Reptilian Records opened in Fells Point almost exactly 20 years ago. It grew in a few years into Baltimore’s cornerstone underground heavy music outlet and record label, putting out sounds from loud luminaries ranging from Oxes to Pig Destroyer, from the Dwarves to Pg. 99. This weekend, the Windup Space hosts a label/store retrospective/party featuring old performance videos from the shop and a roomful of “paraphernalia and propaganda,” according to Reptilian founder and owner Christopher Xavier Donovan, known to most simply as Chris X. City Paper spoke to him last week about the withering of underground music, rock ‘n’ roll, and hipsters.

City Paper : What exactly is Reptilian in the year 2010?

Chris X: There is no longer a [physical] store, [but] the label is still going with a few releases in the works. The Sick Weapons album, a limited-edition vinyl LP; the Upper Crust DVD; and the long-awaited Hatebeak discography CD. The web store is still going strong, the label is still going, the publishing is going strong. It’s just not a store anymore.

One thing we’re working on for the future is a book about Reptilian Records. A thing we’re trying to do at this event is kinda pull people aside—we’re doing an oral history sort of thing, you know?—and get people’s stories. Their first time in the store, shows they saw at the store, if they were there when Danzig threatened my life. Stuff like that.

CP: Do you regret shutting down the brick and mortar store?

CX: I wish that it was still happening. I wish that I still had a store, I wish I was still in Fells Point. I wish it was still the mid-’90s [laughs]. But Fells Point could not support Reptilian anymore. It’s changed too much. And the building we were in was falling apart.

And moving up to Howard Street [next to the Ottobar], which I thought would have been a good move, really wasn’t. You’d think that being next to a club would be great for a record store. But, when you think about it, if you’re at a show and you’ve got a beer in your hand, are you going to leave to go buy records? Do you want to carry a record around a show? It’s not exactly the best spot. And then there’d be long lines of kids around the block for sold-out pop-punk afternoon gigs—none of them would come in except to use the bathroom. The youth of today do not care too much about our record store. Of course, there are those that do, but, for the most part, they don’t.

It’s too bad that Baltimore could no longer support Reptilian financially. I’m not in any way trying to slight the Baltimore scene by saying it didn’t support the store, because this is a nationwide plague of record-store closings over the last five to 10 years, really. At the same time, I’ve been here for just over 20 years, and I wouldn’t mind leaving. That’s the plan: I’m riding off into the sunset with my lovely bride. And Reptilian will continue worldwide on the webs.

CP: What are you doing with the Reptilian building?

CX: It’s for sale. A great investment for somebody when the Walmart opens.

CP: Any regrets in those 20 years?

CX: At this point, I think buying this building on Howard Street. I shouldn’t have done that. Reptilian should have closed when the Fells Point store closed. But I wasn’t ready to stop yet. I was being stubborn. It’s left me with a lot of debt. But I don’t really have any [other] regrets other than I should have thought a few things through a little better. Maybe I should have paid my taxes more regular [laughs].

CP: Of all the bands that have been on Reptilian, are there any you’re disappointed didn’t get bigger or catch on?

CX: There’s definitely been a few bands that I could not understand why they didn’t catch on. As with a lot of things, given a little more time, they would have blown up or gotten some more attention. There was a band from Ohio called the Means that were an amazing band. Amazing live, amazing songwriting, amazing record. They put out a couple of records, one on Reptilian and one on a label called DoublePlusGood. That was definitely one band that I really thought people would have grabbed ahold of, given the opportunity and the time. Midiron Blast Shaft being another.

CP: What are you most proud of with Reptilian?

CX: I guess I’m proud that I did it for 20 years. When I started I didn’t expect it to last more than a few years—felt like I was just playing record store. I’m proud that Reptilian stayed independent and underground. We never started carrying mainstream stuff. We were devoted to carrying independent labels and the only major stuff we had were old things like the Dead Boys, the Ramones, or the New York Dolls. I guess I’m the most proud that I did it my way.

CP: You’ve been supporting heavy music for a very long time. I wonder what you think about this recent all-of-a-sudden interest in metal and hardcore from the cool kids?

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