Butthole Surfers

Infobox musical artist
Name = Butthole Surfers


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = San Antonio, Texas, USA
Years_active = 1981 – present
Label = Alternative Tentacles, Touch and Go, Latino Buggerveil, Rough Trade Records, Capitol Records, Surfdog Records
Associated_acts = Daddy Longhead, Drain, Honky, The Hugh Beaumont Experience, The Jackofficers, P,Nirvana
URL = [http://www.buttholesurfers.com/ www.buttholesurfers.com]
Current_members = Gibby Haynes
Paul Leary
King Coffey
Jeff Pinkus
Teresa Nervosa
Past_members = Nathan Calhoun
Trevor (Dugay) Malcolm
Terence Smart
Bill Jolly
Quinn Mathews
Scott Mathews
Andrew Mullins
Scott Stevens
Brad Perkins
Jason Morales
Josh Klinghoffer
Kyle Ellison
Owen McMahon
Kathleen Lynch
Cabbage
Mark Kramer
Juan Molina

Butthole Surfers (also referred to as simply "the Buttholes") is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but the core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been together since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1989, and they have employed a variety of bass players, most notably Bill Jolly and Jeff Pinkus. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 289.
* Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", Austin Chronicle vol. 18 #52.]

The Buttholes are best known for their black humor, a sound that incorporates elements of punk rock, psychedelia, heavy metal, noise rock, and electronica, as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.] Acclaimed for their chaotic live shows, the Buttholes have a well-reported appetite for recreational drugs, particularly psychedelics, an evident influence on their sound. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 274-311.]

Although they were respected by their peers and attracted a devoted fan base, the Butthole Surfers had little commercial success until 1996’s "Electriclarryland", their only gold record to date. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 274-311.
* Gold & Platinum Record Database, RIAA.] The album contained the hit single “Pepper,” which climbed to number one on "Billboard's" Modern Rock Tracks chart that year. [Charts & awards – Billboard singles, "Allmusic".]

History

Pre-history

The Butthole Surfers had their genesis at San Antonio, Texas’ Trinity University in the late 1970s, when students Gibson “Gibby” Haynes, and Paul Leary Walthall (later just Paul Leary) met for the first time. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.] Though it was their overall strangeness and shared taste in non-mainstream music that caused them to become fast friends, both appeared to be headed for very conventional careers. Haynes, as captain of Trinity's basketball team, as well as the school's "Accountant of the Year," soon graduated to a position with a respected Texas accountancy firm, while Leary remained in college working on his MBA degree. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 276.]

In 1981, Haynes and Leary published the fanzine "Strange V.D.", which featured photos of abnormal medical ailments, coupled with fictitious, humorous explanations for the diseases. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish: An Oral History of the Butthole Surfers", "SPIN Magazine".] After being caught with one of these pictures at work, Haynes left the accountancy firm, and moved to Southern California. Leary, at the time one semester shy of his degree, dropped out of college and followed his friend. After a brief period spent selling homemade clothes and linens emblazoned with Lee Harvey Oswald's image, the pair returned to San Antonio, and launched the band that would eventually become the Butthole Surfers. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 277.]

Early years (1981–1984)

Haynes and Leary played their debut show at a San Antonio art gallery in 1981; at that time they had not yet settled on the title "Butthole Surfers." By 1982, the band were backed by the sibling rhythm section made up of bassist Quinn Matthews and his brother, drummer Scott Matthews. The band did not gain a following in San Antonio, and purchased a van to return to California later that summer. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".
* Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 277.]

During a brief concert at the Tool and Die club in San Francisco, Dead Kennedys frontman and Alternative Tentacles overseer Jello Biafra witnessed their performance and became a fervent fan. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 277-278.] Biafra invited the group to open for the Dead Kennedys and T.S.O.L. at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, and soon made an offer that would launch their recording career: if they could get someone to loan them studio time, Alternative Tentacles would reimburse the studio when the album was complete. The band then returned to San Antonio to record at BOSS Studios (a.k.a. Bob O'Neill's Sound Studios, a.k.a. the Boss). [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] However, the Matthews brothers did not enter the studio with Haynes and Leary; the two had quit following a physical altercation between Scott Matthews and Haynes. The bass position was taken over by Bill Jolly, who would play on the Surfers' next two releases, and a number of drummers participated. The last of these, King Coffey (born Jeffrey Coffey), is still with the band to this day. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 278.]

