Derek Brown - The Hippie Scum Interview
Born and raised in West Texas, Brown was influenced in his youth by groups such as Smashing Pumpkins and of course the golden boom of MTV in the early 90’s. Brown launched his label Hippie Scum in 2020 right before the world caught fire from the chaos of the pandemic. Showcasing and honoring wonderful artists such as the great Cactus Lee and ZZZWalk. Hippie Scum is unique, does wonderful things and I was immediately drawn in and inspired by their incredible work and vibe as we explore Brown’s inspiration from the heavy Texas vibes of the 70’s, the DIY culture of cassette tapes and much more!
Are you originally from Texas? What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall in love with music? Do you play any instrument, or participate in any bands yourself? What was it that initially fascinated you about music? Was music relevant around your household growing up?
Born and raised in the desert out in West Texas, but Austin Has been home for the better part of two decades. I’ve been surrounded by music as long as I can remember. My dad is an excellent bass player and has been playing in bands since the 60’s. He has very eclectic taste so I was raised to appreciate all genres. When I was a teen and everyone was starting bands it seemed like no one wanted to play bass, or they didn’t have access to one. This led me to pick up the instrument myself. I don’t play as much anymore, but I’ve been in all kinds of bands from country to post punk. This is how met Kevin from Cactus Lee. I was in a band with he and his wife Sherry called Love Inks. Touring with them was a very formative part of my musical journey and I consider them family now.
What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? When and where did you see your first concert and what kind of impact did that leave on you?
Although music was a very big part of my household, there was not a lot of culture in the town where I grew up. There was an arena in Odessa, Texas that was mostly used for events like rodeos and big country shows like George Strait and occasionally there would be a touring rock act come through. I was 10 years old in 1994 and obsessed with MTV. Smashing Pumpkins came through on the second leg of the Siamese Dream tour and my dad happily agreed to take me. Being only 10, none of my other friends were allowed to come, so it was just my dad and I. It was definitely a bonding experience. The show was a total wreck ending in Billy Corgan walking off stage due to heckling. I didn’t care though, I was just so excited to be there. When I got to high school I started coming to Austin as frequently as I could and seeing live music. Although Austin has changed a lot, I still love going out to shows as much as I can.
Who were some of your earliest Influences? What ultimately led to the decision to launch the Hippie Scum? When was this exactly and what inspired the name? When first deciding to start the label, what was the overall vision and approach? Did this simply start with supporting and standing behind bands and musicians you loved and admired? You guys release rad bootlegs too!
I have alway been interested in counter culture and subcultures—especially the correlation and similarities of punks and hippies. I think a great example of this is Austin in the 1970s when there was a crossover in the cosmic country movement and the budding punk scene. These crowds didn’t always like each other, but would find themselves coexisting in venues like the Armadillo World Headquarters. This was a big inspiration when starting Hippie Scum. The name comes from Rock Scully’s book on the Grateful Dead. There is a part where a Warner exec threatens Ron “Pigpen” McKernan calling him “Hippie Scum” and how this offended him because he was the least hippie of the whole group. That just stuck with me. I started Hippie Scum right before the pandemic in February of 2020. I made a bootleg cassette of a Spacemen 3 show and distributed it among friends. That band is a huge inspiration for what we do. I love how these guys from England were obsessed with the Texas psych scene and would cover bands like the 13th floor elevators and the Red Krayola. I kept on making these bootleg live shows and asked a few friends if they would want to put together some comp tapes for me. Everything from 80’s Austin Punk to Detroit Spiritual Jazz. I started to notice more attention on Instagram and launched the website shortly after. I have to give a shout out to David from the site New Commute. He supported us from the beginning which really helped us build our community. We started doing tee shirts and other merchandise to help promote the releases which has now turned into an important part of the brand in itself. I consider Hippie Scum more of an imprint than a label.
You have released some truly wonderful work from artists such as the completely stellar Cactus Lee, ZZZWalk, and Neil Lord. What have been some of your personal favorites to work on and why? What inspires you most about artists such as these?
I can’t really say I have a favorite as all these releases are special in their own way. Cactus Lee’s “Texas Music Forever’ was our first original release, so that will always stand out. After that release, I was introduced to Jon “Catfish” Delorme of ZZZWalk through Kevin. When Catfish told me that he had an EP of Kinky Friedman covers I knew it would be a great fit for Hippie Scum with the whole New York to Texas mash up. After that we did a project with Neil Lord, who is not just an amazing artist but an amazing human being. I had always been a fan of his many projects so I was beyond stoked to put out that tape with him and Mike Sharp. I feel lucky to be a small part of this really special community of musicians and artists. Obviously artists I’ve done releases with but also those Ive worked with in other capacities and come to consider friends. Specifically, Sean Thompson, Color Green and the dudes from the Nude Party. I really admire the work ethic of all these artists and musicians.
What have you been up to more recently? What is new in the Hippie Scum universe for the Spring and Summer? Is there anything else you would like to further share with readers?
I still feel busier than ever without the constant production of tapes. Outside of the imprint, Hippie Scum is also my DJ moniker. I would say that DJing is my favorite part of Hippie Scum. I do a few monthly residencies around Austin and I’ve gotten to do some great shows with artists like Hayden Pedigo and Pachyman. In May, Hippie Scum will be on the bill with the Nude Party and Cactus Lee as well as a great show with Tierra Del Fuego in June. We just put on a SXSW event with Aquarium Drunkard which was great fun. I’ve admired Justin from AD forever, so that was a real pleasure. In the future, I aspire to start booking more shows in Austin and bringing in the artists I love. The dream would be to record these live shows and release them on cassette—full circle taking it back to where it all started.
Thanks again!
DDB
