Who is Andrew WK?

Even after looking at his website, I can't figure out who Andrew W.K. is or what he does, but the "totally looks like" photo from Cheezburger is a pretty good, despite Mr. W.K.'s straight teeth and fresh faced bloody looks.


 

And this one is too.

The Drums

There may not be another song that showcases the dual drumming genius of King Coffey and Teresa as much as Dum Dum. Completely classic. The shorts on Gibby are, however, a fashion don't.

The Shah SHUT UP

The sound is terrible but somehow this rendition is terribly compelling. I can't get enough of young Paul.

Gibby and the Dead Milkmen

The Greatest Things Gibby Haynes Has Ever Said

According to this guy.

Gibby Reveals All

This is one of the best interviews with Gibby that I've read, from Crossfire. The questions were asked by someone who knew what he was talking about, and Gibby seems to have been in just the right mood to wax poetic. From 1994.

Jon Hamm Reveals the Origin of the Butthole Surfers

BBQ Pope Through the Centuries

I like to see how little they've changed since 1982

Here is Gibby naked in 1982 playing BBQ Pope


Here they are playing BBQ Pope in 1983 (followed by Dum Dum)


And here they are last week

Letterman 1996

Butthole Surfers on David Letterman, playing Pepper (of course) with a mysterious 2nd guitar player that is someone named Kyle Ellison who I have never heard of. And Gibby kisses Paul and then lights his hand on fire at the end, which is a nice touch.

Village Voice Weighs In

With a review of the New Years Eve Butthole Surfers show.

Tin Pan Alley

I posted this on my other blog, but it's relevant here too.

Great photos of the New York music scene at Tin Pan Alley from the 1980's, documented by photographer Keri Pickett. Beautiful work and, most interestingly, includes two of my favorite men. They paid the bands well, and included dinner. The husband remembers arriving there one night to see them dragging out an apparent dead guy.

Review from a Youngster

Depressingly, this is what a young person thinks about seeing her first Butthole Surfers show in Brooklyn: "The band is old now and so are their songs." At least she enjoyed it.

Dec 31, 2010 Music Hall of Williamsburg

Photos of Gibby didn't come out too well, I was on Paul's side and Gibby was blocked by his tronix. Same for Pinkus, too far away for clear photos. And King, well, he is back there drumming the shit out of it. I'm thunderstruck by how consistently amazing these guys can play.










Below are videos from New Years Eve. Looks like so far more people posted videos from 12/30, which I'll link in the post below for that date.

SWEATLOAF


COWBOY BOB


BBQ POPE





Rocky


Dust Devil/New Years Eve countdown


CHERUB


EDGAR & GOOFY'S CONCERN

Dec 30, 2010 Music Hall of Williamsburg

A great show. A great weekend. Music Hall of Williamsburg is an excellent venue to see a band like this, big enough for good sound, small enough to feel intimate.


Songlist as posted on the BHS forum - but it's missing Rocky

SweatLoaf
Cowboy Bob
100 Million
Suicide
Rocky
Negro Observer
BBQ Pope
Hey
x-Ray
2 Parter/Tornado
Dust Devil
Goofy's Concern
O-Men
USSA
Webber
Lady Sniff/Pepper
Graveyard
22 Going On 23
Some Dispute
Edgar
Fast
Gary Floyd
----------
Bong Song
Blindman
No Rule
Shah Sleeps


Sweat Loaf


Another version of Sweat Loaf


BBQ Pope


X-Ray


Another X-Ray


Goofy's Concern


O-Men


Weber


Graveyard


Another Graveyard


Rocky


Another Rocky


Fake New Years Countdown

Graveyard at Lollapalooza 1991

Paul looks quite Madonna-esque in his off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. Not to mention the one shoe off one shoe on phenomenon, and a gun.

Review of Austin 2010 Halloween Shows

Gary Bombardier (do we think that's his real name?) wrote what is arguably the longest review of a concert in concert reviewing history. If you missed the shows this past Halloween in Austin, you can spend the next several hours reading about it here on HellBomb.

