[Warning: The following Blog entry may or may not contain pictures of Clowns -it does... no it doesn't....]
Remember...'member... 'Member berries.....Mmmmmm
Remember a couple weeks ago, I was fuming because I couldn't post some YouTube video's? I remember it well... Because it really pissed me off!
So, I had been running through some of my favorite albums and I had wanted to impress upon people, the maniacal, the insane, the amazing, the terrorizing and astounding musical works of 'Mr. Bungle'.
Now, ONLY read further if you're interested in hearing Mr. Bungle. With the embedded Youtube links, you don't have to leave this page to listen... But I dare and urge you to keep an open mind and open ears for something truly spectacular, a pure raging anomaly in our musical World. I think among the most talented of musicians.
From hence onward, shit gets weird......
Mr. Bungle began in Eureka, California in 1985. It was a High School band of one Michael Patton and his school mates Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn - No relation to Mike or Daniel Dunn...... This high school act played a mish mash of covers and television show themes. On Youtube you can actually see for yourselves an early incarnation of Mr. Bungle, with skateboards, masks and zaninessessness...
I only discovered Mr. Bungle by seeing Patton's T-shirts.... in several Faith No More photoshoots.
Wait a sec... That ain't the right photo.. Hold on....
There was a lot of bands that I think many of us 'discovered' by seeing our favorite musicians wearing their merch.
Once I heard Mr. Bungle, there was no turning back....
Jazz, Metal, Rock, television show themes, Techno, Scat, classical, acid jazz, chant, merengue, Middle Eastern music, you name it it's all put into a blender and pissed on and then some shit thrown in it, blended again, then recorded on record, that's a Mr. Bungle album.
I tried to pay homage to Mr. Bungle in two Wasteland Zombies songs. 'The Town Fair' was my homage to Bungles' 'Carousel' and our song, that we've never played live in this incarnation of the band, 'Breathing' was an homage to 'Dead Goon'.
'The Town Fair', about an 'evil murderous clown', was akin to 'Carousels' circus atmosphere and 'Breathing' was about hanging yourself, which Dead Goon is also about this form of suicide.
Back in the day to piss our guitarist Rich O'Neil off, I'd dedicate the song to Kurt Cobain, albeit, Cobain shot himself... I'd introduce 'Breathing' also known as, 'Blowing your face off with a shotgun' (even though the songs about hanging oneself and NO, I was never suicidal! It's just a damn song)... 'Breathing' also comes across as a 'Blind Melon'-ish like song. As I was influenced by both bands around the same time. We dropped 'Breathing' out of our setlist because the crowds we played before after reuniting probably wouldn't have dug the mellow sounds of 'Breathing'. Back in the day, it was far easier to get away with, as there were so many alternative bands. Maybe some day we'll play it as a special.. Who knows. I did have it up on Reverbnation, but I took it down from there as well.
To pick a favorite Mr. Bungle song, is hard, there's so many and for so many different reasons..... But let's start with 'Quote Unquote' from their obviously self-titled release in 1991
'Quote Unquote' has lyrics about a few things, but mainly is seemingly about John Travolta....
There's even a nod to 'Trump' in the song... LONG, way long before Trump ran for El Presidente;
Next up, let's dive into 'Carousel' mainly because it is 'circus' related and I'm a big evil clown fan.. mostly because clowns freak people out, which like vomiting, I find hilarious... Now if you had a clown throwing up, I'd be in stitches for months.
'Dead Goon' - Is a great another great example of the variety that is contained within Mr. Bungle and also it's amazing writing capabilities, dedication to the bizarre and surreal
Albeit, there were demos and 'E.P.'s' released before the 'self-titled' Mr. Bungle album, the quality of them ain't altogether awesome.
After the self-titled debut, with which the band was signed to Warner Brother's records, which who knows, had Patton, not joined up with Faith No More, the record deal for Bungle may never have happened, but i'm not altogether fully in the know on that, so who knows.... I had seen an interview with Patton where he said that records from Mr. Bungle couldn't exist without a major label, mostly because that band NEEDS a big cash injection for it to record and tour.
The next release by Bungle was 'Disco Volante' released in 1995 - So, not that the self-titled album was "accessible", but 'Disco Volante' was more... experimental, if that can happen. The songs on 'Disco' are less cohesive than the self-titled release... At least I think so.
This album also contained a warning. It has recorded sound frequencies that apparently can be damaging to hearing and some kinds of stereo systems... I never suffered any damage, but I did notice that the album has some manipulation of it's volumes. So, part of the album you'd have cranked to 10, then suddenly you'd have to turn it down and then up, they were totally fucking with the listeners, which is just completely something the band would do with intent.
How about 'Desert Search For Techno Allah ' whcih has a lot of variation and styles of music in it.
