May 28, 2026 • 11 mins
Kiwi musicians Miriam Clancy and Dion Lunadon (The D4) have teamed up in Brooklyn, New York to record a heartfelt new version of The Chills classic I Love My Leather Jacket, following the passing of frontman Martin Phillipps. Miriam called up from New York to chat about the making of their version of the song and update us on her upcoming album.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome radio Hookes Off the Record podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
With Big Sandy's I Love My Leather Jacket by the
Chills has always been a song about friendship, loss and memory,
and now two Kimi musicians have come together in Brooklyn
to give it a new life following the passing of
frontman Martin Phillips. Dion from the D four and musician
Miriam Clancy have just released a new version of the track,
(00:29):
and Miriam joins me, now, how are you hi?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm good, Thanks Big for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you for your time. I just wanted to ask you,
first off, what's your connection to the tune I Love
my Leather Jacket And why have you decided to revisit
it and put the tune out with Dion?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Okay, well, I love the song. I've always loved the song.
I always love leather jackets, and I think most people
kind of think of the song when they put on
jacket if they knew it so, and being a sizeable
Chills fan, it was such a classic song and I
realized that once I actually came over to New York,
I was so homesick and I started just playing around
(01:09):
on that on the on the riff, and I loved it,
and so I was giving quite a bit in the
early days of like when we got here in New
York to see small little dive bars and I started
putting it in my set. But yeah, I was singing
it because Martin had quite a low, beautiful voice, and
so I actually just sang it the octave up and
I was like, man, this is quite cool. It just
(01:31):
worked really well. Everyone loved it. I loved it, and yeah,
so I just carried on doing it and I told
him and he was his eyes lit up when I
told him I was doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I was like, yeah, man, he goes, wow, really, how
you doing like and I was like, yeah, I'm doing it,
like the octave up, and his eyes got even bigger
and like we were looking so kind of nerdy excited
about it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
So it was it was so cool that moment that
I had. That was actually the first time I met him,
and it was in New York, so wow, yeah, yeah,
great guy.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, And it was so sad to hear his passing.
But you know, like he wrote the song when He's
with the Chills, and it is a song that resonates
with a lot of Kiwi's. So when you're playing it
in New York. The reaction, like you were saying, it
went well, like people really responded to it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
It's surprising how many people love the chills here. Well,
she's not surprising. Should be nice surprise, like they are
a big deal. And yeah, it's so cool. It just
lands really well.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And so when when you met Martin and you said
you were playing this song, did you at the time
think that this would be a song that you'd release.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
No way, no way, it was you know, when he died,
there was a whole bunch of us around here, like
you know, in the vicinaty of New York. We were
just so sad. I was like, oh man, and I
just I thought about it, and I thought, you know,
I'd love to do that and kind of just redirect
his words that he wrote for Martin, like for his
beautiful drummer that died, like just redirected back to him
(02:59):
and just to let them know how much he's messed.
And also it's just a great connection. It's so happy
and bouncy, yeah, and so sad at the same time.
It's like, yeah, it's kind of perfect. It's kind of perfect.
And then I was able to like the original bass
player Terry Moore. He actually lives here in Brooklyn as well,
and so he played on that track, not the track
(03:19):
that we recorded, but he's like, oh yeah, this is
so awesome. So it's so cool to like just reconnect
and I guess it's a little moment of grieving and
just and have Like New Zealand music is actually so influential.
It's made such big waves all the way around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, so you've got quite a little kimi community of musicians.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Not really, Oh it's yeah, I got smaller after COVID.
I think everyone just bailed because it's so hard here. Man,
It's so expensive, and like everyone's homesick, and you know,
it's just a grind. The city is beautiful, but there
is a grind in New Zealand is amazing. So I
think the pocket of the people here have got and smaller,
but they're awesome. You know. It's like Skeleton Crew.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah. Yeah, So when you decided with Dion, how did
that come about that you went, hey, let's record a
version of this track?