Released on Alternative Tentacles in July 1983, the resulting EP, "Butthole Surfers" (also known as "Brown Reason to Live" and "Pee Pee the Sailor"), offered songs with provocative titles like "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave" and "Bar-B-Q Pope," alternately sung by Haynes and Leary. (Haynes would become the band's primary singer by the time of their first LP.) The album cover, like the many bizarre illustrations that would accompany the Surfers' succeeding work, was designed by the band itself. [Azerrad, "Our Band", pp. 275, 288, 294.] Teeming with humor, "Butthole Surfers" laid the foundation for what was to come. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.] It influenced at least one future superstar in Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who listed it as one of his top 10 favorite albums in his "Journals". [Cobain, "Journals".] Cobain would later meet his wife, Courtney Love of Hole, at a Butthole Surfers/L7 concert in 1991. [Kelly, "Kurt and Courtney Sitting in a Tree", "Sassy Magazine".]

Soon after the release of "Butthole Surfers", the band recruited a second drummer, Teresa Nervosa (born Teresa Taylor), who had previously played with Coffey in a number of high school marching bands in the Texas' Fort Worth and Austin areas. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".
* Interview, "Flipside" #46.] She and Coffey would drum in unison on separate, stand-up kits, adding to the spectacle of the Surfers' ever-evolving stage show. Though Nervosa and Coffey repeatedly referred to themselves, and were referred to, as siblings, it has since been revealed that the two only presented themselves as such due to their similar appearances, and are not actually related. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".
* Interview, "Flipside" #46
* Interview (King Coffey), SonicNet.com.
* Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 280.] With her arrival, the band's core "classic lineup" – Haynes, Leary, Coffey, and Nervosa – was in place. With the exception of a number of different bass players and Nervosa's brief sabbatical from late 1985 to 1986, it remained largely unchanged until her final departure in 1989. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 280-309.]

In September 1984, the Surfers issued a second EP on Alternative Tentacles, "Live PCPPEP". Primarily featuring live performances of songs from their debut, it prompted some critics and fans to joke that they had released the same album twice. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.] What many didn't realize, however, is that the band had already returned to BOSS Studios to record enough material for a full-length album months before "Live PCPPEP"'s release. (Jolly left shortly after these sessions, but did perform on the live EP). Moreover, they had started a second album at the same studio. Both were originally offered to Alternative Tentacles, with "Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac" arriving first. [Interview, "Forced Exposure" #11.]

Before either album could be released, though, Alternative Tentacles had to acquire the master tapes from Bob O'Neill, BOSS Studios' namesake and owner. He refused to release them until he'd been reimbursed for the sessions, and Alternative Tentacles couldn't immediately afford to pay. After waiting months, the band issued "Live PCPPEP" out of financial desperation, and O'Neill was preparing to release "Psychic..." on his own Ward 9 label to recoup his expenses. [Paytress, "The Butthole Surfers: Mark Paytress Unravels the Career of the Cult American Band", "Record Collector" #114.]

Legend grows (1984–1987)

With some members working as dishwashers, the group was apparently not thrilled with the album being released on Ward 9. Terry Tolkin, a friend and their east coast booking agent, signed the band to Corey Rusk's then-nascent Touch and Go Records in Detroit. "Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac" was released in 1984. ["The Baffler", Volume 4.
* Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 292.
* Interview, "Forced Exposure" #11.] Building on their first EP, the Surfers made psychedelia a much bigger part of their sound on this release, which made full use of the tape editing, non-traditional instrumentation, and sound modulation that came to define their studio recordings. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.]

