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E ntering the home of Kurt Wood and his wife
Gretchen, one is pleasantly transformed out
of the digitally-remastered commercial pre
sent and dropped right in the middle of a progres
sively groovy pad from of the late '50s or early
'60s. But it's not interior decorating that is Kurt's
claim to (relative) fame: that claim is in the
record room, where an estimated 8,000 albums,
45,000 singles and a couple of hundred 78s are
shelved as an alphabetized testament to the
power of the past tense.
“This is not a particularly big record collec
tion,** Kurt says. Modest, pleasant and sincere —
that's good old Kurt. The archives hold records
from Memphis soul labels like Stax, rockabilly cuts
from the 1950s, early psychedelic rock by groups
like Kaleidoscope and the Thirteen Floor Elevators,
new wave punk from the mid-'70s, and even
“Cream Puff War,“ the Dead's first single. Kurt's
specialty, however, is the crude beach, surf and
garage stuff. He’s enough of a fan of the genre to
have signed on to Athens' retro-scientists the
Woggles as the drummer from 1990-95.
Oavid Stubbs
WHAT: Kurt Wood's Annual
Record Show
WHERE: 1080 Oconee St.
WHEN: May 16 & 17, daytime.
Kurt and (IrHchm Wood with their "stacks of wax
Although music surrounds Kurt these days, he
claims that he wasn't interested in records as a
kid. While growing up in the Carolmas in the '60s,
Kuit hoarded comic books and monster models. He
describes himself as having a “collector mentali
ty": on a shelf above Kjrt's fro, I notice the origi
nal Weird Ohs and a number of Aurora Monster
Models. A devilish grin comes across the collec
tor's face wh*- he remembers one of his prize
possessions: the original Robot from Lost in
Space, still in its box.
Kurt remembers beginning high school in
Rome. Ga., wher» “it was no longer cool to collect
toys and comic books." He sent those off to the
archives around 1974, when a fnend introduced
him to the Who. Kurt started reading Creem maga
zine in 1975, discovering the New York Dolls, the
Stooges and the Velvet Underground. Around the
same time, Kurt read Phil Specter's That Will Never
Happen Again, which introduced him to the
British music scene. His curiosity led him to real
ize that there was a vinyl black hole that needed
filling.
Kurt's attraction to things musical continued
to grow when he moved to Athens in the fall of
1976 to attend UGA. He picked up guitar and
began playing in The Mystery House in 1981.
Following his two-year experience with this "sub
garage band." Kurt played drums for the
Fngidaires, who were, he says, "centered around a
gal singin' soul tunes." By 1990, Kurt had settled
into the townie treadmill and hooked on with the
Woggles. He recalls some highs and lows with the
band, but with a sentimental smile, he says, "It
was like being part of a crusade for awhile." There
were times when the band would drive one of
Kurt’s old Volvos — he collects them too — to
Savannah or Tallahassee to play in front of five or
six people.
Six months after Kurt had quit the Woggles in
1995. the band asked him to come play drums in
Japan. Manfred Jones, the Woggles lead, says that
Kurt had to think about the trip, because he was
getting a table at a big record show in New York
around the same time.
A day later. Kurt wisely
decided to go.
Kurt had a "visually
dynamic stage presence '
says Manfred. "He always
looked like he was Dang-
•rig on some toy drums '
On and off the staqe, Kurt
sticks out with h*s heiqht
ana atro and all — :n
Japan it was the same
only doubled. While eat
mq in a food court in a
Japanese mall, people
suddenly surrounded Kurt
with looks of astonish
ment This time, however,
it was not his appearance
it was his chopsticks
standing straight up in
the rice. While it seemed
like a good spot to put
them for Kurt, standing
chopsticks up in rice rep
resents an offering to the
dead in Japan.
Kurt s record sale, too,
is an acknowledgment
that there's life after
death, be it of the bodily
or pop-cultural variety.
Most of Kurt's finds come
from thrift stores all over,
though he’s often
annoyed when he hits a
thnfr store whose garbage
Phot oquph by Oi*wi Stubbs ,
records were once his
own. To ensure that he doesn't purchase music
that he has already listened to and discarded. Kurt
drops all his "dreck" at one place — the Alabama
Thrift Store in Pell City, Ala.
Kurt's annual show, on the front porch o‘ his
home at 1080 Oconee Street, will be held this May
16-17 and consists mostly of cheaper stuff and
half-priced ranties. Kurt just replaced the motor
on his portable 45 Singer — so stop by. browse a
little, and ask Kurt to play that 1976 copy of
"Shake Some Action" by the Ramin' Groovies.
uentle yoga
for special needs
Instructor: Judi Spears
Date: ongoing
Time: Mon. 10:30 am
Cost: $8.50 per class
$50 for 6 weeks
Call 548-4200 to Pre-register
Athens
)(boA
Center
263 W Clayton St Athens. Ga 30601
Production Intern Needed
(non-paying yet poetry-inspiring position)
A Few Hours per week on Mondays and Fridays
CALL LARRY OR CINDY AT 549-9523
ATHENS' ONiy SMOKE-TRET BAR
POT PARTY!
A hands-on craft studio
for all ages
BUY 1 hr.
• & GET 1 hr. FREE
BYOB& friends
May 15th May 17th
...visit our Mud Room...
234 College Are. -Downtown
(look for the frog!
Tues.-Fri. lpm-7pm 8pm
, Sat-Sun. I2pm-bpm /pm
i Call 548-4100 for more Wo
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MAY 13, 1998 FLAGPOLE D