It’s hard to understate the impact Michael Knott’s work has had on me over the years. I was first introduced to him with his band L.S.U.’s album “Wakin’ Up the Dead”. Equal parts prolific, enigmatic and innovative, Knott’s bands, solo work and label (the late, great Blonde Vinyl Records) exposed me to a wide world of music, art and a way of viewing the world that greatly influenced my approach. That and it just kinda rocked.
I’d been trying for a long time to get Mr. Knott by the little website of love and am glad that I finally got to chat with him when his new project, Struck Last May released their debut album, 18 Flowers. Sit back and enjoy the wit and wisdom of Michael Knott.
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Joe-Mammy.com : Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve been at this a long time. Where did it start for you, time-wise as far as getting started with a band?
Michael Knott : I guess I’ve been doing bands since junior high and high school, writing original music and playing gigs and all that sort of thing. I went to a concert; it was kind of a church thing. There was some punk rock type stuff or alternative rock or whatever. I got into that and ever since then I’ve been doing music and doing records and that’s basically what happened.
Joe : I’ve talked to some artists who will take years between projects and then there are some that are almost ridiculously prolific. I think you would definitely fall into the latter category--
Mike : Yeah. It’s just that every day or every week or every month we can experience different things that we possibly haven’t experienced before. I like to be able to get them down and put them into sound or something or at least an expression of some kind. I don’t wait years before doing things. I’m always writing; it’s not that I’m always putting something out, but I’m always writing and I’m always coming up with something else. I’ve never had writer’s block or anything like that, thank God. I think it just comes naturally for me to put something down, some new experience down or some new idea down in music or art, too, because I’m an artist.
Joe : Do you view the art and the music as separate facets of the same thing — different ways to express what’s going on — or do you have a different approach for one or the other?
Mike : It’s all creative approach. It’s self-expression. You know, the arts are the arts whether it be music, dance, painting, whatever — it’s expression. It all comes from the same side of the brain, whatever that is.
Joe : As far as my experience with your work it started around “This is the Healing” era and then backwards to “Wakin’ Up the Dead” and then on. You were one of the early trailblazers in that scene. Across the board I think a lot of people acknowledge you and L.S.U. as something that got them going. As far as that period of time, what was the scene like for you or was it just you going out and doing your think?
Mike : “This is the Healing” came after “Shaded Pain” or maybe a couple after, but “Shaded Pain” is the one thing that we decided to do something that really represented how we were feeling. It was pretty heavy and a little dark at times. It was just moving from this super-happy or upbeat music to this more, really feeling music where you were really expressing yourself and your emotions. It kind of moved into that. Then when I did “This is the Healing” it was about those feelings but letting people allow God to heal them: “Give him the tears from all your bitter years/salt the wound the healing will come soon.” It’s about understanding different hurts and things that have happened in your life and allowing God to heal them. It basically evolved into something like that. And then it’s just gone crazy ever since. (laughs)
Joe : Well you see that in a lot of your stuff seems to be kind of thematic. Sometimes it seems like it’s a conscious effort and sometimes that it’s grappling with an issue and the process of coming to terms with it. Obviously with the concept albums like “Dogfish Jones” or “The Grape Prophet” but also with albums like “Grace Shaker” and like you said with “This is the Healing” you see that development of thought that goes through with it. I think you encapsulate that well, as far as being able to come in at point A and being able to walk people to point B.
Mike : That’s what I like to do. Especially with those L.S.U. albums — I’m really into doing that. I like to have a journey. I like people being able to go on a journey when they listen to an album, so that’s how that comes about.
Joe : Along that theme, you’re in involved in a new project, Struck Last May.
Mike : Right.
Joe : I just picked up “16 Flowers” that’s your first album, right?
Mike : Yeah.
Joe : And that has a similar thematic element.
Mike : Yeah, definitely a theme about a couple and their struggles that they go through. It’s the trippiest album I’ve ever made, that’s for sure. It’s got all sorts of things that I’ve not really used before. That’s an experience. It’s one that people are going to have to live with for a while. It’s a fun album. It’s supposed to be taken a bit tongue-in-cheek although it’s very serious at times, too.
