Giant Mission of Burma fans, preparing to record our first album, and recalling seeing Clint Conley credited as producer on the Flies’ “All Hung Up” 45, we were very excited when he agreed to take that role with us too. In the weeks preceding recording in Boston, then-bassist Mike Lewis handed in his resignation, effective on the completion of the record. With that in mind–did I mention we were giant Mission of Burma fans?–we asked Clint if he would consider playing on a few of the songs. Although it had been roughly three years since he’d picked up a bass, he said yes to that too. Ride the Tiger in the proverbial can, back in Hoboken without a bassist, and with a February 22 date at CBGB with Antietam, The Scene Is Now and–foreshadowing!–Volcano Suns looming, we decided to enquire of Clint if he was ready to make his return to the concert stage (figuring we might as well keep making requests till he said no). He was! It went so well, naturally we had another question: Would he be willing to play again? He wasn’t. Six months later, Dave Schramm taught us his instrumental, “In Like Clint.” Fourteen years later, Mission of Burma reunited.
