During the 60s, music fueled a counter-culture movement that changed the way the world viewed race, sex, war, and feminism. But, the decades took their toll and rock icons and rock fans alike settled into a consumer driven economy. It isn't uncommon to hear The Beatles' "Revolution" used as the backdrop of a Levi's commercials; and this may be the lesser of all evils.

In the same way, punk and indie music has been the catalyst for left-thinking for at least a few decades. Though we have seen our share of casualties, there are those who have been positively affected by the sense of community and the dissident, divergent voice that this culture fosters.

As we grow up and our responsibilities find us swimming against the current, our strength of character will determine whether we take the ideals that the "punk/indie" community fostered and apply it to the way we do business and the way we live our lives. In the brief time that I've known Paul Fischer, I've seen him apply these ethics and have seen him turn hard work and strength of character into success with Betterlooking Records...oh yeah, and he's also brought us some kick ass music!

Here is a brief glimpse at Fischer and the small yet mighty BLR.

Interview conducted via-email, August 2001.

Name: Paul A. Fischer
Record Label: Better Looking Records

Tim: How old are you?
Paul: 30.

T: Where are you from and where is Better Looking's home-base?
P: I was born in Arkansas, lived in Montana till I was 10, moved to Southern California; after that Riverside, Newbury Park, and Los Angeles, Calif. Better Looking Records is home-based in Sherman Oaks, California, in the "valley," just north of Los Angeles.

T: What catalysts or influences in your life prompted you to start BetterLooking Records?
P: My love for indie music. I was desperately trying to find a "real" job where I could mix my passion for music with some sort of "career". I saw that you can really do- it yourself, so I tried, and here I am. Although, some days, when I'm poor, hungry and tired, I dream of a simple 9-5 job with a regular paycheck.

T: Who else is involved in this venture?
P: Dave Brown is my partner. He also runs Holiday Matinee publicity and is the co-editor of Muddle Magazine. Dave does his thing out of San Diego, California. We do a lot of commuting between LA and San Diego, and keep in touch all day through e-mail and cell phones. We're very L.A. like that.

T: What experiences with the punk/indie "scene" have prompted you to be a proactive part of it?
P: Good question! It's weird being a 'proactive' part of the "scene". I never really felt I was a scenester, nor did I try to be. I just went to shows, bought records and read a lot of zines. The people into indie rock were the type of people I liked to hang out with. We shared similar views on life it seemed. But, I definitely didn't try to hang out with people who were seen as "scenesters," that not what indie music was about to me. I used to go to a lot of indie shows at Jabberjaw, and it was my little joke that everyone was somebody in the indie rock scene. Either you worked at the local college radio station, did a zine, were in a band, worked at a club, etc. -- everybody was somebody. And everyone seemed to be taking a proactive part in indie rock, whether it be for fame or for the love of music. Being a DJ at KXLU in Los Angeles kind of made me a proactive part since the indie scene in LA looked to KXLU to support indie music. I started working at crank! A RECORD COMPANY in 1998 as an intern and eventually full-time. From there I saw the business part behind the "scene"; the press, radio, distributors, labels. Basically, everything that gets the music out to the fans, and somewhat supports the artists making it. After seeing how things really run, I kinda just fell into trying it out for myself with Dave. And here we are...
In the scheme of real life, Better Looking Records is just a small business trying to get by,like a donut shop.

T: Are there people within the scene that have guided you or served as mentors for your undertakings?
P: I learned a lot from Jeff Matlow and Fred Emery at crank! on how to run an indie record label -- absolutely. Not sure if I really have any mentors or anything. You kind of just learn by doing and observing.

T: Have you learned any important lessons about starting/running a record label since beginning Better Looking?
P: It's a business. The business extends beyond just the indie "scene." You have to treat what you are doing very seriously, if you want to be taken seriously and survive for some time. But at the same time, it's all about relationships. I make it a priority to treat my bands with total respect and I feel it's a team effort when we do a release. I give everything I can to get the band out there. I want the bands to succeed as much as possible. I am very open and honest with my bands. We become close friends, but at the same time, are able to deal with the business at hand.

T: How do you choose the bands that you work with? Are you friends with these bands first or is your discourse strictly business related?
P: It depends...some of the bands we have, we've been friends with for some time. But just because I'm friends with you doesn't mean I'm going to sign your band. Dave and I need to agree that the band fits our vision for Better Looking Records.

T: What compels you most about a band?
P: 1) The music. I have to like the music they play a lot. 2) They need to be people that I want to deal with a lot. I love everyone of our bands; each person in the band is my friend. I like it that way. 3) They need to want to work hard for their music. Getting "signed" to a label doesn't mean anything. The band has to do a lot of legwork themselves. Tour, tour, tour.

T: Who are your favorite bands out there right now and why?
P: Doves, love them! Their music is amazing. Total Manchester electronic group gone rock; exactly what I want in my rock band. LA Symphony, my new favorite indie hip-hop group. Their song "Broken Tape Decks" is my jam right now. Hooray for indie hip-hop!! L.A. representin' once again.

T: Have you been on the road with any of the BLR artists?
P: Hell yeah! The Jealous Sound, Reuben's Accomplice, The Good Life...more to come. Being on the road with the bands is some of the best times; a total experience. It's not like it's a crazy party all the time, though it is sometimes. Just bonding with the bands is what really makes it a great time for me.

T: Is the relationship between record labels one of camaraderie of competition?
P: I've only experienced camaraderie! Everyone is always helping each other out. I love to talk shop or gossip with another indie label person...there are some amazing people out there! I'm definitely not in this to be cut-throat.

T: What are your personal and Better Looking related plans for the next six months?
P: No personal plans...since BLR takes up all my time. BLR plans are to get this thing running a little more smoothly so that I can have some personal time.

T: Are you responsible for some of the indie/emo background music that we see on popular MTV television shows and the "The Time of Your Life" commercial?
P: I don't know if I'm responsible, but I have licensed crank! and Better Looking stuff to MTV Real World and Road World shows. It's funny cause I'm not sure that kids realize that it'snot that big of a deal. It's really a couple of people who do the music at Real World and Road Rules who are VERY cool, and come out to indie shows in LA. They do their best to throw some good indie rock into Real World and Road Rules, mostly because indie stuff is easy to license, and MTV doesn't pay a dime to license music for their channel, which isn't really fair. But, it's definitely not some deliberate effort in MTV Programming to make "emo" popular. It's just some nice people in the right places...

T: What was the first record/tape/eight-track you owned?
P: My mom gave me Best of the Beach Boys for X-mas...that started it all.

T: How would one find news, new releases, information about ordering albums from BetterLooking?
P: It's all at www.betterlookingrecords.com. Enjoy!