The Michigan Review

Interview with Phil Dirt

by Michael Austin

As a fan of the Genre for 35 years, and a producer for 10, Phil Dirt knows surf music. We had the chance to ask his opinions on the music and the industry. Additional information and his radio show are on the web at www.spies.com/reverb/central.html.

MR: What has changed with surf music in the last 10 years that has made a difference?

Phil: What's happening now is only happening because it stopped being a revivalist kind of a thing, and the genre came back to life. People are bringing other elements into it and it's growing. When the revival started in '79, it was fundamentally a nostalgia thing. That's not the case anymore, and that's why it's popular.

MR: Any thoughts about the claim that bands must commercialize themselves in order to gain widespread popularity?

Phil: The argument about art versus business is sort of specious. The first time you charge someone to see you play, you've crossed that bridge. All you're talking about is a matter of degree. A lot of people who make it aren't very good and a lot of people who don't are, but that's just life.

MR: Where do you think the industry is moving to in the next 10 years?

Phil: I think the variety is going to continue to scatter, it's not going to coalesce. Also the internet, and direct CD quality music available will just make that worse, or better depending on your point of view. Eventually it's going to eliminate the need for labels. Once that's happened, there's no force trying to control the marketplace, so end of focus basically.

MR: So will independent labels gain influence over the large labels?

Phil: It's as large as it's ever been right now, and I don't expect that to continue. The small labels provide a certain kind of capital in terms of producing and distributing goods for bands that have a difficult time doing it for themselves now. If you can do it yourself, you can sell your product for less, which means more people are going to buy it, and guess what, you get all the money. I think if interest actually wanes, large labels and self­published music on the internet will be about all there is. MR

This article was published in the 22 April 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 16, Number 10).
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