Chris Shackleton and Clover are members of the Toronto-based surf/pop/folk band Turtle Johnny. They put out a fun music video recently that you can check out here.
What are your influences as musicians?
Chris: I love the Beatles… I’m basic. I like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Tame Impala.
Clover: I like all of those but Tame Impala. I’m sorry. I think his voice is annoying.
What’s your favourite Beatles album?
Chris: It changes, but I think right now it’s Revolver.
I think Revolver is their best album. It has fewer annoying songs than other Beatles albums.
Clover: Abbey Road is the best one.
White Album has the most highs and lows.
Chris: I never liked White Album that much but recently I’ve been huge on White Album. Growing up, I loved Rubber Soul and I still love Rubber Soul.
What’s the best Lou Reed album? Either with the Velvet Underground or solo.
Clover: White Light/White Heat. But “There She Goes Again” is my favourite song.
I think the self-titled Velvet Underground album is my favourite one.
Clover: That makes sense for you. You’re such a twee little bitch.
When did you first start getting involved in DIY music scenes?
Clover: I was in high school…
Where?
Clover: I don’t want to tell you where I came from.
Chris: I didn’t actually go to school, I was home-schooled. That’s why I’m such a freak. I grew up in Ottawa and started a band when I was 13 with my boy Lewis Caunter and my brother Alex. We weren’t doing shows, just playing at home. When we got older, we started playing Club SAW and some other weird places in Ottawa. When I moved to Toronto, I started playing in a band called The Budds with my friend Jonah.
Clover: (To Chris) I didn’t ask for your whole life story.
Chris: In Toronto, I met the Not for Function crew, and Clover, and then Clover and I started the band Jeepay Lovecraft.
Clover: I first got involved in music in 10th grade. I’d never been in a band before. I was talking to some guy who was a musician and he was like, “I heard you play guitar”. I don’t know where he heard that. I couldn’t play guitar. I said, “yeah, I play guitar”. He said, “join a band with me”. I bought a guitar that was cheap as fuck. We played some shitty little cafes around my small town that will not be named, and a couple school shows.
Who are the most inspiring people you know?
Chris: I guess I’ll get sentimental. My dad was a musician and songwriter. I never would have thought about writing my own songs if he didn’t do that. He was always writing songs. I have his songs framed at my songwriting station, so I’m always looking at those. He was a huge inspiration to me.
When I met Feurd Moore, who’s a very cool local musician, he started producing a lot of stuff for me. He really inspired me. I would bring him crazy demos and he would really help me bring life to them. He really helped created the Turtle Johnny sound.
And Clover inspires me, to be honest. I have a lot of very loving and caring friends. Everyone inspires me all the time to be better and take care of myself better and shit.
Clover: I’ve never met anyone I’ve been inspired by.
Chris: (To Clover) You can say me if you want!
What are your favourite foods?
Chris: I love a smash burger. I love pizza, I have a pizza slice tattoo on my arm. I love burritos. I just found out recently that burritos are an American invention, not Mexican. (Ed. note: I’m not sure if this is true.)
Clover: All my favourite foods are foods that are hard on my stomach because I’ve got bad guts. I love Mexican food, I love tacos.
What’s the best and worst pizza in Toronto, in your opinion?
Clover: Worst is Pizza Pizza.
Chris: Best is Fresca.
I think that’s objectively correct.
Chris: Fresca is fucking crazy pizza. I used to live across the street from it. I also really like Maker and Blondies is pretty good.
Have you tried the Tim Horton’s pizza yet?
Clover: I wouldn’t eat at Tim Horton’s with a gun to my head.
Chris: (To Clover) You would rather get shot and killed?