Let’s not waste time with a pithy intro about the spirit of the holidays or whatever I realize we are on a bit of a time crunch here and if I’m honest half these items had no chance of arriving by Christmas even if I had posted this a month ago. That’s not the point of a gift guide and we all know it.
Let’s begin.
For your friend who set an alarm to stay in the queue in the middle of the night to secure Oasis tickets in Nottingham, get the out of print 1997 book Take Me There by journalist and close confident (he’s in an insane photo I have of the day they signed to Creation sitting between the Gallagher brothers and Rodney Bingenheimer) Paul Mathur. Honestly Supersonic which has all the transcribed interviews from the documentary is pretty fab too, because there’s a lot they left out and also the photos are incredible and it’s a nice weighty hardcover. After the Battle of Britpop, Noel Gallagher had shirts that say Quoasis printed up (in response to Damon Albarn comparing them to Status Quo in the press) and I think this is one from that era. There’s also one on Grailed. I’m no expert but they at least look to be from that time frame. Or grab a copy of the 1995 7” Wibbling Rivalry which is literally just the audio of one of the Gallagher Brothers’ first interviews with NME in 1994 where they fight they whole time. You can hear Rob Harvilla and I do a dramatic re-enactment of this in the new Oasis episode of Bandsplain.
If you’ve got someone on your list who is really into the 70s CBGB scene, definitely get them Richard Hell’s autobiography but low key the better one is Everything Is Combustible, the one by Richard Lloyd, absolute kook founding guitarist of Television. He’s so insane and cool. Real they don’t make em like that anymore hours. Also of course Please Kill Me is like the go to oral history book but if you’re looking for other ones I love Brendan Mullen’s Whores, about Jane’s Addiction and the fucking insane scene in LA in the 80s, and also this one about Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots where the guy interviews Richard Patrick of Filter, Matt Pinfield, dudes from Megadeth, Butthole Surfers (!!) and the Meat Puppets (!!!) amongst others.
Your friend who is obsessed with the Beatles (in this economy!) might delight in some merch from The Rutles, the fictional band created by Eric Idle (of Monty Python) and Neil Innes in the mid 70s (for a sketch in Idle's mid-1970s BBC television comedy series Rutland Weekend Television). They actually toured and made a mockumentary and several albums.
I owe my life to Gina Arnold’s Route 666: On The Road To Nirvana so obviously I would be remiss to leave it out here; also for whatever reason it’s still out of print and in my opinion it’s like a much cooler voice-ier Our Band Could Be Your Life.
Also very random but Kelley Deal of The Breeders and The Amps did a book about the one-of-a-kind bags she knits on tour. If you know someone who would love this you are lucky because they sounds cool as fuck.
In 1991 (or 1992? can’t totally tell) the NME made a deck of playing cards in which each card is a pop star or music figure. I already hunted down a full deck for myself (I think there’s one more on eBay right now but it’s pricy) however you can buy individual ones on eBay as well for under 20 bucks a pop and they’re really fucking cool. (The Smash Hits Panini trading cards/stickers are not quite as cool but there’s some really good ones).
90s magazines are always a fun gift. If anyone is shopping for me, I really need the first issue of Loaded with Gary Oldman on the cover.
This guy on eBay is selling these 8 x 10” prints of promo photos of artists (and other people). I bought this J. Spaceman one. They look particularly cool when framed. Old press kits and promo items are cool too. I really like this Teenage Fanclub photo, this Jim Carroll Band poster, and these Replacements paper dolls.
Seth Bogart did this chic collab with John Waters and while the barf bag and the cum rag are neck and neck for greatest gifts me personally I am partial to the hand towel.
My friend Drew Pearce made merch that says “Make Movies Shorter” which I am into both because my attention span is shit and also because it benefits a great cause: The Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
Obsessed with this Mickey Rourke long sleeve by Hollywood Gifts but if you’re really balling just pay Maddy to make a custom shirt for your dearest (she would do a really sick version of an iconic band tee, for example). Email her at maddy@hollywoodgifts99.com.
In the shameless/self corner, I’m bringing back custom playlists by me for Christmas. I raised the price and I’m only doing ten because they actually take me a long time. I care about making them really good! This is a luxury item.
Also whispering this but in an act of religious self-flagellation I will also be offering Cameos, just for the holidays. What can I say I love attention!!!
If you wish to send me a gift or a card or something, email me and I’ll give you my p.o. box.
xo