“Look!” Scott Dudelson exclaims as he factors to John Coltrane, Prince, Stevie Marvel, and Lou Reed vinyl albums displayed on the wall of the restaurant the place we’re having dinner. “If in case you have these, you’re fairly set,” he states definitively.
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Dudelson’s pleasure is laced with greater than a tinge of bittersweetness. He misplaced his assortment of greater than 8,000 information—which he constructed over 25 years—within the Palisades Fireplace, one among Los Angeles’ latest wildfires that burned nearly 24,000 acres in that oceanside area.
A self-confessed vinyl junkie, the affable Dudelsonn is beneficiant in sharing his ardour for music, notably its illustration on vinyl. His Instagram posts @alldayvinyl about information, file retailers, and file collections have organically grown to succeed in greater than 55,000 followers. His information and enthusiasm extends to Legends, a podcast he hosts that includes a few of his heroes akin to The Doorways’ Robby Krieger, Weapons N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed, Nils Lofgren, Warren Zevon, and plenty of extra. Dudelson can be an skilled photographer (together with for SPIN) specializing in dwell live performance images.
Earlier than Dudelson dedicated full-time to music-based pursuits, he co-founded Swagbucks and Prodege. However his obsession with vinyl began, funnily sufficient, when CDs grew to become the prevalent format. “I had an insatiable urge for food for music,” Dudelson says, “however I used to be in school. I had no cash, and CDs have been $12 to $18 a chunk. I’d go to Goodwill and thrift shops and see information with titles I’d heard of, however didn’t learn about, for 50 cents or $1.00. That grew to become my conduit to music discovery.”
I met Dudelson spring of 2020 after I was a two-time visitor on the Instagram Reside sequence he hosted on @alldayvinyl in the course of the pandemic. Dudelson reduce fairly a pleasant determine towards his dense assortment of vinyl and was a lot enjoyable to speak to about music. Since then, at any time when his title has come up, I’ve invariably heard, from everybody, “Oh! I really like The Dude!”
Now, Dudelson sits throughout from me, a Hurley hoodie pulled over his head, trying like a traditional California surfer, despite the fact that we’re miles from the ocean. Dudelson purchased this hoodie yesterday as a result of, when he evacuated his dwelling, he left with no garments besides what he was carrying.
It was 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7, when Dudelson first smelled the fireplace. “You couldn’t see the flames as a result of they have been nonetheless up within the hill, however you possibly can really feel it,” he says. “You may really feel the wind, really feel the warmth. When the wind blew, you knew it was coming.”
Dudelson referred to as his ex-wife and requested her to assist him transfer out as many objects as doable. He loaded up her automobile and his personal. The smoke arrived quickly after, however Dudelson wasn’t contemplating leaving. He and a handful of neighbors have been decided to remain and save the group. They mobilized themselves with 80-foot hoses and stood on the prepared.
By midday, the police arrived, and the smoke was “simply killing,” in accordance with Dudelson. Nonetheless, he and his neighbors remained, ready to battle the fireplace. Round 2:00 p.m., aided by the gusts of wind, the fireplace jumped into the comb surrounding Dudelson’s group, then hit an influence pole, which flew up 20 ft in entrance of them. At that time, they watched all the things begin to burn.
“A number of of the homes actually blew up,” recounts Dudelson as he performs me a jarring video from that day. “I stayed a very long time. Every part was evacuated. PCH [the Pacific Coast Highway] was empty, simply me and some different folks driving by way of to get out. It was apocalyptic. There was fireplace on the seashore. There was fireplace on the mountains. I’m driving by way of the fireplace and ash, and palm fronds are flying into my automobile.
He continues, “That evening, I stayed up your complete evening listening to police scanners, fireplace scanners, listening for my tackle and I didn’t hear it. After I wakened within the morning, I assumed possibly miraculously my place would survive.”
Dudelson’s dwelling didn’t survive and none of his belongings did both. “In hindsight, I might have grabbed a lot extra stuff. I might have thrown all the things within the automobile. There was ample time to pack. However, , I’m strolling round taking a look at issues I ought to take, and my thoughts is simply not comprehending that that is actual. That is taking place proper now. It’s a disconnect. I really feel prefer it was the identical factor with my neighbors. After I noticed them depart, their automobiles weren’t full. It was the identical denial of, ‘We’re going to be again later tonight,’ which is a part of the explanation why I used to be not able to seize all my stuff, as a result of I felt assured in myself and my neighbors that we have been going to cease this.”
