified 501(c)3 non-profit status is integral to our business model at this point, and if we weren’t DIY, would anyone want to read the mag? Absolutely not. Our readers trust our opinions on the bands, because they know it comes from an honest place.
Lots of bands tend to dub themselves as a DIY band, but what do you think truly qualifies a band to call themselves that?
I guess a main qualifier would be the amount of work they’re willing to do. It’s not worth it to get super specific about something like this, because there will always be exceptions. It just comes down to how hard they’re ready to work.
Let me digress for a few moments here and ask about you. How did you get hooked up with Razorcake, and have you been with the magazine since the beginning? If not, when did you start working for them?
I was given a free copy of Razorcake #09 by Dillinger Four’s merch guy. Ever since then, I’ve been a fan. That was in the summer of 2002. Luckily, I lived in the LA area, and so I was able to help out at the office every now and then. In 2006, I graduated from college and Todd roped me into the position I have today.
And as the sole employee I have to imagine your job isn’t very easy. Do you wish there was more staff members to help out?
For me to complain about my position at Razorcake would be total bullshit. Sure, the job can be stressful, but compared to what so many other people have to go through on a day to day basis, it’s like getting paid to eat candy. The eventual goal is more staff members, but we’ll deal with that when the opportunity makes itself available.
Do you do any writing yourself? I saw the name Daryl in the beginning of a few columns, but I hate to assume.
Yeah, for sure. I love to write. I’m a fan of doing short pieces though. I do reviews, and the occasional interview. Any Daryl you see in Razorcake is me.
Speaking of the writing, I’d like to talk a bit about the contributors for Razorcake. You have Nardwuar The Human Serviette, Seth Swaaley, Marcus Solomon, and Todd Taylor– all really great writers. What do you guys look for when taking on a writer for Razorcake?
Writers have to be passionate about what they’re writing about, knowledgeable about what they’re writing, capable in terms of sentence structure and grammar, and able to follow formatting guidelines. If you have those traits, you’re most likely a good writer. And that’s all we want out of people.
I was actually re-watching a few Nardwuar videos today, especially the one with Henry Rollins, dear god is that hilarious! Is he really that intense and crazy (in a good way) in real life?
I’ve never actually met Nardwuar, but I can assure you he really is like that in real life. You should see his emails.
I think what differentiates Razorcake from other magazines is how in-depth every interview is. What do you think qualifies someone to be a good interviewer?
A good interviewer is someone who’s looking deeper than the questions they’re asking. They’re able to analyze the answers they’re getting and find the stories in them. For example, the story in this answer is that I know what a good interviewer is, but am not such a good interviewer myself.
What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the music industry since 2001?
The most significant change would be how people procure their music. The internet changed everything in terms of information and entertainment. But I don’t know if I really care or not. In my eyes, a lot of people we’re making a lot of money that they didn’t deserve. When there’s a major change like that, you get to see who was in it for the right reasons. And the people that were adapted to their current surroundings. I do mourn the amount of print zines we lost in the last 10 years though. But they may be making counter-attack.
What’s your opinion on the digital boom of the last decade with things like IPods and Youtube? Are you a fan of how quickly it can be for some bands to gain exposure, or do you miss the good ol’ days when you actually had to work hard for it?
I think I’m kind of oblivious to bands that can quickly gain exposure. I feel like you still gotta work hard for it. You gotta get out there and tour, play those shitty shows on a Wednesday night. You gotta work on your songs and your album art. You gotta keep up with all the social media non-sense. I know there are people out there who buy their way into success. And they’re able to find a market. I just don’t know who they are, and I don’t care.
Where do you see Razorcake in another ten years, and can you imagine it sticking with the same morals and ethics that it started with?
If Razorcake doesn’t stick with the same morals and ethics we won’t be here in ten years. That’s the only way this game gets played. You have to be honest with people or else you’re dealing with a readership that doesn’t give a fuck about you and it’s only a matter of time before they move onto some other bullshit. Razorcake is its morals, without those, it’s nothing.
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