What’s in Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz Ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6-cubic-foot refrigerators.

On the grill

Felix Fung

Who are you

I am a local record producer and owner and operator of Little Red Sounds Studios, defender of rock 'n' roll, catalyst for art. I am also the drummer for Les Chaussettes who have just released a seven-inch on U.K. label Punk Fox and I play guitar for Girlfriends and Boyfriends who have just released an album on local Label POP ERA which I also run with the singer (Grant Minor) from GF/BF. I am here for you.

First concert

I am lucky enough (old enough) to come from a time when schools had bands play their dances. (Yeesh, do they still have dances?) Anyways, it's the '80s and we had cover bands play my school. Those were my first "concerts". The coolest thing was this band did Clash, CCR, and Who covers! They also knew a bunch of the weirder Beatles tunes and even did Jam tunes and stuff from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was very diverse and a huge influence on me. The bass player was the spitting image of Paul McCartney. He played a Beatle bass but was 20 kilos heavier. 

Life-changing concert 

So imagine you're 19 and in love with a band. Everything about them rings true to you. They are speaking directly to you and you trust them with your heart. That band for me was My Bloody Valentine. They played the Commodore Ballroom in '92 and I was there! The band ended the show with their now-famous "holocaust" section (a vicious wall of noise and feedback lasting until the venue angrily pulls the plug). At that time nobody knew that was going to happen. It was a full-body experience and I have never again heard anything quite so loud. It vibrated your whole body and I felt a foot off the ground. It left the whole audience stunned/confused. The staff had no clue what was going on either. Some people got mad and left. When the house lights finally went on and the sound was pulled, I looked around and it was completely silent. about 200 people staring silently at the empty stage. Everyone left without speaking. It made me realize that no matter it's form, rock and roll should confuse and challenge as well as soothe and entertain. And you can do all this without being a typical rock band, which MBV were not. I will forever be unfairly comparing that show to every other show I see. There exists a bootleg of this show on the Internet.

Top three records 

The Beatles, 20 Greatest Hits  Okay, don't laugh. I got this for Christmas when I was 11. I still have it today and still play it. This became somewhat of a bible to me. I started dressing like a Beatle and even affecting a mild Liverpudlian accent. I learned so much about songwriting, harmony, production, arrangement—basically everything to do with pop—from this album. Lessons I still lean on daily. It was the Beatles who taught me to be adventurous. To not repeat oneself. Of course this album also led to all the other great '60s bands/artists that I love and rip off. I know some people hate the Beatles. I hate those people. Also and/or the Kinks.

The Cure, Standing on the Beach  Yet another comp for number two. This album is one of their greats. It plays through as a complete work even though it's a compilation and gives you an amazing overview of the first half of their career. It again shows a band being brave. The leap in style from one single to the next is impressive. Like where did "A Forest" come from? You see the band inventing themselves. Again, I'm choosing this album because it kinda represents a whole era and style of music that speaks loudly to me. Or more importantly a perspective. Call it goth or postpunk, whatever. There's about a bunch of other bands I'​d love to list that stand next to the Cure.

Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand  This band had it all. They were beholden to no one. They did everything on their own terms. The were not greedy. They did not ask you for anything. What you got in return was the essence of rock 'n' roll. The best bits of pop and all the hooks you could handle. This again was another era-defining album for me with too-many-to-name associated acts. This was the first "Lo-Fi" movement. People retreating to their basements with a 4-track cassette recorder and making music for themselves and finding an audience. "Hey, the Beatles only had four tracks." I had already bought a 4-track by this time and was recording at home. When this band found me, I was no longer alone. 

I'd need a monthly column in the Georgia Straight to cover all the albums that made a difference to me. All these bands made my life possible. They created the interest and the industry. Without them I am nothing. 

All-time favourite video

Seriously? I think most videos are horrible. Too clever and just straight-up bore me. So this video goes out to my friend and namesake Richie Felix Alexander from the band Did You Die. He makes my favourite videos. Done in four hrs on his iPhone 6. He showed me this Sonic Youth Video for their song "Shadow of a Doubt". It's just a girl on a train.

What's in your fridge

Honey, peanut butter, and jam.