“Mr. Zer0’s 14 on the 14th”
Dr. Rox Remember When?
Article #147 May 2023
By: RL Schwinden aka: MrZerr0
Last month Mr. Zer0’s turned 14 Years Old on the 14th of April, it’s amazing to me that after 14 long years people still do not understand what Mr. Zer0’s is about, and what they have absolutely nothing to do with.
It goes like this: I (MrZerr0) started listening to music at about 11 months old when my Aunt Debby used to play her Dave Clark 5 and Beatles 45 records for me to dance to. I should mention my Mom (Carol) worked in the Record Dept. at Kresge’s before I was born. I bought my 1st record in 1969 with my birthday money. I sold my 1st “Used Record” in the summer of 1977 in Jackson, Miss. I started playing “Live” music in the summer of 1980, with “The Magic Acid Band” then I was in “Palace Guard” followed by “Scepter” and then “Black Diamond”. I worked in concert production in Dec. 1982. I went on tour in Winter 1983 with “High Fever”. I started at a retail store selling stereos and VCRs in 1984. and I started in the retail Vinyl and Cassettes biz in 1986. I started with RecordShop, then to Archives, and then Wherehouse then to Musicland, and the Best Buy then to Wax Works and then fye, and finally DiscLand before opening Mr. Zer0’s in 2009. I also had a “Mail Order Cassette & VHS” biz in the late 80s into the early 90s. I helped out on my 1st radio show in Des Moines, Iowa in summer 1992. I started writing for a Monkees Fanzine the same year, 1992. I started writing a music column for “St. Cloud Buzz” in April 2011 and started writing a “Film Column” for “Lost My Stub” in Nov 2011. So for the majority of my life I have been involved in the music biz in one way or another, so I do know a thing or 2.
In 2011 Dave Columbus and I formed the band “MrZERo” with Mitch and Zach. In 2013 Greg C. and I formed “KISSin Time” and in 2015 I formed my solo band “StarChild and The St. Paul Starz” I also used to sit in with “ACK” “Rough House” “Hollywood Blvd.” “Rock Godz” “Mad Mike’s Funhouse” and “The Party Army” In 2019 Billy Hart enlisted me into “The Bang Gang” In 2022 my dream came true and I performed with Johnnie Bolin’s “Tommy Bolin Tribute Band” and also in 2022 I started sitting in with “Thee Mod Garage” I wrote and recorded the Theme Song for Mr. Zer0’s “Nerd Is The Word”. In 2012 I was asked to guest on Radio KFAI, and I did so once a year until 2018, I then got on with Radio WDGY in 2017 in which I am still on today. In 2018 I started as a guest host on Radio WFNU, for the “Early Morning Show” and then the “Hits And History Show” and eventually my own “Evolation Show” until 2021, I have a new radio show “Cover Up” that I am hoping to get on Radio WVIC, sometime soon. I have also appeared on WMCN, KQ92 and WXYG. In 2010 I appeared in my 1st of several films “Attack Of The Moon Zombies” followed by: “Not Quite Lying Eyes” “The Giant Spider” “Adjust Your Tracking” “Lake Street Detective” “Guns Of The Apocalypse” up through 2018. I have been on Local TV; TC-15, and Fox 9. I have been working on books on the bands, KISS, The Monkees, Black Sabbath and Tommy Bolin, as well as a fiction novel “Daniel’s Inferno” and “For What War?”I have contributed to books on KISS, The Monkees, Michael Nesmith & U2. I started collecting toys back in the early 90s.
So I when I opened Mr. Zer0’s in April 2009, I based it on the things that I love, Music, Movies, Toys and to help pay the bills we added Vintage Video Games. We have advertised this extensively for the past 14 years.
So I am always a little perplexed when people think I am into sports and comics and other things that are not Music and Movies related, as that is what I have done my entire life. Even more so when people come into Mr. Zer0’s asking for things we have absolutely nothing to do with EX: comics, sports, Cards, porn, bongs, cellphones …etc. Because our 10 foot marquee sign clearly reads “Music, Toys, Games, Movies” yet every day we get questions like “What do you have for gymnasts?” “What do you have for a pool table supplies” “Where is your religious memorabilia section” “You don’t carry many comics for a comic book store” “I want to sell you my baseball card collection” “My friend told me you buy cellphones” “Where’s your screens section?”
We made a museum case in the back of the store, the idea of my former partner Nikola, to help people understand that Vinyl ended in 1987 and did not come back into production on a large scale until 2012. And That Cassettes ruled the sales market from 1983 to 1991, when CDs took over. You see, depending on the time period, many things were only made on certain formats and or only certain formats sold very well or very poorly during certain periods of time, and you simply cannot get certain titles on some formats no matter what the internet might tell you. I am in “Adjust Your Tracking” explaining that literally thousands of films are only available on VHS, many alternate versions only exist on LaserDisc, and hundreds of films are only available on DVD, and not VHS.
People always seem to think I am into what they are into, and sometimes offended when they find out I do love the same things they love. SO I have bothered to include some of MY Favorite things.
Now of course I have a couple thousand vinyl records, but I have about 8000 CDs, I simply think they sound better and indisputably have almost twice the content. But if you ask me my chosen format, the overall sounds the best, it would be “Reel To Reel Tape” the set back being only a few hundred Rock N Roll titles were ever made on Reel To Reel from about 1964 to about 1978. So finding your favorites is near impossible and Very Expensive, IF you can find them.
