Butthole Surfers Finally After The Astronaut Their Way - PipemanRadio Interview

0:04 Hi, you have done too, dear censure, for se Wow, for you your. It's the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four CY Radio. Super excited about this interview because man, this is one of the best freaking live bands ever in the history of music in my opinion and a lot of other people's opinions too, and they am so happy that they are finally releasing this kind of ghost album that was record labels decided not to have it the way the butthole surfers would have it, and in twenty twenty six, we're gonna have it the way the butthole surfers have it.

0:55 So let's welcome to the show, Paul. How are you h great? Thanks for having me. Oh my pleasure. Like you as somebody from the eighties and the beginning of you know stuff like I remember sitting backstage on the Sunset Strip and those record labels shut telling bands how to write their music, how to look, how to do things, and I was like, I'm out, that is not how music should be. Let the artists be the creatives. The business people the suits do the business, but let the artists be creative. And here we are, all these years later, finally releasing this album the way you wanted to.

1:36 Yeah, well I can. I can definitely relate to what you're saying, because you know, we were just we were too weird. You know, we got we got side to a major label, but they didn't know what to do with this. I mean, you know, we're the butthole Surfers. They just they just left us to our own devices, other than giving us a bunch of money to record with so we could go out and hire John Paul Jones and go to a country club studio and all that other kind of stuff. But you know, then once we had a number one hit in the song Pepper, then all of a sudden they took an interest and decided they needed to step in and tell us how to be. I mean, what did they expect, You're to butthole surfers?

2:17 Like the name alone should say you're gonna be a little weird and it should stay that way. Yeah, you know, I thought we were just going to be free to be whatever we wanted to be, you know, without any interference. And that was very naive and we ended up going. Through the Ringer and and you know, our our drummer jokes about you know, they wanted us to write a song with kid rock, so we do that and our drummers like reduced to playing tambourine on a kid rock song, And oh boy, he likes to bring that up a lot, so I thought I'd bring it up for him here. Right there, you go. You know, it was funny. I was just doing media coverage at festival, Milwaukee metal Fest, and one of the sets I was at, I was like, you know, that would be a cool.

3:07 Tour to do the butthole surfers. And then it was Green Jello, who's now called green Jelly because Jello only supports Peedos but they won't support a band as good music and sue them for using the name. We live in crazy times, I love, right, I know. And you know it's like some of the stuff you guys did way back when, uh you know, that's what made shows fun. Man, Like this Green Jello show that I was at at the festival, it was like they handed out like noodles, like pool noodles. Everybody in the whole wash pit was noodles and it was it was like the funniest most fun washpit I was ever in.

3:52 And that's the way it should be like, don't take yourself too seriously. It's music, it's created, and create creativity to art. And that's really that's actually a really great idea. You know, they don't have things in their hands. They tend to like start throwing punches at each other and stuff. True, that sounds great. Right totally. So let me ask you, as the artist, how do you compare the way you wanted this album to be, which it is now coming out in a few days after the Astronaut Astronaut compared to what they want to turn it into when they turned it into Weird Revolution.

4:35 Well, you know, a lot of the songs are the same, but they they're mixed different and a lot of them are have different arrangements. And then a couple of the weirder songs off the record they just didn't they just didn't want them at all. So they cut off a couple of songs, two or three songs, I can't remember that, and that album was called Weird Revolution. I believe, Yeah, yeah, totally, so, so we got to bring those back and they're they're kind of the stupid or crazier songs, and to me, that's what we live for. And uh, you know, they're they're like my favorite songs on the record. Because for you, that's why you know, it's all you.

5:16 It's kind of like, and you know what I was thinking about when you were talking about the mixes I heard I think it was Hetfield talking about when they did Kill Them All and they weren't the band wasn't even allowed in the studio when they did the final master mix. Like this band had been playing these same songs for years, they knew exactly the way they wanted it, and they don't even have a say. So how Kill Them All came out? Yeah, it was a good album, but not what Metallica wanted that album to be. I can't believe that they put up. With that, right, you know? And I mean I do.

5:57 I do a lot of mixing work for bands, and I don't let anybody in the studio when I'm mixing. But what I do is send them a mix and say what do you think? And they'll say, well, I want to more of this and less of that. And that's fine. That's what I do because the artist deserves to have what they want to have. There's just there should be no compromising ever. No, I mean, otherwise, how you play the songs and have the same kind of feeling towards them. It's like sometimes I guess as an artist, you probably feel like it's not even your song anymore when they start doing. That, right, absolutely, and it happens. Yeah, yeah, And I suppose. For some people that it doesn't really matter that much.

6:39 But when you're as fucked up and crazy as we are, you know, we kind of need fucked up and crazy. We can't have some guy to suit, you know, try to tamp down on that. That's just ridiculous. That's that's not that's not how we got along in the first. Place, exactly. And I think that's why you also had have the following that you do and had the following that you did, because you were unique. You know, it's easy to be like everybody else, and it's even easier though, to be yourself. Yeah. Well, we did piss off a few people along the way. That's kind of fun. Sometimes they get very good.

