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Baker's Dozen

No Definitive Version: Nate Young's Most Influential Records
Jennifer Lucy Allan , March 27th, 2019 08:51

Nate Young talks to Jennifer Lucy Allan about what made his music, from teenage revelations, learning when to press record, and roofing with Scott Asheton.

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The Cramps – Bad Music for Bad People 
I discovered The Cramps early on. Those were my teen records. The psychedelic imagery and the psychedelic vibe of that psychobilly thing, it's ridiculous. Bad Music For Bad People – I wore that shirt every day for years. It's iconic. It stands out among all of the punk that was happening at that time – not all of it, but a lot of it – it was really unique. And Lux, wow. And Poison Ivy. They used to sell posters that were full size, to scale, and I had her in my bedroom my entire childhood, just staring at me. 

When I was a kid, glam never hit me right, until later when I heard The Sweet. But The Cramps had that – all of that – but also with a psychedelic horror vibe. I found it really inspiring and relatable. It was punk, but it was a different kind of punk altogether, it had a different attitude. It was a little more colourful, dark, but more fun, and less serious than even The Ramones. There was a really fresh attitude to it.