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 contact 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).

See also a collection of video and audio of these songs, including lyrics.

Other Unreleased Songs & Projects

On November 13, 2019, Knott posted a video of himself and Rick McDonough recording a new song (possibly called “She’s a Winner”?) that they say will be on a new album they are working on called Strip Cycle II. You can watch the embed below. At Michael Knott’s funeral, several sources confirmed that some songs were planned, but never recorded.

Idle Lovell had at least one song called “Dagger & Apples” that was never released.

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

One song from a Bomb Bay Babies demo (“Rock Thing”) was never released on Volume 1 or Volume 2. Additionally, the U.S. Copyright database has three Bomb Bay Babies songs listed that were never released: “Creep on You,” “Pretty’s” (aka “The Pretty’s”), and “Anesthesia.” It is unclear if these are unreleased songs, or early titles for songs later released on Volume 1 or Volume 2.

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 lists. Please contact 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).

Jeff Elbel shared this story about an unreleased song: “Way back when Mike came by my bedroom studio in California to record “Popsicle Stick” for Ford Supersonic, he also tried a song called “Saint of the Gutter.” The take didn’t quite work, but it was a lovely little tune. I can remember some of the words:”

According to Cliffy Huntington on the Axe to Grind podcast episode 7 (May 2024), at one point, The Huntingtons were planning to do a split album with Baster the Rocketboy. The Huntingons would cover half of Dream Life, and Blaster the Rocketboy would cover half of Us Kids. But the idea never came to fruition.

The piano ballad version of “Popsicle Stick” from the 1998 Demo has never been released.

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.
• L.S.U. featuring C.J. – I Just Wanna Be Free – This is a house act that has a same name as Knott’s band, but it is not. Even more confusing is that one of the mixes is “Michael K’s Super Extended Mix.” This L.S.U. is Len Grant and Anthony Bond
• L.S.U. featuring Kolette – R.U. Ready – same as the single above, but this single has a “Michael K’s Radio Mix” and a “Michael K’s Euro Extended Mix.” This song also has a video that proves it is not Lifesavers Underground.