Who Was in My Room Last Night?

I've had a bad day with too much ranting about other things so I come here to write a little about the Buttholes to calm myself down.

I did get to the gym and managed to stay there for a full 10 minutes, when usually I can manage only 9. Independent Worm Saloon is one of my favorites to play while at the gym, even if I only make it through the first two or three songs before going home.

Purists like to deride this album because it marks the Butthole's foray into big record label-dom. But I disagree. I think it's a brilliant album, about as perfect as you can get. Even the worst song on the album is called The Annoying Song, because it is annoying, and you know it before you listen, because they said so.

Produced by John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin fame), he managed to find a way to present the incredible genius of the Buttholes, cleaning them up, making them presentable for prime time. While this album doesn't have the noise and garage quality that is endearing in their independently produced records, it doesn't completely lose those qualities either. The arrangements are more organized so that their musical talent shines. Everything about this band is amazing, but you have to have either seen them live or really listen carefully, with headphones, to their early albums to truly get them. If you haven't done either, then you will never understand.

Independent Worm Saloon is more accessible, easier to listen to, and thus more mainstream, but without the gloss that could turn the corner into horribleness, as happened with Weird Revolution, where some songs practically scream Dance Hall Vomit.

Where else do you find an ode to alcohol, or talking to a cop about chewing chocolate that the doggy dropped, or the love song that doesn't give a fuck about the fbi? And a dispute on t-shirt sales - that one is custom made for Guitar Hero if I ever heard a song made for Guitar Hero this is the one.

I'M FLYING...