And also from 'Disco Volante' I'll give you 'Merry-Go-Bye Bye'. Love this song. With this album and the self-titled album, the last songs were two of my favorites.
There is a track on 'Disco' called 'The bends' and is actually divided into 10 other song 'parts'. These guys are masters of sound and design, they also had on this album and the one before help from John Zorn, who's an eclectic, acid-fusion-Jazz instrumentalist and producer.
And not only the music, but in particular Mike Paton's vocalizations are what draws me to Mr. Bungle. Like I said previously, Patton showed me and many others that the huemahn voice can be just in every way an instrument as a guitar, drum or violin.
Mike Patton released in 1996 'Adult Themes For Voice' which is an multi track album that contains no instruments but his voice. Recorded in hotel rooms and on the tour buses during FNM and Bungle tours, 'Adult Themes For Voice' will not be everyone's cup 'O tea.....
Perhaps the album with the most cohesive material on it is 'California'.. Released in 1999 this would be the bands final album. IF you have listened to the above tracks the full way through, without stabbing your ear drums with a pen, then when listening to the tracks from 'California', you'll notice they are more... erm, accessible, more bearable and digestible (not that I find any of Bungles' albums inaccessible, unbearable or indigestible .... All the albums are my favorites, and I believe that each one grew and never regressed. It was sad to hear the band was ... No More... But I think the size of the band just wasn't cost effective. To pull off a lot of the material they needed practically an orchestra on stage.
The band didn't cut a lot of music videos, and it was many years later, that like 'Ghost' and their cover of 'Here Comes The Sun', that some fans cut a video for the song 'Retrovertigo'... It's such an awesome video and has as it's 'star' Ben Woolf, who, if you watched American Horror Story, played 'Meep' in the Freakshow season. Sadly, Ben was killed when crossing the street by a car. I must have watched this video near a hundred times or more now....
I'm not sure why, but on the album, 'Merry Go Bye-Bye' is just over 12 minutes in length, but online the videos are just over and under 6/7minutes. Though I did find this 'extended' version at 10 minutes
I hope you all enjoyed this look at one of my most favorite bands ever. Mr. Bungle. Maybe someday they'll reunite like Faith No More did... But I wouldn't hold my breath...
Extra bonus video: 'Lunchroom Manners' a film for school children about 'good manners and behavior' released in the 1960's and later played by Pee Wee Herman on his tours during the 1980's
I dunno, after that video, I think I'm more like Mr. Bungle than 'Phil'.....
Remember...'member... 'Member berries.....Mmmmmm
Remember a couple weeks ago, I was fuming because I couldn't post some YouTube video's? I remember it well... Because it really pissed me off!
So, I had been running through some of my favorite albums and I had wanted to impress upon people, the maniacal, the insane, the amazing, the terrorizing and astounding musical works of 'Mr. Bungle'.
Now, ONLY read further if you're interested in hearing Mr. Bungle. With the embedded Youtube links, you don't have to leave this page to listen... But I dare and urge you to keep an open mind and open ears for something truly spectacular, a pure raging anomaly in our musical World. I think among the most talented of musicians.
From hence onward, shit gets weird......
Mr. Bungle began in Eureka, California in 1985. It was a High School band of one Michael Patton and his school mates Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn - No relation to Mike or Daniel Dunn...... This high school act played a mish mash of covers and television show themes. On Youtube you can actually see for yourselves an early incarnation of Mr. Bungle, with skateboards, masks and zaninessessness...
I only discovered Mr. Bungle by seeing Patton's T-shirts.... in several Faith No More photoshoots.
Once I heard Mr. Bungle, there was no turning back....
Jazz, Metal, Rock, television show themes, Techno, Scat, classical, acid jazz, chant, merengue, Middle Eastern music, you name it it's all put into a blender and pissed on and then some shit thrown in it, blended again, then recorded on record, that's a Mr. Bungle album.
I tried to pay homage to Mr. Bungle in two Wasteland Zombies songs. 'The Town Fair' was my homage to Bungles' 'Carousel' and our song, that we've never played live in this incarnation of the band, 'Breathing' was an homage to 'Dead Goon'.
'The Town Fair', about an 'evil murderous clown', was akin to 'Carousels' circus atmosphere and 'Breathing' was about hanging yourself, which Dead Goon is also about this form of suicide.
Back in the day to piss our guitarist Rich O'Neil off, I'd dedicate the song to Kurt Cobain, albeit, Cobain shot himself... I'd introduce 'Breathing' also known as, 'Blowing your face off with a shotgun' (even though the songs about hanging oneself and NO, I was never suicidal! It's just a damn song)... 'Breathing' also comes across as a 'Blind Melon'-ish like song. As I was influenced by both bands around the same time. We dropped 'Breathing' out of our setlist because the crowds we played before after reuniting probably wouldn't have dug the mellow sounds of 'Breathing'. Back in the day, it was far easier to get away with, as there were so many alternative bands. Maybe some day we'll play it as a special.. Who knows. I did have it up on Reverbnation, but I took it down from there as well.
