Stranger contributor/columnist Trent Moorman has an epic interview with Dick Dale over at vice.com. Set aside an hour or two and dig into the in-depth query and response with the 75-year-old master guitarist. You'll learn a lot.

Trent helpfully has broken down the interview into its constituent parts:

I. Exotic Animals II. Evolution of Dick Dale Sound/Volume
III. Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon/Drugs IV. What Happens When We Die?
V. Angel Saying to Buy Lottery Ticket/Coyotes VI. Elvis
VII. Playing on Top of Space Mountain VII. Air Force Rescue/Plane Crash
IX. Dalai Llama/Lana as Nun X. Dick’s First Guitar/Becoming King of Surf Rock

Here's a choice Dale quote:

I went surfing every day from sunup to sundown. Every time I got rolled up and chewed up and spit out in a wave, I would emulate the sound that was going through my head as I was being pounded all over the place. Like when I play on my guitar sometimes when I do certain things, in my brain it sounds like a pterodactyl.

Read the whole bloody thing here and make Trent ecstatic... I mean, even more so than usual.

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Tape Op—the magazine for audio engineers, producers, gearheads, and anyone fascinated by the people who earn their livings in studios—has a rare interview with Moog synthesizer genius Dick Hyman in its Nov./Dec. 2012 issue. To read the bulk of the interview (conducted by Curtis Settino), you need to get a hard copy of the mag; they’re free at Wall of Sound while supplies last. Tape Op put up a bonus segment of the Q&A online. Read it here.

I highly recommend that you check out Hyman’s pair of LPs from 1969—MOOG: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman and The Age of Electronicus—for some of the wildest excursions ever conceived on that endlessly fascinating instrument... and some of the most memorable cover versions ever executed on songs by the Beatles, James Brown, Booker T. & the MG's, Joni Mitchell, and more. Also worth hearing: Hyman's 1962 album of space-age bachelor-pad curios with Mary Mayo, Moon Gas.

• From supremelarock.com

Earlier this year, we were thinking about running a feature called DJ Survival Guide. I interviewed several Seattle disc jockeys for the piece and accumulated thousands of words of wisdom re: the selecting, mixing, and playing of music for other people’s pleasure, but the thing never achieved publication. So I’m going to post those interviews on Line Out, because there’s enough solid advice to help a lot of aspiring jocks… and because the replies are interesting in and of themselves. This week’s installment is with DJ Supreme La Rock (Danny Clavesilla), who was instrumental in bringing to life—with assistance from Light in the Attic Records—the Wheedle’s Groove compilation and thence documentary, which drew much-deserved attention to Seattle’s rich ’60s and ’70s soul scene. Formerly half of Sharpshooters with DJ Sureshot and now a member of the Bumsquad and Core DJs crews, Supreme is a versatile and highly skilled selector who owns enough records to give a forklift a hernia. Listen to him at supremelarock.podomatic.com and read his blog here.

The Stranger: How many hours a week do you practice/prepare?
I feel that I'm constantly preparing and practicing. DJing is 24-hour job in my book. It's not just the 2 to 4 hours you see me playing at an event... I'm always getting and looking for new music or digitizing my own stuff or working on edits and remixes.

What’s your DJing format of choice and why?
I use both vinyl and digital (Serato). Digital is the standard of today, but I come from the era where DJs used records and I still do use 45s and 12"s. It keeps me on my toes so I don't get too lazy or dumb down my skills relying on digital computer-based programs.

What are your recommendations for headphones, needles, turntables, CDJs, DJ-oriented software programs?
There's equipment that is industry standard; however that doesn't necessarily make it the best. The best to me is Technics brand 1200 turntables. I use Shure M447 needles; they do not cue burn your records and they don't skip easily. I have a custom-made stick headphone by DUO Audio. I use Serato for my software and I do not use CDs at all. The absolute best mixer is the E&S DJR400. However, Rane 62 and Pioneer DJM-800 are also decent.

Where are the best places to obtain music, both in brick-and-mortar shops and online?
There's a ton of great places online to buy new music, such as Rush Hour, Earcave, Beatport, blogs, etc. I also, still go out digging for records in thrift shops, any record stores that are left standing, garage sales, etc.

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Here's a condensed version of an interview with METZ guitar man Alex Edkins, which was conducted over the phone prior to the writing of this article over here.

"Wet Blanket"

"Headache"

Are you getting tired of doing interviews yet, and how many you think you’ve done over the last month?

Oh there’ve been lots. I lost count. I don’t mind it, because I like meeting new people and talking to them. So far, I’m not sick of it, but it’s definitely been a lot more than we’ve even done in the four years that we’ve been together.

The record has been rather well received. How did you guys end up on Sub Pop?

