For more than a decade, the Pernice Brothers have mostly made plush, romantic orchestral pop that doesn’t gild the lily once tended by the Zombies, Walker Brothers and Elvis Costello. True to frontman Joe Pernice’s working-class nature, the band’s sixth and latest album, Goodbye, Killer (Ashmont), does away with the sighing string section and goes straight for the guitars, from the mod-rock riffing of “Jacqueline Susann” to the Teenage Fanclub power-pop of “Something For You.” After a four-year spell between albums, the Pernice Brothers return with their leanest and most efficient effort to date. Pernice will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Pernice: I moved to Canada from Brooklyn a few years ago. Admittedly, it took me longer than most to adjust to being here, but now—for the most part—I really like living up here. One thing about Canada that won me over almost instantly is the Robertson screw head. I am not joking. A Robertson headed screw is a dream to drive both by hand and by a powered driver. I know. I know. I didn’t have to leave America to find Robertson headed screws. Well, I didn’t move all the way up here just for a screw. Anyway Robertson screws are way more common up here. The guy, Mr. Robertson, was a Canadian who I believe tried to sell his idea to Sears or someone like that in the U.S., and they passed for whatever reasons. Must have been political, because the Robertson is hands down the best consumer screw out there. The Robertson system differs from the Phillips and slot systems in that the screwdriver head is square as is the area of the screw head that accommodates the screwdriver. I don’t know the numbers, but I can tell you, the Robertson screw drives easier and cleaner because of the increased interface surface area. I’ve never stripped the head of a Robertson screw. So do yourself a favor. Sniff out some Robertson screws and drivers. You’ll thank me for it. And speaking of screw, pour you and a loved one a tall glass of that Gray Goose vodka I mentioned a few posts ago and listen to “Venus In Furs.”
Video after the jump.
One reply on “From The Desk Of Joe Pernice: Robertson Screw Head”
Ah, square is better than phillips, but once you’ve gone torx/star, you’ll never go back. Try it, you’ll like it! What an odd comment to leave on a music blog.