The story goes that Chaplain and pillar of his community Harlon Gardner was walking by a bakery in his little village of Culbone in Somerset one day when he fell for a young baker’s assistant tossing the day’s batch of day-old cookies in the rubbish bin outside. Upon learning that the attraction was mutual, the good reverend ran home, jumped onto his piano bench, and composed “I’m Cookies For You” to give voice to his passions. Homosexuality at the time being a criminal offense in England, punishable by death, Gardner stuffed the song into a drawer in his salon, away from prying eyes. For years Gardner passed by the bakery to secretly flirt and pass the time with his young paramour, until the day when young man attended one of Gardner’s masses. Gardner reportedly swooned and couldn’t control himself. Rumor has it that he interrupted his sermon to leap over to the piano and serenade his lover with the song on the spot, in front of the whole congregation. When parishioners, upon hearing lyrics like “dip this biscuit in your milk,” figured out what the song meant, they immediately reported the two men to the police. Gardner and his young lover were straight away shipped off to prison, both to die by the gallows. Until this recording, that performance in the Culborne chapel is the only known public performance of the song.

Vocals: Michael Johnson
Piano: Jenny Conlee

Recorded in 2007/2008 In Jenny Conlee’s living room and at Reclinerland HQ in Portland, OR. Mixed and mastered by Michael Johnson and Scott Garred.