[Jandek] Jandek Fan Ethnography

[Christopher Lupold]

a)     Are you male or female?
-Male

b)    How old are you?
-36

c)    What part of the world do you come from?
-Born in CA, raised in the Philippines, lived in Ft. Worth, TX all my adult
life

How did you get into Jandek? What is your 'story'?
-I read a review - I don't remember which album - by Richie Unterberger in
Option in '89? '90? He mentioned something about when house cleaning time
comes along he looks at the row of Jandek records on his shelf and considers
getting rid of them. Something about that intrigued me, I guess, and when I
saw the name Jandek on a record store divider I thought I'd take a chance.

How do you define being a Jandek fan? Do you consider yourself a Jandek fan?
-I try not to spend too much time defining things, generally. I wouldn't
have any problem being called a Jandek "fan."

Why did you join the mailing list? How often do you post? Do you receive
posts in digest format?
-I was impressed with Seth's site, plus I like getting e-mail that doesn't
have to do with work. This is my first post, and I'm a non-digest
subscriber.

What do your friends and family think about Jandek? What do they think about
you listening to Jandek?
-The wife is OK with it in small doses. The kids liked the few Jandek albums
I've played for them. My brother-in-law came with me to the Austin concert
and he found it rough going. I think he appreciated it as much as a utensil
appreciates the taste of food.

To what extent does the 'myth of Jandek' - the mystery surrounding his
identity - appeal to you?
-Just to the extent that it might encourage a listener to focus on the
music, not the personality of the musician. I also like the fact that when
he first stepped onto that stage in Glasgow he removed the one aspect of his
art that everyone had assumed was a given.

Have you ever tried to contact Corwood Industries or Sterling Smith for
reasons other than placing an order? What happened?
-Nope, never have.

What is your perception of other Jandek fans?
-I don't know. I was surprised at how many women there were at the Austin
concert, and mortified when one of them hit on me. I guess I assumed that
the Jandek audience would be standard issue nerds.

Why do you like Jandek? How often do you listen to Jandek?
-I like the voice. Some of the lyrics are just so white hot perfect that you
end up carrying them around with you. Sometimes the guitar tuning makes me
wince, and I like music that makes me wince.

What other music do you listen to?
-If you average out my record collection, the majority of it is taken up by
Ennio Morricone, then Sun Ra, and then the Residents. The last CD I bought
was the new Negativland. So, you know, standard issue nerd.

Is there anything I have not asked that you would like to tell me?
-I would like to mention - just as an odd fact - that since the beginning of
this year we are a Nielsen family. Every purchase I and my family make, from
dog food to DVDs, is logged with the ACNielsen Consumer Panel and our
purchase information "speaks for thousands of consumers all across the US."
And with my purchase last month (logged as "mail order") of Khartoum
Variations and Newcastle Sunday, my regular patronage of Corwood is part of
that system.