Just before "Psychic..."'s debut, and with new bassist Terence Smart in tow (the first of many through 1986), the band commenced their first nationwide tour. It was on this outing that they truly established a national presence, starting at Touch and Go's early headquarters in Detroit before heading to New York City, where they impressed members of Sonic Youth, as well as Shockabilly (and future Butthole Surfers) bassist Mark Kramer. They then crisscrossed the country for several months, including a show in Seattle, that made a fan of future Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil. While in San Francisco at the end of the tour, and without a place to live, the band collectively decided to move to Winterville, Georgia, where they admittedly made a hobby of stalking members of R.E.M.. Smart quit after falling in love with a friend of the band, and Trevor Malcolm, a young Canadian musician recommended by Touch and Go, replaced him on bass. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 291-292.]

Word was spreading about the band's bizarre stage show by the time they hit the road again, resulting in ever-larger audiences at their concerts. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 292.] Not long after Malcolm's arrival, the Surfers recorded their act for posterity by filming two concerts at Detroit's Traxx club. Some of this footage was eventually packaged as "Blind Eye Sees All", their only official video release to date. They purchased their first 8-track recorder at this time, and used it to record two songs later used on the A-side of "Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis". [Interview, "Forced Exposure" #11.]

Reportedly unhappy with life in the band, Malcolm quit in the early summer of 1985. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 295.] A friend of the band's from Athens, Juan Molina, was brought in for a brief U.S. tour, but was not interested in becoming a full-time member. [Interview, "Forced Exposure" #11.] Without a permanent bassist and a quickly approaching European tour looming – the band's first – they contacted Kramer, who quickly agreed to join. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 295.] Meanwhile, their second LP, which had been submitted to Alternative Tentacles as "Rembrandt Pussy Horse", was still in limbo. The reasons for Alternative Tentacles' actions are unclear, but it is known that the label delayed a decision for about a year before ultimately refusing to publish it. [Paytress, "Record Collector" #114.] While waiting, the band released the four-song "Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis" EP on Touch and Go in late 1985. Once Alternative Tentacles finally declined, the group went back into the studio to record two new tracks to replace "To Parter" and "Tornadoes," which were originally intended for "Rembrandt..." before appearing on the "Cream Corn..." EP's B-side. [Interview, "Forced Exposure" #11.]

Following the European tour, the Surfers experienced more upheaval when Nervosa left around Christmas 1985, as she was tired of the living conditions associated with constant touring and had a desire to be with family. [Inteview, "Tripping Yarns" #2, interview conducted 1987.] She was replaced by another female drummer, known as Cabbage, who in turn introduced the band to their legendary "naked dancer," Kathleen Lynch (a.k.a. Kathleen, a.k.a. Ta-Da the Shit Lady). Kramer left during this period and was replaced by Jeff Pinkus, who gave the band's bass position its longest period of stability by staying until 1994. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 299.]

Their second LP was finally issued as "Rembrandt Pussyhorse" on Touch and Go in April 1986. Coming out some two years after the original sessions, it featured a different mix and song selection than Alternative Tentacles' unreleased version. [Paytress, "Record Collector" #114.] Best known for its minimalist reworking of The Guess Who's "American Woman," it is one of the most experimental albums in the Surfers' heavily experimental career. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".] Following a particularly out-of-control tour, even by Butthole Surfers standards, the band semi-settled in Austin, Texas in the summer of 1986. Nervosa rejoined them (Cabbage having been fired months earlier), and they went to work on crafting their first home studio in a rental house on the outskirts of town. Before long, they started a leisurely recording session for their third full-length project. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 303.] Released in March 1987, "Locust Abortion Technician" is one of the heaviest Butthole Surfers albums, and it is often considered their finest to date. ["Locust Abortion Technician" review, "Allmusic".] Harnessing aspects of punk, heavy metal, and psychedelia, its unique sound produced a number of grinding, slower-paced songs, arguably making it an early precursor of grunge. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".]

Evolution (1987–1991)

Around the time of "Locust Abortion Technician"'s debut, the group bought a home in Driftwood, Texas, approximately convert|30|mi|km outside Austin. It was a ranch house built into the side of a hill, with five acres of surrounding property. As with the rental home, the compound was turned into a "de facto" recording studio. They did not live together in the new house for long, though, with Coffey being the first to move out and get his own place. They all had separate residences by 1991. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".]