Joe : I just got my copy today so I’ve been listening through it and the first half of the album threw me for a loop the first couple of times.
Mike : (laughs)
Joe : After the first couple times through and I started to look at the album as a whole it made a lot more sense.
Mike : There’s a nice explanation or synopsis in there that you can read.
Joe : That helped.
Mike : I recommend that everyone read that (laughs) but yeah, it’s wild. It’s out there. It’s way out there. I’m proud of it. I love it.
Joe : It develops a lot from a very almost child-like quality to something a lot more sophisticated. It reminded me a lot of “Fluid” in that respect. Now you worked with a lot of things you hadn’t worked with much before like loops and drum samples and the like. How much of an adjustment was that for you, since that’s outside of the realm of what you’ve usually done.
Mike : Well I met the other guy in the band, Rick McDonough and he had a studio so we just started recording. He loves loops and all these other things so we started just recording. It just came about so that’s how it happened. Yeah, the loops and stuff, I’ve never really used that much. It’s definitely its own animal; it’s its own thing. People can’t compare it to anything.
Joe : Was it something you’ll keep working with or was it just an experiment?
Mike : No, we’ve actually started working on the next record and it’s already got some really good songs on it. I don’t know if they’ll sound exactly like that one but it will be just as strange. (laughs)
Joe : You’ve always been kind of all over the map as far as the range of stuff you do. You can tell that you’re behind it, but if you compare “Grape Prophet” to “This is the Healing” to “Screaming Brittle Siren” to anything else, they’re all pretty radically different projects.
Mike : Yeah definitely. I like projects to be different in that they don’t have to sound the same. I’m about to do a new L.S.U. record and that’s going to be the heaviest record I’ve ever done in my life. I mean it’s going to be HEAV-Y. Extremely heavy and I’m looking forward to it.
Joe : Who do you have on board for that so far?
Mike : Well I’m working with some guys up in Northern California. We haven’t got all that worked out yet, but I hope to start recording in September or October, maybe have it out in December.
Joe : So are you going to do independent distribution on it or do you have a record deal?
Mike : No, I’m just doing it on my own. I will probably try to get some distribution on that one and we are looking for distribution on the “Struck Last May” thing, too. We’ll see what happens.
Joe : Some of the projects we haven’t touched on as much are like “Rocket and a Bomb” and “Life of David” more of the singer/songwriter projects. Honestly, some of my favorite songs that you’ve done are in that vein with you channeling Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to varying degrees. I got the “All Indie EP” which came out — last winter?
Mike : Yeah.
Joe : It seems like, and of course each project is different, but it seems like you seem to be drifting more and more into the singer/songwriter vein.
Mike : Well, I love that. I love that vein. It’s a lot of fun but you can get really deep. You can get your vocals heard. I love doing the singer/songwriter thing. Maybe the last song is singer/songwriter on “16 Flowers” because I always like to throw a little singer/songwriter in there but I love it. I’m way into that. I love it. It’s a self-expression kind of way to get across your point, or your hope or your fears, what have you. I really like that aspect of it. The coming L.S.U. record won’t be as much singer/songwriter as much as complete rock and screaming (chuckling) no. Maybe there’ll be a bit of that.
Joe : That’s a good time, too.
Mike : Exactly.
Joe : Part of me is in constant awe with the kind of characters you’re able to come in contact with, like with some of the songs on “Rocket and a Bomb” that you’re able to transcribe into song. Some days I think it must be either incredibly fun or incredibly stressful to be you.
Mike : No it’s fun. It’s incredibly fun. There’s no stress about it. When you’re able to get a song that’s decent and works and it’s about a real figure, a strange person or whatever, it’s fun. That’s a fun thing.
Joe : As I get older — a lot of the initial appeal of your work, I don’t want to say “Rebel Without a Cause” feel, but more of an outsider looking in. And part of that was just part of my experience when I was introduced to your work. But as I get older a lot of the stuff I related to back then, I look back at now and think it’s crap, but I keep coming back to your work and it seems to work on multiple levels that I can keep drawing on.