Some of my Music favorites: The Monkees, KISS, Tommy Bolin, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, The Byrds, Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, Dean Martin, Partridge Family, Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, New York Dolls, Type O Negative, Matthew Sweet, Smithereens, Tori Amos, The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones, RUSH, Osmond Bros. U2, Paul Revere and The Raiders,
So what is Mr. Zer0’s all about: we $ell: Vinyl Records, CDs, Cassettes, 8-Tracks, Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation, Xbox, Atari Coleco, VHS, DVDs, LaserDiscs, Toys from the 1960s to 2000s, T-Shirts, Books.
Some of my favorite Films: High Fidelity, Yellow Submarine, Flirting, Planet Of The Apes, Prophecy, Fooling Around, Prince Of Darkness, Aliens, Mad Max, Predator, Passion Of The Christ, Wrath Of Khan, Ghost World, UHF, Silent Running.
Some of my favorite Books: Anthem, Level 7, Animal Farm, Alas Babylon, How To Make Friends And Influence People.
The Toys I collect: Monkees, Beatles, KISS, Planet Of The Apes & 60s Star Trek.
What is Mr. Zer0’s looking to buy from the customer? Here is our desired product list. So if an item is not on this list, we do not carry it and we are NOT interested in it. I am quite sure there are many other places that deal in those kinds of items, it is just not here at Mr. Zer0’s
Mr. Zero’s: Hit List: 2023- 2009
Here’s What YOU’RE Looking For And So Are We !!!
MUSIC: Vinyl Record LP & CD;
Zappa, Neil Young, Yardbirds, Tom Waits, Stevie Ray Vaughan, T-Rex, Talking Heads, Smiths, Rush, Replacements, Ramones, Pink Floyd, Gram Parsons, New Order, Metallica, Megadeth, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Kinks, Joy Division, Iron Maiden Kiss, Jimi Hendrix, Gypsy, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Dio, Cure, Costello, Clash, Bowie, Black Sabbath & Beatles, 60s R&B, 60s Blues & Jazz, 70s Reggae, 70s Punk, 80s Metal, 90s Grunge.
80s Technics & Sony Turntables
VIDEO GAMES;
N64: Super Mario, Pokemon, Diddy Kong, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Kirby, Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, Star Fox, Zelda, Killer Instinct Gold.
SNES: Crono Trigger, Earthbound, Final Fantasy, Megaman X, Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Kirby, Rock N Roll Racing
NES: Contra, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Techmo Super Bowl, Bubble Bobble, Excitebike, Dr. Mario, Zelda, Metal Gear, Bucky O Hare, RBI Baseball
GENESIS: Boogerman, ToeJam & Earl, Earthworm Jim, Vectorman, NHL ’94, Phantasy Star IV, Shinobi III, Castlevania
PLAYSTATION: Final Fantasy VII, Soul Reaver, Suikoden, Oddworld, Silent Hill, Twisted Metal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider
NeoGeo, TurboGrafx, Virtual Boy, Jaguar, Lynx, Sega Master System, 3DO, Gameboy Micro, & Pippin.
MOVIES: DVD & VHS;
Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Scarface, Godfather, Dark Knight, Good Will Hunting, Reservoir Dogs, Evil Dead, Apocalypse Now, Big Lebowski, Good-fellas, Detroit Rock City, Jaws, Dr. Who, James Bond, Friday The 13th, Donnie Darko, Nightmare On Elm Street, Warriors, Let It Be, Princess Bride, Blade Runner, Shawshank Redemption, Fight Club, Exorcist, V for Vendetta, Wrath of Khan, Casino, 2 Lane Black Top, Forrest Gump, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Good, Bad & Ugly, Little Mermaid, Rocky, Lord of the Rings, High Fidelity, Empire Records, KISS Meets The Phantom, Decline Of Western Civilization #2, Harold & Maude, Karate Kid, Pride & Prejudice, Song Remains The Same, Anne of Green Gables, RAD, Godzilla, Heartburn.
TOYS:
Alien, Predator, Terminator, Friday The 13th, Nightmare on Elm St. Child’s Play, Halloween; Michael Meyers, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hell Raiser, Nightmare Before Xmas, MacFarlane Rock Musicians: Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy, Alice Cooper, Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Transformers, 80s GI Joes, He- Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Planet Of The Apes, Beatles, Monkees, 70s KISS, 60s Marx Soldiers, Mego Dolls, Dr. Who, Horror & Sci-Fi.
MEMORABILIA: Shirts, Etc.
Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Twisted Sister, KISS, Beatles, Monkees, Bob Dylan, Iron Maiden, AC-/DC, Van Halen, Elvis, Marilyn, Johnny Cash, 60s Psychedelic, 80s New Wave, 80s WWF.
So to our future customers, we do hope this article clears things up, as to what Mr. Zer0’s $ELL$, and what Mr. Zer0’s is wanting to Buy. We pay cash on the things we need. Store Credit on items we could use, and the stuff we have too much of, well, we will take it off your hands if you want to give it to us. The days we do “Customer Buys” are Tues: 1-6pm and Thurs: 1-6pm.
Mr. Zer0’s
*Est. 2009
1744 Lexington Ave N. & Larpenteur
Roseville- St. Paul, MN.
55113
SUN: Noon -4pm
MON – THURS: Noon -7pm
FRI: Noon -6pm
SAT: 11am to 6pm
www.MrZeroS.Com
“Nerd Is The Word”
WDGY 8am Sundays
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