Melvins mainman Buzz Osbourne recently gave Decibel carte blanche to ask him any question on our minds (no matter how ridiculously stupid), so we polled posters on the Decibel message board and added a few of our own interview topics. In honor of Independence Day, the true American hero shares his responses:
What were your favorite albums in high school?
In 1978, I was in 8th grade and I was already into the Sex Pistols, The Ramones and a bunch of other English punk bands. I got into these bands through Creem Magazine. Before that I was into The Who (still a big fan), Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Doors, David Bowie, Kiss, Black Sabbath etc… By the time I got to high school, I was well into the American punk bands and, as a result of the Sex Pistols, I got into the Stooges and, as a result of the Stooges, I got into the MC5. As an instant Stooges fan, I quickly understood how important they were to everything that punk rock had become. I also, even at my young age, saw a direct connection between Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop and Johnny Rotten. In the early ‘80s, I finally got to start seeing a lot of the bands I’d been listening to for years. This changed me forever.
Did you record a separate commentary tracks for the new Fantomas/Melvins Big Band DVD, or were you in the same room with Danny DeVito?
I was in the same room. It was great to be able to ask him all sorts of questions about everything and I tried to not hold back. He’s a big Hollywood star and I think his kids are big Patton fans, so I’d imagine he was doing it to score points with them. He was very patient with my questions about who the biggest asshole he ever worked with was and about working with Andy Kaufman. To hear his answers you have to buy the DVD or at least wait for it to be put on the internet.
How do you get your hair to look like that? No, really: do you use any styling products?
Again with the hair questions. First off does it LOOK like I DO anything to it? Do you imagine I spend ANY time making my hair look like this? Do you think I would actually PAY to have my hair look like this? It does what it wants. I like it because it makes me look weird. Duh.
How do you feel about sabermetrics?
Oh yes, a baseball fan. I pretty much love baseball and could careless about watching all other sports. Sabermetrics changed my outlook on baseball and made me love it even more. It’s pretty much right on as far as I can tell.
How often do you wear a pair of Melvins Nikes?
Never. I saved a few pairs but I can’t imagine wearing them. I also don’t wear our tee shirts much either. Big surprise.
What is your favorite dessert, and why? And what’s your favorite desert?
I’m pretty much for any and all desserts. I’d say my favorite desert is the Mojave because of Death Valley.
Are there any plans for the Melvins to collaborate with Lustmord or Jello Biafra again? Have you ever considered doing a record with Isis?
We might play live with Lustmord at some point but who knows. I’d imagine we would do a record with Jello at some point but who knows when. There is talk of us doing a split of some sort with Isis but who knows when again.
Who is the “sexiest” Melvin?
Oooo yuck.
Aside from the “Your Choice…Live” record, what is your least favorite Melvins release?
Uh, I guess it would be… I can’t think of just one, so let’s say Houdini, Ozma and The Crybaby.
What is David Scott Stone up to these days?
I don’t know really. I think he might be playing in a band somewhere but that might not be true.
What makes you cry?
April 15th… Idealists… The Mayan calendar… The Dodgers… Nerdy know-it-all chickless creeps… And……………… the cost of internet porn.
The Melvins are awesome in comic book form. Has anyone ever explored the idea of doing a Melvins cartoon?
Not to my knowledge. One of the guys from Jackass thought it would be a good idea to follow me around and see what my day consisted of so he could try to BE me but he lost interest when I told him I got up early and didn’t drink, do blow, screw brainless groupies or enjoy getting kicked in the nuts.
Are there any bands making music right now that get you truly excited?
I like a lot of bands but none that come to mind right now. Besides I would clearly forget someone and that might hurt their feelings.
Here’s what Cryptopsy thinks of internet haters and message board warriors. Now click on over to the band’s MySpace page to check out “It’s Dinner Time,” a brand new track that represents the only 30 seconds of nu-Cryptopsy you really need to hear. OK, it’s kind of funny. Really, we’re just bummed that we didn’t get called out for “spreading shit and telling lies.” Then, now, and forever, this is how it should be done:
5. Carcass – This version of the Carcass logo is electric and chaotic. The lettering is awkward. The two ‘C’s’ almost devour the following two ‘A’s,’ while the angular ‘R’ juts down forcefully to disrupt the horizontal flow of the logo. The two ‘S’s,’ pitched forward at a 45 degree angle, continue the sideward motion, however. The erratic scribbling that encases (and extends outward to the left and right) the word ‘Carcass’ is frenetic. When looking at this logo, you know exactly what kind of music supports it. Which we support, obviously.
4. Darkthrone – Don’t cry foul here. On Soulside Journey, the Norwegians were straight-up death. The Darkthrone logo, expertly inked by ATG/Disfear frontman Tomas Lindberg, is study in death metal logo cool. It pretends to be symmetric. The dendroidal stems of the band name extend organically outward, while the ‘drips’ aren’t blood, as required by law in American death, but rather a kind of liquescent arboreal material. Neato. The misshapen pentagram above the ‘A’ and ‘R’ qualifies the Darkthrone logo as our number 4 pick.
3. At the Gates – What’s not to love? Admittedly, the lettering could use some work—stem thickness is inconsistent and angular/smooth stems shouldn’t mix, with the ‘G’ being the primary offender—, but the triple stained glass window motif blows our mind. At the Gates smartly worked in the anti-religion theme by using overtly religious themes. The three church windows signify the Trinity and the stained glass imparts an ecclesiastical vibe. Kingdom fuckin’ gone, indeed.