7:20 It's it's kind of surprising when it happens. You know. It's like. Our very first EP I think, you know, we had a women's group in San Francisco very upset with us over a song called something because it talks about kicking kicking a woman in the teeth, and you know, it sounds terrible and I understand, but it was all done in joke. It's like, you know, you don't criticize an actor for playing a thug in a movie. You know that it's a part. I'm glad you brought that up. Like people don't realize, like even me on my radio show. Some a lot of times on my radio show, there's zero filter. Okay, Like whatever weird screwed up thought comes in my head is coming out on the mic because you're just like playing a role. And if people have known me my whole life, they'll call me up and like what the fuck happened to you?

8:16 I'm like, I'm just playing a role. Many like I'm entertaining, you know, and people don't get that concept. It blows my mind, you know. I mean, like I said, you know, if you're if a band name is called the Butthole Surfers, are you really going to expect them to be like serious suit type people. I don't think so. Like now, you know, we we go through the underground scene and survive out the other end and get signed to a major label, and people are upset because we sold out, you know, to be on a major label. But god damn, I mean the butthole surfers on the same leg with the Beatles and Queenen's Clearwater Revival and Grand Funk and Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. It just it's like, come on, man, I'm not passing that up just to be cool.

9:11 See. I love that you're saying that, because you know, it is kind of a thing like when you're a teenager, you're at least me. I was kind of thinking. That whole sellout thing, poser sell out thing, not towards you, actually towards like I said Metallica, I felt that way about the Black Album. But then as I became an adult, I was like, well, that was a pretty stupid way of me thinking, like, first of all, as an artist, don't you want to grow? You know, why do you you don't want to stay a garage band forever? And you know, why would you pass that up, like to be on the same label as the Beatles, Like, I don't think it gets much better than that.

9:54 No, And be able to smoke a joint on the roof of the Capitol Building and work with John Paul fucking Jones. Right, stuff. That stuff was just awesome and it and it made no sense. I mean, the Butthole Surfers of all bands it you know, it seemed it reads like a joke. One hundred percent. But I think it's also you know, like a band like you also paved the way for other bands, especially underground and punk bands, that maybe even they felt okay the Butthole Surfers are doing, maybe it's okay for us to actually get better at what we do.

10:34 Well, I feel like we got worse at what we did. It's a testament to the value of trying. It's like why botherhood. You know, our first record came out and I just I thought it sounded so like cheap, and I mean we recorded it and mixed it in like three days. And it wasn't what I wanted to sound like. And then the you know, the first album come full length album comes out and it was getting a little better for me, but it was still. Not what I had in mind. And album after album and kids like the early stuff, you know, the stuff that didn't sound the way I was wanting to sound, but that's how he sounded, and that's you know, it's recording.

11:17 Is like taking a picture of a man, and. Then it takes years and decades to finally hone it in and get the sound and everything the way you like it. And you know, I don't know if I don't know how. You know, those early fans feel about our later stuff. Some of them like it, some of them don't. You know what I at least I. Got to achieve what I wanted to achieve. Well, that's what's important. And you know, in a way I think about it is listen, As an artist, first of all, you're gonna want to grow, especially a lot of times you start a punk band because you don't even know how to play your instrument yet. So you start to learn more and get better. And then it's kind of like I was just sitting with the coec recently, and you know, listen, I remember them pre Pepper when you know, when they were hardcore punk, and I have that nostalgia of that, you know, But I can also see the other side of an artist not wanting to stay there and like explore. Like that's one of the cool things about your bands. You explore different genres all within one song usually, you know, and like that's to me, that's what an artist is is experimenting, exploring and seeing how.

12:34 Far you could take your creativity. Yeah, and you know, and you can mind that with the fact that you're playing live, which means you're you're on the road, and you're playing these songs night after night after night after night, and and you kind of get tired of tired of the songs and the way they sound, and that's that kind of helps prod you along to do something a little different so that you don't have to play something you're getting sick of. Exactly. I know one band recently at festival they were like, Okay, we're gonna play this song now because we have to, and you're all gonna love it because you want it, but here you go, you know, and.

13:15 If you read the rub, it's like, Okay, well they really. Lost their juice for playing that song, but now they have to play that song. And I think it's cool when bands actually play new stuff because I want to hear what they've grown into, what they've evolved into it. And sometimes it's better, sometimes it's different. Sometimes it's just something out of total norm for them. Just because they felt like doing it. That's what kind of reminds me. We did a tour a long time ago with a Stone Temple pilots, and I did a lot of hanging out with Dean de Leo. He's a hoot man. The guy's funny as shit. But we used to smoke a.

14:00 Lot of pot together. And we were. On their bus before a show somewhere, you know, big show, a lot of people, and the and the manager comes into the bus all upset because they didn't have their hit song on their playlist, that their set list that they were going to do, and the bands like you got to play that song, and we were stoned out of our minds and we were laughing at. Him asking for it. So he was saying no, and the manager kept saying yes, and we were just laughing our asses off because it wasn't so much that he was refusing to do it. It was just so funny to say no. And that would That went on for like a half an hour and they never did play that song. I love it. That's the punk attitude right there. You know, I would have I would have I would have probably paid, you know, played it, just because you know, I feel sorry for the kids that pay money to come see us, they got to get something out of it exactly.

