How did you discover Canadas punk masters, the Ugly Ducklings, and their ultra rare LP in 1978?
Their ultra rare LP was for sale in Denver when I was still living in Colorado at a store called Wax Trax whose owners later relocated to Chicago and started the Wax Trax label. Back then, instead of dance floor music, they scorned anything with a synthesizer in it and they were into glitter, glam, garage punk, Gene Vincent, and they were the first people in America to import a Sex Pistols record. And, um, one of the things they got ahold of in their collector wheeling and dealing was an Ugly Ducklings album. I couldn’t afford it but I heard it and was immediately blown away by that song “I Need Nothing” which is one the Nomads should have covered as far as I’m concerned. And so later I saw it on a list that was a mainly ’50s rhythm and blues auction, and so I made a low ball bid for the ’60s album by the Ugly Ducklings and got my own copy, scratched to hell, but at least I got to hear the record. It was one of those that obviously had a young owner because he had written his name all