In early 1988, the Surfers were ready to record a new album and wanted to use a modern studio for the first time, choosing a state-of-the-art facility in Texas. The following sessions took only one week, as the band had been performing most of the material for years. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 306.] The band opted to follow this album's blueprint on future projects. In contrast, songs on their earlier recordings had undergone far more in-studio development and experimentation. Pinkus has expressed the opinion that the later, better-organized sessions stifled much of the spontaneous creativity that had propelled their earlier releases. [Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", "Austin Chronicle".]

"Hairway to Steven" was issued in April, and marked a midway point between the band's punk rock roots, and the more accessible recordings that would follow. While half of the material is as extreme sounding as their earlier work, other songs are more conventional. This was the first Surfers album to make extensive use of acoustic guitar. "Hairway to Steven" did not have song titles when first released, and instead represented each track with an absurdist, often scatological, cartoon. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".
* Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", "Austin Chronicle".] The band traveled widely in support of the album over the next year, including a very successful tour of Europe (helped in part by the influence of new UK distributor Blast First). Like their studio recordings, their live shows were beginning to lose much of their earlier chaos. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 307-308.]

While touring during the winter of 1988, the Surfers used a portable DAT recorder to tape various concerts. The strongest of these recordings were packaged as "Double Live", a limited edition double album released on vinyl and cassette in 1989, and on CD the following year. This was the first release on the band's Latino Buggerveil label. Though the album, as of spring 2007, is out of print, its songs are available as free MP3 downloads on the band's official website. Issued in response to widespread, for-profit bootlegging of their live shows, it contained performances of songs from all of their previous studio albums and EPs. ["Double Live" MP3 download page, Butthole Surfers.com.]

"Double Live" was to be the last Surfers album to feature Nervosa, who left early in 1989. Shortly after leaving, she was diagnosed with an aneurysm, and was forced to undergo brain surgery. She further began to suffer from strobe light-induced seizures. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] In 1991, Nervosa (who has gone by Teresa Taylor since her retirement) had a small role in Richard Linklater's film "Slacker". She was employed at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired as recently as 1995. ["Slacker" page, IMDb.com.
* Interview (King Coffey), SonicNet.com.]

The Surfers did not seek to replace her at the time, and opted to continue as a quartet. Following a final EP for Touch and Go –1989's "Widowermaker"– the band left their longtime recording partners to sign with longtime supporter Terry Tolkin at Rough Trade Records who had also brought them to Touch and Go , for a reportedly generous one-album deal. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 309.] Prior to the new LP's debut, Rough Trade talked the band into first releasing 1990s "The Hurdy Gurdy Man", which previewed material from the coming release. The same year, Rough Trade issued "Digital Dump" by The Jackofficers, Haynes and Pinkus's psychedelic house music side project. [Orr, "Journey to the Sphincter of Your Mind or... Cowabunghole", "Reflex Magazine".]

"piouhgd" (pronounced "p.o.'ed," as in "pissed off") was the band's fifth full-length studio album, and their first for Rough Trade. Released in April 1991, it featuring more electronic instrumentation, but was largely viewed as a disappointment in comparison to past recordings. Both Haynes and Leary have since expressed displeasure with the album. [Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com.
* Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".
* Nunez, "The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt", "Fiz Magazine".] Regardless, the band was invited to be part of that summer's inaugural Lollapalooza tour. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 311.] Around this time Haynes collaborated with Ministry, contributing vocals on their 1991 single "Jesus Built My Hotrod", which was later included on 1992's "".

Mainstream recognition (1991–1999)

Rough Trade filed for bankruptcy in 1991, but not before releasing Leary's solo project, "The History of Dogs". The following year, The Surfers shocked many fans and critics by signing with the major label Capitol Records. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 311.
* Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".] Capitol immediately reissued "piouhgd" and paired the band with their first big-name producer, John Paul Jones, best known as the bassist for Led Zeppelin. [Leland & Robbins, "Butthole Surfers biography", "Trouser Press".] The fruit of their partnership, 1993's "Independent Worm Saloon", featured a more straightforward rock approach at Jones's insistence. [Cohen, "In Through the Back Door: The Butthole Surfers are the certified shock jocks of the next wave", "Rolling Stone".] This paid off for the Surfers, giving them their first minor radio hit, "Who Was In My Room Last Night?" It reached number 24 on "Billboard"'s Modern Rock Tracks singles chart, while the album peaked at number 124 on the "Billboard" 200. [Charts & awards – Billboard singles, "Allmusic".
* Charts & awards – Billboard albums, "Allmusic".] Two of the new songs were featured on episodes of MTV's "Beavis and Butt-head". [Butthole Surfers page, IMDb.com.]

