Scott Wexton

HOODOO! COMICS, RECORDS, T-SHIRTS & TIKIS

text KRISTIN WINTERS
photography ENOCH WATERS

There are many strange sights along the stretch of HWY 62: the spooky figures of joshua trees, ominous ancient rock beds, reported UFO sightings, and a peculiar record store that sticks out amongst the scene. With a name like HOODOO, you’re not likely to forget this spot anytime soon. Owner and founder Scott Wexton, (also known under his stage name Voodoo Organist) opened HOODOO as a one-stop shop for vinyl, comics and rock n’roll and exotic decor. The dark walls are covered with tiki heads of all shapes and sizes that grimace back at you in an unnerving, yet jovial welcome.

HOODOO houses thousands of new and used vinyl in eclectic genres, packed full of unique finds to please even the most fanatic collector. For lovers of music, comics and curiosities, it is impossible to leave without new treasures, and anticipation for your next visit.

When did HOODOO get started? 
We opened on October 1st, 2010. Prior to us opening, there was no pop-culture store up in the high-desert and I come from a pop-culture/counter-culture background as a teenager. In Detroit I used to work at a store that was similar in vibe in the 1980s. A very important focus for the store from day one has been to have new and used everything: t-shirts, graphic novels, records, and tikis. I think it’s important to have a place where you can get some good tunes, good reads, cool tees- all the jazz.

When did you begin to appreciate vinyl and comics?
I started buying records in the 80’s as a teenager. It’s something that, when people make a comment that they’re coming back, for people like me- they never went away (laughs). A lot of the things that I like to listen to, the underground stuff- especially from the 50s, 60s, 70s, space-age pop, lounge, organ jazz, exotica, latin music- have never been available in digital release. I’ve always been a record guy for those reasons. If you’ve got the proper stereo system, it does indeed sound better than digital. You get the art, you get the liner notes, its’ much more of an art package, as opposed to just a digital download.

Which music and comic genres do you keep stocked?
With graphic novels, we try to have a very broad, wide approach and appeal because the comic world is everything from super-heroes to super-absurd. We try to keep a nice balance of everything from DC characters like Batman and Harley Quinn to Marvel – Deadpool is really hot right now. Personally in terms of the superhero world, I’m a fan of Dr. Strange and Sliver Surfer, but more so, I like a lot of the indie stuff better. We actively stock a lot of the, ‘Image Comics,’ titles -Image is a really hot publisher right now. Saga is a really hot series of course Walking Dead. The Wicked+The Divine is a really cool series; East of West is my favorite current trade series. In terms of comics, it’s really trying to find a balance between the superhero and the non-superhero genres.

For records, I always actively stock the desert rock stuff. Of course bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, anything Gram Parsons related. We’ve always been local artist friendly, so if a band releases a new record or a cd or single, they’re always welcome to bring it into the store to sell. I like to keep a good selection of rock, indie, punk, and I also try to curate decent odd sections. I’ve got an exotica section, a latin world-music section, synthesizer music sections and of course jazz, funk, soul.

Why did you choose such unusual decor and tiki theme? 
A lot of the art we carry is called, “Lowbrow.” Shag would be kind of the king of the lowbrow art movement. I think generally the art I seek is Lowbrow, and that ties in with all the tiki stuff. There was a tiki lounge-exotica revival in the 90s that got me hip to the whole scene and ever since then I’ve been a fan of the whole tiki world. Tiki often goes hand-in-hand with the Lowbrow art -which also goes hand-in-hand with rock n’ roll, which also goes hand-in-hand with comics. Although it may all seem random, it kind of works together in some strange way.

What’s the story behind the name HOODOO?
Being a small store, we wanted a small name but yet a multi-faceted name. I didn’t want to be called, ‘Scott’s Records and Comics,’ or whatever- I wanted a jazzy-funky name. Hoodoo is a simple one word, but it is multifaceted. Hoodoo refers to the weird rock formations that you see in the southwestern desert, the other-worldly ones that look like they defy gravity. Hoodoo also refers to folk magic, and I think in a lot of ways you can kind of see the folk magic in what I do. HooDoo is also a fun play on words: “Hoodoo you love?” I often like to say. So it’s a simple fun word that has a few different meanings. It’s something intriguing and eye-catching that makes you think, “Ooh what’s in there?”

where: 55866 TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGHWAY, YUCCA VALLEY, CA 92284
twitter @HOODOO_STORE