Bootlegs, Unreleased, and Rumors

Michael Knott likes to write new songs for specific concerts while on tour (sometimes before the concert, some times during the concert). Some of these songs are fully developed, others are very random improv songs. There are probably many more than the ones listed below. If you have any songs to add to this collection, please e-mail me. Some of these songs, I don’t have many details on them, so please let me know if you can provide missing information (or if you can get me a higher quality recording).

Date Song Title Venue Type Source
12.30.1994 I Wanna Be Sedated The Refuge cover song Bootleg CD
04.07.1995 Agnus Dei The Push, Portland OR cover song Bootleg CD
11.08.1997 You’re Where I Wanna Be The Viper Room, Hollywood full song Bootleg CD
03.04.1998 Mister Down The Viper Room, Hollywood full song Bootleg CD
04.09.1999 Two by Two (w/ Gene Eugene) Eugene, OR improv Bootleg VHS
04.24.1999 Only You (aka “Take Me Down”) Houghton College, NY full song Bootleg CD
04.24.1999 rock solo / Gene Eugene intro Houghton College, NY improv Bootleg CD
04.24.1999 Gospel Hour (w/ Gene) Houghton College, NY improv Bootleg CD
04.24.1999 Nothin’ In My Monitor (w/ Gene) Houghton College, NY improv Bootleg CD
04.24.1999 Donut Store Policeman (w/ Gene) Houghton College full song Things I’ve Done… CD
10.09.1999 Bubbles (spoken word) The Warehouse – Lexington, SC improv Bootleg CD
02.18.2000 Please Buy a CD Blind Pig Bub improv Bootleg DVD
02.19.2000 Stub Your Toe Clear Lake Vineyard full song Bootleg VHS
03.02.2000 Radio Man Wichita, KS full song Bootleg DVD
05.12.2000 The La Song University of Wisconsin in River Falls improv Bootleg CD
05.13.2000 Jesus, I Adore You Chetek Lutheran Church WI cover song Bootleg CD
05.13.2000 The Lord’s Prayer Chetek Lutheran Church WI cover song Bootleg CD
07.05.2000 Aaron’s Gettin’ Poopy Cornerstone 2000 full song Live at Cstone 2K CD
07.05.2000 New Song Cornerstone 2000 improv Live at Cstone 2K CD
07.27.2000 Happy Set Inside Out Soul Fest improv YouTube
08.04.2000 Numb Live at TomFest 2000 full song Bootleg DVD
10.14.2000 Everyone Wants to Be Me Respectable Street improv Bootleg DVD
04.27.2001 You Uproar Festival full song Bootleg DVD
04.28.2001 Today Ray’s Downtown Blues improv Bootleg DVD
07.11.2001 Thank You for Being So Nice to Me Kent Vineyard Ohio improv Bootleg CD
01.17.2003 We’ve Got Paintings For Sale (Cush) Gypsy Lounge, California improv Live and Rare CD
02.09.2007 Happy Mandolin Come 2 Go – Ft. Wayne, IN improv Bootleg DVD
05.13.2007 Jazz Improv Alligator Alley – Oakland Park, FL improv Bootleg CD
05.13.2007 Understand Alligator Alley – Oakland Park, FL full song Bootleg CD
unknown Barney unknown full song mp3 [128k]
unknown Better To Be Pissed On Than Pissed Off unknown improv mp3 [128k]

Unreleased Songs & Rumors

According to one story online: “I went to see The Lifesavors live at a local Christian bookstore around the time of the Dream Life release, my friends and I had a little teen rock band going and so after the show we talked to Mike and convinced him to come to one of our rehearsals, listen to us and give us some advice, well he showed up (a little late) and patiently listened to us play our pathetic songs and then gave us some advice. Before he left we convinced him to play a song for us on my friend’s acoustic guitar, he played a song I think it was called “Sky Blue” and we recorded it on our portable cassette player. I think my friend might still have the tape somewhere it is interesting in retrospect.”

  • Sky Blue

Here are some songs and projects that were never released or are rumored to be out there (these could have been re-recorded later with a different song title – but I have no idea if that could have happened or not). I am looking for copies of any songs off of the first two lists, and verification or denial of anything from the third list. Please e-mail me if you know of how I can get a copy:

  • Aunt Bettys – “The Way That It Goes” (left off of Ford Supersonic due to bad source material).
  • Strung Gurus – “Suicide by Cop” (live from a set at the Viper Room – July 20, 2000).
  • Strung Gurus – “Diva Overdrive” (Mike’s manager, Dave Jennison, mentioned it once).
  • Strung Gurus – “Whoville” (Mike’s manager, Dave Jennison, mentioned it once).

Rumors – bands or people that Mike Knott might have worked with, but never confirmed his involvement:

  • Joe Strummer – from a web journal entry (no longer on the web, but look here for the michaelknott.com discussion thread about it).
  • Joy Electric – Robot Rock – uncredited vocal production – from a website called Discogs.
  • Joy Electric – The Land of Misfits EP – uncredited vocal production (some songs from Robot Rock are on this ep – if so, did Knott’s work make it here also?).
  • Michael Knott & Michael Roe – Someone claimed they once joked around about collaborating. This person also claimed that he/she was given official permission to let it be known that this project would happen. But it never did. From a michaelknott.com discussion board post.

Not Knott – things that have been attributed to Knott through the years, but ended up not being him:

  • 30 Amp Fuse – Saturday Night at the Atomic Speedway – a guy named “Michael Knott” is listed as the bass player, but no one in the band photo looks like him.
  • Psalters – Prayers To Be – The Encyclopedia of CCM claimed that Knott contributed a song, but the band confirmed this is not true.