When Pinkus left in 1994, [Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", Austin Chronicle vol. 18 #52.] the remaining members enlisted a series of fill-in musicians, and continued to tour sporadically, even as all three pursued side projects. Haynes was working with Johnny Depp, Bill Carter, Sal Jenco, Flea, and others in a new group, P. In 1993, Haynes played with this band in Los Angeles' Viper Room, on the night the actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] Meanwhile, Leary was building a reputation as a skilled music producer, while Coffey set up his own record label Trance Syndicate. [Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", "Austin Chronicle" vol. 18 #52.] According to Leary and industry insiders, Haynes was increasingly dependent on hard drugs at this time, though Haynes has downplayed their concerns. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".]

In 1995, the band contributed a cover of the "Underdog" theme song to MCA's "Saturday Morning" compilation. [Track listing & liner notes, "Saturday Morning" (album), 1995.] Later that year, Haynes's side project, P, issued an eponymous LP on Capitol, while Coffey's Trance Syndicate label released the first Butthole Surfers compilation album. ["P", 1995.
* "The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt" (album), 1995.] Titled "The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt", it was mostly comprised of live tracks recorded at different venues from 1985 to 1991. [Liner notes, "The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt" (album), 1995.] In December, the Surfers initiated what would become an extended legal battle with Touch and Go. At first they were seeking to increase their profits from the albums released by the label, because the label chose a strategy of non-promotion. The case quickly became a fight for all ownership rights that dragged on for more than three years.

In 1996, Capitol released the Surfers' only gold record to date, "Electriclarryland", which climbed to number 31 on the "Billboard" 200; the single “Pepper” topped the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart. [Gold & Platinum Record Database, RIAA.
* Charts & awards – Billboard albums, "Allmusic"
* Charts & awards – Billboard singles, "Allmusic".] Their songs started appearing on the soundtracks of major Hollywood movies, including Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" and John Carpenter's "Escape from L.A." [Butthole Surfers page, IMDb.com.] Despite improved sales with their second Capitol album, the group's relationship with the label was increasingly troubled. A planned 1998 project, "After the Astronaut", was scrapped and the Surfers acrimoniously split with their manager, Tom Bunch. [Young, "Butthole Surfers Resurface: Austin Iconoclasts Exit Legal Morass, Sign to Surfdog/Hollywood", "Billboard Magazine".] In 1999, the Surfers won their lawsuit against Touch and Go. [Young, "Butthole Surfers Resurface: Austin Iconoclasts Exit Legal Morass, Sign to Surfdog/Hollywood", "Billboard Magazine".] Despite the outcome, several of the Surfers' peers in the alternative music community, including Fugazi and Minor Threat lead singer Ian MacKaye, criticized them for having pursued the lawsuit. Haynes and others said they wouldn't have initiated the proceedings if they felt Rusk's dealings had been honorable. Rusk provided the band with indecipherable accounting statements. Rusk continued to insist his actions were honest even though the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit found otherwise. [Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", "Austin Chronicle" vol. 18 #52.] With the case resolved, the band reissued "Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac", "Rembrandt Pussyhorse" (with the "Cream Corn..." EP), "Locust Abortion Technician", and "Hairway to Steven" on their Latino Buggerveil label. [Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", "Austin Chronicle" vol. 18 #52.]

Recent years (2000–present)

In 2000, the band hired Nathan Calhoun as bassist. Having resolved their dispute with Capitol, the Surfers re-recorded most of "After the Astronaut"'s songs for "Weird Revolution", on the Hollywood Records/Surfdog Records imprint. The album was released in August 2001, and reached number 130 on the "Billboard" 200. It was their most electronic album to date, [Charts & awards – Billboard albums, "Allmusic".
* Kennedy, "Weird Revolution" review, "Allmusic".] and the single "The Shame of Life" peaked at number 24 on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart. [Charts & awards – Billboard singles, "Allmusic".]