Mike : Cool. I’m glad I’m not in the “crap” bin. (laughs)
Joe : You’ve had — and I’m trying to find the best way to phrase this — you’ve had the reputation of being the rebel or the bad-ass of the scene and I’m not looking to--
Mike : Sadly, I think I still have that. (laughs) I guess you don’t outgrow that or something, I don’t know. I just think being honest and not trying to force the issue or not trying to do something so you can be considered clever — I just do what I’m feeling. It is what it is, basically.
Joe : What I always found was interesting as far as that goes, is that you’re very devout and has very strong beliefs about what you do and the world as it is. I’ve always kind of pictured you as kind of a musical equivalent of Flannery O’Connor. Some people won’t touch her work because of what they perceive to be the subject matter or the content, but there’s more to it.
Mike : I’m a hardcore, big-time believer in God and Jesus, obviously. That’s all there is to that. Melding that and who God has made me as a person can be a good thing. It’s a wonderful thing. Not everyone is going to get it, you know, but seem people can relate to it and that can help people.
Joe : You have a very “warts and all” approach to living and how that corresponds with faith. The song I always think of is in regard to that is “Double” and I know from my own experience, some people can be put off by the drinking aspect of the song but I’d say “hold on, it’s not about that, it’s about something more.” It’s a thin line to walk sometimes between descriptive and prescriptive when you’re working with that “slice of life” approach.
Mike : Well, songs like that, songs like “16 Flowers” and songs like “Shaded Pain” and songs like “Hospital” on “Life of David” is all basically saying the same thing. It’s saying I’m just gonna take these feelings I have right here, right now that are just turmoiled inside of me and I’m just going to give them to God and put them into a song that people can get that same movement from that I’m having, that same feeling, that same release, that same giving up/purging themselves.
I’ve been writing that same song over and over and over in different ways even though they don’t even sound the same and it’s always about a little something different. That’s what I’m trying to get across. I think that’s what people need. People need that. Just like they need a great worship service. Just like they need a hug. Just like they need a cry. Just like they need to get mad sometimes. They need to allow themselves to let go of these things that put us in bad places and give them to God because he’s waiting for us to do that.
Sorry, didn’t mean to turn that into a sermon.
Joe : No that’s fine.
Mike : But I’m gonna do an altar call at the end. (laughs)
Joe : Take the ball and run with it, man. I like that analysis of the songs though; I think it’s more succinct than mine. I like the idea of those songs being a cry or a prayer for help. That aspect of humility or searching that we don’t hear a lot of sometimes. It’s saying that we’re not right and we’re trying to figure out what is right. I like that.
Mike : Yeah right… But it’s just rock n’ roll. (laughs) It’s just rock n’ roll that’s all. You’ve gotta have fun too, you can’t be super-serious all time. That’s the other thing I was trying to say. Not necessarily in those songs, but some of the other ones.
Joe : Is there anything you struggle with when you’re trying to put a song or art together?
Mike : Not the music, I struggle more with the art. I get painter’s block, if that’s a thing. But not the music, never. Thank God. I’m very thankful for that. That’s probably because I’ve been doing that since I was ten or something. I’ve been writing songs since I was ten, ever since I learned to play the guitar. No, I’ve never have struggled with the music part of it some reason. I enjoy it. I think it’s exciting. Every song is like a brand new day. Every song is a new, fun event to have happen or a new release to have happen or a new experience to experience, a different lyric, a different melody, a different idea. Yeah, I don’t struggle with that. I guess if you said “Make up a song right now,” I probably could, but I’d probably struggle with that. (laughs)
Joe : Do you tour much?
Mike : No I do fly-out dates where somebody wants me to play or do a couple shows then they’ll fly me out and put me up in a hotel and I’ll play a show or two and then I’ll fly back. That’s been the best for me right now because I’ve been really busy with this art gallery that I have in Claremont, California called Art Loft 205, so I’ve been really busy with that. I don’t mind doing fly-out dates. I’ve done probably three of them last month. So those are cool. I went to Florida, Canada and played with the Lost Dogs up in Portland and that was fun.