Well, it’s a really boring story. We sent them a demo of the record we were working on and they got back to us and said “You know what, we like it.” But they made no commitment. They said finish it, and send it back to us. Basically they wanted to hear the finished product. So we actually wrote another couple of songs and then we sent it back over to them. Then I think about a month or so went by before we heard anything back.

Yeah, there’s a lot of tension in your music. How do you guys chill out?

I guess I’m kind of a movie nerd. I guess all three of us like to kick back and do that.

How did you end up with the name METZ, you’re not French Canadian, are you?

[laughs] No. Hayden and I were playing in another band a while ago and we toured in Europe, and one of the craziest shows was in Metz. So, we quit that band and started working on something new, and it just popped in our heads. We liked how it looked and how it sounded, so it’s really just mostly aesthetic. But it was from that time from France.

That’s better than if it had some big meaning. Also, I’m of French Canadian descent. Let’s say you guys get stuck while writing a song. How do you get around it? What are your tricks?

Well sometimes we’ll just forget about it and go have a beer. But we don’t have a sure-fire way. We try not to overthink it.

What’s going on in Toronto?

Endless bands doing really interesting stuff. I think it’s better right now than it’s been in years.

What if somebody wanted to find some loud rock? What venue would they go to?

It’s funny because in Toronto, there’s not any one scene. We’re always jumping around. Last night here we played a basement show at Parts and Labor. There are always shows at the Silver Dollar Room. And then there’s always the bigger venues like the Horseshoe and Lee’s Palace.

What’s your practice space like?

Basically it’s a tiny, claustrophobic room in a place they call the Rehearsal Factory. It’s an old warehouse that’s been converted into these tiny little workrooms. It’s pretty gross. I won’t lie. We share it with Fucked Up, another Toronto band. It’s wall-to-wall amps. I’m not even sure how we get anything done there, because it’s so cramped.

Okay, last question. I just ate a half a jar of peanut butter last night. What do you think about that?

[laughs] I’ve totally been there, man.

You’ve done that?

You mean peanut butter with a spoon? Oh yeah, I’ve totally done that.

METZ play Barboza tomorrow night with Survival Knife, which is comprised of former Unwound people. DO IT.

• Mike Nipper's Facebook
• Nipper's soul-clap form is impeccable.

Earlier this year, we were thinking about running a feature called DJ Survival Guide. I interviewed several Seattle disc jockeys for the piece and accumulated thousands of words of wisdom re: the selecting, mixing, and playing of music for other people’s pleasure, but the thing never achieved publication. So I’m going to post those interviews on Line Out, because there’s enough solid advice to help a lot of aspiring jocks… and because the replies are interesting in and of themselves. This week’s installment is with Mike Nipper, who is a resident DJ at Emerald City Soul Club and Talcum, at which he spins northern soul 45s and sweats off about 10 pounds per gig. Nipper is also The Stranger’s receptionist and a master of the inappropriately lewd remark.

How many hours a week do you practice/prepare?
I'm constantly shopping for records, so when I'm not sleeping or working, odds are I'm on the make for new records. I never practice.

What’s your DJing format of choice and why?
Records. Mostly 45s only. ONE SONG per side, easy. I've played blacked-out drunk and not fucked up... so far.

What are your recommendations for headphones, needles, turntables, CDJs, DJ-oriented software programs?
Nothing beats Technics 1200s. I'm a selector, so I only use headphones to cue. Needles? I don't scratch or anything, however I hate Stanton styli... they're loud, but have too much high end for some mono 45s.

Where are the best places to obtain music, both in brick-and-mortar shops and online?
Online for rare stuff, but that’s what the brick and mortar stores sell anyways… though constant digging helps.

What are the most effective methods for procuring gigs? In a hyper-competitive field, how do you set yourself apart from other DJs?
Word of mouth. Make people dance/have fun. The patrons should remember you, and don't be a dick to the patrons or bar/club staff, and you'll be asked back. The bar could hire anyone... for free, even. So be a pro, dump the ego and be an adult. You're working... fun work, but it’s work.

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With just about every interview one does, some material doesn’t make it into the published story. Sometimes that material is too good to not be read by people other than the interviewer. Such is the case with the interview I conducted with Faust bassist Jean-Hervé Péron. As with this piece in The Stranger's print edition, I’m keeping Péron’s quirky punctuation and caps-locked responses as is, for maximum Faustness.

The Stranger: Do you follow new music?
Jean-Hervé Péron: WE LISTEN TO ALL KINDS OF MUSIC WITHOUT CONSCIOUS PURPOSES.

