Last Collector Standing: Ted Ryan on Country Music, Colonel Sanders' Christmas Album and Being a Record Store Clerk

The number of chain record stores nationwide has dwindled. However, St. Louis has become an unlikely safe haven for indie record shops as well as for DJs who prefer to spin the black circle instead of scrolling their iPods. In this weekly column, we'll focus on personal portraits of St. Louis' record aficionados and the rooms where they store their treasures. Meet the last collectors standing. (Know a collector who deserves the spotlight? E-mail us. Miss any previous ones? Read 'em all here!)

Jon Scorfina

Ted Ryan is a music fan who treasures the mom & pop record store experience. For much of his youth, the Kirkwood native could be found chatting with different record store associates about town. (Fittingly, the first time I met Ryan, he was a complete stranger who kindly chatted with me at an in-store performance by Old 97's at Vintage Vinyl.) It comes as no surprise then that Ryan now finds himself behind the counter at Euclid Records sharing his love of oddball alt-country with St. Louis. We conveniently met at his apartment, located almost directly across the street from the RFT offices, where he showed off his Hot Rod record collection and discussed the legacy of Hank Williams and Ace of Base.

Last Collector Standing: Having just got off work at Euclid, what was the last album you remembering selling today?
Ted Ryan: As I was leaving someone came up with a bunch of 78s, which is fairly rare. He had to run to his car to get some money, but it's really rare to sell 78s. There was a guy who bought the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He looked like your typical jazz-head, but came up with the Chili Peppers. That was a hoot!

When did you get into music?
My first music memory is singing "My Baby Does the Hanky-Panky" with my mom in the car. I remember watching MTV and the Dire Straits video for "Money For Nothing" [came on]. Those were somewhat cool [memories]. As I first started buying tapes it was mainstream. I had MC Hammer. Even in fourth grade it was dorky to have Ace of Base, but I still had the Ace of Base tape.

You're the first to admit to having Ace of Base.
[Laughs) I was debating mentioning that.

Then my uncle lent me The Blues Brothers, and that got me into more blues. I listened to that soundtrack, and it had the Elmore James and Cab Calloway type stuff. That's what got me into more serious music.

So you started listening to other genres besides Top 40 music?
Yeah. [The Blues Brothers] was something that piqued my interest. There was something more obscure about it, and it was just excellent music. I loved the movie and the way it related to the tunes.

How old were you when you were listening to this?
I remember I was in elementary school because I had a rated-R movie and they used the word fuck in it a bunch of times. It was like, "Man, I've got an rated R movie." It wasn't gory. They just used dirty words. After watching it years later I'm getting a lot more out of the jokes, but at the same time, I've always dug the music. Originally I enjoyed the movie, but then as I re-watched it I realized, "Oh, that's Aretha Franklin. That's John Lee Hooker."

After seeing The Blues Brothers, did it inspire you to go out and buy records or CDs of those artists?
It was a little while after that, actually. For a long time I just listened to the same Blues Brothers soundtrack over and over. Eventually, I started veering off. I started seeing different names I had seen on the soundtrack, so I would get a Fats Domino record. I remember getting an Elmore James box set. Not only was I listening to the music and enjoying the songs, but it had a booklet [so] that I could read a little more about him. I slowly got more into the blues, but I'm still kind of a novice.

Where were you buying blues music?
Usually, I'd go to Streetside on Watson, which was near my house. When I got into high school and would get a paycheck, I would hit the Watson Streetside and Now Hear This on Kirkwood Road. It sort of became a Friday night ritual. I would get an Imo's pizza and pick it up early so I could go see Tom at Now Hear This. I found out what he had in new and would chat with him. Tom at Now Hear This was the first person I clicked with. It was the independent record store "feeling," where I could go in and talk to him and he would tell me what's new. He would tell me what different people where diggin'. If I liked something, he would recommend different things.

How important was talking to a record store employee in forming your musical taste?
It was pretty big. I like to surround myself with people who know a whole lot more about music than I do, because that's where I find most of my favorite tunes. Like talking to Tom at Now Hear This or Jim at Streetside on Watson, even people I bumped into at stores flipping through CDs.

Have you ever had that same experience online, or do you like the human interaction better?
I like the interaction better. Though I do remember I would read a review in Rolling Stone, [then] I would go and listen to it [online] and they would have little blurbs -- "people who like this band also like these bands." That was helpful, but it was still staring at a screen. It wasn't talking to the actual people. If you're talking to a guy at the store, he's usually got an anecdote about something he really likes about the band, or something unique where it's not just "title, band." There is a lot more give and take.

When did you start buying vinyl records?
It's newer. I've always enjoyed [records]. My first vinyl experience was when I was young [my family] would walk our dog at the end of the evening. If it was a rainy night, and we couldn't walk the dog, we would stay in and have a dance night. My parents had a turntable and we would listen to Earth, Wind and Fire, and Commander Cody. Looking back, it probably was my brother and I spazzing out in the living room.

As I started working at Euclid Records there was more access to it, and it became something I was intrigued by.