Scott Carlson

"I received this Vantage Flying V from my dad on Christmas Day 1981. I had been admiring it at a local music shop for weeks and my dad surprised me with a “say, what’s that behind the desk over there?” Red Rider BB Gun move.

I loved this guitar more than most I’ve owned over the years and conjured many Repulsion riffs on it. I don’t recall how, but it ended up in Matt Olivo’s possession and he too pulled licks out of it that ended up as Repulsion tunes. He even tracked all of his guitar parts on ‘Horrified’ using this trusty little axe. Matt eventually passed it along to my lifelong friend and surrogate little brother, Jim Mark. He played it in his brilliant hardcore band Ashträy who sadly never made any recordings.

This guitar has been cut, routed, set on fire, thrown across stages, had new parts custom machined for it at AC Delco, painted multiple times - including the artwork currently adorning the back by frequent Repulsion collaborator, Phil Skarich - and it’s still ticking.

One time when Jim was moving, he put aside this guitar and a few other trinkets - including a Rock A Rolla Records sweatshirt that my wife still wears - with the intent to ship them to me. Jim passed away unexpectedly several summers ago and everyone who knew him misses him very much. After Jim’s funeral, his wife Amy made sure that he was able to get this special guitar back to me.

Every time I look at it I think of how I first got it, what it has been through, how it figures into the history of me and my friends and how it came back to me. That’s my little Christmas Story. Merry Merry, everyone."