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Well, yeah, we just connected since we both here, you know,
going to each other's gigs, and I was like, hey, man,
like about a year ago, Hey, list, would you be
interested in doing this? And he's like, oh, yeah, totally
because he knew Martin really well, and Martlin was so supportive,
and we'd go to D four gigs and catch up
(04:32):
with with Dion when he was in town. So it
was just a really cool thing that we both knew
him and we're able to connect over this, so it
was it was really fun. We went trying to emulate
it completely, but we did definitely did their own spin.
Like you know, dunplayed bass and guitar, and yeah, I
played guitar and drum machines and some organ and and
(04:54):
then we both did our vocals. So it's just really cool,
a little crossover.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Because I guess you're just recording it out of love.
But is there any pressure when you were recreating something
so iconic?
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Oh? Yeah, man, you don't want to mess it up.
It's like everybody's favorite kind of no pub chuny I
not miss it up. But also same time, he was stoked.
I mean, that's what we do as musicians. Give it
a go and hopefully it comes off well. But I
think it's cool. I love it, and I just you know,
I'm stoked to be able to just go. Yeah, man,
(05:29):
the chills just you know, not that they need a bump,
but it's so great. You know, it's like a flag
that i'd happily, you know, wave around. So yeah, I'm
not bothered. Hopefully it lands really well.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, well, I feel like, you know, Martin's musical handprints
are still everywhere in New Zealand music. Do you think
what his legacy, well, what do you think his legacy
is like for younger Kiwi musicians.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It's that's a hard one. I don't know. I would
hope that, I would hope that they've been exposed to
his stuff because you know, it's really it's deep, and
it's beautiful, it's moving, it's transcendent, and and you know,
he wasn't perfect, you know, and like the you know,
of course he probably loved some of his songs more
than others. So I think his last album that he
(06:19):
was able to get out Springboard, it's just such a
great thing. It's like, if you're going to start off
listening to his stuff, start there and then and then
go back right back to the very beginning and listen
to all his work. You know, it's it's deep, it's
so great. I hope that. I hope that it carries
on getting discovered because it's a treasure as there's a
lot of those Dunedin bands back in the day, but
(06:42):
especially my favorite, you know, the Chills obviously.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, because you've got your new album coming out, Final
Girl in September. This track is part of.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
The album No No No, This is like, yeah, it's
a good pre cursor though. It's like, yeah, the first
single will be coming out in about two months. So
very happy to get this out and you know, in
celebration on the way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And so what can listeners expect from your new record.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It's quite it's a big band sounding. It's very kind
of garage rock in the UK nineties way, so it's fun.
It sounds. I worked a lot with Joel mu holland
who's you know there in Hookland, and I actually recorded
a lot over here as well with my band here
in Brooklyn, so it's a it's kind of like half
us in half New Zealand, but mostly now it's New Zealand.
(07:34):
So I think it's flipp and I'm like it's the
best thing I've ever done. So I'm really excited to
get it out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, and you've got plans to come home and treat
the fans to touring your album.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yeah, yes, yes, yes, I can't give you any date,
but big that yes, perfect.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
So talking about being a musician in New York different,
like how long have you been over there?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Oh? Man, eleven years? Feels like one hundred, but yeah
eleven years. Wow.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So yeah, yeah, you're saying like Covid definitely sent a
few Kiwi's home, but it must be pretty different, Like
would absolutely be different. Gigging in New York, Computer New
Zealand totally different.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
It's like all the venues here are so hard to
get into. You often have to pay to play, or
you have to have like a certain amount of people
that you can guarantee will come or you pay so
it and you know, it's a hustle. Every second person
you meet is in the band or they want you
in their band. Yeah, it's really strange. But the flip
(08:40):
side of that is, you know, my job is actually
doing a lot of session work, like within it, so
I'm able to sing and like pay the bills, which
is you know, it's really hard, and I don't take
that for granted, that's such an amazing thing. But so
I'm having to go and read music and do that
whole side of things, so able to use my skill
set and beg a broader way here so I can
(09:03):
put out my own music. So yeah, it's a strange
city and it's amazing, but yeah, I do miss the
holistic kind of community based industry that is in New Zealand,
especially au Clan you know Wellington. Yeah that's good. Yeah
if it just yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, I mean I think there's I don't know, I
feel like there's been a resurgence in New Zealand bands
in the last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, yeah, I feel like.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Everything kind of went I don't know, maybe it was COVID,
everything sort of went quiet. There were a lot of
venues that you couldn't go out and see music. And
maybe we're just now coming out the other end. But
it's just convincing people to go out and see these
bands to keep it alive, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Oh man, it's so hard like getting anyone out anywhere
at any time. It's crazy. But yeah, I think that's
definitely the future. I think for musicians will be live
because you know, obviously AO is gonna suck our souls
out take over the world. So it's like, get out there, man,
show them that you can do in real life, and
hopefully the venues get supported so they can stay out
(10:05):
there and available for when we need them, because that's
a precious commodity as well. The place to play.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah place, Yeah, one hundred percent, because I think as
like you're saying, is AI is becoming more prevalent in
our lives. People are really craving that human to human interactions.