Joe : Were you opening for the Lost Dogs or were you playing with the Lost Dogs?
Mike : That’s a good one. There was band that opened and then I played before the Lost Dogs and the Lost Dogs played. I snuck on the drums for the band that played before me and with me — they played with me, too — 5 O’Clock People. I played drums really quiet on one of the Lost Dogs songs. They were telling me later that the thought “How rude is that of that the drummer from 5 O’Clock People to get up here and start playing drums with us without even talking to us about it.” They turned around and it was me. (laughs) I left the stage after one song but it was funny. So I actually played with the Lost Dogs.
Joe : I remember reading a blurb about ten years ago where you said it was your goal to join the Lost Dogs and turn them into a barbershop quartet.
Mike : (laughs) No, I never said that. Somebody made that up… It wouldn’t be a bad thing if they had the same songs. That could be a tour. They wouldn’t have to have any instruments at all. That would be cool.
Joe : As long as they would wear the little striped vests with the straw hats that would rule.
Mike : Oh!
Joe : If you get Mike Roe to do that, I’ll give you a dollar.
Mike : If you get Mike Roe I’ll give you a hundred dollars. More: a thousand dollars.
Joe : I’ll ask him.
Mike : I’ll make payments. A penny a year.
Joe : Just throw a couple CD’s my way when they come out, we’ll count it against that.
Mike : Yeah, those guys are great. It was great seeing them again. I hadn’t seen them in so long.
Joe : You were close friends with Gene [Eugene]?
Mike : Yeah, definitely. That’s where I used to see all those guys, at the studio. The last time I saw all of them was at the thing at Cornerstone.
Joe : You did, what, four or five songs?
Mike : I think I did three. Everyone did some. That’s depressing.
Joe : One question I had was on “Comatose Soul” was the song “Gold”. Was that a reference to something specific or was it just a story idea?
Mike : That was a dream I had about Gene — after he died, obviously. He said “You have to try.” That was the one thing he said to me. It was obviously a dream, it’s not like he’s visiting me or anything. So I turned that into a song. He was saying “Don’t give up.” Yeah, no one even knows that’s what that song’s about but now you do.
Joe : The secret’s out now.
Mike : Secret’s out. (laughs)
Joe : You mentioned the art gallery you’re working with. I guess I hadn’t heard anything about it.
Mike : Well actually I don’t even have any of my art in it yet. I’m having art block or painter’s block. I haven’t decided what kind of piece I want to put in there. I want it to be something that I’ve never done before — a new series of some type. I have about 14 different emerging artists from Southern California. We had our opening a couple weeks ago and it went really good and we sold quite a few originals. It’s just starting off. It’s in this old packing house that used to be a Sunkist orange and lemon packing house and they revamped the whole thing. If anyone wants to check it out, we’re working on our website right now, but you can see some stuff and read about it on artloft205.com.
Joe : I’ll get that up there for you.
Mike : And if anyone wants to order the new Struck Last May record they can go to MySpace. They can go to my MichaelKnott.com page and that can tell you how to get the record too. Okay, is that enough plugs?
Joe : If you’ve got more stuff you can find, I’ll put it in there.
Mike : If anyone wants an Irish record, I’m in a fun little side project with my dad and his friend called the Rover’s Three. We have a 14 song — it’s kind of an Irish band — and it’s 14 songs and it’s available.
Joe : And your dad did a couple songs on “Dogfish Jones” as well, didn’t he?
Mike : That’s right.
Joe : I remember the songs that sounded like old Irish drinking songs.
Mike : Yeah, and his picture was in “Dogfish Jones”. When I sent that out, the lady at the record label said “Is that you?” — she’s talking to me on the phone. I was like “No, that’s my dad.”
Joe : I completely just drew a blank.
Mike : That’s okay, let’s see if I have anything more to promote. Oh, I’ve got one more. I just finished one. I did a record for a girl by the name of Windy Lyre years ago on Blonde Vinyl and we’re just finishing up her record. That will be available through windylyre.com. Is that enough?