Have you heard "Brittle Head Girl" by Loop? It sounds like a homage/rip-off of "Jennifer."
I MUCH PREFER THE TERM "HOMAGE":::I DON’T THINK THE PEOPLE WANT TO RIP-OFF ANYTHING::: SORRY. NO; NEVER HEARD OF LOOP :(

Do most people know who you are or are you obscure?
WE HAVE GAINED A SMALL POPULARITY AND I AM SURPRISED TO THE REACTION OF MANY YOUNG PEOPLE BEING AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE OF FAUST:: WE ALSO HAVE VERY VERY DEDICATED AND TRUE FAUST FANS.

Do you play large venues in your home territory?
800-PEOPLE VENUES IS THE AVERAGE:::

What was it like working with [minimalist composer/violinist] Tony Conrad?
A UNIQUE AND PRIVILEGED EXPERIENCE:

Did you learn any important things during that Outside the Dream Syndicate collaboration?
WE LEARNED ALL ABOUT PATIENCE

Did working with [avant-hiphop group] Dälek on Derbe Respect, Alder change the way you approached or made music?
THE INSTANT SITUATION IS RELEVANT:::SO ANYONE AND ANYTHING WILL CHANGE OUR WAY TO APPROACH ART::AT ANY TIME.

Whose hand is on the cover of the first Faust LP?
ANDY HERTEL::::: A FILMMAKER BASED IN HAMBURG AT THE TIME AND A BEAUTIFULLY CRAZY DESIGNER AS WELL:::

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Earlier this year, we were thinking about running a feature called DJ Survival Guide. I interviewed several Seattle disc jockeys for the piece and accumulated thousands of words of wisdom re: the selecting, mixing, and playing of music for other people’s pleasure, but the thing never achieved publication. So I’m going to post those interviews on Line Out, because there’s enough solid advice to help a lot of aspiring jocks… and because the replies are interesting in and of themselves. This week’s installment is with Zac Hendrix (no relation to Jimi), who has served as Del the Funky Homosapien’s DJ and heads the Midnight Hotline Rendezvous monthly with Leland Jones every last Friday at Lo-Fi, where they spin ’80s soul, funk, disco, boogie, and electro.

The Stranger: How many hours a week do you practice/prepare?
Zac Hendrix: Varies. I used to practice 1-5 hours a day on average. I practice DJing less right now to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome and so I can practice my drumming a little more.

What’s your DJing format of choice and why?
Vinyl, because it looks and sounds so great. Serato is cool for lots of reasons and I use it frequently to play AIFF files ripped from my collection, but if I could only choose one way to DJ, I choose vinyl.

What are your recommendations for headphones, needles, turntables, CDJs, DJ-oriented software programs?
Skullcandy SK-PRO headphones, Ortofon Scratch needles, Technics 1200 turntables, Rane TTM-57 mixer, Serato Scratchlive, and I don't have a CDJ.

Where are the best places to obtain music, both in brick-and-mortar shops and online?
You should be getting your records from me! Storkchild121 on eBay and Cash4Records@gmail.com. Get in touch and schedule an appointment or delivery. Otherwise, check out Neptune, Jive Time, Easy Street, etc. It's a great time to buy/invest.

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• The Stranger

Earlier this year, we were thinking about running a feature called DJ Survival Guide. I interviewed several Seattle disc jockeys for the piece and accumulated thousands of words of wisdom re: the selecting, mixing, and playing of music for other people’s pleasure, but the thing never achieved publication. So I’m going to post those interviews on Line Out, because there’s enough solid advice to help a lot of aspiring jocks… and because the replies are interesting in and of themselves. This week’s installment is with Kristina Childs, a versatile veteran DJ who won the 2009 Battle of the Megamixes competition in 2009. She’s also co-founder of the hard-techno event KRAKT, which is re-launching Fri. Oct. 5 at Electric Tea Garden.

The Stranger: How many hours a week do you practice/prepare?
Kristina Childs: When I started out I would play for hours every single day. Eventually it tapered down to whenever I bought new records, but for years now I don't "practice" at all and the only sort of preparation I do is pull a bunch of tracks I think I'll want to play and put them in a crate. I used to coordinate sets before the gig, but ultimately you never know what direction party is going to go, so I found it counter-productive. I program fully planned sets for Nastina, but that's a whole live performance with cues and blocking, so it's not your traditional DJ set and warrants set lists and rehearsals.

Sometimes I think I should play more at home and occasionally I do, but I've been doing this so long that playing 5 minutes or 5 hours a day isn't likely to make me any better. Haha... If for some reason I lose my edge, I'll go back to practicing. I do however listen to the music. In the car, on the iPod, whatever. For some reason, though, it always seems like the best mix is the very first time I play a record. I used to go shopping and bring the records to a gig without ever having played them at home. Still do, only with digital downloads now. I guess it forces you to pay closer attention to what’s going on and what's coming up.

