Dec 01, 2025

Record Breaking Vinyl Pop Artist-Greg Frederick

This month’s travel highlight is going to take us to Brooklyn, NY… but it’s not for the pizza…it’s for the ART! Instead of highlighting the next place you need to visit, INTS sat down with the very cool, very original NYC artist Greg Frederick to highlight his art and introduce him to our awesome INTS family!

Greg Frederick: The Record-Breaking Vinyl Pop Artist Turning Music History into Modern Icons

From curbside 45’s to celebrity walls and museum halls, Greg Frederick is proving that art (and fate) is anything but serious. Greg creates the kind of art that makes you say, “Wait… he made that out of what?” Using a stack of broken records and a mission, he rebuilds music icons from the pieces they left behind. His Vinyl Pop Art has found its way into museums, arenas and celebrity homes - with more than a few unbelievable New York stories (including the time Joey McIntyre walked into a bar just to meet him). Greg’s career is proof that magic happens when you follow your obsessions, trust your weird ideas, and don’t take any of it too seriously.

10 Questions with Greg Frederick

Carrie: It is so great to be highlighting you, Greg! I have been loving your work for years and I am so thrilled to be bringing it to my INTS people! I’m so intrigued to hear all about how your work came to be and to share what inspires you, so let’s dive in!

Carrie: Before you were turning vinyl into art, you were a music photographer, a record store clerk, and wait for it… a roller-skating server at Sonic. Which of those jobs still shows up in your art today?

Greg: All of them! Sonic gave me the pop-culture energy, The Warehouse record store at the mall sparked my obsession with music, marketing, and visual identity. And photography? That trained me to see movement, emotion, and rhythm in every frame. When I moved to New York, I wanted to get into galleries, but photo prints alone wouldn’t do it. So, I started printing my photos to canvas and hand-embellishing them with paint, stencils, and texture. Photography pushed me to think beyond the image, and that’s where my Vinyl Pop Art really began.

Carrie: Take us back to that magical trash-find moment: a box of chipped 45’s on a Brooklyn street. Was it love at first sight, or did it take some flirting before you committed?

Greg: Brooklyn sidewalks are their own treasure hunt — canvases, frames, furniture, you name it. I even found my favorite slanted work stool, which is perfect since I have to lean over far to get to the center of a large piece, as the canvas has to be flat so the vinyl doesn’t slide off. The day I spotted that beat-up box of chipped 45’s on a curb? Total fate. I took them straight to my studio and started experimenting with layering vinyl shards over my photography. Then I had this wild thought: What if I removed the photo entirely and let the vinyl tell the story? That moment changed everything. Photographer to pop artist — all because someone tossed a busted box of records onto a Brooklyn sidewalk.

Carrie: Your work is like a mash-up album — part music history, part pop art, part pure fan obsession. When you start a new piece, what’s on your mind first: the music, the icon, the materials, or the drama of how it all comes together?

Greg: Honestly? All of it. Every new piece starts with a mix of the subject’s story, the music attached to them, and the materials I’ve collected — unplayable vinyl, sleeves, magazines, cassettes and so much more. Part of the fun is the hunt: record stores, eBay, fan-donated goodies, and of course, classic Brooklyn curb finds. Each piece becomes a puzzle where every shard, fragment, and every bit of nostalgia finds its place. The drama comes from watching all those history-filled materials collide into one portrait that feels alive.

Carrie: Walk us through your materials process: when you’re surrounded by vinyl shards, sleeves, and imagery, how do you select the pieces that will define the portrait?

Greg: My studio is basically organized chaos — piles of vinyl, sleeves, CDs, DVDs, Swarovski crystals, stacks of vintage magazines, and paperback books. When I start a portrait, I check if I have any of that artist’s unplayable vinyl or hunt some down, because that usually sets the tone. Then I study the reference image and decide what the background needs: sleeves? magazines? CDs? Pure vinyl? Each material gives a different texture and energy. If the subject is wearing jewelry, I can’t help myself — I introduce crystals or head to the garment district for chains or other embellishments. My pieces already reflect, but these additions add some sparkle. It’s intentional chaos.

Carrie: Your art is in the Freedom Tower, the Stax Museum, Scotiabank Arena… do you ever stop and think, “Oh wow, my work is literally in the rooms where legends walk”?

