I'm Ted Leo.
I'm Aimee Mann.
We are The Both
and we are here to participate in What's in My Bag.
I finally, just recently got a turntable
Not the first time in your life.
Not the first time in my life, but the first time since the semi vinyl revolution that's happened
or even at all. Don't you feel like a musician ought to have a turntable, regardless of circumstances?
It's a nice thing to have.
Yeah, so I have to replenish my collection
and mostly what I want to start with is 70s pop stuff that I listened to when I was a kid.
And first on my list was Elton John.
I feel like his first seven records for me were very, very influential.
I thought it was really interesting pop music, the lyrics were interesting, the players were fantastic.
His singing was amazing, his piano playing is amazing
He was very, very influential on me as a songwriter.
I have one issue with that record.
Yes.
'Jamaica Jerk Off.'
Look, it's a double album, there's gonna be those moments.
It's a drop in the bucket of the album. It's one brick on the yellow brick road.
Something I stopped doing many, many years ago was buying records ironically
for their covers, because you wind up with
crates full of dollar records that you're never gonna listen to
and the joke has long since ceased to be funny.
But I immediately saw this
Charlie Ainley, 'Bang Your Door.'
And he's got a little cigarette, the only flash of color is on the cigarette there.
It could be terrible, it could be like a power pop gem that nobody's ever heard of.
I'm in favor of the art design.
The cover's pretty great.
But I then found something else that I think is gonna make me ultimately put this back
and it's this
Byron Keith Daugherty, 'Back Door Man.'
When he comes to back door, he brings a little present with him.
And I don't think you can have two door sexual innuendo purchases in one day anyway.
I wanted to buy a record based solely also on its cover.
Not in an ironic way but just in...
because, when I was a kid, the first record I bought was Elton John's 'Madman Across The Water'
I had never heard of him before, because I thought the cover was great.
Oh wow.
And you know, we really took a lot of time with our artwork for our record
and I really love that whole graphic design thing.
So the record that I got was
don't know who they are. Great cover.
Saint Seneca.
Yeah so whoever you are, money well spent on your cover.
Are we sure that with an album name like 'Dark Ark' and songs like 'Bloodbath'
that it's not gonna be doom metal?
I was told that there was a melodic, lilting duo quality.
I want it to be doom metal.
Yeah, for your sake I hope it's doom metal.
I got a copy of Graham Parker's 'Howlin' Wind.'
When people y'know say to me things like
sounds like you were really influenced by Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson or something
I go, eh, Graham Parker.
Well, I see you that and then I raise you Nick Lowe's recent record.
Oh, well, well, well.
Classic singer-songwriter, can't go wrong. Friends have assured me it's great.
I know it's great because it's Nick Lowe.
Oh, how about this.
I'm not even gonna try to pronounce her very gaelic name nor the name of the album
but I buy anything on this label, Gael-linn.
It's like 70s deep, deep Irish.
No cheesy drinking songs.
I have some like Gaelic language learning records that they put out in the early 70s.
I just wanna point out the magnificence of this hair scenario.
It's kind of amazing, yeah.
It's sort of part helmet, part wimple, part fur robe
Not unlike good Queen Maeve herself.
That's one of those for the cover alone's.
Yeah.
'Switched on Bach.'
Oh you found it.
I did. I think my stepmother used to play this and I love Bach
and also old analog synthesizers.
That seems to be the perfect combination.
Probably the idea and nostalgic memory of it is better than the execution but we're going to find out.
Well I got the Perfect Pussy record.
Two things happened to me in influencing me getting this. One, I heard it and I liked it
I also read a great interview with their singer
who talked about how frustrating it can still be to be a girl in the hardcore and punk world
and specifically in her scene around Syracuse.
I respect and am interested in people who are still kind of pushing against that
and this is a really good, melodic, punky record.
That's a fantastic logo too, I just have to say.
Well it's kind of a great band name, y'know?
Well you're a filthy-minded... what?
We've kind of run the gamut.
Done.