So I'm hoping it's going to sort of birth this
resurgence of getting out and supporting venues and musicians and
even like just artists in general.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Totally man, Yeah, that could be the good flip side
to this horrible thing, you know. Yeah, Yeah, humanity is
not over yet. We got over yet, There's still we
need art.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It's a fight worth fighting for, I reckon. Yeah, well,
we thank you so much for the chat. Really looking
forward to hearing your news, your first single off your album.
Where can people find you on social media?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
You'll hear your social media. I've got a website, Clancy
dot com. I'm on Spotify. I'm all all the nasty
streaming things, but that it's great, you know, at the
same time, so I am if you Google me, you'll
find me. Thanks pretty much. I can say yeah, but
I'm very very excited to have this song out, very
excited to be Journey with Dion lunardin on it, and
(11:19):
also for the new single Thank you, so you know,
thanks so much for having me Oh no worries my.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Pleasure Radio hold Aches off the Record podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Thanks mate. Find out more about this podcast and the
people who make it at hodache dot co dot nz.
Welcome radio Hookes Off the Record podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
With Big Sandy's I Love My Leather Jacket by the
Chills has always been a song about friendship, loss and memory,
and now two Kimi musicians have come together in Brooklyn
to give it a new life following the passing of
frontman Martin Phillips. Dion from the D four and musician
Miriam Clancy have just released a new version of the track,
(00:29):
and Miriam joins me, now, how are you hi?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm good, Thanks Big for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you for your time. I just wanted to ask you,
first off, what's your connection to the tune I Love
my Leather Jacket And why have you decided to revisit
it and put the tune out with Dion?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Okay, well, I love the song. I've always loved the song.
I always love leather jackets, and I think most people
kind of think of the song when they put on
jacket if they knew it so, and being a sizeable
Chills fan, it was such a classic song and I
realized that once I actually came over to New York,
I was so homesick and I started just playing around
(01:09):
on that on the on the riff, and I loved it,
and so I was giving quite a bit in the
early days of like when we got here in New
York to see small little dive bars and I started
putting it in my set. But yeah, I was singing
it because Martin had quite a low, beautiful voice, and
so I actually just sang it the octave up and
I was like, man, this is quite cool. It just
(01:31):
worked really well. Everyone loved it. I loved it, and yeah,
so I just carried on doing it and I told
him and he was his eyes lit up when I
told him I was doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I was like, yeah, man, he goes, wow, really, how
you doing like and I was like, yeah, I'm doing it,
like the octave up, and his eyes got even bigger
and like we were looking so kind of nerdy excited
about it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
So it was it was so cool that moment that
I had. That was actually the first time I met him,
and it was in New York, so wow, yeah, yeah,
great guy.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, And it was so sad to hear his passing.