Joe : We can keep going. (laughs)
Mike : Let’s see what else I have going on here. Just kidding (laughs)
Joe : Mentioning Blonde Vinyl, that was a huge part of my music collection back in the early to mid 90’s. How many of those guys do you keep in touch with now or were they just business contacts?
Mike : Oh they were all friends but we’ve all separated and broke up. Occasionally I’ll get a phone call from one of them. But I don’t even know what everyone is doing now. I think some of the guys from Dietiphobia are doing stuff, but I don’t know for sure.
Joe : I think I heard Sheri [Shaw, of Dietiphobia] was putting out an album at some point.
Mike : Yeah. I did “Comatose Soul” with Chris Colbert of Breakfast with Amy and Fluffy fame--
Joe : And Plague of Ethyls, I remember that one.
Mike : (laughs) But I haven’t seen him since.
Joe : You also worked with remnants of the Prayer Chain on that?
Mike : You mean Cush?
Joe : Yeah.
Mike : Yeah, I haven’t talk to those guys in a while. That was fun doing that record. That was a decent record, too.
Joe : I liked that record a lot. I was a fan of the later Prayer Chain stuff. I thought it was kind of a perfect marriage. Aren’t there some clips of you guys playing some shows on YouTube?
Mike : I don’t know. I’ll have to check that out. When we played Cornerstone we had these beach balls that said Cush on them and it was just really wild, really cool. That was before anyone even heard a single song.
Joe : They put out a couple albums before that, didn’t they?
Mike : No, after. After they moved on. They like to change led singers because lead singers are too, you know, pushy. The rest of the band hates lead singers. The lead singer is the lead singer and the rest of the band just hates you. (laughs) That’s how it works.
Joe : They’re Van Halen then, right?
Mike : Exactly.
Joe : Well if they follow the Van Halen mode I guess you’re scheduled to come back in the next couple of years.
Mike : Yeah. I’d do another Cush record, for sure.
Joe : You also worked with Andy Prickett quite a bit, haven’t you?
Mike : Oh yeah. Talented, talented guitar player, producer, engineer, the guitar doc, oh yeah. I don’t know where he is now. He won’t return my phone calls or my e-mails. (laughs)
Joe : That’s either sad or funny, I’m not sure which. This has kind of turned into an episode of “Where are they now?”
…I’m distracted and I’ve got a headache and I’ve completely lost my train of thought, so bear with me.
Mike : No worries. It’s painless.
Joe : I remember, on the first Windy Lyre album you co-wrote some of the songs. Did you do any writing on this one?
Mike : Yeah, I co-wrote all the songs with her. It’s similar to the first record, but it’s a little more produced. It sounds really good and I think people are going to dig it because it sounds totally different than what’s out today. It’s these real neat soothing melodies with her voice. She’s not this Mariah Carey type singer, she’s just an alternate type vibe with delayed guitar and it’s going to have delayed bass on stuff. It’s cool. I’m proud of it. I think people are going to dig it. Yeah, people pick it up, come over.
Joe : Uh…
Mike : It’s painless. Take your time.
Joe : Um…
Mike : Don’t print that.
Joe : Yeah I’ll just a bunch of “…” with me not saying anything.
Mike : (laughs) Yeah, that would be funny: “Uh… Uh…” It’s like half a page.
Joe : (laughs) Who are some of your big influences in music, lyrics, painting, whichever.
Mike : Sure. It doesn’t mean I write like them or paint like them but one of my favorites is Van Gough. Munch, let’s see, any of those guys in that era. Obviously Picasso, Renoir so on and so forth. As far as music, early Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Sr. — doesn’t mean I write like him, I just love his stuff, his whole story, his life — Johnny Cash obviously, David Bowie, Elton John, the “Yellow Brick Road” album, I really didn’t get too much into the Beatles until later but I love the Beatles, Sex Pistols, the Ramones. You know, a lot of early punk bands.
Joe : The Velvet Underground?
Mike : The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed. I think that song “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” is amazing. It’s so hard to say, you know? One of the bands that got me into the minor chords was Bauhaus. And no 80’s metal bands.
