If you love music, books, and design: you MUST visit Third Man Records. Third Man in Nashville is a performace space, recording studio, and publishing house.
Everything about this place is gorgeous — the retro-moderne exterior, the interior with bold red and yellow walls and chrome accents everywhere. The store itself stocks a collectable range of merchandise. Browse bins of records, unique books, tee shirts, pins, matchbooks. You’ll be amazed by exquisite boxed sets of recordings. Everything about Third Man is designed and executed with spirit and daring.
I wasn’t allowed to photograph the spaces beyond the shop, where the red-black-yellow motif continues through a hall with Jack White concert posters varnished to the wall. Our guide led us past the vintage kitchen (more polished chrome), past a lounge with sofa and a coffee table covered with a huge rhino skull (or was it a triceritops fossil?).
Even the warehouse has design game, with orderly racks and boxes on one side, and on the other, balcony with faux motel numbered doors (and some bullet holes), as though you were on tour and this the dive where you would crash.
I was very lucky to come home with The Stooges in my suitcase. I’ve always wanted a chance to get to know this band that so many list as the first to do punk or fuzzed-out guitar or Dub Step or . . . I can now testify: They are right! Ron Asheton has finally arrived in my personal list of greatest guitar players of all time.
The Third Man re-issue is pressed on a heavy grade vinyl that reminds me 78s. It is a real pleasure to put these platters on the turntable. Some of Third Man’s pressings are on different colors of vinyl, too. I’ve been drooling over the Paramount boxed sets. Look at the Wonder Cabinet (vol 1) or Volume 2. Seriously excellent!
vjb • scribe 