If you enjoy the music of Big Star, Alice Cooper, Scritti Politti, the Jacobites, the Zombies or the Ramones then you’ve got something in common with New York City singer-songwriter Michael ‘Spike’ Priggen. Priggen’s latest LP Stars After Stars After Stars is a covers record that celebrates his love for the star crossed sounds of the above artists – an off beat hero paying homage to his cult pin-ups. To navigate Priggen’s own musical past is a task in itself – over the past two decades he’s moonlighted with the likes of the Liquor Giants, the Schramms, the Pussywillows and the Hello Strangers – bands that have flirted with fame at one time or another. Now working solo, he’s pulled together a who’s who of New York musicians to play on Stars After Stars After Stars from Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos to the Voidoids’ Ivan Julian.

How did Mike become Spike?
An old friend, Mark Mulcahy, started calling me that about 25 years ago as kind of a joke, I guess, 'cause I was actually kind of nerdy - or into nerdy fashions really, 'cause I'm not good at math or anything. It's like some 400 pound bouncer guy that's named "Tiny".

Your recording partners read like a who’s who of NY musicians. Are you a New York scenester, the Andy Warhol of the new millennium?
Not quite. Just lucky I guess. I've been around a long time. Started playing in bands really young. I guess I've actually met a lot of the people I know from my day jobs at bars and clubs. I actually saw the Moodists while I was working behind the bar at Danceteria. Met Ivan Julian when I was working at a Mexican restaurant and he was friends with the manager. Bun E. Carlos I know from when I was about 13 and worked in a record store and this woman from Epic got me and a friend backstage.

To delve into your musical past you have to navigate a plethora of different bands - my favourite name is the Caroline Know. Is there a chance you’ll release of a compilation of your best work with these outfits?
Maybe. There's a lot of unreleased stuff by me and alot of the bands I've been in that I'd like to see come out.

Having a song used by iPod put Australia’s Jet into another stratosphere commercially. Did the same happen to you?
They didn't actually use the song in the commercial, unfortunately. Just my name, the name of the CD and the song title, 'Outtasite', flashed across the computer screen in iTunes.

Was it a case of so close, yet so far? How did they come to pick you?
Don't think it was ever in contention to be the song. They did pay me but not a massive amount. Guess they liked the look of my name and
titles.

Your new LP is a covers record. There’s always suspicion when a songwriter releases a covers record...most people think it means you’re barren of inspiration for your own songs.
Well, I'm not the most prolific songwriter, but it wasn't like I didn't have enough originals to make a record. It's just something I've wanted to do for awhile. I really tried to pick songs that I thought I could add something to. Some of my favorite artists, like Harry Nilsson for instance, were songwriters who wrote hits for themselves, wrote hits for others and also took other peoples songs and re-invented them, like Nilssons' version of Badfingers 'Without You'. Also for me this record is about turning people on to songs they probably never heard before, like a mixed tape I made for my friends. I doubt that there is anyone on earth who is familiar with every song on it, especially as some are by friends of mine and have never seen a release. To me it's just another one of my LP's. My next record is all originals but I'll definitely be doing more covers projects in the future. I'm thinking about doing a series of EP's dedicated to specific songwriters/songwriting teams.

Like who?
Well, I do two Jacobites songs on the CD - might do a couple more and make it an all Jacobites EP. Maybe Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Thunders, Jimmy Webb. The Ramones. Actually I have all these theme ones I'm thinking of - just songs with girls names in the titles. There's this Jack Nitzsche one called 'Carly' about going to see Carly Simon and being really disappointed and Ween's 'Sarah'. Singer/songwriters from the 80's like Prefab Sprout and Aztec Camera etc.

Most of the artists that you cover have pretty much snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory…can you relate?
I finally got over the fact that I wasn't really famous about 10 years ago, but I probably did spend from when I was about 13 to 30 wondering when it was gonna happen, not really if it was gonna happen. There's really a lot of luck involved in a lot of ways. I'm pretty happy that I get to make the records I make with the people I get to make them with.

What’s the track on the LP that you feel closest too or came up the best?
I like 'em all but I guess 'When You looked At Me' came out pretty good, nice lush but spooky arrangement and I think it's a beautiful song.

Other than your own, what’s your favourite covers album and why?
The Wondermints did a cover record that's really great. It's the opposite vibe of mine in a way. I did songs that nobody really knew , so I could kinda put new arrangements on 'em and nobody would notice or be pissed. On this Wondermints LP they do all those songs that I didn't think could, or should, ever be covered because the originals were so great like the Monkees' 'Porpoise Song', Glen Campbell's 'Guess I'm Dumb' and manage to do them all justice .

Is the record out in the States or is Australia the first place that Stars After Stars… has been released?
I'm putting it out in the States later this year.

What other songs were you keen to record but missed the cut for the Stars After… LP?
I actually have a big repetoire of country stuff and 60's stuff but tried to use more of the oddball indie rock kind of stuff on this one. One that I tried to do but didn't happen is this Johnny Thunders one 'Ask Me No Questions'.

The record is now coming out on Dave Graney and Clare Moore's Cockaigne Records. How did you come to hook up with them?
I was their bass player - recommended by Robert Vickers of the Go-Betweens - when they came here a few years back. We became friends and they liked my first record which was just coming out in the states so they shopped it around to Laughing Outlaw.

Your last record was put out here by Laughing Outlaw. What happened with them? Anything untoward?
Since you asked...they were meant to put this one out when I delivered it to them about two years ago (really!). After assuring me it was coming out at any moment for a year and a half they finally informed me they wouldn't be putting it out after all. If there was any reason given I was too pissed off at that point to really grasp it.

Graney usually rails against the amount of attention afforded international artists, mainly Americans, when they hit our shores. Has he shared such concerns with you?
I haven't really spoken with Dave at length in three or four years since I last saw him, but that does sound like a familiar topic now that you mention it. I guess there's an exception for me.

What the hell is going on with the hidden tracks on this Stars record?
The titles in there for one thing - just some stuff that's been floating around since the 70's. Al Kooper used to press this stuff on vinyl as Christmas presents although I've never actually seen one.

Have you talked to Ivan Julian about Robert Quine’s death?
Don't really talk to Ivan very often - like I said the cd's been done over two years. Sad about Quine, though. I saw the originals Void-Oids when I was a kid in New Haven.

I hear that music isn't your only obsession - tell us about your Scopitone bent - the 60s style film jukeboxes invented in France from surplus WW2 aeroplane parts.
You've seen my scopitone website then? Definitely check out www.scopitones.com if you haven't. I'm kind of a TV and video junkie which I think has something to do with being an only child. TV was my sibling and my baby sitter rolled into one. And also with being a big pothead. I have a huge collection of rare rock and roll performances and such on video.

The American election is coming up in November – are you wearing a ‘Vote or Die’ t-shirt right now?
Well, "vote for Kerry or Die", maybe. It's gonna be weird not being here for the month leading up to it 'cause I'm so plugged into it right now. I can only look at certain left-wing weblogs and sites though because pretty much the entire American mass media does nothing but shill for Bush. I used to be a CNN junkie but now I end up yelling at the TV after a few minutes and they call it "the liberal media". It's a joke really.

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