But you know, like he wrote the song when He's
with the Chills, and it is a song that resonates
with a lot of Kiwi's. So when you're playing it
in New York. The reaction, like you were saying, it
went well, like people really responded to it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
It's surprising how many people love the chills here. Well,
she's not surprising. Should be nice surprise, like they are
a big deal. And yeah, it's so cool. It just
lands really well.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And so when when you met Martin and you said
you were playing this song, did you at the time
think that this would be a song that you'd release.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
No way, no way, it was you know, when he died,
there was a whole bunch of us around here, like
you know, in the vicinaty of New York. We were
just so sad. I was like, oh man, and I
just I thought about it, and I thought, you know,
I'd love to do that and kind of just redirect
his words that he wrote for Martin, like for his
beautiful drummer that died, like just redirected back to him
(02:59):
and just to let them know how much he's messed.
And also it's just a great connection. It's so happy
and bouncy, yeah, and so sad at the same time.
It's like, yeah, it's kind of perfect. It's kind of perfect.
And then I was able to like the original bass
player Terry Moore. He actually lives here in Brooklyn as well,
and so he played on that track, not the track
(03:19):
that we recorded, but he's like, oh yeah, this is
so awesome. So it's so cool to like just reconnect
and I guess it's a little moment of grieving and
just and have Like New Zealand music is actually so influential.
It's made such big waves all the way around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, so you've got quite a little kimi community of musicians.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Not really, Oh it's yeah, I got smaller after COVID.
I think everyone just bailed because it's so hard here. Man,
It's so expensive, and like everyone's homesick, and you know,
it's just a grind. The city is beautiful, but there
is a grind in New Zealand is amazing. So I
think the pocket of the people here have got and smaller,
but they're awesome. You know. It's like Skeleton Crew.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah. Yeah, So when you decided with Dion, how did
that come about that you went, hey, let's record a
version of this track?
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Well, yeah, we just connected since we both here, you know,
going to each other's gigs, and I was like, hey, man,
like about a year ago, Hey, list, would you be
interested in doing this? And he's like, oh, yeah, totally
because he knew Martin really well, and Martlin was so supportive,
and we'd go to D four gigs and catch up
(04:32):
with with Dion when he was in town. So it
was just a really cool thing that we both knew
him and we're able to connect over this, so it
was it was really fun. We went trying to emulate
it completely, but we did definitely did their own spin.
Like you know, dunplayed bass and guitar, and yeah, I
played guitar and drum machines and some organ and and
(04:54):
then we both did our vocals. So it's just really cool,
a little crossover.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Because I guess you're just recording it out of love.
But is there any pressure when you were recreating something
so iconic?
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Oh? Yeah, man, you don't want to mess it up.
It's like everybody's favorite kind of no pub chuny I
not miss it up. But also same time, he was stoked.
I mean, that's what we do as musicians. Give it
a go and hopefully it comes off well. But I
think it's cool. I love it, and I just you know,
I'm stoked to be able to just go. Yeah, man,
(05:29):
the chills just you know, not that they need a bump,
but it's so great. You know, it's like a flag
that i'd happily, you know, wave around. So yeah, I'm
not bothered. Hopefully it lands really well.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, well, I feel like, you know, Martin's musical handprints
are still everywhere in New Zealand music. Do you think
what his legacy, well, what do you think his legacy
is like for younger Kiwi musicians.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It's that's a hard one. I don't know. I would
hope that, I would hope that they've been exposed to
his stuff because you know, it's really it's deep, and
it's beautiful, it's moving, it's transcendent, and and you know,
he wasn't perfect, you know, and like the you know,
of course he probably loved some of his songs more
than others. So I think his last album that he
(06:19):
was able to get out Springboard, it's just such a
great thing. It's like, if you're going to start off
listening to his stuff, start there and then and then
go back right back to the very beginning and listen
to all his work. You know, it's it's deep, it's
so great. I hope that. I hope that it carries
on getting discovered because it's a treasure as there's a
lot of those Dunedin bands back in the day, but
(06:42):
especially my favorite, you know, the Chills obviously.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, because you've got your new album coming out, Final
Girl in September. This track is part of.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
The album No No No, This is like, yeah, it's
a good pre cursor though. It's like, yeah, the first
single will be coming out in about two months. So
very happy to get this out and you know, in
celebration on the way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And so what can listeners expect from your new record.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It's quite it's a big band sounding. It's very kind
of garage rock in the UK nineties way, so it's fun.