Since then, the group has released two compilations on Latino Buggerveil: 2002's "Humpty Dumpty LSD" is a compilation of studio outtakes, while 2003's "Butthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP", combines their first two Alternative Tentacles EPs. [Track listing & liner notes, "Humpty Dumpty LSD" (album), 2002.
* Track listing & liner notes, "Butthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP" (album), 2003.] In 2004, Haynes formed Gibby Haynes and His Problem, who released an eponymous album on Surfdog Records later that year. While promoting the side project, Haynes indicated that another Butthole Surfers studio album was likely, and remarked that it would be "noisy." [Rock, "Dr Rock VS Gibby Haynes", PlayLouder.com.] However, no release date has been announced.

The band toured the east coast and Europe with Jeff Pinkus and Teresa Nervosa in the Summer of 2008. This was the first time this line up has played together since 1989. Further dates are to be confirmed, including a performance at this year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival curated by Melvins and Mike Patton. [Butthole Surfers 2008 tour dates [http://buttholesurfers.com/tourdates.html] ]

Name

The band did not begin as the Butthole Surfers, although they did have a song of that title, possibly an early version of 1984's "Butthole Surfer". This changed at their first paid concert, when an announcer forgot what the band was called and used the song title for the group’s name. They decided to keep the moniker, and have largely been billed as such ever since. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 277.] Prior to that, the Surfers performed under a different name at every live show. Early aliases included the Dick Clark Five, Nine Foot Worm Makes Own Food, the Vodka Family Winstons, and many others. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," SPIN Magazine.] The name has long been a source of trouble for the band. Many clubs, newspapers, radio, and TV stations refuse to print or mention their full name, and instead opted to use "B.H. Surfers", or other abbreviations. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 277.]

Live performances

In the 1980s, the Butthole Surfers earned a reputation for putting on particularly wild, often disturbing live performances that were both decadent and violent. As a result, they began to attract a wide range of curiosity seekers within a few years of their debut, in addition to traditional fans of punk rock who had supported them from the beginning. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 293.] A staged reproduction of the band's live show was filmed for 1988's "Bar-B-Que Movie", a short Super 8 movie directed by Alex Winter, best known as "Bill S. Preston, Esq." from 1989's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and its sequel. ["Bar-B-Que Movie" page, IMDb.com.] A spoof of 1974's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", the film ends with a music video-style performance of the song "Fast" (a.k.a. "Fart Song"), featuring Haynes, Leary, Coffey, Nervosa, and Jeff Pinkus, as well as Lynch. The track displayed many of the band's stage gimmicks, such as the burning cymbal, strobe lights, films, and smoke. ["Bar-B-Que Movie", YouTube.]

By the time dancer Kathleen Lynch left in 1989, the Surfers' stage show had become more predictable, with previously random shockers being done at the same point in each night's performance. Teresa Nervosa quit for good around the same time, and King Coffey became the band's sole percussionist. Strobe lights, smoke machines, and even Gibby Haynes' burning cymbal are still part of the presentation, but the chaotic spontaneity of their 1980s performances is no longer on display. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 288-289, 309.]

Band

Lead vocalist and saxophonist Haynes (who sometimes sang through a bullhorn), guitarist Paul Leary, dual drummers Coffey and Nervosa (the latter briefly replaced by Cabbage), and whichever bassist happened to be filling in at the time. Then came the visual aspect, beginning with the musicians themselves. As with their music, their appearance was exceptionally non-conventional in the early days, including sideways mohawks, dreadlocks, unnaturally colored hair, and the like. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 282.]