What’s your DJing format of choice and why?
Serato. I held off for a long time being a vinyl purist, but at some point in '05 or '06 I had a weekly Friday residency schedule: 4 hours of happy-hour downtempo at ToST Lounge followed by 4 hours of top 40 at Talarico's. I was about a year into it when I got really sick of carting around 4 crates of records every Friday. I figured, "Hey, it's not like these tunes are collectibles or anything... I may as well make my life easier and get Serato for Fridays." I still kept playing vinyl for techno and house gigs... until one day I found myself RUNNING from one airport terminal to the other so I didn't miss my connection. As I kept shifting my flight case from my right shoulder, to the front, to the left shoulder, to the side and back again, I finally broke down and said, "Never again."

There's still a small part of me that really misses playing vinyl—reading the grooves in the record, the ritual of shuffling through them and placing them on the turntable, the way it feels in your hands—but the benefit of having my whole record collection with me at all times far outweighs all that. I can't tell you how many parties I've been able to save by being able to make drastic switches in the music immediately. For instance, there was a techno party I was booked to play, but the crowd ended up being 95% Puerto Rican and all they wanted to hear was reggaeton. It just so happened I have a decent reggaeton collection, so the party kept poppin'. Had we all brought nothing but the 100-record flight case full of techno that party would have bombed something fierce.

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• TINA TYRELL

Wainwright is the fabulous fully grown son of a marvelous musical family, and his latest album, Out of the Game, arrives just as he’s married his longtime boyfriend, Jorn Weisbrodt. (When asked when he came out of the closet, Wainwright likes to say, “I was born in the living room.”) Together, and with Lorca Cohen (Leonard’s daughter), they co-parent a little girl who’s now a year old. “I’m out of the game,” he sings, like he misses it. “I’ve been out for a long time now.” Helena Bonham Carter stars in the video. She’s a librarian in serious need of sex. He plays three scourge-ous library guests. They all end up in bed. Wainwright turned 39 in July, and his publicist said we had 10 minutes.

Where are you?

I’m in Los Angeles at the moment. At the Chateau Marmont hotel. Which is nice.

Did you have to travel alone?

I’m here with my husband, actually. I have a show at the Henry Miller Library up in Big Sur, so we’re going to go up, spend a week there, and use it as our honeymoon.

[Ed. note: Writer should have followed up by asking what honeymoon fantasies a person fulfills at the Henry Miller Library.]

I read you got married in August. What was your wedding like?

It was all-inclusive, all-inclusive. The rich, the poor, the artistic, the business-minded. I tend to touch all the bases, you know, with what I do, and yeah. I think in one way it was glamorous but it was also very democratic as well.

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Rufus Wainwright plays Benaroya Hall tonight.

Earlier this year, we were thinking about running a feature called DJ Survival Guide. I interviewed several Seattle disc jockeys for the piece and accumulated thousands of words of wisdom re: the selecting, mixing, and playing of music for other people’s pleasure, but the thing never achieved publication. So I’m going to post those interviews on Line Out, because there’s enough solid advice to help a lot of aspiring jocks… and because the replies are interesting in and of themselves. This week’s installment is with Miss Shelrawka, who represents the o:BASS:ity crew. One of Seattle’s finest purveyors of deep, minimal tech-house, Shelrawka next performs at KRAKT Fri. Oct. 5 at Electric Tea Garden. Check out her Plasmodium podcast here and follow her on Twitter here.

The Stranger: How many hours a week do you practice/prepare?
Miss Shelrawka: It depends. There are times I practice 1-2 hours, 3-4 times a week. If I am getting a set ready for a gig, I normally will work 2 hours every other day to give myself time soak in what I am trying to convey.`

What’s your DJing format of choice and why?
I prefer the analog sound of vinyl, but since it's too expensive for lots of producers to press I will mix it up with digital vinyl controlling with Traktor (.wav and MP3s).

What are your recommendations for headphones, needles, turntables, CDJs, DJ-oriented software programs?
Technics 1200 MK2 turntables (although very hard to get unless someone is giving them up), needles-Technic cartridges and normally use Ortofon needles on them. Headphones- UltraSone DJ1 Pro S-logics. I prefer Traktor for software programs; it’s not as user-friendly as Serato, but you have more options and flexibility in it.

Where are the best places to obtain music, both in brick-and-mortar shops and online?
Will name a handful as there are many. These are some of my top places:

Dope Jams (Brooklyn NY), Clinton Street Records you find some gems (Portland), Juno Records in the UK (for vinyl), Vinyl Dreams. Online: zero inch, satellite records, Downtown 304, XLR8R, Beatport, whatpeopleplay.

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