Friends of mine have surely heard this story but I thought it might be nice to tell to a wider audience.
My mom, Nedra Fischer, has always been a extraordinarily thoughtful, loving, and generous person. When I was about 15 years old, she and my father traveled to Zürich, Switzerland to visit old family friends of ours while my sister and I were away at camp.
My mom asked me if there was anything I’d like her to bring back for me from Switzerland. I’m not sure what she was expecting I’d say but I immediately knew exactly what I wanted:
Celtic Frost records.
Celtic Frost, for those who do not know, were a pioneering Swiss thrash metal band of tremendous artistry and darkness.
I already had Emperor’s Return and To Mega Therion, but I couldn’t find any of the earlier releases.
Without even questioning this, my mom said she’d try.
While walking around the old city in Zürich with her friend, she found a small record store and stopped in to see if they might be able to fulfill my request. She stepped to the counter and asked about Celtic Frost records.
The man behind the counter was none other than Martin Ain, the bassist from Celtic Frost.
Naturally he was delighted that some kid in Philadelphia sent his mom off in search of their records and of course he was able to help. He sold my mom a copy of Morbid Tales, the Tragic Serenades picture disk, and the Apocalyptic Raids EP by Hellhammer, a band that preceded Celtic Frost. Never mind that the demon or Satan figure on the cover of Apocalyptic Raids has an absolutely enormous penis.
Feeling a little extra generous, and surely delighted by the amazing coincidence that she had found a member of the band whose records I was looking for, my mom asked Martin if there were records by other bands he could recommend. In addition to his own music, he sent my mom home with DRI - Dealing With It, Coroner’s first LP, Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments, and Gore - Mean Man’s Dream. Just incredible. I still enjoy all of those records about 25 years later.
About four years later, I greatly amused Buzzo and Joe Preston from the Melvins when I told them how I first heard their music because Martin Ain recommended them to my mom. Additionally, a couple years ago, I met Martin Ain himself in a bar and was finally able to thank him after all those years for his excellent recommendations. He said “Well, I’m sure you infected some other people with it too.”
So thank you mom! You have always been the absolute greatest and I love you dearly. You didn’t really like my Dead Kennedys “Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ t-shirt but you never threw away my stuff and didn’t wince too much when I brought home records by the Dayglo Abortions and Suicidal Tendencies. Happy Mother’s Day!
