Tell us a little bit about your store? What's the vibe?

I started Badlands in 1985 with my big brother Steven, who very sadly passed away in 2013. I miss him every day but it’s wonderful that Badlands is still here as a tribute to him.  We began by selling from our own collections on a market stall in nearby Evesham and quickly realised that a lot of the singles we bought were worth big bucks. So, we advertised in Record Collector, got on the booming record fair circuit, and quickly found a permanent indoor market unit in Cheltenham. We had no business plan, no long-term strategy, and no money to invest – and that’s pretty much still the case today!
The best thing about owning a record shop is being surrounded by music and music fans all day. Most importantly, I’ve made so many wonderful friends all over the world through Badlands.

Can you remember the first record you sold in the shop? And the last?

The very first record we sold was the 1979 single 'Boys Don't Cry', by The Cure

Do you remember the first record shop you went to? And you do you remember the first record you bought?

Growing up, I would spend hours in record shops. There were 3 or 4 independent stores (or dedicated record departments) in Cheltenham, all really old fashioned, with listening booths! But the best was a local store called Driftin’. The guy who owned it was a legend and tried to turn me on to jazz when all I wanted was the latest punk singles! He moved to Bristol (the shop renamed Revolver) just as we opened in 1985. He was very helpful and supportive of our new venture. My first record was Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, which I bought when I was 4.

What is your favourite record shop (apart from your own!) and why?

I always check out other record stores on my travels. I love the stores in London - Ted Carroll’s Rock On was fantastic, and I hear he’s just reopened a shop again so, I will be heading back next time I’m in London. Some of the best shops are in great areas of a city so, if I’m in Manchester, I’ll go to the Northern Quarter and find several shops: Piccadilly, Vinyl Exchange, Vinyl Resting Place etc.

What’s your most memorable record store experience?

My most memorable record shop experience was when Little Steven (from the E Street Band ) visited. He came along to visit the shop while he was promoting his autobiography, which was during the pandemic - so we had to keep it quiet. He signed some books, took some photos and even took us out to lunch!

What's the best gig you've ever been to?

I love going to concerts, I’ve seen some amazing gigs; Bruce Springsteen at Wembley arena in '81 was very memorable. I was also so lucky to see some real gems: The Jam, The Clash, Costello, The Undertones, The Only Ones, Bob Marley, Leonard Cohen. I’ve seen quite a few of the greats but would love a time machine to see them all in their prime!
And, I’m so pleased to say I took my mum to see Frank Sinatra (London 1990) which was fantastic!
We also run a small travel agency organising tickets and hotel packages to concerts around the world. Because we run a Springsteen fan club, these are mainly to Bruce Springsteen shows! But we have also run trips to see Dylan, The Rolling Stones and so many others. With Bruce Springsteen touring Europe for the first-time in 7 years, you can imagine that I’m working flat-out on this! I’m actually in Barcelona with a group of 50 people, for 2 shows, as we speak! I’ll be organising trips to Paris, Rome, Gothenburg, and Monza over the next few weeks. It’s all great fun but hard work.

What's your all-time favourite book?

I’m an avid reader of music related books, I vowed to stop reading Beatles books but recently read Mark Lewisohn’s mammoth ‘Tune in: Vol 1’ which is just fantastic. It’s 960 pages and it ends in 1962! I can’t wait for Vol 2.
Fiction-wise, I like everything by David Nobbs, who wrote Reggie Perrin, all his books are hilarious.

What's your all-time favourite film?

My favourite film has to be The Godfather: Part 2

What would make up your desert island discs?

My desert Island discs (if I had to choose today) would be:
Penny Lane – The Beatles (first record I ever bought) / Badlands – Bruce Springsteen (because of the shop) / Another Girl, Another Planet – The Only Ones (Because its the greatest singles ever) / Drive in Saturday – David Bowie / Cum On Feel the noise – Slade / Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks (it’s the perfect pop single) / Alexander Leaving – Leonard Cohen / Tumbling Dice – The Rolling Stones (because my brother loved the Stones) / What’s She Like – Dexys / Forever – Dennis Wilson + Beach Boys.

Who would form your all-time Festival line-up? (past & present)

My perfect imaginary festival line up? It would go on for several weeks, I think! It would have to feature some of the greats that I was too young to see - or missed for some reason: Elvis (1956 and an early Vegas show) The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, Otis Redding, The Band, Credence, T Rex, Slade, The Small Faces, The Faces, Talking Heads (stop making sense tour), Amy Winehouse.

What's your all-time favourite record?

My all-time favourite single is Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones. As for my favourite album, The Beatles White album

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