On the Beat: David Menconi on music
Thursday, August 30, 2007
From our pal Tony Madejczyk, here's a true blast from the past -- video footage of the late John Swain holding forth at a record show in 1987. Swain ran my favorite store in town, the Record Hole, in which capacity he could've passed for a character in "High Fidelity" years before Nick Hornby wrote the book. The local music-retail landscape has never been the same since Swain died in 1991, and watching this makes me feel a pang for the long hours I spent record-geekin' at his store.
Click through for the tribute I wrote when Swain died, which has a lead I now find embarrassingly overwrought (mostly because I can almost hear Swain in ghost form sneering, "Whitney Houston?!"). But I felt it at the time, so what the heck.
Record lovers' loss
By David Menconi, News & Observer
July 12, 1991
I'm not sure why, but I always get the urge to listen to Marvin Gaye whenever an acquaintance dies. Maybe it's because "What's Going On" was one of the earliest songs I vividly remember from childhood. Or maybe because Mr. Gaye was such a twisted, psychotic genius. Or maybe just that he died young.
Whatever the reason, his music has always been synonymous with mortality for me. I was pondering this Sunday night at Walnut Creek while listening to Whitney Houston's backup band perform a Marvin Gaye medley during one of the star's costume changes.
As the band swung into "What's Going On," I was thinking about John E. Swain III, who was found dead in his Raleigh apartment last Friday. He was only 45 -- a year older than the age at which Mr. Gaye died. At press time, the cause of death was still pending the results of laboratory tests.
John was proprietor of the Record Hole, across Hillsborough Street from the Brewery. Record stores are like libraries for music critics. They're where we go to do our research, and also where we turn when we're feeling bored with whatever's fashionable at the moment. With John's death, I've lost my favorite librarian in town.
He was an odd character with a manner that ranged from gruff on a good day to incredibly irascible on a bad one. His small store was a disorganized shambles, and he kept unpredictable hours -- closed until he was open, open until he was closed.
But the Record Hole had some priceless treasures for anyone willing to take the time to look. And when it came to old records, John was one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met. The Record Hole was like a magnet for the many DJs and collectors who were regular customers.
In the few months that I frequented the Record Hole, John turned me on to an unbelievable amount of good music. It did take him awhile to warm up to me. But he seemed to decide I was OK the day he overheard me answer another customer's question about rockabilly guitarist Robert Gordon's former group (the Tuff Darts).
After that, he was never less than generous with his knowledge or his inventory. Once he noticed that I was always snapping up old blues and soul compilations, John started setting aside records he thought I would like: Lightnin' Hopkins, Lavern Baker, Duke Ellington.
When he went to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, he even brought me back a dog-eared copy of a fabulous old album by blues pianist Champion Jack Dupree. It was a typical gesture for him.
"He loved music, and he loved passing it on to people," said the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, John's next-door neighbor.
Unfortunately, the Record Hole was a one-man show. John's death leaves the store's future up in the air, although record collectors already are making inquiries about taking it over. There has also been talk about Mr. Wirtz doing a benefit show with the proceeds going toward the Mississippi Blues Museum.
Whatever happens with the store, John's death leaves a void. I'll miss him, and so will everyone else around here who loves music.
Posted at 11:22 am by davidmenconi in music
Comment from: Phil Melton [Visitor]
08/30/07 at 16:55
08/30/07 at 16:55
Thanks for posting this, David. I was looking for my copy of the column not long ago. Every time I pass that part of Hillsborough Street it brings back memories of time spent in the Record Hole. Not only did John know about all kinds of music, he knew someone that would buy almost anything. I was managing the Crabtree Record Bar in 91 and used to take him boxes of record promos that my employees and I didn't want. There was always some place in Brooklyn, or Virginia, or somebody he knew from his rounds that would want what we had picked over. When he passed away, it was like every Record Bar manager in town took a pay cut. He was a great character, and is still missed.
Comment from: davidmenconi [Member]
08/30/07 at 17:57
A comment from Peter Bent:
That is me (the tall one) standing next to Swain in the picture you posted and my sister Melissa (Tony's wife) shot the video. There was never anything before or since like the Record Hole. I think I made my bones when I first started going there by buying a Joe Ely record that he respected. I went on some of those New Orleans trips with him, too. I remember dropping him off in some nasty looking projects and he showed up hours later with a stash of uber-cool vinyl, maybe even that Champion Jack Dupree thing.
I bought one hell of a lot of records in Mr. Swain's store...he is still missed. - jtf
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