The Palisades Fireplace isn’t Dudelson’s first expertise with wildfires threatening his dwelling. He and his belongings survived the 2018 Woolsey Fireplace (though some 500 information have been destroyed). “I had by no means skilled a fireplace,” he says of that point. “I used to be not ready in any respect for evacuation. After [the Woolsey Fire], I separated my Most worthy, most cherished, and most favourite information into particular sections so if there ever was a fireplace, I might simply seize that part, throw it in a field and put it in my automobile. I had a plan in place.
“However the factor is, these packing containers of information have been the one factor I grabbed. I did job of getting my daughter’s footage and a few private mementos. However I used to be considering, ‘How can this occur twice?’ which is such unsuitable considering. In fact it might occur. It might occur to any of us. However I let amps burn, I let guitars burn, I let audio system burn, as a result of my thoughts was in denial. I didn’t seize anything. Every part I owned burned—besides these information.”
Dudelson was in a position to save roughly 450 information. Three weeks previous to the Palisades Fireplace, 1,000 of his information at a future dwelling he’s constructing have been smoke broken within the Franklin Fireplace. Dudselson didn’t get an opportunity so as to add any of the collectibles he had amassed because the Woolsey Fireplace to his earmarked worthwhile information and subsequently have been misplaced.
The vinyl group has been fast to supply unsolicited assist to rebuild Dudelson’s assortment. Rhino Information and Jampol Artist Administration kicked off the restart. Flooded with DMs from folks asking the place they will ship him vinyl, Dudelson has secured a PO Field on the following tackle: 4474 Park Granada #8908, Calabasas, CA 91372. Whereas he has not arrange a GoFundMe, and isn’t planning on it, he welcomes file donations. Says Dudelson, “It’s so humbling and I’m so grateful for it.”
He received’t be capable of change his signed information or signed live performance posters, however Dudelson says a lot of what he misplaced is replaceable. However, as he factors out, “The query is, do you need to pay the premium worth to get it once more? Am I going to pay $400 to get a thirteenth Flooring Elevators file once more? A number of weeks in the past, I purchased a good looking mint copy of Slayer’s Reign in Blood within the shrink wrap. I misplaced that and a really uncommon Blue Observe file by Jutta Hipp from 1957 in mint situation. These don’t come up once more.”
Dudelson’s focus is on what he was in a position to take with him, a few of which he shares on this video. He was additionally in a position to snatch his Beatles mono field set, his Technics 1200 file participant (though he forgot the ability wire and the preamp), one digital camera (with out cables, batteries or lens caps), a lap metal guitar plus an electrical and an acoustic guitar (however no amps).
“The secret is preparation upfront so when it occurs, you’re not operating round like a rooster with its head reduce off,” Dudelson advises. “Perceive what’s vital to you, know precisely the place all the things is, get all of it collectively and get it out of there. You must fill automobiles to the brim. Don’t manage it. Throw all of it in.”
The house Dudelson misplaced within the fireplace was a rental. His former dwelling the place his ex-wife lives is unbroken, as is the house he’s constructing. He pays loads to be insured residing in Los Angeles’ excessive threat oceanside, however, as Dudelson came upon after the Palisades Fireplace, his insurance coverage didn’t cowl the rental the place he was residing.
“I don’t know if L.A. has had such a tragedy in my lifetime,” he says. “The group that’s come collectively to help wildfire victims, I’ve by no means skilled such a factor. What I’m seeing is fucking superb. Completely unbelievable and completely extraordinary. I hope it lasts. I really feel prefer it’s emblematic of how L.A .goes to rebuild.”
Within the meantime, Dudelson is looking out for a small place to lease not too removed from the seashore. In reality, the place will be tiny, as Dudelson jogs my memory, “It’s simply me, and I don’t personal something anymore. However, I’ve at all times romanticized being a minimalist. Now I get to dwell that fantasy—even when it’s in a compelled trend.”
To see our operating record of the highest 100 best rock stars of all time, click on right here.
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