Known for taking the stage at early concerts with hundreds of clothespins attached to his hair and clothes, Haynes would often strip throughout a show until he was down to his underwear, or less, by the end. Other attire included flasher-style trench coats over his nakedness, ridiculously home-styled wigs and cross-dressing; often enjoying a skirt made of an American flag and a large '60s torpedo-style stuffed bra. At other times he would hide condoms full of stage blood in his clothes and repeatedly fall to the floor, appearing to bleed profusely. Some of Haynes' other favorite tricks involved throwing handfuls of photocopied cockroach images into the crowd, rolls and rolls of toilet paper tossed across the audience, as well as filling an inverted cymbal with lighter fluid, setting it (and sometimes his hand) on fire, and repeatedly hitting it with a mallet. As previously mentioned he would sing through most anything that would alter his voice, including toilet paper rolls and megaphones early on, which eventually evolved into "Gibby's kit," a.k.a. "Gibbytronix;" a rack of vocal effects stacked as high as he could reach, before which he would often stand for the majority of the show in later performances. He also often utilized various foot switches which would be used to activate certain vocal effects, and when thought to be dancing during some performances he would actually be stepping on his various pedals. Adding to the spectacle were Coffey and Nervosa, who played in unison on stand-up drum kits; behind which they would collapse onto the floor and out of eyeshot, to collect their breath and strength before rising just in time to play the next song. Finally, the whole band would often tear apart stuffed animals while on stage. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 288-289.]

In 1986, they first met Lynch (a.k.a. Kathleen, a.k.a. Ta-Da the Shit Lady), who was then working at a strip club called Sex World in New York City. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 299, 301.] Though never an official member, she became the Surfers' famous "naked dancer," performing intermittently with them through 1989. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] One show in Washington D.C. with G.W.A.R. saw Kathleen take the stage to dance in nothing but gold body paint and antique wooden snow shoes. And at another particularly wild concert in 1986, Haynes and Lynch reportedly engaged in sexual intercourse while on stage, as Leary used a screwdriver to vandalize the club's speakers. This came after only five songs, during which time Haynes had started a small fire. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 300.]

Equipment

The Surfers began to take the collection of visual equipment seriously following Coffey's recruitment in 1983, when he added a clear plastic drum fitted with a strobe light to their show. Shortly afterwards, the band purchased what was reported as several thousand dollars worth of stolen strobe lights at a bargain rate, and their visual equipment soon took up more space than their instruments. Smoke machines were later added. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 289, 293.] Equally memorable was the band's propensity for projecting a variety of films behind them as they played, beginning with one 16-millimeter projector, before adding others. This set-up allowed them to play a number of overlapping movies at the same time which were often strangely-angled, upside down or played in reverse. Combined with the increasing number of strobe lights, the effect created a visually disorienting atmosphere, which occasionally caused epileptic seizures in audience members. [Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] The films' subject matter was often as disturbing as the manner in which they were played; with images of accidents, nuclear explosions, meat processing, spiders & scorpions stalking prey, gory drivers education films, and penis reconstruction surgery. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 293.
* Morthland & Patoski, "Feeding the Fish," "SPIN Magazine".] Not all of the movies were horrific, and they often included nature, wildlife, and aquatic footage; as well as a color negative of a "Charlie's Angels" episode. [Azerrad, "Our Band", p. 294.]

Band members

Though the Butthole Surfers have been through numerous official and unofficial members since 1981, current members Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary, and King Coffey have been together since 1983.

Discography

* "Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac" (1985)
* "Rembrandt Pussyhorse" (1986)
* "Locust Abortion Technician" (1987)
* "Hairway to Steven" (1988)
* "piouhgd" (1991)
* "Independent Worm Saloon" (1993)
* "Electriclarryland" (1996)
* "Weird Revolution" (2001)

Footnotes

References

* cite book
last = Azerrad
first = Michael
title =
publisher = Little, Brown and Company
date = 2001

*cite web
title = "Bar-B-Que Movie" page
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264393/
accessdate = 2007-02-11

*cite web
title = Butthole Surfers page
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1599580/
accessdate = 2007-02-10

*cite web
title = Charts & awards – Billboard albums
publisher = "Allmusic"
url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=BUTTHOLE|SURFERS&sql=11:rmfjzfshehok~T5
accessdate = 2007-02-06

*cite web
title = Charts & awards – Billboard singles
publisher = "Allmusic"
url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=BUTTHOLE|SURFERS&sql=11:n7qvad1kv8wj~T51
accessdate = 2007-02-06

* cite book
last = Cobain
first = Kurt
title = Journals
publisher = Riverhead
date = 2002

