Laughs and Drudgery: An Afternoon at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone Studio

Amanda Lopez

Mike Orme

Maybe this is why John Vanderslice is so happy: the Studio B control room at Tiny Telephone.

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More About

• John Vanderslice
• Jason Slota
• Jamie Riotto
• Science and Technology
• Audio Recording

We get back in the studio to continue tracking. The group talks about flourishes and backbeats for a few minutes, Slota gets back on his kit, and they continue iterating until they reach a satisfactory conclusion. As Riotto pulls out his bass to tune up for a session, I mention that I need to head out. Vanderslice walks me to the gate while continuing his stream-of-consciousness narration of his Tiny Telephone plans.

"We're actually thinking about building another studio," Vanderslice says. "They're building another warehouse across the way, so we're watching it closely." "Across the way" is an uninteresting stretch at the foot of Potrero Hill populated mostly by junkies, but I have a feeling Vanderslice already has a slew of plans in his head. Unlike many big talkers, he's so far managed to turn his vision of analog preservation into reality. He smiles. "People think I'm crazy."