If done properly the connection between the manifold and the exhaust pipe is best done MINUS any gasket. BUT - one needs to assure that the manifold "mating surface" is a true cone shape, sealing surface is all there (rust can erode the surface) and the pipe "aligns" to the cone.
Likewise, one has to examine the exhaust pipe flare and make sure the flare matches the manifold cone and meets it all the way around. A ball pein hammer and a piece of steel plate can be used to increase/decrease/modify the flare. (many muffler shops will re-make the flare at minimal cost.) The exhaust pipe bend itself can be modified to bring the heroic sized "flare compression fitting" (what it truly is) together in a match BEFORE adding the clamp.
AND - to add insult to injury, many aftermarket clamps are not properly shaped to bring the two pieces together. If you have more than one clamp available, try them out and see which one offers the best fit. Of my clamps, the "largest" seemed to be the clamp of choice and is probably an original clamp. Other two or three clamps were smaller and less effective and probably aftermarket replacements.
I hope the modern crop of clamp re-pops are more accurately made.
It is possible to put a ring of pipe dope on the mating cone surface and then clamp everything together: the pipe dope until it bakes out acts as a sort of "lubricant" to allow the mating pieces to find their "best spot." Once baked out by the hot exhaust, the pipe dope will prevent a leak from developing as everything "bakes together."
Hope this helps,
Joe K