For the latest installment of 360°Sound’s CD Junkies series, we spotlight metalhead Tim Garcia. The 47-year-old, who lives in McCreary County, Kentucky, owns approximately 8,000 CDs and 60 box sets – nearly all of them hard rock and metal.
Garcia plays drums in a gospel group called Oasis. The band has released three CDs locally. “I find it a little crazy to love metal but play gospel,” he said.
360°Sound: What was the first CD you ever bought?
Tim Garcia: Back in the day, I was always about cassettes. I never wanted to switch over to CDs. W.A.S.P.’s kfd in 1997 was my first CD purchase. After that, it just kind of trickled down and it was hard to find cassettes. I finally just kind of gave up and started collecting CDs. Now, I’ve been collecting 24 years and I’ve just about run out of room. I probably have about 1,000 cassettes I still listen to. I don’t listen to the radio period. It’s all about CDs. I spent about $200 on CDs today. I probably average about $300 a week on CDs. I need help.
What do you like about the CD format?
I like the cleaner sound. I love reading the lyrics and the liner notes and learning everything about music. I guess you could say I’m kind of old school. Gene Simmons had an album called Asshole, and the story behind that was he just hated formats with streaming stuff. They don’t get money from that. But if I purchase a CD, they get some of that money. I was always on board with that. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve probably got 3,000 CDs that aren’t even opened. I guess I’m a completist. I gotta have everything an artist has done.
Tell us about your music taste. What are some of your favorite genres?
‘80s glam metal and thrash. I always hated the term ‘hair metal.’ They’re just fine musicians like anybody else so I just left it as glam metal. When I start with a band, I like to get everything they’ve done then move on to the next one. Lately I’ve been trying to get all the Queensrÿche. I just finished up Whitesnake. I like the bands that you don’t really hear from. There’s a lot of metal that came out of the ‘80s – bands like Heaven’s Edge, Julliet, Child’s Play, and Roxy Blue. All those bands were just so good.
Who are your favorite artists and all-time favorite albums?
Metallica is my number 1. To me, Metallica is the greatest band of all time. They can’t do no wrong. Also, Pantera, Godsmack, Foreigner, and W.A.S.P. My top five albums are Metallica’s …And Justice for All, Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power, Trixter’s self-titled debut, Heaven’s Edge self-titled debut, and Gun N’ Roses’s Appetite for Destruction.
What are some of your most prized CDs?
I have the first two Child’s Play albums autographed. I paid $250 for the second one, Long Way. That’s a really hard one to track down. I’ve never seen another copy. The sad part about it is I’ve never even listened to it. Once I got it, I sealed it up and put it away.
What are your thoughts on the future of CD?
I think CDs will make a comeback. You’ve done stories on guys who are still collecting CDs. That’s gonna help us get more out there. I just love the fact that you’re doing stuff that revolves around music and CDs. Music helps us all through life. I’d rather listen to music than watch TV any day. There are days I’ll worry about [the future of CDs]. There have been a few songs I really liked and looked to see if Amazon had the CD, and it was only for streaming. That really pisses me off. There was an ‘80s metal band called Junkyard that I loved a lot. They just had a new one and it’s for streaming only.
Anything you’d like to add about CDs?
Everyone, try to keep physical formats alive!
Amen, Mr. Garcia!
