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(return
to part 4)
Last question: Would you
tell our readers how Alligator Records got its name?
When I'm listening to music I enjoy, particularly
in my car, I have a tendency to play little drum parts by clicking
my teeth together. And I can actually play different notes on
my teeth; when I work at it I can play a full octave! My girlfriend
at the time used to call me her "alligator" as a pet
name: "Oh, you're my little Alligator ..."
So I thought, "Alligators are Southern, blues is Southern.
Alligators are dangerous. I'm not very dangerous, but I've heard
how hard it is to get those distributors to pay you, so I'd like
them to think I'm dangerous." Plus, "Alligator"
sounds a little like "Iglauer." Also, I thought that
when the distributors were paying people, they probably went
in alphabetical order, so I wanted to be in the A's.
When the logo was designed, the designer had all these pictures
of alligators from National Geographic and he kept drawing
very realistic alligators. And I kept saying, "No, I want
it to be funnier, to be happier." And he said, "Oh,
you want something like the crocodile from Peter Pan."
And I said, "That's exactly what I want." And
if you look at my logo, it's not a rip-off, but it's definitely
inspired by that alligator with the clock in its stomach. I wanted
it to look like it had just bitten the leg off of some non-paying
distributor.
(Interview by Kenneth Bays, copyright 2002
Straight Up Inc.)
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