Not Goofy's Concern

In an amazing revelation to me, Paul Leary recorded Goofy's Concern, and, according to a post on the BHS forum here, played all the parts by himself. Paul said, "I think I did that at Westlake studio in Beverly Hills while waiting for Chris Shaw to mix a Meat Puppets album." Different lyrics. Totally rockin' version.

Jim Jarmusch

"Stranger Than Average Guys"
By Grant Alden huH Magazine,
June 1996

Conversation about guns, cars, music and bowling ball sized molecules.

Hello Williamsburg

It has been announced. The Butthole Surfers will play in Williamsburg Dec 30 & 31. Personally I will be a vegetable by the time Jan 2 comes around because I also have tickets to Gogol Bordello and Man Man on Jan 1. I need a nap, starting now.

Thanks for the alert to Brooklyn Vegan, and for linking to my post about my Austin adventure.

$676 Butthole Surfers T-Shirt

Someone with the screen name k***u on eBay paid $676 t0 buy a Butthole Surfers t-shirt from Lollapallooza. Bidding started at $0.99! The seller must be running around town to find more shirts like this. What a windfall.

The Videos are In

From Scoot Inn, Oct 29, 2010 videos.

SWEATLOAF


HUMAN CANNONBALL (only the first minute)


USSA


THE O-MEN


AND ANOTHER RECORDING OF THE O-MEN


JOHN-E SMOKE


LADY SNIFF/PEPPER MASHUP


CHERUB


THE SHAH SLEEPS IN LEE HARVEY'S GRAVE

Scoot Inn, Austin, Oct 29, 2010

The idea of Butthole Surfers performing Locust Abortion Technician in its entirety was a curious one, I thought, when I first saw the announcement. I listened to the album carefully and wondered how they were going to pull it off with all that electronica and distortion and sampling and mixing, without it seeming like they were just playing a recording. Few of the songs are melodic tunes that are probably easier to recreate in a live show. It's a great album, but I just had trouble picturing it. It could have been a disaster if they hadn't prepared so well. And prepare they did. It was clear how hard they were working up there to pull off the performance, professionally and technically, and I for one truly appreciated the effort they made.

Turns out that playing this album was a genius idea, executed perfectly. It was clear that not only had they been rehearsing, but they orchestrated the songs with a fresh spin. They played the entire album in one long, continuous exhale that gave a shape to the over-arching themes of the music in a way that isn't immediately apparent when you listen to the album.

To be honest, I had never listened to LAT as a holistic work. I always thought it one of the more esoteric compilations, a little hard to latch onto, requiring very close listening to make something of it. And while it opens with the incomparable Sweat Loaf and the chanting of Satan Satan Satan, it closes with what is their most disturbing song, 22 going on 23. That song never made much sense to me and always left me feeling uncomfortable. It's one part misery and one part exploitation. After hearing that song last night, it all made sense, and the entire album was tied together as a piece of storytelling, a psychedelic opera, that was extremely satisfying.

Paul Leary said he was nervous about doing this, which is understandable. It just can't be easy to transpose something that was very much made in a studio, into a live show. It worked brilliantly and I am so glad that I was able to be there to experience it. Bravo.

O-Men

This actually might be my favorite song on Locust Abortion Technician. I wish I could understand one single thing said in the speeded up amped up vocals, but maybe also that's what makes it so interesting.

Human Cannonball

Next up (not going in order) from Locust Abortion Technician, this video uses the song Human Cannonball as a soundtrack of photos of real human cannonballs from the circus. Perfect.

Sweat Loaf Live

In my own tribute to Locust Abortion Technician, I will choose a video a day (well probably not, but I intend to try) from the album.

Here is the last time I saw Butthole Surfers play Sweat Loaf, at Webster Hall, which ended with Gibby getting thrown off the stage by the security jerk.

Locust Abortion Technician - Live

In a move emulating the recent Springsteen tour where he played whole albums, but with listenable music, the Butthole Surfers will be playing their most best album Locust Abortion Technician in Austin, TX on October 29, 2010 at the Scoot Inn. The Scoot Inn, in the photo, looks like it will be in the back of a hoarder's house. I can't wait.

