Subscriber Playlist (April 2024): Bye Bye Colour
An tribute to Michael Knott, one of the most celebrated and controversial figures in indie/alternative Christian music.
On March 12, 2024, Michael Knott died at the age of 61. If you’ve never explored the world of indie/alternative Christian music from the ’80s and ’90s, then that name probably doesn’t ring a bell. If, however, you’re even somewhat familiar with that scene, then you understand the breadth and depth of Knott’s influence.
As I wrote in my reflection on Knott’s music and career, “his death leaves behind both a massive artistic void that can never be filled and a truly unparalleled body of work that speaks deeply to anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider themselves.” NPR’s Lars Gotrich went even further in his obituary, calling Knott “a brash and brilliant pioneer of the alternative Christian rock scene who challenged the faithful to examine their faults and hypocrisies.”
Knott was a controversial figure, and due to his alcoholism, quite unpredictable. His releases — and there were a lot of them — varied greatly in quality and his volatile behavior burned more than a few bridges. But there’s no denying the passion behind his music, or that his albums were a godsend for those of us who grew up in the church and struggled with its insular culture that viewed doubt, skepticism, and any admission of struggle as cardinal sins.