Nancy Cook known behind the decks as DJ Crash Doll, is a vintage curator, vinyl DJ, and event producer deeply rooted in the creative scenes of New York and New Jersey. As the founder of Crash Doll Vintage, she specializes in handpicked pieces spanning the 1940s through Y2K while bringing the same retro-charged energy to the dance floor with vinyl DJ sets that pull from punk, indie pop, garage rock, surf, and post-punk. When Nancy's not spinning records at bars, or clubs, she hosts a radio show on Radio Garden State. She also organizes markets and music events, and plays a Moog in her current music project Looking for Lilly, while continuing to build a creative world where vintage style, record culture, and community collide.

Outside of music Nancy spends time doing textile art and installation work, exploring new places, seeing art and music, and of course sourcing new vintage goods.

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

I was always obsessed with music, so I joined my college radio station at eighteen. As far as DJ-ing, well it’s always been great way for me to share my obsession with others.

What is a day in the life like?

A day in my life consists of working on my vintage business, exercising, exploring new bands, photography, working on events, art and laughing with my friends.

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

Oh this is so tough, I’ve done so many cool things! Throwing my very first vintage show brought me a lot of success and happiness. It was called, One Two Three Vintage.

Learning guitar, writing songs, and recording from home within two years is also a big one. Having a free storefront on 14th Street in NYC for my business and art was also huge. DJ-ing at Limelight in the 90s was pretty fun too.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Lugging records on the train and subway - haha!

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

Just go hard into it, and get out there!

Talk to people, collaborate, don’t be shy - as they say ‘shyness is nice, but shyness will stop you from doing all the things you want to'.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it? If not, why the vinyl industry?

Yes! I love vinyl and bought my first record, Echo and the Bunnymen ‘Songs to learn and Sing‘ when it came out. I was drawn into the few records we had at home which were a lot better then the 8 tracks. There weren’t many, but I loved the sound of the needle hitting the record and the feelings it evoked in me.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

I’m excited mostly and don’t really have worries. It has become more difficult to find older titles within my budget as prices have increased especially records from the 60s!

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

I’m influenced by DJ’s who I align with but also learn from. I enjoy Suzy Hotrod on WFMU. I’ve also admired Tracy Wilson who ran Courtesy Desk (a online record store, now closed) and has played in many bands including Dahlia Seed.

Anything else you’d like to add; if not tell us what you're listening to: 

Garage punk.