Sweatloaf

And while we are on the topic of Butthole Surfers tribute bands, there is one in Dallas called Sweatloaf. Gotta love them, but I would suggest the singer wears a shirt next time.

Looking for a Gibby-esque Figure

Found this posting on a UK band site looking to recruit members to form a Butthole Surfers tribute band. The responses were naturally positive but didn't seem like there were any actual takers...yet.

Rare Butthole Surfer Footage from 1987

Bill Daniel has compiled lost 16mm footage of a number of bands, including Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, Johnny Cash and The Beatles, into a film called Sonic Orphans: Lost Music Films 1965-87. He's showing the film in September in several US cities, but isn't coming to New York (yet).

Tiny Masters of Today

Can you spot Gibby in this video? Don't blink.

Is There Such Thing as Too Much Drugs?

According to this interview with Nick Cave and Jim Sclavunos, the writer Jon Doran tries to confirm a rumor that the Butthole Surfers once asked to be removed from a show with Birthday Party and the Swans because those two bands were doing too much heroin. Nick Cave seemed to have never heard this rumor, though it was surmised that the show in question was in Hamburg, this rumor was not confirmed in this interview.

Psychic Ills Tribute

A Psychic Ills tribute album (no comment), the fourth in a series called FRKWYS, will be released Sept 21 and will include the song "I Take You As My Wife Again" sung Gibby Haynes, with other songs done by other Brooklyn hipsters. Note the photo of Gibby with what must be his baby. The album will be released on vinyl, only 550 copies. So break out that turntable if you ever want to hear it.

NetHack Celebrates by Parodying Pepper

NetHack, which is some kind of open source something or other that has to do with dungeons and dragons, turned 20 and someone named Rob Balder wrote a song to celebrate it to the tune of Pepper.

It's kind of karaoke-like. Here are the lyrics:

Bertha swung Mjollnir like a Valkyrie in the rain
Then she lost her mind in Sokoban; a flayer ate her brain.
They were all in love with dyin', usin' every keyboard function,
As they tried to find the Amulet, somewhere in the dungeon.

I don't mind the text sometimes, the images it shows.
Running from the Ds and Ls, and killing all the Os.
Faded prints and subtle hints and fortune cookie lies.
You never ID all your stuff, until your @ sign dies.

Some will die in hot pursuit, fleeing from a shop,
Some will eat a rubber hose, wielded by a Kop.
Some will stand there paralyzed,
Some will go down punchin'
As they try to find the Amulet, somewhere in the dungeon.

I don't mind the text sometimes, the images it shows.
Running from the Ds and Ls, and killing all the Os.
Faded prints and subtle hints and fortune cookie lies.
You never ID all your stuff, until your @ sign dies.

Arthur tamed a jabberwock but died when it went feral.
Zack wielded a cockatrice, he fell down in a stairwell.
Theseus was butchered when he misspelled 'Elbereth,'
Carmen ate Medusa, yet another stupid death.
Chauncey fought the Oracle, he knew that it was chancey,
Cause you ASCII stupid question and you'll get a stupid ANSI.
They were all in love with dyin', they were perilously plungin'
As they tried to find the Amulet, somewhere in the dungeon.

I don't mind the text sometimes, the images it shows.
Running from the Ds and Ls, and killing all the Os.
Faded prints and subtle hints and fortune cookie lies.
You never ID all your stuff, until your @ sign dies

Here is a video of the Happy Tree Friends version of Pepper

Garry Shandling

I purchased the Garry Shandling show DVD set hoping that the segment with the Butthole Surfers would be included, but alas, it wasn't. Here is a clip from their show.




And, here is Gibby singing Revolution Part II with the School of Rock kids. This is the song that chants Garry Shandling's name in a mantra like way. This is a pretty tame version of the song.

Confetti

This photo of Gibby spraying confetti on a heckler has been making its way around Twitter, thanks to Eugene Mirman.

