Klover – Feel Lucky Punk – Interview

Klover

Feel Lucky Punk (Mercury)
An interview with singer Mike Stone
by Scott Hefflon

How did Klover get together?
Four guys got together in a room and wrote songs. Whatever happened happened. Chris (Doherty) and Brian (Betzger) were in Gang Green, Darren (Hill) was in Paul Westerburg and the Raindogs. I was a plumber. “I got the hair, I’m the lead singer.” From Nicholas Cage in Peggy Sue Got Married.

You smoking? What do you smoke?
Marlboro. Box. Red.

I’m a GPC man.
Time’s tough? Chris and I are the smokers. We’re collecting for the Iron Lung®. We only need three more packs. We smoke a lot. Everyone that’s worried about their health should fuck off. You only live once.

Like that line in “Brain?”
Yeah, “Just a sedative/Just helping you live.” The song is a string of excuses, they all rhyme too. It’s about convincing yourself that you’re doing what you have to do. Whether it is on not. Profound, huh?

So are you into punk or rock ‘n’ roll?
Personally, being a plumber and all, I am into frozen pizza, non-dairy creamer, and bad movies on Showtime™. Chris is into Mel Tormé, Darren is into the Star Wars soundtrack. And Brian listens to Casey Casem’s Top 40 Greatest Hits reruns. (This is fuckin’ ponderous.) Make sure you put that in parenthesis and gratuitously use the word “fuck.”

You like interviews, don’t you?
Yeah, being a plumber and all, I find it’s really about the introspective banter. And what not. Make sure that part goes in.

When’s your album coming out?
August 22nd. Feel Lucky Punk (Mercury). We’re all big Clint Eastwood fans. The first single is “Beginning to End.” But I don’t want to talk about it.

Why not?
Why don’t you ask me about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East?

Should I? OK, what about nuclear…
I don’t want to talk about it.

Are you one of those punk rockers?
“I’m the plumber, I’ve come to fix the sink.” From Sesame Street. Next question.

Where do your song lyrics come from?
(Ponder, ponder) I read too much.

What do you read?
“On a Pale Horse,” by William Cooper. I want to put a K in Cooper and line over the O.

Which O?
Either. As long as it still rhymes with stupor. Don’t even go there. Or T-h-e-a, if you’re from Cranston, RI (Rhode Island).

What did Cranston ever do to you?
I went to the doctor today and he told me I had a nasty Cranston. Talk to the hand. That’s h-e-e-e-n-d. It might be four Es. I’m not sure, I’m a plumber.

I’m going to ask a pertinent question. Just to juxtapose all…
Hey, don’t bring Madonna into this. Sorry, I was distracted by Montel. That’s with one L. What was the question? I just sat on the puppy.

Anything you want to talk about?
Besides nuclear proliferation?

What about goat cheese?
Don’t even go there. I was born in Wisconsin (WI). Wanna hear all the states in alphabetical order?

You pick up that talent as a plumber?
No two O-rings are the same. There’s a hyphen between the O and the rings. Unless you’re from Cranston. Are we done yet?