Plateprat med Franklin Fantini

Hello!
If someone offers to buy you a drink, what do you order?
Stroh’s is my go-to beer, but anything domestic works for me

Describe yourself using at least five words.
My name is Franklin, I collect and archive music via my non-profit organization Dollar Country. Primarily I collect country, bluegrass, and country gospel music on vinyl and shellac. You can find out more at dollarcountry.org

If you were to choose a pseudonym/artist name?
Frank the Drifter

What’s your relationship with libraries?
I love libraries. In the USA they’re one of the few public places you’re allowed to exist in without being asked to buy things. I think they’re an incredibly important piece of any community. I’ve spoken at the library here and everything about it I love.

What have you been listening to lately?
Sun City Girls – Torch Of The Mystics

Do you collect records – and if so, why?
Yes, I’ve been collecting records since I was in High School. I’ve gone through times where I did it more or less but for the past decade collecting country records has been my job so now I do it “professionally.” It’s weird for me to say that, but I run an archive now so I do get to go out and dig for records, archive them, and share them as a job.

What’s the biggest difference between when you started collecting and how it is today?
Things are always changing. Things go up in value or are no longer valued. In the 90s people sold whole collections of records for next to nothing and then now records are worth a bunch again.
I’m lucky because since I collect country and gospel music I still don’t have to pay too much, but even since I started Dollar Country 8 years ago I’ve noticed prices going way higher than I think make sense.
Something happened during covid where anything seen as collectible went up in value. I’m not exactly sure why, but records were a part of that. When I started collecting you could buy unknown artists for $1 but now anything unknown seems to start at $20 because sellers think it’s worth something even if it sucks.

Could you mention three country LPs that you’re particularly fond of?
Nick Shoulders - Okay Crawdad

Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real

What was the last record you bought?
I buy records every day, I don’t remember the last one. Two months ago I bought a copy of Psycho by Eddie Noack, that was pretty cool.

What’s the best record purchase you’ve ever made?
There are a lot of them. I love buying unknown stuff and listening to them and discovering which ones I like. One of my favorites was probably buying a Wayne Caddell single in Nebraska 7 years ago. It’s now one of my favorite singles I’ve ever found.

Also I bought a copy of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas years ago. An original copy released in Norway, now it’s worth some crazy amount of money. I’ve always been interested in metal so I consider that album not just an album but a historical artifact.

In your opinion, what’s the greatest guitar solo ever recorded?
It all depends on the context. I love the way Larry Lalonde plays in Primus, my favorite players are ones that know when to play and when not to and know how to compliment each other.

What’s your favorite song in a language or dialect other than your own?

Who’s your favorite lyricist of all time?
Chris Acker

What’s your favorite movie or TV series?
Star Trek Deep Space 9

Vinyl, CD, cassette, or streaming – what’s your preferred format?
I like it all, but I enjoy collecting vinyl most.

Would you describe yourself as an audiophile?
Not really, I prefer things that sound used and off key

What kind of setup do you use to play music at home?
Mostly vinyl, CDs in the car.

Do you have a playlist you’d love to share? What makes it special?
I don’t really listen to playlists. I tend to think an artist puts out an album as a complete piece of art so I try to listen to music as whole albums if the artist intended it that way.

Are there any music books you’d recommend, and what makes them stand out to you?

There are so many, off the top of my head I would recommend Miles Davis’ autobiography.

I just finished the biography of Albert Ayler called Holy Ghost.

Also Tears, Love, and Laughter by Pierre Daigle about cajun music.

Which novel has left a lasting impression on you, and why?

The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin changed the way I see the world.

What non-fiction book would you suggest, and what makes it worth reading?
Any biographies written by people who are neither rich or famous. I think it’s important to read about other people’s experiences, especially people who come from different cultures than us and have different experiences.

What’s a memorable music moment that stands out to you?
Doc Watson played at my community college and I’m very glad I got to see him play.