Joe : Not a big Stryper fan or Skid Row?
Mike : No. No. Nonono. But I was playing a gig with my drone rock band, Idle Lovell and this band in spandex gets up there and no one’s ever heard of this band before, it’s one over their first gigs. And it’s Stryper, right.
Joe : Were they wearing the bumblebee outfits then?
Mike : Yeah, the yellow-black attack type stuff. And all of a sudden—we’re going “What in the world is this? This is terrible!”—all of a sudden the drummer straps himself in and goes upside down on this drum kit—like the kit rises up and goes upside down. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that in my life and I’m like “That’s cool.” I think about a year and a half later they became big and started hitting people in the head with Bibles and stuff, it’s cool. They had a great run, c’mon. So it really wasn’t that terrible. It was entertaining.
Joe : But given the choice between that and Hank Williams, Sr. you’d put on Hank Williams, Sr., right?
Mike : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Joe : I heard some of the songs you’ve got on your MySpace page and some of the songs on the “All Indie EP” and it’s a bit more watery, but it seems you like might have a more country-influenced album somewhere in the works.
Mike : Yeah, it’s a possibility. It’s tough to decide which road to take on the musical scene. That’s why I keep doing so many different things. I wouldn’t mind doing something like that and popping out the harmonica and going for some of that stuff. I recently learned how to play the mandolin and I love that, but who knows. Something’s out there. Something’s going to happen.
Joe : Over the years you’ve had a pretty devoted fan base.
Mike : Yeah, thank you to all those people.
Joe : I was one of those people, my copy of “The Grape Prophet” was stolen and I paid $40 for it on eBay. The only thing I was kind of bummed about was that it wasn’t going directly to you, unless you’ve got a stash you’ve been selling online. (laughs)
Mike : I don’t mind. I just don’t want people manufacturing it and selling it if they have one. They earned the right to make the money by buying it in the first place.
Joe : Yeah, I just like seeing the artists I like getting a boost when they can get it. There are so many artists out there getting a boost that I can’t stand—you turn on a Pepsi ad and you think “I can’t stand this song, why won’t it just go away!”
Mike : Right.
Joe : Speaking about the fan base, you’re not always the easiest person to follow, especially to people in the boondocks like me. But it’s got to be a little humbling to know that there are people that devoted to what you do. How does that influence you or how you approach a project?
Mike : Well it keeps me keepin’ it real because that’s what they want. They want it to be real. They want it to be different. They want it to be exciting. They want it to be moving. They want it to be all the things I want it to be so it helps me to do it, keep doing it. I guess if those people weren’t around I’d probably still do it, but it wouldn’t be as easy to get into it if I didn’t know there were people that wanted it, you know? So I’m very thankful. It’s a blessing and it’s a wonderful feeling to know that gosh, when I get done with it, someone’s going to want it. It’s really great. It doesn’t always mean they’re going to get it. I mean they’ll get it, but they might not ultimately get it. (laughs)
Joe : I remember that three year wait for “Fluid” had me going nuts. There was a half page ad in True Tunes magazine—I remember True Tunes back then—
Mike : And it was three years later?
Joe : It was two or three years after that ad came out because it kept changing distributors or something.
Mike : Oh, that’s right.
Joe : I went to the local music store and every time I checked it was supposed to be out in the next six months. It drove me nuts. I remember when it finally did come out there were two other albums that came out within a couple months of it if I remember correctly. It was just crazy.
Mike : Yeah, yeah, we were held up in the distribution. I tried to put that behind me. I already got rid of that feeling in a song. It was worth it. (laughs)
Joe : I know I’ve interview a few people who have talked about the less savory aspects of the music industry. How frustrating can it be to have that carrot continually dangled in front of you?
Mike : Well, you can’t stop. You’ve got to move on. You know it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna come out. You can only do so much, you know? I really thought it was a really good record. I’m super proud of that one. It came out. It wasn’t like it had to come out at a certain time because of a trend in music. It is what it is.
