Matt "Footy" Horvath doesn't really need an introduction. By now you've probably heard one of his many awesome bands, be it Stolen Youth, Crisis Alert, Starvation, God So Loved The World or The Personalities. He also happens to be the owner of Adelaide's most awesome record store Clarity Records which also operates as a record label releasing local bands. Footy has been an avid collector for a very long time and owns some very. very, rare records and has perhaps the best collection we've covered to date. In 2017 he even flyered everywhere across the country with a wantlist of records, asking people to contact him if they were interested in selling them. That my friends, is ultimate record collector nerdom status.
(Above profile photo by Dave Court).
Name: Footy
Current Population
5”s: 8
6”s: 1
7”s: 2016
8”s: 6
9”s: 1
10”s: 87
11”s: 1
12”s: 1969
Test Pressings: 77
Total = 4089
What got you into collecting records:
When I was a kid my parents worked lots so I spent most of my days at my Grandparents house. My Mum, Aunty and Uncle left their records at my Grandparent's place when they all got married and moved out. As you could imagine there wasn’t a lot to do at my Grandparents so I spent a lot of time going through all the records that were left behind, discovering different types of music. From there my fascination with records started, I discovered punk and when I got my first job stacking shelves l would literally put all of my pay packet into buying music.
First Born:
The first record that I ever bought with my own money was NOFX “PMRC Can Suck On This” 7” and “Liza & Louise” 7” from the Spiral Objective distro.
Latest Additions to the Family:
Satanic Surfers “Skate To Hell” LP, Found My Direction “Burn All White Flags” LP (Black/Clear mix), The Dead Walk “Re-Animation” LP, Irrelevant “Reflecting And Refracting” 10”.
The Pride of the Fleet:
I have a few favourites, but the one I get most excited about when I think about it is my original copy of The Leftovers “Cigarettes & Alcohol” 7” with stamped sleeve. It took me forever to find and there’s a bit of a cool story behind it explained below. Also my first press of the Teen Idles 7” and all four pressings of Minor Threat’s first 7”.
The Hen’s Tooth:
The rarest I own, value wise, would be something from my Aussie KBD collection. Young Identities “EP” 7”, Razar “Stamp Out Disco” 7” w/ yellow label, Leftovers “Cigarettes & Alcohol” 7” w/ stamped sleeve, Upsets “Back To Afghanistan” 7”, The Saints “(I’m) Stranded” 7” on Fatal Records or either of The Victims 7”s. Most of the stuff from my Aussie KBD collection was made in low numbers, with records also dumped or destroyed through the years, making them harder to find.
Not Cheap:
2017 was a big year for me. I made a list of my most wanted records and aimed to tick them off by the end of the year. My saying for the year was “by any means necessary” and I went hard. This involved lots of travelling, trading and punishing people (apologies to those people). The list was full of collectable records and unfortunately I did have to drop some decent sized figures on records, but it was the year to do it. I did manage to get 16 out of 20 though, so I was very happy about that.
White Whale:
My most wanted records are:
- Agnostic Front “United Blood” 7” (original)
- Mindsnare “Hanged Choked Wrists Slit” LP (Drug Bust on colour vinyl)
- Mindsnare (tests I don’t have)
- Misfits “Bullet” 7” (First press with screen printed sleeve)
- Propagandhi (tests I don’t have)
- Public Execution “Methadone Slave” 7”
- Thought Criminals “Hilton Bomber” 7”
Why Did I Trade That:
I am a full-blown hoarder when it comes to collecting music, therefore have never traded or sold unless I have a double. However I did sell a bunch of CDs once that I regret, it’s totally stupid and I am embarrassed because I am friends with the guys, but I will tell the story because it’s funny and shows my stupidity.
Frenzal Rhomb were (and still are) one of my favourite Australian bands. I was obsessed with them as a kid and I owned every version of their releases, including all their CD singles and promo’s. There were a couple of albums that maybe weren’t their greatest and I was going through the whole teenage “holier than thou” phase. The band was getting some radio play and my snotty punk-self wasn’t a fan, but I turned a blind eye. Then one day I was watching “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” and the band was a guest on it. I was so outraged that I shook my punk fist and shouted “sell outs!” The very next day I went to my collection, grabbed all their CDs and off to Big Star Records I went to trade them in. Many years later I saw the error of my ways and have since tried to casually re-buy them all again.
Bargain Buy:
I have worked in the record business for nearly 15 years now and getting first dibs on secondhand collections has always been one of the benefits. So I have been able to score a few bargains along the way.
However my best score would be from a guy I knew who sold me two copies of the original 1978 single by Adelaide punk band Black Chrome and two copies of the original 1978 single from Melbourne punk band The Chosen Few. He sold them to me for $40 each. I tried telling him they were worth more and I tried to offer more for them but that is what he wanted so that is what I paid.