14:51 Yeah, well, you know it's kind of thing, you know. Uh So, how do you feel about like how excited are you about after the hos Instronaut coming out, because it's like, I mean, we're a lot of years later, like it took. A long, long and winding road to get here. Well, it's it's really fun. I mean, when Weird Revolution came out, we were on Hollywood Records and you know, we got like one single and it was the it was the song co written with Kid Rock, and we had an expensive video that I mean a really expensive video and it was fun making that video, but it was a song that we didn't like and there wasn't a whole lot of publicity other than that surrounding the release of that album. But with this one, you know, we're on the Sunset Boulevard Records and they've been you know, promoting it pretty good, and we're making lots of videos for the album and so so that's really fun. I feel like we got labels that's got nothing better to do than than you know, help us succeed.

15:57 So see, I love that. I love when you have record labels nowadays that like let the artists actually enjoy the process and do it the way they want and help them along the way. Instead of that it's. A lot of it's a lot of work on their end to do it that way. You know, that's setting up interviews and uh, setting up videos and all that stuff. I mean, that's that tastes. That takes work, and so it's it's fun to work with people that are willing to do it. Yeah, and it makes you feel good after all these years, record label is going to have enough faith in you to do it the way you want to do it. That does and you know, this is this is probably our last album.

16:39 I think there'll be a box set eventually after this, but this is this is our last like official studio release. And it's been really fun just. Just the fact that we're getting to do it at all. I'm just so so thrilled that we get our last record gets to be something we're happy with as opposed to something I'm embarrassed about. I love it. I love hearing that you know, and you deserve it after all these years. And I'm really stoked about the documentary because that I see I love to me, it's like home movies, a lot of these documentaries of bands like you guys, and that's pretty cool and it shows the real sight. The part I laughed about the most on the trailer itself was, or actually the teaser trailer before the official trailer, was that one producer I forget which one saying yeah, like they're just assholes.

17:35 Oh that was. That was Steve Albini. And I was like, that's funny as hell. I love it. Steve Albin. Steve Albini, you know, rip, he did not like us. He he just thought we were horrible, terrible people. And he's in the documentary and he talks about what the assholes we are and all that stuff. But yeah, he said, you're like the most horrible human beings ever. It's all because we left Touch and Go Records to be on On Capital or or whatever it was we did. And you know, that was not an amicable split, you know, and it should have been, because they were good to us and we were good to them, and they were our friends and all that. But at one point we wanted a deal equal to the deal they were given to some of the other bands. It was better for the bands, and we felt like we should be getting you know, as good a deal as anybody on that label.

18:30 And when that started to become a thing, we. Were told that they owned our music for life and that you know, that set me off the deep end. If that the second I heard that, you know, it. Was over for me. It's like, I'm out of here, dude. We'll see about that, no doubt. Had to go to court over it, and then go to appeals court over it, and in the end, you know, they the appeals court, the federal appeals Court, big time fucking federal appeals Court ruled in our favor because all we had was an oral contract and it took all that legal proceeding to come up with the fact that an oral contract is worth isn't worth the paper it's not printed on her right.

19:18 Well, I'm glad that you did get it back. I'm glad you put this album out now. And man, thank you for all these years of just giving us great entertainment, you know, not just music, great music, but great entertainment. Because again I'll end it like I started it, best live show ever. I appreciate that. And by the way, our movie is coming out at the end of the summer, our documentary and you haven't seen. It all, right, I have not seen it all. I know it's available, but I want to see it the right way. And I really dig. Going back to that you would include him in the documentary because that just makes the documentary real, like it's not one side that you're showing every side. And it actually gave me humor too.

20:10 Well, you know, we we were hands off. Tom Stern made the documentary, he directed it, and we've known him since the eighties and we've worked with him before, and he's a comedic genius and he brought that comedic genius to the documentary. And one of the good things he did was hire a really great editor, and the editing that documentary really makes it into a compelling story that you know, I've seen documentaries where it was just one talking head after another and it's just. Like we right, but ours is put together really well, you know. And I learned stuff about my bandmates that I didn't know. You know, he interviewed us and kept badgering us until he got us to open up about things. And I learned stuff about Gibbey that I didn't know. And I'm proud of him for opening up about some of the things he.

20:56 Went through in childhood and. Highly recommend to anybody out there to go see that the documentary it comes out, it's going to be first released on the Animal draft House chain, so if you're near an Animal draft House, trying to make it out there, and if not, it'll be you know, streamed and all that other stuff. Blu ray crap. Anyway, I love my pitch for the documentary. Well, I love it. I love the new album. Because it's true you you know, it's on your own terms and that's the only way it should be with artists. And I thank you for spending the time with me talk about and thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipe Man.

21:37 We thank you for having me pipe Man. Oh my pleasure. Hi, this is Paul Leary from the Butthole Servers and you're listening to the Pipe Man on W four see why. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man. I'm w for CUI Radio.