Joe : We’ve touched on this a little bit before. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot in my heart for you because you’re characterized constantly as being misunderstood. What are some of the misconceptions, if there are any, about you or what you do?
Mike : Well, on the Aunty Betty’s record at the end of “Rocket and a Bomb” people think I was cussing but I was saying “shake” over and over about a hundred times, I want to clear that up. Another thing was I didn’t really paint all the paintings on the record, this known artist from Japan painted them, but I did tell him what I wanted to have painted. I wanted Jesus to be portrayed as a bartender, but in the old school with the thing around his head and all that, to let people know that—if you’ve ever been to a bar you kind of give your heart and feelings to the bartender, that’s the way it should be with Christ, that we are that honest with him. It wasn’t sacrilegious it wasn’t meant to be anything like that. He’ll wake up people who didn’t get it, and they’ll get it. And thirdly… ask me next year. How’s that?
Joe : So that means we’re doing a second interview at some point?
Mike : Yeah, to be continued.
Joe : That picture you’re referring to, I really liked that one.
Mike : Some people got it. A lot of people got it. Some people that didn’t get it at all and they definitely weren’t fans or people who know my music or know what I’m like. “Oh Jesus as a bartender, that’s terrible!” Whatever. That’s kind the way it’s been with all my stuff anyway. (laughs)
Joe : It seems interesting that album came out in about ’96, ’97.
Mike : I think it was ’96, ’97 yeah.
Joe : Do people still bring that up to you on a regular basis?
Mike : I still hear about it. Just roundabout ways. Most people got it, but there are some people that didn’t so I have to explain it. That’s why I just explained it. Hopefully put it to rest.
Joe : If as many people had bought as seem to remember we’d be in great shape.
Mike : Right, I probably shouldn’t have even brought it up. Actually just erase everything I just said. Get rid of everything above those two points. There I go just stirring up controversy again.
Joe : You’re a bad, bad man.
Mike : Man, can’t live without it.
Joe : If you want I can wait so you can kick a puppy over the phone just to make it official.
Mike : I would never kick a puppy. I would never kick any animal but cats bite me, dogs love me.
Joe : You could do a semi-unfriendly nudge to a cat then.
Mike : Right. Meow!
Joe : For some reason that made me think of “Fraidy Cat” from the new album.
Mike : Yeah. Some of those songs are so out there. I love it.
Joe : Second time around I was laughing at that track.
Mike : Good you’re supposed to laugh a bit on that record.
Joe : The first time was “I just don’t think I get.” I was making the “confused puppy” sound.
Mike : Exactly. “Confused puppy, arf?” You can see the ears going “arrf?”
Joe : I’ve got a couple dogs and that sound matches one of them exactly. When I started to get it I thought that was really funny.
Mike : Yeah, you have to get album a couple, three spins, you know.
Joe : That’s part of what I enjoy about your work a lot them requiring some digesting time. Me and a friend of mine have an informal rule that we won’t say whether we liked an album or not until we’ve listened to it at least three times.
Mike : Right, right.
Joe : Some of the songs I didn’t like as much on the first few listens a lot of times end up being some of my favorite songs.
Mike : On which ones?
Joe : Any of the pop-ier ones off “Screaming Brittle Siren” those took a while to grow on me. “Hospital” took a while to grow on me from “Life of David” for whatever reason. “Chameleon” when I first heard it—I got it off iTunes and I was listening through the samples and heard “Chameleon” and I bought the album.
Mike : Sweet. Nice.
Joe : I do some writing and some songwriting and it seems harder and harder for something to have my ass kicked by something. Without fail it seems like you put out a project and there’ll be a song that will make think that there’s more to do, to keep trying. For me it’s the process of hearing someone else doing something well that makes that gets me going. Some days it’s like “Why do I try” and then I hear something like “Chameleon” which is an amazing song—
Mike : Thank you.
Joe : And on “Comatose Soul” the song “Gold” I thought was a great track. Part of it was because it was such a departure. It was a lot more Beatles-influenced than a lot of stuff I’ve heard you do. Lyrically it was really sad and really beautiful at the same time and beautiful is not a word I bandy about lightly.