To pick a favorite Mr. Bungle song, is hard, there's so many and for so many different reasons..... But let's start with 'Quote Unquote' from their obviously self-titled release in 1991
'Quote Unquote' has lyrics about a few things, but mainly is seemingly about John Travolta....
There's even a nod to 'Trump' in the song... LONG, way long before Trump ran for El Presidente;
"With his mouth sewn shut, he still shakes his butt
Cuz he's Hitler & Swayze & Trump & Travolta"
Next up, let's dive into 'Carousel' mainly because it is 'circus' related and I'm a big evil clown fan.. mostly because clowns freak people out, which like vomiting, I find hilarious... Now if you had a clown throwing up, I'd be in stitches for months.
'Dead Goon' - Is a great another great example of the variety that is contained within Mr. Bungle and also it's amazing writing capabilities, dedication to the bizarre and surreal
Albeit, there were demos and 'E.P.'s' released before the 'self-titled' Mr. Bungle album, the quality of them ain't altogether awesome.
After the self-titled debut, with which the band was signed to Warner Brother's records, which who knows, had Patton, not joined up with Faith No More, the record deal for Bungle may never have happened, but i'm not altogether fully in the know on that, so who knows.... I had seen an interview with Patton where he said that records from Mr. Bungle couldn't exist without a major label, mostly because that band NEEDS a big cash injection for it to record and tour.
The next release by Bungle was 'Disco Volante' released in 1995 - So, not that the self-titled album was "accessible", but 'Disco Volante' was more... experimental, if that can happen. The songs on 'Disco' are less cohesive than the self-titled release... At least I think so.
This album also contained a warning. It has recorded sound frequencies that apparently can be damaging to hearing and some kinds of stereo systems... I never suffered any damage, but I did notice that the album has some manipulation of it's volumes. So, part of the album you'd have cranked to 10, then suddenly you'd have to turn it down and then up, they were totally fucking with the listeners, which is just completely something the band would do with intent.
How about 'Desert Search For Techno Allah ' whcih has a lot of variation and styles of music in it.
And also from 'Disco Volante' I'll give you 'Merry-Go-Bye Bye'. Love this song. With this album and the self-titled album, the last songs were two of my favorites.
There is a track on 'Disco' called 'The bends' and is actually divided into 10 other song 'parts'. These guys are masters of sound and design, they also had on this album and the one before help from John Zorn, who's an eclectic, acid-fusion-Jazz instrumentalist and producer.
And not only the music, but in particular Mike Paton's vocalizations are what draws me to Mr. Bungle. Like I said previously, Patton showed me and many others that the huemahn voice can be just in every way an instrument as a guitar, drum or violin.
Mike Patton released in 1996 'Adult Themes For Voice' which is an multi track album that contains no instruments but his voice. Recorded in hotel rooms and on the tour buses during FNM and Bungle tours, 'Adult Themes For Voice' will not be everyone's cup 'O tea.....
Perhaps the album with the most cohesive material on it is 'California'.. Released in 1999 this would be the bands final album. IF you have listened to the above tracks the full way through, without stabbing your ear drums with a pen, then when listening to the tracks from 'California', you'll notice they are more... erm, accessible, more bearable and digestible (not that I find any of Bungles' albums inaccessible, unbearable or indigestible .... All the albums are my favorites, and I believe that each one grew and never regressed. It was sad to hear the band was ... No More... But I think the size of the band just wasn't cost effective. To pull off a lot of the material they needed practically an orchestra on stage.
The band didn't cut a lot of music videos, and it was many years later, that like 'Ghost' and their cover of 'Here Comes The Sun', that some fans cut a video for the song 'Retrovertigo'... It's such an awesome video and has as it's 'star' Ben Woolf, who, if you watched American Horror Story, played 'Meep' in the Freakshow season. Sadly, Ben was killed when crossing the street by a car. I must have watched this video near a hundred times or more now....
I'm not sure why, but on the album, 'Merry Go Bye-Bye' is just over 12 minutes in length, but online the videos are just over and under 6/7minutes. Though I did find this 'extended' version at 10 minutes
I hope you all enjoyed this look at one of my most favorite bands ever. Mr. Bungle. Maybe someday they'll reunite like Faith No More did... But I wouldn't hold my breath...
Extra bonus video: 'Lunchroom Manners' a film for school children about 'good manners and behavior' released in the 1960's and later played by Pee Wee Herman on his tours during the 1980's
I dunno, after that video, I think I'm more like Mr. Bungle than 'Phil'.....
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