Cokie the Clown - You're Welcome (2019) Hi Res

You’re Welcome is the debut solo album from Cokie the Clown, AKA, Mike Burkett, AKA, Fat Mike from NOFX. But make no mistake this is not a NOFX album. This isn’t NOFX-lite or some weird iteration of the wackiness that we all know and love. This… this is something else entirely. Lars von Trier once said that a film should be like a rock in a shoe. And that’s exactly what this album is. It’s uncomfortable and abrasive, raw and painful. In fact, it’s kind of an unpleasant experience. And while that sounds like a bad thing, it’s really not. This is an invitation inside the mind of one of punk rock’s most infamous icons. You could say that it’s almost auto-biographical, snapshots into the moments that shaped Mike’s life in sad and often confronting ways.

You’re Welcome features a number of collaborators including Travis Barker (you know who he is), Dizzy Reed of Guns N’ Roses (remember them?), and Baz – the genius behind the orchestral cover of NOFX’s The Decline. It was also produced by Danny Lohner whose resume includes Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle and even freakin’ Eminem. So, there’s certainly some talent behind the scenes here, but at the end of the day Mike’s own voice is what takes centre stage – not just literally, but stylistically too. All of the musical choices here are very low key, never aiming to really actively hook into you, but to guide you through the moments – almost like a soundtrack.