2. Morbid Angel – OK, most might disapprove of Morbid Angel’s sigil landing in second place. Oh well. The lettering is big, bold, and readable. There’s no guessing here. The Floridians, however, definitely designed a killer logo, with so many requisites it would inspire legions of followers for decades. Pentagram? Check. Inverted cross? Two of them. Pitchfork? Check. Devil’s tail? Two of them. The occult/Satanic symbolism is OTT. Just like Morbid Angel’s music. Awesomeness!
1. Unleashed – The Swedes didn’t get too caught up in symbolism here. Well, they did. Most non-death metallers—my mom, girlfriend, and dog in a recent test—don’t see the HUGE inverted cross in the middle at first glance. They see the ‘cobwebs’ and ‘barbs’ first. Subliminal symbolism is sweet. Anyway, the symmetry here is amazing. And the connective abyssal mucus (not ‘cobwebs’) is just pure class, as are the details in the ‘U’ and the ‘D.’ Nothing screams death metal more than Unleashed’s logo.
The five runners-up: Incantation (dendroidal sweetness abound!), Bolt Thrower (second iteration, please), Tiamat (Astral Sleep-era with the ‘gram and inverties), Amorphis (simple, readable yet evil), and Unanimated (barely legible, but the rounded style and bookend inverties need props).
** This list was compiled at the stroke of midnight 7/3/2008 by Chris. If you want something ‘more’ official — like a poll or something — email the editor.
When have I ever told anyone to buy a book about death metal? OK, there was that one other time, but when I have ever told you all to run out any buy a book about SWEDISH death metal? That’s right—never. Anyway, the domestic version of Daniel Ekeroth’s ridiculously awesome Swedish Death Metal is available now from Bazillion Points. Peep a preview below with MC/publisher Ian Christe and then grab a copy, like, pronto.
We’re still waiting for Hissing Choir to get around to making a full-length record. The Maryland-Virgina “supergroup” barely played more than a handful of shows together, but the band’s instant pedigree (members of Pig Destroyer, Pg. 99 and Triac) carries enough weight that a recent solitation for Jesus of Nazareth’s Braid of Muscle on Robotic Empire broadcasts that it features — get this — “ex-members of Hissing Choir.” So what’s the fuss? Thanks to the magic of the interwebz, you can judge for yourself; here’s three songs from Hissing Choir’s first live performance in Bodymore, Murdaland circa Fall 2003. There’s also this cool interview from where (former?) members Chris Taylor and Jake Cregger geeked out on the Swans, and about 1000 seconds of hot fuzz (see below) from the Banks St. Warehouse in New Orleans in December 2003. More of this, please.
Decibel asked Hate frontman Adam the First Sinner what are the Top 5 things to do in Poland.
1. Play Polish death metal – There are about 1,500 active metal bands in Poland. 1,498 of them are death metal. The leader, of course, is lord Vader, who sort of plays the role of Darth Sidious. Behemoth is therefore Darth Tyranus. Hate is Darth Maul.
2. Fight Christianity (the only remaining bastion in Europe!) – According to Wikipedia, 88% of the population (about 38,536,869) belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. What’s 88% of 38,536,869? Dunno, but that’s a lot of fighting.
3. Climb Tatra Mountains – With the highest peak (Rysy) in Poland around 7,996 feet, Adam’s suggestion is a little daunting. And altitude sickness is no joke either. But it would be rad to see Hate film, a la Immortal, a video for “Resurrection Machine” on the peak.
4. Spend time by the Baltic Sea eating pierogi and kilbasa – To be frank, we prefer this option to climbing the Tatras. Nothing like good Polish treats and hot Polish women in skimpy bikinis.
5. Visit Białowieża. The only original (intact!) forest in Europe where you can see a Zubr—a buffalo-like animal—living in the forest. It’s the only place you can see those animals live. — We’re half surprised to know there are no known Polish bands called Zubr. But the Białowieża is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and those are cool. Unless you’re Varg Vikernes or the Taliban.
Hate’s new album, Morphosis, is out now. Click here to read Decibel’s review of Morphosis.
International supergroup Against The Plagues, featuring Wojtek Lisicki (Lost Horizon, Luciferion), Marco Martell (Divine Empire, Malevolent Creation) and Adrian Adamus (Forest of Impaled), self-released their debut album The Architecture Of Oppression in 2007. We’d have to say this one flew under our radar, but Cold Slither picked up on it right quick.
The camp /kitsch quotient of this segment from an early 1980s episode of CHiPs is impossible to ignore. Consider: it was conceived of by a guy who wrote most of the first three seasons of Beverly Hills: 90210 and directed by Gomez of the Addams Family. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark makes a cameo appearance. There’s a legion of “fans” at the outdoor “concert” portrayed here that looks like rejects from Altamont. Dunno how the fake band led by Donny Most (Ralph Malph on Happy Days) escaped the radar of notoriously litigous Gene Simmons, but “Devil Take Me” may be cooler than anything KISS ever wrote. Wow, I probably just gave Decibel editor Albert Mudrian seven consecutive heart attacks when he gets around to reviewing this post. Oh well! HAIL MOLOCH!!!
