Nardwuar has long been the gift-giver when it comes to his unparalleled, illuminating interviews, but English producer Fred again.. has turned the tables in gifting the journalist a rare piece of Canadian punk rock lore from the East Coast.
During a recent stop in Vancouver, BC, Nardwuar and the producer took time to chat in the basement of Neptoon Records about his history of music-making, a conversation with mentor Brian Eno about "a cello made of trains," his friendships with Four Tet and Skrillex and composing "a concerto for sewing machines."
Nardwuar revealed that following the interview, Fred again.. had gifted him a grail of Canadian punk rock music: the 1980 self-titled debut from Da Slyme.
Credited as Newfoundland's first punk band, the group's first album was self-released as a 2LP set they packed in record sleeves from other artists — including Burton Cummings, Barbara Streisand, XTC and Kris Kristofferson, per Discogs — which they spray-painted with their band name.
The producer and his friends also gifted Nardwuar a "cardwuar" featuring illustrations of a tam hat, a CITR microphone, Snoop Dogg and more. An included message reads, "Thank you for inspiring a sense of wonder in me & all my friends and for being such a rare example of aaaalways being so uncompromisingly yourself in every room you're in."
Gifts for Fred again.. included a picture disc, pizza box edition of Fat Boys' debut album, Underworld's Underneath the Radar, a live album from English supergroup 801, Grover Washington Jr.'s Winelight, Four Tet's Pause, a 7-inch of the Amen break, an Oscar Peterson 78 and a Tito Puente vinyl record for his father.
Nardwuar's other recent interview subjects have included Lazer Dim 700, Jack Antonoff and Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg.