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Butthole Surfers

The Captain

The Captain

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Fantastic to see an article on the front page of the gruanaid today, diving deep into their back story & general insanity.

Gibby Haynes once lobbed a full pint at my face from the stage mid-song once in a london divebar. We had a brief stare-off, both furious. I feel rather proud of this incident tbh. Fabulous racket, unique band.

www.theguardian.com

‘It was like we’d signed up for a cult’: the weird, wild world of Butthole Surfers

The surviving members of the Texan psychedelic art rock noise band recall the drugs, fires, fights, scabies, dumpster-diving, naked dancing and primal screaming of their early days
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Capt
 
Never got to see them live, but I’ve seen enough footage to wish I had. Must dig Locust Abortion Technician out for a spin sometime, it’s the only album by them I have.
 
Yeah a band I would have liked to have seen live too. I think I saw them at Reading once but that doesn't really count.

Everything they did up to about 1990 was fantastic.
 
I knew a guy who took his first (and last) acid trip at a Butthole Surfers concert. This was around the time when the Buttholes were showing film of a real M-F sex change operation as their backdrop. Then he went home, put a trash bag over his head and sealed it with duct tape around his neck.

It was the wrong venue for the wrong drug for the wrong guy.
 
Yank said:
I knew a guy who took his first (and last) acid trip at a Butthole Surfers concert. This was around the time when the Buttholes were showing film of a real M-F sex change operation as their backdrop. Then he went home, put a trash bag over his head and sealed it with duct tape around his neck.

It was the wrong venue for the wrong drug for the wrong guy.
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Jeepers that's a heavy story Yank. Poor guy that's really unfortunate- yes I wouldn't think taking lsd & then see an early buttholes show was a very good idea.

I saw them at such a small basement mid 90's, bc it was word of mouth, they were under the pseudonym The Jack Officers maybe a warm-up show. Still got the (beer soaked) ticket stub framed with all my others from this period.

I love this live footage in particular- 1min of lunacy, then 5 mins of live lunacy..


Capt
 
I have seen the Butts a few times, always memorable. Brixton gig was insane. Naked woman on stage, Gibby with hair full of pegs that he thrashed his head and sent them flying at some point…

I was playing Rembrandt Pussyhorse to my eldest Granddaughter just two days ago coincidentally. Their version of American Woman is outstanding very loud.

Jack Barron (see pfm) has some great stories of his times with Gibby, and shared a few when we were discussing the Butts years ago on pfm.

I like The Jack Officers album, from memory it is Gibby and one other Butt. Quite different with the drum machine.

Kuntz.

o_O
 
Never saw them live, thankfully! I occasionally listened to them at the time and owned a couple of their LPs. Not sure how I feel about them nowadays.

From the article,
Looking back on their motivations in the band’s early days, Haynes simply says: “The whole thing was an attempt to get attention. We made art for money and attention.”
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“We’re not as good as we could be today, and that’s because I lost my shit,” reflects Haynes. “I did too many drugs. I totally screwed up the deal. It’s my bad. It’s on me.” Leary adds: “We were some genuinely ****ed up people. We’re good people, but we’re ****ed up – we’re damaged.”
Click to expand...
 
I saw them live in London in 88, I thought it was in the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden but it may have been the Brixton Academy.
I went to alot of gigs in 88/89 whilst in London , normally the ticket prices were only a few quid, most of the time excess alcohol was involved hence the hazy memories.
 
Had no idea they were much of a bunch of nutters or this well known - by the cognoscenti
John Peel played Sweat loaf and I went listening and buying CDs
 
Big Tabs said:
Here is a thread that I started on the Butthole Surfers over ten years ago…

Thread 'Your Favourite Butthole Surfer's album/track'
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/your-favourite-butthole-surfers-album-track.142195/
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Respect. I was absent from hifi/ pfm at this time, or I'd have replied. Possibly Hurdy Gurdy Man for me.

I was rather amazed to see them at this late juncture, in this graundia article, especially on the front page (briefly).

The Double Live cover star.. is so warped, it's fantastic. I'd have been one of those hands stretching to touch him/ it.. if I was in that crowd. They do something no other band has ever done. Beefheart is the closest, but the added anarchy aspect elevates it to rock mythical something or other.

Capt
 
The Captain said:
Respect. I was absent from hifi/ pfm at this time, or I'd have replied. Possibly Hurdy Gurdy Man for me.

I was rather amazed to see them at this late juncture, in this graundia article, especially on the front page (briefly).

The Double Live cover star.. is so warped, it's fantastic. I'd have been one of those hands stretching to touch him/ it.. if I was in that crowd. They do something no other band has ever done. Beefheart is the closest, but the added anarchy aspect elevates it to rock mythical something or other.

Capt
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There are interviews etc. in the current Mojo magazine by the way.
 
My introduction to them was their self titled EP on Alternative Tentacles (the reason I bought it in fact). Over time (i.e the nineties) I picked up some of their other albums but I never really got into them in a big way. I had no idea about their history.

I've not played them in a long time so they're on my mental play list.
 
deek said:
My introduction to them was their self titled EP on Alternative Tentacles (the reason I bought it in fact). Over time (i.e the nineties) I picked up some of their other albums but I never really got into them in a big way. I had no idea about their history.

I've not played them in a long time so they're on my mental play list.
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A mental playlist is where they belong. I saw them once, at Reading ‘89, but I was utterly trollied.

I haven’t listened to them for years. I always compartmentalised them with Jesus Lizard, who, oddly, I have continued to listen to regularly. Out of David Yow and Gibby Haynes, I’m not sure who I would have bet on coming out the other side with their sanity and some semblance of a career, but David Yow appears to have achieved that. I doubt we will ever see their like again.
 
@foxwelljsly I'm a great fan of Jesus Lizard too, I love playing Goat for eg loud as fk on my Lp12. Sounds lovely.

David Yow I'd be less terrified of, in fact he's got a very healthy sense of humour indeed- friend of Britt Walford, Slint founder/ drummer, & pops up in their fantastic 'Breadcrumb Trail' doco I'm sure you're familiar with (on YouTube folks if you're not- this & 'We Jam Econo' /the story of the minutemen.. are two freebie music doco rip-snorters).

Capt
 
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