* cite news
last = Cohen
first = Jason
title = In Through the Back Door: The Butthole Surfers are the certified shock jocks of the next wave
work = Rolling Stone
date = 1993-06-24
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/RSjun2493.htm
accessdate = 2007-02-07

*cite web
title = "Double Live" MP3 download page
publisher = Butthole Surfers
url = http://www.buttholesurfers.com/DoubleLiveMP3.html
accessdate = 2007-02-13

*cite web
title = Gold & Platinum Record Database
publisher = Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
url = http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/default.asp
accessdate = 2007-02-06

* cite news
title = Interview
work = Flipside #46
date = 1984-09-22
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/flipside.html
accessdate = 2007-02-07

* cite news
title = Interview
work = Forced Exposure #11
date = 1986-04-18
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/forcedexposure.html
accessdate = 2007-02-07

* cite news
title = Interview
work = Tripping Yarns #2
date = 1987

* cite web
title = Interview (King Coffey)
publisher = SonicNet.com
date = 1995-02-22
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/kingchat.html
accessdate = 2007-02-07

* cite news
last = Kelly
first = Christina
title = Kurt and Courtney Sitting in a Tree
work = Sassy Magazine
date = April 1992
url = http://www.moonwashedrose.com/media/sassy.html
accessdate = 2007-02-10

*cite web
last = Kennedy
first = Patrick
title = "Weird Revolution" review
publisher = "Allmusic"
url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dzdyyl53xpsb
accessdate = 2007-02-20

col-2

*cite web
last = Leland, John & Robbins
first = Ira
title = Butthole Surfers biography
publisher = Trouser Press
url = http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=butthole_surfers
accessdate = 2007-02-07

* cite news
last = Lieck
first = Ken
title = Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror
work = Austin Chronicle vol. 18 #52
url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue52/music.buttholes.html
accessdate = 2007-02-10

*cite web
title = "Locust Abortion Technician" review
publisher = "Allmusic"
url = http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2z6qoaqabijm
accessdate = 2007-02-10

* cite news
last = Morthland, John & Patoski
first = Joe Nick
title = Feeding the Fish: An Oral History of the Butthole Surfers
work = SPIN Magazine
date = 1996
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/feedfish.html
accessdate = 2007-02-07

* cite news
last = Nunez
first = Carlos "Cake"
title = The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt
work = Fiz Magazine
date = March/April 1993
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/fizarticle.html
accessdate = 2007-02-10

* cite news
last = Orr
first = Peter
title = Journey to the Sphincter of Your Mind or... Cowabunghole
work = Reflex Magazine
date = September/October 1991
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/journeymind.htm
accessdate = 2007-02-10

* cite news
last = Paytress
first = Mark
title = The Butthole Surfers: Mark Paytress Unravels the Career of the Cult American Band
work = Record Collector #114
date = February 1989
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/recordcollector.html
accessdate = 2007-02-07

*cite web
last = Rock
first = Dr
title = Dr Rock VS Gibby Haynes
publisher = PlayLouder.com
date = 2004-08-17
url = http://playlouder.com/feature/+drrockvsgibbyhay/
accessdate = 2007-02-13

*cite web
title = "Slacker" "Full Credits" page
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102943/fullcredits
accessdate = 2007-02-13

*cite web
last = Young
first = Charles M.
title = Butthole Surfers biography
publisher = "Rolling Stone"
date = 2004
url = http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/buttholesurfers/biography
accessdate = 2007-02-06

* cite news
last = Young
first = Charles M
title = Butthole Surfers Resurface: Austin Iconoclasts Exit Legal Morass, Sign to Surfdog/Hollywood
work = Billboard Magazine
date = 1999-09-11
url = http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/resurface.html
accessdate = 2007-02-10col-end

External links

* [http://www.buttholesurfers.com/ Official Butthole Surfers website]
* [http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=buttholesurfers Butthole Surfers] at Alternative Tentacles
* [http://www.archive.org/details/ButtholeSurfers Butthole Surfers collection] on the Internet Archive's live music archive.
* [http://www.ubu.com/sound/tellus_10.html Butthole Surfers: "U.S.S.A". (2:00) recorded at CBGB by Barbera Milne 6/13/85] published on the Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine @ Ubuweb