Driven by Boredom wrote a brief synopsis of this show, with the additional information that the word "negro leg" was bandied about, along with a very insightful review of the night, along with a comment from the brave woman herself here.

Difficult Music, A Thoughtful Analysis

An unnamed blogger at a site that appears to sell wholesale t-shirts wrote a very interesting piece about "Difficult Music," citing the Butthole Surfers as a prime example of difficult music that is worth listening to. It's defined as this:

Difficult Music should mean the music is difficult to immediately latch onto. It’s difficult in the way that a knockdown shot using a 5-iron through 75 yards of trees, running a remaining 80 yards up to the flagstick is difficult. You may have to try it over and over again, and it will be difficult to do, but once you understand it, it’s that much more rewarding. Just like the feeling you get when you’ve made that incredible golf shot through the trees.

Personally, I didn't have to listen to BHS more than once to be completely taken, but I can see how other people might need more time to bask in their weirdness combined with brilliant musical combinations.

The author gives other examples of difficult music that winds up being rewarding - Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart all fit the bill of music that is very different from the status quo, but in the end, hard to stop listening to.

Uncle Fred

According to this site, Gibby's Uncle Fred is General Fred Haynes, a WWII veteran of Iwo Jima, who reflects on this experience in this video. A moving testament from "the greatest generation."



General Haynes has recently published a book "The Lions of Iwo Jima." He is no lightweight, this guy, a member of The Council on Foreign Relations and chairman emeritus of the American Turkish Council.

I'm going to guess that he is Gibby's dad's brother, but I find it weird that the blurb mentions Gibby as the famous nephew but not his father, Mr. Peppermint, as the famous brother. (Well, famous in Texas I suppose.)

Even more impressive is this 2007 video testimony opposing torture of prisoners.

Gibby Haynes interviewed on Fox News sometime in 2009 before their last tour and before the ATP show in England. The interviewer introduced him by saying "he is as talented as I am turgid." This was taped during that sweater vest phase that I'm hoping he's done with.

Politically Incorrect, 1997

The subject is rock lyrics on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, featuring guests Gibby Haynes, Weird Al Yankovic, Meshell Ndegeocello and Stephen Bishop, or as the guy who posted these videos described them: "Meshell Ndegeocello and four white dudes."

According to Gibby, the lyrics are the important part and the music was all stolen from some black guys in East Texas.

Congratulations Little Mr. Haynes

That there is a little Gibby about to grow up and become a big Gibby is a little scary. I have no idea who the wife is other than that her name is Melissa and I will conjecture that she has a great sense of humor and is patient and kind. The baby seems to have been born sometime in March 2010. A Brooklynite who twitters saw Mr. Haynes carrying an empty baby carrier in mid-April. I hope he didn't lose the baby already, that would be quick.

Congratulations are in order, may the adventure begin. If you are so inclined to get them a gift, they appear to be registered at Green Cradle.

The tyke's name according to this anonymous commenter who is in the know is Satchel Moses, aka Satchmo. You have but 15 1/2 years until you take the SAT little man. Good luck.

Interview of the Month

The Gigantic Magazine published a fairly hysterical interview/conversation/descent into madness between the writer Joe Wenderoth and Gibby Haynes.

Here is an excerpt, where Gibby answers the question "Are you able to undress a clown in your mind?"

No, because clowns or clown is pure. Clown comes undressed! Clown is terror. Clown is complete and cannot be altered. Clown is indivisible. Clown divided by 2 is clown times 2. Clown is noise and silence. Clown is sky and horizon. Clown is clear and colored. Clown am become death. Destroyer of worlds! Clown is all and nothing. Clown isn't. Clown is only

.

Read the whole thing here.

Ultrabunny

So, here I am on myspace after looking for a band I saw play today, which led me to another band called Ultrabunny. The photo of their album cover struck me, as well as the tidbit that they issue their music on vinyl (or are they selling old records from their basement from 1985?) and wanted to see what they actually looked like, since I didn't think they sounded like two skinny naked girls. I randomly clicked on their photos, and came across Mr. Bunny with Mr. Haynes, on the subway (scroll down almost to the bottom of the page).