In this episode, Adam talks to musician, archivist, and historian Weasel Walter. As a musician, Weasel’s work spans (quoting from his web page) “extreme rock forms and free jazz”. He was a key figure in what has been called the second no wave movement, in Chicago in the 1990s. His bands and collaborations include the Flying Luttenbachers and (with Lydia Lunch) Retrovirus, among too many others to list. But Weasel is also known as one of the most knowledgeable archivists and historians of the original no wave scene. He was too young to be there in downtown NYC in the 70s, but he can tell you more about who did what, where and when than just about anyone, including the people who were there. Weasel and Adam talk about what happened back then, how it influenced Weasel’s own life and career, and the broader issues around art, culture and commerce that are raised by all of it and that form the context in which we can try to understand Sumner. This interview was recorded in March 2025.

Adam is also now writing about Sumner on substack, approximately weekly. You can find Weasel’s music on weaselwalter.com.