Which concert will you never forget?
Thee Oh Sees live at Beerland in Austin Texas. They played on the porch.

If you could travel anywhere to experience music, where would it be?
I’d like to travel to southern Louisiana and see live cajun music.

Besides music, do you have any other hobbies or interests?
I play video games. I like to play Hades and Ori and the Blind Forest.

How do you think your friends perceive your taste in music?
They’ve known I was crazy for a long time.

Is there a music genre you wish you had explored more or gotten to know better?
I’ve got plenty more time to get into everything. I would like to learn more about Skweee

How old were you when you "discovered" music, and what made you fall in love with it?

Probably around 10 or 11, I started collecting tapes and got really into Alice Cooper and the Beach Boys. I started playing in the school band at 12 and music has been a major factor in my life ever since. I owe everything to music. I met my wife through music.

What kind of music did you listen to during your teenage years?
Nirvana was my first favorite band, Korn and Limp Bizkit, then I got into underground metal like Grindcore and Power Violence. My favorite band since I was in High School is Ween.

Has your taste in music evolved over time?
Probably but I still am down to experience and try to enjoy everything. I think all music can be appreciated if we hear it with our ears open.

Which album can you still listen to when you're tired of music?
Grateful Dead - Europe 72

If you had a time machine, which musical decade would you travel to?
I’d love to go back to classical music times. Could you imagine what it would be like to have no radio or recordings? Going to the opera would be life changing because otherwise you wouldn’t hear music like that ever.

We take music for granted now, we have it whenever we want and however we want.
Or I’d love to go back to medieval times and hear a local bard singing in a local tavern. Or go to the 1930s and see a fiddle band play on a Saturday night to a packed barn.

Do you consider yourself nostalgic?
I think nostalgia is based on the idea that things used to be better. But I don’t think that way. Live in the now, live for the future.

Is there something you'd like to learn?
I’d like to learn to play the fiddle.

Are you a maximalist or a minimalist?
My basement has 20,000 records in it

Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?
Both at different times. I like to share things outwardly but most of the time I just like to be at home by myself or with family or close friends.

What excites you?
Finding records that look like they sound like shit.

What are you afraid of?
Losing my hearing

If you could be reincarnated as a plant, tree, or animal, which one would you choose?
An eagle

Is there a sound you strongly dislike?
My toddler can scream at a very certain pitch that makes my head feel like it might explode, that’s probably my least favorite sound right now.

What’s your favorite food?
Broccoli

What’s your favorite sport?
I like watching track cycling and Curling

What’s your favorite vehicle or mode of transportation?
I miss riding the trains when I was in Germany, unfortunately mass transit in the USA is not great.

What’s your life philosophy?
Leave it better than you found it.

Do you have a relationship with religion?
None. The mysteries of life are things I assume are unknowable and I don’t care to speculate. There’s plenty in the world to learn without guessing about things outside of it.

If there is a God, what do you ask him?
Why did you allow so many of your representatives to sexually abuse children and then the institutions that represent you to cover it up?

Is there something you regret?

Not seeing Prince or Rush

What is your relationship with music journalism? How do you keep yourself updated on music?
I think other people look to me to find new music.

Do you have any connection to the record industry?
I don’t think so.

Are there people who have influenced your taste in music?
Every radio DJ I’ve ever heard. I think radio is highly undervalued, letting other people play music for you is a joy, and very important.

Who is your role model, or a mentor from whom you’ve learned something special?
No one in particular. I try to learn from everyone I meet.

What inspires you?
Kindness and compassion

What’s your favorite instrument?
Pedal Steel or Fiddle

What’s the best or most beautiful song for a funeral?
Grateful Dead - He’s Gone

Is there a musician or band that you think has received far too little attention?
Just about every artist I’ve played on Dollar Country

Who do you think I should have the next record chat with?
I’m not sure, I’m sorry I wish I could think of someone good.