It sounds. I worked a lot with Joel mu holland
who's you know there in Hookland, and I actually recorded
a lot over here as well with my band here
in Brooklyn, so it's a it's kind of like half
us in half New Zealand, but mostly now it's New Zealand.
(07:34):
So I think it's flipp and I'm like it's the
best thing I've ever done. So I'm really excited to
get it out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, and you've got plans to come home and treat
the fans to touring your album.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yeah, yes, yes, yes, I can't give you any date,
but big that yes, perfect.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
So talking about being a musician in New York different,
like how long have you been over there?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Oh? Man, eleven years? Feels like one hundred, but yeah
eleven years. Wow.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So yeah, yeah, you're saying like Covid definitely sent a
few Kiwi's home, but it must be pretty different, Like
would absolutely be different. Gigging in New York, Computer New
Zealand totally different.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
It's like all the venues here are so hard to
get into. You often have to pay to play, or
you have to have like a certain amount of people
that you can guarantee will come or you pay so
it and you know, it's a hustle. Every second person
you meet is in the band or they want you
in their band. Yeah, it's really strange. But the flip
(08:40):
side of that is, you know, my job is actually
doing a lot of session work, like within it, so
I'm able to sing and like pay the bills, which
is you know, it's really hard, and I don't take
that for granted, that's such an amazing thing. But so
I'm having to go and read music and do that
whole side of things, so able to use my skill
set and beg a broader way here so I can
(09:03):
put out my own music. So yeah, it's a strange
city and it's amazing, but yeah, I do miss the
holistic kind of community based industry that is in New Zealand,
especially au Clan you know Wellington. Yeah that's good. Yeah
if it just yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, I mean I think there's I don't know, I
feel like there's been a resurgence in New Zealand bands
in the last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, yeah, I feel like.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Everything kind of went I don't know, maybe it was COVID,
everything sort of went quiet. There were a lot of
venues that you couldn't go out and see music. And
maybe we're just now coming out the other end. But
it's just convincing people to go out and see these
bands to keep it alive, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Oh man, it's so hard like getting anyone out anywhere
at any time. It's crazy. But yeah, I think that's
definitely the future. I think for musicians will be live
because you know, obviously AO is gonna suck our souls
out take over the world. So it's like, get out there, man,
show them that you can do in real life, and
hopefully the venues get supported so they can stay out
(10:05):
there and available for when we need them, because that's
a precious commodity as well. The place to play.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah place, Yeah, one hundred percent, because I think as
like you're saying, is AI is becoming more prevalent in
our lives. People are really craving that human to human interactions.
So I'm hoping it's going to sort of birth this
resurgence of getting out and supporting venues and musicians and
even like just artists in general.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Totally man, Yeah, that could be the good flip side
to this horrible thing, you know. Yeah, Yeah, humanity is
not over yet. We got over yet, There's still we
need art.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It's a fight worth fighting for, I reckon. Yeah, well,
we thank you so much for the chat. Really looking
forward to hearing your news, your first single off your album.
Where can people find you on social media?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
You'll hear your social media. I've got a website, Clancy
dot com. I'm on Spotify. I'm all all the nasty
streaming things, but that it's great, you know, at the
same time, so I am if you Google me, you'll
find me. Thanks pretty much. I can say yeah, but
I'm very very excited to have this song out, very
excited to be Journey with Dion lunardin on it, and
(11:19):
also for the new single Thank you, so you know,
thanks so much for having me Oh no worries my.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Pleasure Radio hold Aches off the Record podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Thanks mate. Find out more about this podcast and the
people who make it at hodache dot co dot nz.
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