About

 

ABOUT WEIRDO'S RECORDS

Weirdo's Records is a one-man pop-up record store in Milwaukee Wisconsin that specializes in highly curated records, CDs, movies, and books (come see us in person for our trademark $5 books!). Let us be that record friend of yours that always wear black T's and is a little awkward one-on-one but always has the lowdown on great tunes.

Weirdo's started out of concern of the effects that inflation, algorithm, and the general dissolution of quality journalism are playing on the curiosity of the arts and the exploration that comes from that curiosity. Music, film, literature...are supposed to be entertainment, not a tough decision at a supermarket, trying to decided between a new record or buying groceries for three meals. They used to be something you could invite a friend over to check out, instead of everyone sharing the same references as each other because a show was trending or Tiktok is our new Rolling Stone magazine. 

We want to stock interesting titles that exhibit the full breadth of entertainment, especially in the current vinyl collecting scene. We want to move away from the classic rock stigma and put a spotlight on new artists, reissue labels, and music that may have slipped through the cracks. We want to be YOUR record buddy!

ABOUT OWNER, CARL

Born and raised in Wisconsin. Graduate of UW-Whitewater in Creative Writing and Film. Has worked in multiple record stores, along with a bunch of other less fun jobs. 

As a record collector, I've been at it since I was 18 years old (32 now!) when I inherited my parent's collections, a mix of pop music and blues. The first records I ever bought from a store were by Neutral Milk Hotel, The National, and John Lennon, respectively. 

Even before records, I was exploring and developing a palette in other ways. When I was a kid, my favorite possession was my CD player. The digital age came and I was a "Limewire kid," researching top 100 lists and maxing out the space on my iPod. When I learned to drive, every weekend I'd go to resale stores to browse the new CD and DVD additions. I could've probably helped the owners with inventory, I knew their stock so well. As vinyl became my main obsession (and still is), I went to garage sales, surfed online forums, and kept a steady routine of stores I'd visit. Everything I absorbed was not just content to me and I have never been a person who idolizes the famous, it was a way to feel everything. To feel the way the world expresses itself. My collection is representative of me. However, it's also me preserving expressions that I feel are worth carrying around with me.

My music tastes have a wide range---Folk, "indie," horror movie soundtracks, private presses, and jazz are my specialities; soul, various international, metal, prog, punk, reggae, new age, rap, country etc I have a solid base in. My weakest areas are electronic, pop, and R&B. I mainly listen for the perfect balance of complexity and pleasant-ness no matter the genre.