Mike : Thank you. I’m with you on that. Definitely.
Joe : It’s fun for me to look back at albums from ’92 to present from the same person and be able to say there are more avenues to explore.
Mike : Definitely. You’ve got to keep going. Anyone who is in that creative thing, keep going. There’s always some different to explore and to express what’s happening. It’s the best way to deal with everything, I think.
Joe : I’m sure you have the same kind of experience with other people being able to put things in a way you wish you had.
Mike : Yeah, I hear that a lot.
Joe : For writing for me it would be someone like Kurt Vonnegut. In music lately it’s been Over the Rhine with how they can twist a phrase and your stuff. You mentioned some of the people you like, are there specific artists or songs that you consistently find yourself coming back to?
Mike : That’s a tough one. Occasionally I’ll take a break from listening to music and listen to sports radio for a while. (laughs) Just to help me to get creative in my own way. We can listen to certain things and get way, way too influenced and we can lose what we have inside of us. I don’t know. We’re all works in progress whether we’re artists or musicians or doctors or lawyers. I really prefer the creative angle of being able to be a musician and this and that. I think that I’m old enough now that whatever is going to influence me musically—not that I’m not open to something else which I always am, checking out new things and new music and new bands—but it’s pretty engraved in me who I’m going to be or who I am. It’s just drawing off that—all the sponge that’s in me that sucked up everything that I liked is to come out in a way that represents how I feel about something. If I was going to say “I really like a new band or this band or whatever band” I just don’t do that anymore. I do like certain new bands or I dig what they’re doing, I don’t really comment on it. I’m kinda full as far as all my influences go. I don’t really think I’ll have anymore necessarily. Plus they’d be so much younger than me that it would be embarrassing. (laughs)
Joe : You’re not that old are you? You’re 30, right?
Mike : Yeah, that’s it. Just about.
Joe : Yeah, 29.
Mike : Well, you know, and a half. (laughs)
Joe : 29 ½ yeah. Yeah, this December it’s going to be quite a party.
Mike : Oh yeah, yeah, that thing’s gonna be huge, man. (laughs)
Joe : You mentioned sports radio; do you follow sports at all?
Mike : Never used to. I used to hate sports. Actually on the song “There’s Something More to Life” which is a song on “Shaded Pain” There must be something more to life… that really started out with, I was in this practice place with [Brian] Doidge and this drummer and we were working on the “Shaded Pain” record—writing it everything. It was during the Super Bowl and we were like “We’re definitely not watching that thing.” So the song originally was “There must be something more to life than sports” (laughs) but anyway I am kinda in to sports now, I must say. It’s not like I’m a sport-o or anything. It’s not like I have a team or anything. So yeah, don’t take that wrong.
Joe : (laughs) Now that you say that I’ll have to.
Mike : Please, please. I live in a dungeon and I play rock and it’s really dark and there are candles and let’s just leave it at that.
Joe : Do you have any words of wisdom for the kids at home?
Mike : Kids at home? Now how old are we talking?
Joe : More the metaphorical kids at home.
Mike : Okay. Love people and love your loved ones and be thankful for every single thing or person you have in your life and understand that life is tough, it’s not always easy. Some people are blessed more than others in certain ways as far as getting financially set or houses or marriages that work or kids that don’t freak out or what have you, but ultimately the main goal is Christ. Amen. Now I preached again.
Joe : But you ended with “Amen” which is the best way to end an interview, right?
Mike : Amen! I did it again. (laughs
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For updates, news and a heapin’ helpin’ of Mike’s work check out his websites, michealknott.com, and myspace.com/michaelgerardknott for Struck Last May’s debut album, 18 Flowers is available on iTunes.
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Mike : Well I met the other guy in the band, Rick McDonough and he had a studio so we just started recording. He loves loops and all these other things so we started just recording. It just came about so that’s how it happened. Yeah, the loops and stuff, I’ve never really used that much. It’s definitely its own animal; it’s its own thing. People can’t compare it to anything.
Joe : As long as they would wear the little striped vests with the straw hats that would rule.
