As host of the Vinyl Monday YouTube series, Abigail Devoe spins weekly deep dives into classic records with a mix of musicology, storytelling, and fandom-fueled curiosity. She’s also half of the duo behind Unveiling the Legends: Dolls of the 60s and 70s, a podcast reclaiming the stories of rock-and-roll’s overlooked women. We talked about her first crate-digging jackpot, most cherished records, and why The White Album still rules.
What first sparked your love for vinyl records?
Collecting physical media was just the “cool thing” to do when I was in art school; we were fortunate to have a great record store a stone’s-throw away from our campus. I didn’t start seriously collecting vinyl, though, until word-of-mouth tipped me off to a guy in my hometown selling his collection. I was only just getting into classic rock at the time. So when I went in expecting to buy 150 albums including the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, you can imagine my surprise when there turned out to be 300 albums with no Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel! I’m still not sure how, but I walked away with them all for free. It’s hard not to love collecting when you stumble on a gold mine like that.
Your YouTube series Vinyl Monday is such a thoughtful deep-dive into classic records. How did the idea for the show come about, and how do you choose which album to feature each week?
Thank you! The idea for Vinyl Monday came about while I was still in school, but I didn’t have the time to actually do it until after I graduated. After receiving 300 albums, most of which I’d never heard, I listened to a new one every day for almost a year. Nothing shapes your music taste quite like that! This became a weekly series where I showcased an album and shared its history and my thoughts about it.
I wish there were a more concrete way of how I choose Vinyl Monday albums, but it’s just a matter of choosing from a HUGE document of to-cover albums and viewer requests on my Notes app! I sit down and plan my schedule months in advance, though – Vinyl Monday is already booked out through December.
“It feels so good to have a project focused on representing women surrounding rock-and-roll – and it feels even better FaceTiming a friend while doing it.”
Tell us about your podcast! What drew you to spotlight these often-overlooked women, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Sure! I co-host a podcast called “Unveiling the Legends: Dolls of the 60s and 70s” (or just the Dolls Podcast) with my friend, Emma Rosa Katharina. She emailed me her project proposal on April Fools’ Day last year so I thought she was joking! But I’m very glad the show turned out to be real. I was drawn to the Dolls Podcast because of how much of a “boys’ club” Vinyl Monday is. When Emma asked me to be her co-host, I had only covered albums made by women seven times in Vinyl Monday’s history. I tried to weave women into these stories as much as I could, but it just wasn’t cutting it. It feels so good to have a project focused on representing women surrounding rock-and-roll – and it feels even better FaceTiming a friend while doing it.
I hope our female listeners find at least something that resonates with them in the episodes Emma and I make. We’ve told stories of women overcoming addiction and unhealthy relationships with food, escaping domestic violence, surviving wars, and continually rising above institutionalized racism, sexism, and homophobia. Women have, and will continue to, endure. I hope all Dolls Pod listeners take away that there is no one set way for a woman to live. We’ve featured women from all walks of life, and hopefully will continue to do so for years to come!
Between music and fashion icons, actresses and activists, who’s one “Doll” you’ve covered that’s especially stayed with you?
When Emma asked me to co-host, writing an episode about Cynthia Plaster Caster immediately came to mind. As my intended life path of being an art historian fell through, I discovered rock-and-roll and the wonderful world of groupies. Soon I found out about Cynthia and her work through reading Pamela Des Barres’s memoir “I’m With The Band.” Cynthia was the perfect intersection of artist and groupie – two things that are very close to me. I got to speak with some of Cynthia’s friends, who sent me copies from her “Rig Books” (the journals she kept meticulously documenting every casting) as well as material from her archives to write from, like her book proposal. It was an honour to have Cynthia’s inner circle willing to participate in the episode, and for them to be so accepting of my continued fandom of her.
Back to vinyl – what’s the crown jewel of your collection right now?
As far as rarity goes? Either my original UK mono Beatles albums, my Zeppelin bootlegs, or my original uncensored copy of Kick Out The Jams. But I prefer to go by sentimental value, and few albums are more significant to me than my first copy of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
Where’s your happy place when it comes to crate digging? Any favourite shops or secret spots you don’t mind sharing?
The single store I’ve found the most Vinyl Monday albums at is Turn It Up Records in Northampton, Massachusetts. At least 25 episodes’ worth of those albums have come from there, their bargain bins are great. It’s not even the slightest bit local to me, but it’s always worth the drive to hang there with my friends.
Finally, what’s a record you think everyone should own, or at least hear once in their life, and why?
It’s such a cliché answer! But if there’s any album I believe everyone should hear at least once, it’d be the White Album. And it has to be the whole album – no “single LP White Album”s here. Removing any one track diminishes the experience. It’s got my favorite Beatles song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” it’s got some of John Lennon’s best songwriting, and there’s something for everyone on it. Rock-and-roll, acoustic ballads, blues, country, story songs, novelty songs, avant-garde, even ska! You can’t go wrong with the Beatles.
(My chaos answer? Trout Mask Replica. It’s an album you have to hear to believe.)
Follow Abigail on Instagram and catch a fresh Vinyl Monday every week on her YouTube channel.