Greg: Absolutely — it still blows my mind. My art has taken me places I never expected. What other visual pop artist, can say they performed at the Grand Ole Opry?! Creating a piece there felt surreal! And unveiling my work for the permanent collection of Scotiabank Arena in Toronto — which included a portrait of Avril Lavigne — only for her to perform there a week later? Wild. Becoming an international artist overnight took the “pinch me” moment to a whole new level. But the milestone that hits deepest is being in the Stax Museum’s permanent collection. That’s a lifelong dream for so many artists, and the fact that mine landed somewhere with so much history and soul means everything. I still think about one of my earliest shows, being displayed next to Andy Warhol at the Leslie-Lohman Museum. It’s a perfect example of how you never know who you’ll meet or where your work will take you — especially in New York. And I’ve got a huge venue in the works for next year… but my lips are sealed… Just know 2026 is going to be big!

Carrie: Your collector list is wild — Stevie Nicks, Paul Rudd, Duff McKagan, Halsey… who totally fanned out over you the most?

Greg: This is hands down my favorite story of someone discovering my work in person. From that list, I’ve met two people face-to-face — Halsey, who was incredible: sweet, gracious, and very professional. But the real “fangirl moment” came from someone I wasn’t expecting at all. I had donated a piece to a children’s cancer charity auction, Cookies for Kids, and the gala they invited me to was beautiful — local food vendors, cocktails, a ton of energy. I was chatting with an artist friend when suddenly time just… slowed. I look up, and there he is: Paul Rudd. I handed my phone to my friend and whispered, “Please take good photos. He’s walking down the wall, and he’s about to hit my piece.” As he reached my work, I introduced myself and showed him my David Bowie portrait. He was so kind, so curious, and genuinely blown away that all the black areas were actual vinyl. We took a photo together, I thanked him, and then ran to check that the pictures weren’t blurry. Minutes later, they announced the gala dinner (the part I wasn’t invited to) and as I’m finishing my drink, it happens again - I look up and like a slow-motion scene in one of his movies, Paul Rudd is literally jogging toward me. “Greg! Greg! Glad I caught you — I want you to meet my wife.” I walked off with him, thinking, Girl… I’m about to steal your man. (Kidding! Mostly. Ha!) Julie was beyond lovely and said, “Paul was just showing me your piece! It’s incredible. Do you make more pieces out of vinyl?” Then Paul asked if I had a card, which I was glad I had forgotten to give him earlier, because this second moment was even better. Seriously, a fantastic couple, and he’s exactly what you’d expect! Such a gentleman. And then I later found out… they won my piece! Honestly, I was the one fangirling the hardest.

Carrie: Ok, ok! I’m officially JEALOUS!! Who doesn’t love Paul Rudd?!? And of COURSE he is totally awesome…not surprised at all. WE LOVE YOU PAUL! OK – enough about Paul, back to questions! Ha! New Kids on the Block were your first band obsession. Have they seen your work, and if so, do they know they’re basically responsible for your career?

Greg: My very first crush was Donnie Wahlberg when I was four. Next year will be our 40th anniversary. Ha! They were my first full-on band obsession. I collected everything, and there was a lot to collect! Then I became an angsty teen, discovered grunge, and hid it all like a proper closeted ’90s kid. Around that time, my favorite band was Hole, and long story short, I ended up designing Courtney Love’s tour merch. Didn’t end well — she’s famously known for not paying artists — but it proved something huge to me: dreaming big and manifesting works. So when NKOTB regrouped, I was fully back in. Fast forward to 2024, I created a series of New Kids portraits made from their comic books, vintage magazines, and their vinyl. The Blockhead community went absolutely wild! I’ve made so many new friends through that fandom. Then that November, I walked into my local bar, The Rosemont — where I painted a 30-foot mural — and the bartender said, “A member of New Kids is filming a music video next door.” I knew it had to be Joey McIntyre; he just announced a new album. I tried to peek, but the gates were shut. Then his choreographer came in for a to-go drink, I showed him my Joey portraits… and I noticed he was filming my phone screen.

