I’m not gonna lie*, I’m not real confident that the general strike that’s been called for Friday May 1 is a great idea.

With a very few very isolated local exceptions, ours is not a country with a history of general strikes, and things like lack of worker protections, healthcare tied to employment, and a weak social safety net make skipping work a much bigger ask than it is in a lot of other countries. And I’m not a fan of going on strike without specific demands.

But in the immortal words of Eddie Cochran contemplating the consequences of throwing a party when the house is empty and his folks are gone: WHO CARES — C’MON EVERYBODY!

Side note if you click on that link and watch the video: Is there any point in the song when two teenagers in the audience clap on the same beat?

I don’t think a local indie music show at a local indie dive bar counts as violating the general strike, so I’m ready to break out my smash-the-state songs at The Cave when I open for Taylor Hollingsworth, who plays guitar for Conor Oberst on his non-Bright Eyes records but tours as a one-man band, and singer-songwriter Rod Smoth. I’ll play first at 9 p.m. He said boldly.

I’ve gotta be honest*, I don’t know if Taylor and Rod will have political songs but I’ve got a couple of new ones I’m eager to play for you, plus standards from The King Teen Antifascist Songbook™ like Luigi — so dangerous it’s been banned from YouTube! — and the AI-dissing, VC-strangling The Human Touch.

* Statement applies only to the paragraph in which this symbol appears. Come on out!

Aldora Britain Records: You are fresh from releasing a superb new record called True Stories of Time Travel. This was also my introduction to your music, so it already holds a special place in my record collection. What are your memories from writing, recording and releasing it, and how would you say you grew and evolved as an artist throughout this process?

The King Teen: Oh, growing and evolving, I try not to do that! You grow and evolve and next thing you know you've got to hire the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and two church choirs to achieve your vision. You know what harpists charge? I'm all about three chords and a half-baked idea. For real, though, so far, two EPs into my solo career, I haven't been approaching my records as ‘projects’, with a theme and a process. I'm always making up songs, and when it feels like a good time to do some recording, I record the songs I'm liking best or that I think will sound best given my current playing level, budget, and people I know who can and want to help me. I think in terms of songs, not EPs or albums.

That’s a question and part of an answer from an interview I did with Aldora Britain Records, “The Global Independent & Underground Music E-Zine,” which you can read and download for free in the popular PDF format here.

The guy who runs it and interviewed me by email, Tom Hilton, is from England and lives in Scotland, according to his Facebook page. He asks the same questions of every artist he interviews, just subbing in specific song and album titles and other details, which is a little unusual but they’re pretty good questions.

Small-time musicians like me get pitches all the time from “writers” who say they really dig your music and offer to write a feature about you in some magazine or other. I engaged with one of these one time because I wanted to see how much they would eventually ask me to pay for this privilege and also how long it would take them to get around to naming their price. This was a couple of years ago now but if I recall correctly it was $75 and so, so, so, holy smokes you wouldn’t believe how long.

Tom was right up front saying this isn’t pay for play, so I did the interview. It was fun. Here’s another Q&A, and remember when you see “me” appearing to type things like “favourites” that this is a UK zine and Tom actually copy edited my answers!

Aldora Britain Records: As you well know by now, I love that King Teen sound and your approach to making and creating music. That rootsy, alternative, punky, Americana edge. How would you say this style of yours came about, what goes into it for you, and who are some of your biggest influences as an artist currently?

The King Teen: My influences are every song I've ever liked divided by my limitations as a musician. I had a lot of favourites when I was a teenager, but kind of my holy trinity is D Boon of The Minutemen, Joe Strummer of The Clash, and Joe Ely. I've been musically influenced by too many people to name, including lots of rockabilly and country artists I came to in my late twenties and after. But those three are probably the biggest influences on me whether I'm aware of it or not. Kind of like how sometimes I'll say something and go, whoa, I sound like my dad. I ‘take after’ him in some ways even if I don't want to. Those guys are like my musical dads. I'm not actively imitating them or seeking their approval, but then again, I am.

Thanks for reading and listening and coming on out. I’ve got shows booked through mid-July. Watch this space but if you’re a planner you can always see my calendar at kingteenmusic.com/shows.

Your friend,

The King Teen

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