Public Record

Among the crop of intentional communities and cults that sprang out of the counter culture of the late '60s and the '70s, few are as mythic as The Source Family. On this special installment of WASTOIDS With, we speak with Source Family historian Isis Aquarian and director Jodi Wille, who brought the family's story to the big screen with the 2012 documentary The Source Family. 

Isis and Jodi joined WASTOIDS to discuss The Source Family Scrapbook (Sacred Bones Records), a collection of pictures, letters, clippings, flyers, and album art from the occult community.

Isis and Jodi join Charlie Kitchings on a tour of California that runs March 22-26th, 2023, celebrating the book and the 10th anniversary of the documentary. The tour includes stops at Manly P. Hall’s Philosophical Research Society, Dry Gulch Ranch, and Arcana Books, and elsewhere.  Get more info here.

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Click Vortex is back with Sam in NYC and Jason in PHX. Pardon the audio if you don't mind—as this chat about Madonna's "Ray of Light" at 25 and the Pavement discography is worth it. The episode takes a turn for the surreal when they try to get the Notion AI bot to tell us something interesting about The Velvet Underground. Will Skynet surprise us? Find out on this thrilling episode of Click Vortex, streamed live on WASTOIDS' YouTube channel February 23rd.

Wanna get in on the action? We're bringing Click Vortex Live to Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix March 26th. Expect music from Astrologer, special guests, fun merch and more. You can get tickets and more info here. 

“Here's my secret, man: I don't tell anyone my secrets.” Today on The Spindle, Marc and John drop the needle on Miles Davis' 1972 single "Vote For Miles," parts I and II. Pulled from an On the Corner epic, this alternate version/sonic collage presents five and a half minutes of textural, mind blowing jazz fusion. Though the electric era found Miles seeking a wider audience, this single demonstrates just how subversive, surprising, and totally non-sellout his early '70s period remains. 

1973 was a pretty wild year for music. On this live installment of Click Vortex, Sam and Jason peruse the year's biggest hits and most interesting albums from the Beatles (together and solo), Yoko Ono, Todd Rundgren, Can, Alan Hull, and others. Plus, we're 100% live from the loft studio at 850 W Lincoln, broadcasting with videos and sound clips and a room full of rowdy commenters.

Wanna get in on the action? We're bringing Click Vortex to Crescent Ballroom next month—stand by for details.

Chances are you if you don't find Jesse Bass hanging with his kids, wandering in the Sonoran wilderness, or making celestial new age soundscapes as Mezatzal, you'll find him digging through dusty records at thrift shops. His vinyl hound tendencies serve his main project: Skull Valley Records, a YouTube channel and label dedicated to showcasing neglected Arizona private press releases from the distant past in both digital and vinyl form, like Terry Telson's 1975 hard luck folk LP While In Exile, which is currently available for pre-order and streaming on Bandcamp.

We normally share our mixtapes as Spotify playlists, but Jesse cooked up one full of AOR gloss, R&B, country, folk, electronic and new age music so obscure that none of it is featured on the service. So instead, we're sharing this hour-long mix straight to the WASTOIDS podcast feed, complete with Jesse’s inventive sound design and stoner drops.

This one is for the real desert weirdos, caution is advised. After letting it play, you may find yourself longing to head into the vast desert and never come back. 

On this all-new episode of The Spindle podcast, Marc and John double their fun with a 2x7" EP from the Screaming Trees, 1989's "Change Has Come" b/w "Days" and "Time Speaks Her Golden Tongue" b/w "Flashes." Released on Sub Pop Records and produced by grunge pioneers Jack Endino and Steve Fisk, the Seattle band featured vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Representing the transitionary era between the Trees' SST Records and major label run, the EP hits—folding in psychedelia, garage rock, and revved up alt-rock. 

Do you wear blue blockers on your third eye? On this episode, special guest Mary Papenhausen of Zia Records drops by to discuss one of our all-time favorite topics: The Beatles. Extramarital affairs, experimental sound collages, sitars—all make appearances in this Fab Four-free-for-all chat, which bravely asks: What Beatles album counts as the band's Pinkerton? All this and more. Just press play and hop into the Vortex. 

YOU'RE GONNA LISTEN TO THE BASS PLAYER. The Spindle is back for the new year, and this week on the show Marc and John drop the needle on the Melvins' single "Night Goat" b/w "Adolescent Wet Dream." Released in 1992 by Amphetamine Reptile Records, this 7" exemplifies the odd sophistication of the Melvins, reveling in extreme volume, absurdist poetry, and overblown attitude.  The single's A-side, "Night Goat," would go on to become one of the band's signature songs; it was re-recorded for the band's major label debut Houdini and is a longstanding staple of the band's raucous live shows. The B-side is curious, too: the original comes from garage punk band Pussy Galore, whose leader Jon Spencer would go on to form The Blues Explosion. Is it grunge? Is it doom? Is it alternative? Who cares: it's Melvins. 

Everyone remembers Jack "Dr. Death" Kevorkian's controversial stance on euthanasia and subsequent murder conviction, but you never hear about his TV show and jazz flute chops.

That all changes with this episode of Click Vortex, in which  Sam and Jason dig in on Kevorkian, Glenn O'Brien and Chris Stein (Blondie)'s pioneering public access show TV Party, Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren's globetrotting 1983 fusion of African folk, hip-hop, punk and electro Duck Rock, and untangle the thread connecting magical author Alan Moore, Damon Albarn of Blur and the Gorillaz, and antiquarian British occultist  John Dee. 

Do the Red Hot Chili Peppers make an appearance? Does your revolution allow for dancing? Did the world secretly end in 2017? Answers to these questions and more can be yours by pressing play on this episode of Click Vortex. 

Led by brothers David and Hamish Kilgour, The Clean is one of New Zealand's defining bands. Reflecting on the band in light of the recent passing of drummer Hamish Kilgour, our own Marc Masters called the band's songs "charmingly rough and buoyantly catchy." That signature sound was in place from the very beginning, as this week's episode of the Spindle, dedicated to The Clean's 1981 single "Tally Ho!" backed with "Platypus," makes clear.

Join John and Marc as they drop the needle on a Kiwi indie rock classic and reflect on what makes The Clean and Flying Nun Records so special.

About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history.

What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!