I’ve been doing this for a long time now and there are certain bands and individuals that I really want to talk with before the end. One such group is Blue Oyster Cult who’s hits like “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “In Thee,” “Godzilla,” “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll,” and “Burnin’ for You” have become classics in every sense of the word. I caught their headlining act up at the Bangor Auditorium many years ago and have been a fan ever since.

So when I learned that they were coming to the Waterville Opera House on the May 25 I just had to try and get a conversation with a member. Well, much to my surprise and pleasure, Eric Bloom — one of the two remaining founders (the other being Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser) — was willing to chat for a few minutes early one afternoon.

Q: It’s great to be chatting with you at long last. I vividly remember a show in Bangor where Godzilla’s head rose up behind the drum kit and lazered a huge mirror ball at the other end of the Civic Center.

Bloom: That must have been a long time ago.

Q: Oh, it was. I wish I could remember the year. Now, I understand from your management that your 2001 album, “Curse of the Hidden Mirror,” was your last studio album. Are you working on something new, hopefully?

Bloom: We have a record deal about to be signed. Probably within a month we’ll know more, but chances are we’ll be making something new, and probably have it out before summer of next year.

Q: That’s great news. Did you ever think, back when you first started in the early ’70s, that you’d still be going strong now?

Bloom: Well, that’s an often-asked question that, of course, is tough to answer because at my age then — who knew? There are a lot of people that were with us in our sort of gang of friends that are not even here so you never know what’s going to happen. I mean, there’s been many times where we thought BOC would not even exist let alone would I still be there, so it’s hard to say. We just take it as it comes, you know? Of course we had our 10 and 12 years where everything was hot and fast — I mean, we made an album a year — and then the mid-80s came and gravity set in. Then there was a resurgence in the ’90s and now, in this era, we actually are doing better now than we ever did in our history — so it’s strange days.

Q: It’s wild because you’re music pops up all over the place, like the TV series “Supernatural.”

Bloom: It was on “Orange Is the New Black” — at the end of Season Two they played “The Reaper” in the final minutes.

Q: And then you have writers like Stephen King …

Bloom: Right, he used it in “The Stand.” And of course the (Saturday Night Live) “Cowbell” sketch and many different things where BOC becomes a reference.

Q: And recently King had a “Reaper” reference in his Bill Hodges’ trilogy, especially “End Of Watch.”

Bloom: And the J.K. Rowling book, “Career of Evil,” which came out last year.

Q: That’s so cool. Now, with the new album coming out soon, do the years that you have in this group give you a different perspective as far as the songwriting goes?

Bloom: Umm, of course everything changes, different influences as the music scene changes. Of course you always kind of write what you like and what you know, but I don’t think BOC will be doing any hip-hop anytime soon.

Q: Thank God. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that the songs you guys write all have that signature hook or riff that captures the listener’s attention almost immediately. Also, the musical growth of BOC is right in the forefront. Is that growth a natural progression or is it something you’ve worked on over time?

Bloom: (laughter) That’s more of an observer kind of thing than anything I could put my finger on. You know, every record is written a different way — sometimes all in one room, sometimes people bring songs in. Every year is something different. We’re just glad to still be here and still making some music.

Q: So what can folks expect from this Waterville Opera House show?

Bloom: Oh, you know, the obvious suspects plus a sprinkling of our catalogue, and a good live show.

Q: Will you be playing any of that new material there that night?

Bloom: No, we haven’t even started.

Q: Is there any special staging or light show?

Bloom: No, we haven’t done that in 40 years. You’ve got to remember, we do these one-nighters and we can’t carry stuff. I mean, the day after Maine we might be playing L.A., so we have to carry what we can, we just can’t literally carry a production.

Q: Well, now that I think about it, that does make sense and it’s the music that matters anyhow. Is there anything you’d like to pass on to the folks reading this article?

Bloom: No, we just enjoy playing live still — that’s our meat-and-potatoes — and we’ll be glad to play in that area again.

Q: Is there anything that we haven’t discussed that you think we should?

Bloom: We’ll be playing all over the country and all over Europe between now and the end of the year, a lot of festivals. We have a Facebook page and a lot of ways that people can follow us.

Lucky Clark has spent more than 45 years writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@myfairpoint.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.