Interview: Ken Tizzard And Music For Goats Talk About Their Upcoming Single "Kiss Me Deadly" Out 11/18/2025!

Interview with Ken Tizzard

What inspired the creation of this single?

At 14 years old, skateboard under combat boots and bass guitar in case along for the ride. Clark is in front of me trying his best to get a good power slide going, his blond locks flowing like a flock of seagulls. Through Bannerman Park, on way to Bannerman Street, where the row houses of downtown St. John’s (Newfoundland) begin. This is where our good friend Johnny Fisher lives in a sweltering second story bedroom with a cassette boombox, a small guitar amp and some punk rock posters on the wall. We crash around the room on the bed and in a small chair in the corner and Johny plays us a new cassette he found for a band called Generation X... we had begun hearing of Billy Idol and his new brand of ‘punk for radio’ but to find a gem like this, before all that started... it was like gold to us... and then there was this song. Not only coming with such credibility, but the melody, hooks and overall feeling of ‘having fun... with violence for a kick/ a hidden flick knife flick, discovers teenage sex... Kiss Me Deadly” was intoxicating. Now I know that almost 50 years since its original recording the lyrics may be a bit nostalgic, but then again at 50 years old isn’t everything...

What story or message does the song convey?

It would be out of turn for me to speak on the language of another artist's work, but for me this song reflects a time of youth when everything we did resonated with danger and excitement... As we get older sometimes, we settle down and need to remember how deadly we were.

Can you tell us about the creative process?

This song is one of the first for the band working with an MPC as the meat of the drum track. During the last few years, I have suffered terrible depression and bringing in a new instrument (MPC ONE +) gave me a new way to look at creation. Also, it led me to discover many great sampling artists such as JPEGMAFIA and Death Grips. I learn a lot from these new sampling artists who can make an entire song from the same 8/12 or 16 bar loop.

 How does this song differ from your previous releases?

The Goats have traditionally adopted an acoustic folk sound due to the nature of my songwriting. Steve was an amazing jazz drummer, and he added just that perfect flair to the sound to bring it to a semi-rocking place. After Steve died in 2023, we worked with a few different drummers but during this point I found myself continually in the same look of finding a new musician and taking a year to get up to snuff with old material and stagnating with new songs.

What challenges did you face while writing or recording?

This was a great process. Once we had the direction it took me about 30 days to find a work process that flowed using a drum machine. After that it was just another tool like any guitar, bass etc. Learning new pieces of gear can sometimes be the toughest part of realizing a new sound or inspiration.

Is there a personal connection or story tied to the lyrics?

Again, this song brings me back 40 years to the 16-year-old skate punk living in St. John’s living his best life with great friends.

Have you performed it live yet, and what was the audience’s reaction?

We played it once recently at the Crowestock Festival and I was very pleased. Folks loved the energy and even a few of the old punks in the crowd knew the song from before and commented on the ‘dope song choice.”

Is this single part of a larger project, like an album or EP?

I think for me in my situation these days (being a full-time caregiver for my wife who is bed/wheelchair disabled from her diagnosis of MS) I will mostly be releasing singles. Once there are a bunch I like and perhaps a focus for a complete album once again – I might return to the LP format.

Anything Else You'd Like Your Fans to Know.

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