Ten minutes later, the door swings open and I hear, “I think there’s an artist in here I have to meet.” It’s Joey, with a friend filming my reaction, along with his sweet-as-can-be mother-in-law. I showed him my pieces, and he was incredibly warm, curious, and genuinely excited. I took him to see my mural in the backyard, and we walked it together, talking about each icon. Then he told me the wildest story: New Kids were at the unveiling of Keith Haring’s Statue of Liberty mural in NYC and he’s never seen the photos taken (I’ve been on the hunt ever since). Then Joey says, “We need photos,” hands his phone to his friend, and suddenly I’m being photographed on his phone. Absolutely wild. He followed me on Instagram (I was his 98th follow), signed the bar’s wall, and gave me the kindest hug. Truly one of the nicest people. And the manifesting kept going: I had been visualizing a solo gallery show during their Vegas residency. I was offered one, but it fell through. Then — on the exact day that show would’ve opened — a bigger Vegas gallery emailed asking to represent me. Now I’m making new work for them, and next year we’re planning a full New Kids pop-up.

Carrie: THAT IS AMAZING GREG!! You must be so freakin’ excited!! Ok – so that brings me to the next question: You’ve installed pieces in arenas, museums, bars, and collectors’ homes… What is the craziest thing that’s ever happened while delivering your art?

Greg: Back in 2015, I did a massive show at a giant event venue — basically a huge club — which meant all my pieces had to be big. I hung a 6-foot Michael Jackson portrait (his glove made out of CDs!), Erykah Badu, The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Monroe, many more, but my favorite was the Broad City girls — Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson — a perfect fit since the show was filmed in the neighborhood. One day, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan walked in to scout the venue because he was directing a movie. He loved my art so much he requested the show stay up during filming — and the owner forged my signature on the paperwork to make it happen. (Honestly? I would’ve sprinted over to sign it myself.) His lighting designer emailed me wanting to buy the Broad City piece. A couple of months later, he asked me to drop it off at his workplace — a film studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I walk in and suddenly I’m standing in the middle of a live film shoot — cables everywhere, lights shifting, assistants running around. He comes out, super nice, and tells me the piece is a gift: “Oh, this is for the head of the production company that produces Broad City,” …Amy Poehler. I almost fell over. Then he asked if I wanted to quietly watch them film for a bit. I said yes immediately. I walk onto the set and realize I’m watching them film a sketch for Inside Amy Schumer — which I loved. And the sketch? A parody of Roseanne, my favorite show growing up. BOTH actresses who played Becky were there, Alicia Goranson (Becky #1), and Sarah Chalke (Becky #2). What an absolute dream scenario to happen! New York is full of surprises! Months later, I got to watch the sketch air. And two years after that, I spotted my Michael Jackson piece in Love Beats Rhymes on Netflix.

Carrie: You’re a manifest-it-into-existence kind of artist — so what’s the big, slightly outrageous dream project you’re calling in next?

Greg: My biggest dream is to design an album cover and band merchandise. In 2019, I was approached to design a cover for a ’90s indie rock band, but the label deadline was too tight and they went with a sketch they already had. You win some, you lose some… and the losses make the future wins even sweeter. The ultimate dream? A New Kids on the Block vinyl box set designed entirely by me. That would be epic. Honestly, working with any musician who respects artists is the dream. Take that, Courtney! Haha!

Carrie: FINAL QUESTION! For readers who want to follow your work or bring a piece home, where can they find you online?

Everything starts at VinylPopArt.com — that’s the best place to commission a piece. ·
Instagram is where you’ll see my full portfolio: @gregfrederick ·
Facebook is where you can hang with my collectors: facebook.com/groups/gregfrederick ·
LinkedIn is surprisingly my most useful platform — it keeps me connected to galleries, venues, and industry folks: linkedin.com/in/artistgregfrederick/ ·
And I’m new to TikTok — but I know ItsNotThatSerious will make a fabulous post, and I want to be tagged! Hit me up with ideas, and let’s make some fun art together. tiktok.com/@artistgregfrederick

Editor’s note (and more reasons that we absolutely love Greg): *Beyond his professional achievements, Greg is deeply committed to community and advocacy. He has worked extensively with the LGBTQ+ community through charitable projects and art donations, volunteered as an art teacher at Gigi’s Playhouse (a non-profit organization for people with Down syndrome), and continues to seek ways to use his art to inspire, connect, and give back. And for the record… I’ve had several of Greg’s pieces for many years and they’re all AMAZING!!

-Carrie H.