What records do you like to collect?:
My collection is strictly Punk, Hardcore and everything in between with a touch of metal. Although I listen to lots of different types of music, Punk & Hardcore are my roots and my true love. I need to draw the line somewhere, I don’t have the room or money to try and collect other genres of music.
I mainly specialise in collecting Australian music, old and new. I think it’s super important to archive all the great homegrown music which is why my collection has such a strong focus on Adelaide and Australian artists. I really love discovering new bands and supporting new Australian labels that are doing cool things. I have most things I am after Australian wise, so recently I have just been filling gaps with variations of releases that I don’t have. I really enjoy releases with different sleeve variants as well.
For some reason I prefer 7”s over LPs, so the singles section is the first place I head when I go to a record store. I still have all my CDs and CD-R demo’s from when I was growing up. I also collect tapes.
Are you a completest or collector of any band or label in particular:
There is a number of bands and labels I collect. My favourite current label is Painkiller Records so I try and get one of everything they put out and my favourite Aussie labels are Resist and Life.Lair.Regret and I also try and get one of everything they put out.
Propagandhi are my favourite band ever, so here’s my near complete Propagandhi collection:
Singles:
10"s:
LPS:
Mindsnare are my favourite Australian band. Here is my near complete collection:
Singles and CDs:
LPS and Skatedecks:
Minor Threat are my second favourite band ever, here is my Minor Threat collection:
Dischord is my favourite label, so I aimed to get a first pressing of Dischord 1 to 16, so here is Dischord 1-16 with some variants. Not including Minor Threat and missing Reptile House 7”:
When the Aussie dollar was at parody about 10 years ago I made the most of it and bought lots from overseas. At this time I bought the complete X-Claim discography. This is it, with some variants:
I love the Hard-Ons:
Recent times I’ve been trying to fill gaps in my Extortion collection:
Singles:
LPS:
How do you usually acquire your records? Shops, distros, internet, fairs, trades, friends etc?
Shops are my number one source because it is essential to continue supporting bricks and mortar independent record stores (JB is not a record store). But of course they don’t always have what you are after, so I get a lot from people selling on trade groups. I am also always hitting up fairs whenever they are in town. I used to buy lots from Discogs but shipping is such a killer these days.
Most memorable experience acquiring a record?
My second visit to Japan when I was touring there with Stolen Youth. The stuff I found over there in Disk Union’s was unbelievable. I blew my whole trips budget in the first shop I went in. I dreamt about that experience for years until I recently went back.
Also, more recently getting my Leftovers 7”. A deal I was waiting on to get one fell through and I was pretty devastated about it. So, I emailed all shops and traders around Australia and managed to get a response from Rockaway Records in Queensland that they had a copy tucked away. I happened to be touring in Brisbane the following week, so I timed my travels in between shows to uber out to the shop and do the deal. It was a pretty exciting moment and the shop owners were very lovely about it.
Represses. Do they devalue collections or add to them? Do you fuss over the press of records?
I don’t think they devalue collections. I prefer originals myself and always aim to try and get first pressings of releases, but there are definitely occasions where I am happy to settle for a repress.
Autographed records. Do you own any, did you get them signed yourself and do you think it makes them more valuable?
I have a couple but I try not to get them. I’ve never actively sought to get a record signed because I think it devalues it. The only time I’d go for it is if I come across a secondhand record I am interested in and it’s signed. For example the cover of my Hard-Ons “Yummy” record is signed. I also have a Sex Pistols 7” that Glen Matlock and Steve Jones signed that I picked up from somewhere that I think is pretty cool.
Guilty pleasure or secret shame:
Although I said my collection is strictly punk and hardcore, I do have a small blues collection of about 40 records. I love 1920’s/30’s Mississippi delta blues, that stuff is more punk than all punk records put together. I haven’t added to it in years but I love the fact it’s there whenever I have the urge to listen to it. My 4 year old daughter Ruby has a record player and has a collection of about 50 records, all mainly kids records. I love sitting back and listening to them with her.
I also love Black Sabbath:
and Danzig:
What’s the absolute limit you would ever pay for a record?
Always happy to pay what a record is worth if I really want it.
Best tip you can offer a potential collector?
Buy records from bands you like. Buy records from bands you want to check out. Have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously.
Are record collectors all really pretentious arseholes?
Collectors are alright, but you know who are more pretentious arseholes than collectors…? Record traders…! The ones that try and squeeze you for every penny. Ones that think records are worth more than the highest selling discogs price. Very frustrating!
Check out my full collection here - http://howsyouredge.com/swap/display.php?page=3434
Follow me on Instagram where I post record updates - @stamp_out_disco
Or feel free to email me if there’s anything you think I’d be interested in – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Check out some records from Footy's collection....
Adelaide Pride:
Boxsets:
Classic 7 Inches:
Comps:
Classic LPs:
OZ Punk and Hardcore:
Modern Classics:
