PropertyOfZack was lucky enough to get the chance to interview Tony Thaxton, the man behind the vinyl toy company that is Analog Playset. If you’re unfamiliar with Analog Playset you might know Tony from the band Motion City Soundtrack. Tony and I discussed how he came up with the idea for the company, their first toy show and auction, as well as the musicians and artists who contributed pieces to sell for The Dear Jack Foundation. Read up! 

Analog Playset has been in the works for sometime now, but on Saturday the toy company will be hosting a show and an auction. How long have you wanted to do this for?
Well, the idea for starting Analog Playset first came up about 2 years ago.  It’s kind of changed a few times a little here and there, but the format for the show on Saturday is kind of what the original idea for it was.  I wanted to involve music with toys.  There are a lot of musicians who are great artists as well. So, this will hopefully display that.  And for the record, I am by no means saying that I am one of those, I just kind of wanted to oversee the whole thing and bring it to life.
 
How did the idea originally come together in your mind to start the company?
Well, I’ve always loved toys.  Going back to Star Wars toys as a kid, and now moreso the collector vinyl stuff.  And obviously music is a big part of my life, so it was just kind of a way of trying to bring the two together.
 
The show features 25 custom made toy robots from different artists and musicians. Can you talk a little bit about your favorites and who made them?
Well, as of right now, I haven’t even seen them all.  People are still getting some back to me, and some have been sent to my friend Brendan (who’s been helping out) in San Diego.  They’re all looking pretty fantastic.  We have a few actual artists mixed into the show as well.  Joe Ledbetter, who did the artwork for our newest record did one and it’s amazing.  Really excited to see what everyone does with them all.  I just got Sherri Dupree-Bemis’(of Eisley) and it’s so good.  Such detail on it.
 
You obviously know an incredible amount of musicians, but was it all surprising to you in terms of how many were willing to help out with their own artwork?
Yeah, it’s been cool to find people willing to do it for free.  I got hooked up through some people through other people, so there’s some people who I’ve never even met. Everyone seemed really into the idea and they seemed to have a lot of fun with it.
 
I believe you’ve made at least one piece for the show. How would you describe breaking out of the music mind frame and switching it up a bit?
Yeah, I did one.  I wasn’t going to, but we had a robot that was unspoken for, so I thought I’d give it a shot.  Like I said, I don’t want anyone to think I am some artist thinking I need to be seen.  I basically want to get people I enjoy doing things, not me.  At the end of the day, it’s mostly me pleasing myself with things I’d love to see.  It wasn’t hard to break out of the “music mind frame”.  When I’m home, I don’t get too crazy with music.  I will go and play drums here and there, but my life at home is pretty tame.  It was a just a fun project to do.
 
The proceeds will be going to the Dear Jack Foundation. How did Analog Playset and Dear Jack pair up for the toy show?
Well, on the Warped Tour this past summer we did some signing at the Dear Jack tent.  We had been thinking about donating proceeds of the show to a charity of some sort, and when Dear Jack came to my attention this summer, it just seemed like a perfect fit.  Obviously, it’s a great cause.  Plus, with it being Andrew McMahon’s charity, it brings the whole music side into it as well.
 
Andrew McMahon will be doing a special performance at the show. Do you think that should be a big draw for the event as well?
I hope!  I think if people know, they will be stoked about it.  I really don’t know what to expect for a turnout.  Literally no clue.  But, Andrew is great and I assume his fans will be pretty excited.  He is doing a robot as well.
 
In the long run, are you hoping to use this show as a kind of kick off for Analog Playset?
Yeah.  It’s for fun, and I do have a toy in the works that I hope to have out in the fall.  It’s a very long process and we’ve already been working on it for awhile.  But everyone can expect news on that soon, and I’m excited for it.
 
If the auction is a success do you see it becoming a possible annual event?
We’ll see.  I wouldn’t count on it though.  It’s honestly been stressful. Don’t get me wrong, I know at the end of the day it wasn’t hard work, but I’ve been stressing out about how it will go.  A lot of people have been last minute getting the robots back to me, and some people weren’t able to even finish.  So, there was actually supposed to be a few more, but it’s just how things go, I guess.
 
Will Analog Playset continue to sell merchandise and vinyl toys at a steady pace in the future?
Hopefully.  I’m learning.  Like I said, it’s a long process.  And it’s all new to me.  I have some helpful people helping me out, so, hopefully we can keep it going from here.
 
Would you like bands and artists to continue contributing to Analog Playset?
That’s kind of the goal in the long run.  And artists I enjoy.  Bringing art and music together to make awesome toys.
 
Thanks so much for your time, is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for doing this!  We appreciate the attention.  Follow me on
Twitter, @tonythaxon.  Analog Playset on Twitter, @analogplayset.