Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers is an American rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus. Rooted in the 1980s hardcore punk scene, Butthole Surfers quickly became known for their chaotic and disturbing live shows, black comedy, and a sound that incorporated elements of psychedelia, noise rock, punk and, later, electronica, as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing.
== Links To Peel ==
Peel first saw the band in 1987 at the Clarendon Hotel Ballroom in Hammersmith. The following week, on his 10 August 1987 show, he still seemed overwhelmed by their performance:
"Perfectly extraordinary. I mean, excellent. But if you said you enjoyed it, I should be seriously concerned about you as a human being. But very well worth seeing and hearing."
A few weeks later, he described his impressions further to John Walters in the fifth programme in the Peeling Back The Years series:
"I saw the Butthole Surfers and came away genuinely – “with one’s senses reeling” does sound like a cliché from a regional newspaper, but that is exactly how I felt after I’d seen them. All of my preconceptions about what things should be – for example, one obvious thing was sexism for example, because they had a completely naked woman dancing on stage with them throughout the entire thing. I don’t know, is that titillation? I mean, what attitude should I have had to that? And that was just one aspect of what they were doing. So, I think the Butthole Surfers would define something for me, although I’m not quite sure what it is. I mean, I don’t feel one should necessarily always enjoy popular music. This is one of the things, you know, one of the conflicts that I’ve had with people over the years."
Peel also reviewed the gig on the Observer newspaper in a piece that was later reprinted in the Olivetti Chronicles.
In 1988, Peel was invited to have lunch with the group but decided not to attend. He explained his reasons on his Peel 099 (BFBS) show:
"I chickened out at the last minute cos I thought they'd obviously be expecting some kind of fellow who looked as though he'd just escaped from a biker gang, and when they get this rather portly, avuncular grey-haired old chap - a nice chap in many ways, but at the same time it's not what they expect, really, from a DJ."
The band, though, continued to be keen to meet the DJ in person. On his 17 November 1990 show, Peel mentioned another abortive encounter:
"Somebody was telling me that a member of the Butthole Surfers is in town and invited me to get in touch with him, and so on, and discuss record label and forthcoming LP, and whatever else I wanted to discuss. Of course, I'm tempted to do that, but you can't help but thinking at the same time, you know, that they're going to introduce foreign bodies into your gruel. Makes me rather apprehensive about the whole process."
During the early 90's, Peel played some of the solo and side projects of the Butthole Surfers including Paul Leary's solo album and Gibby Haynes & Jeff Pinkus' joint project called the Jackofficers, as well as Drain, founded by drummer King Coffey.
Peel appeared to lose interest in the Butthole Surfers after 1992, when the band signed for major label Capitol.
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*1987 Festive Fifty: 22 Going On 23 #44
*Gibby Haynes also co-wrote and sang on the Ministry track 'Jesus Built My Hotrod', which reached #3 in the 1992 Festive Fifty.
== Sessions ==
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The band's second session is available on Peel Show 1988 (vinyl, 7", Not On Label)
1. Recorded: unknown. Broadcast: 12 August 1987. Repeated: 08 September 1987
*Graveyard / Florida / Cherub / Shot Gun
2. Recorded: 1988-09-20. Broadcast: 27 September 1988. Repeated: 02 November 1988, 21 December 1988
*Blind Man / Edg / Neee Neee
== Other Shows Played ==
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;1985
*29 October 1985: Comb (12" - Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis) Touch And Go
;1986
*17 May 1986 (BFBS): Sea Ferring (LP - Rembrandt Pussyhorse) Red Rhino Europe
*20 May 1986: Sea Ferring (LP - Rembrandt Pussyhorse) Touch And Go
;1987
*25 March 1987: Sweat Loaf (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*30 March 1987: Pittsburg To Lebanon (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*08 April 1987: U.S.S.A. (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*10 April 1987 (BFBS) / Peel 057 (BFBS): 'Pittsburgh To Lebanon (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First)
*28 April 1987: Sweat Loaf (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*01 May 1987 (BFBS) / Peel 059 (BFBS): 'Sweat Loaf (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First)
*10 August 1987: 22 Going On 23 (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*13 August 1987 (Radio Bremen): Human Cannonball (album - Locust Abortion Technician) Touch And Go
*Peeling Back The Years (24 October 1987): 22 Going On 23 (LP – Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
*28 October 1987: Pittsburg To Lebanon (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Touch And Go
*07 November 1987 (Radio Bremen): 22 Going On 23 (album - Locust Abortion Technician) Touch And Go
*22 December 1987: '22 Going On 23 (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First) FF #44
;1988
*21 March 1988: Sea Ferring (LP - Rembrandt Pussyhorse) Red Rhino Europe
*18 April 1988: Ricky (CD - Hairway To Steven) Blast First
*20 April 1988: Backass (CD - Hairway To Steven) Touch And Go
*25 April 1988: Rocky (LP - Hairway To Steven) Blast First
*27 April 1988: I Saw An X-Ray Of A Girl Passing Gas (LP - Hairway To Steven) Touch And Go
*09 May 1988: I Saw An X-Ray Of A Girl Passing Gas (LP - Hairway To Steven) Touch And Go
*18 May 1988: Backass (CD - Hairway To Steven) Blast First
*18 May 1988 (Rockradio): Track 6 (Julio Iglesias) (album - Hairway To Steven) Blast First
*28 May 1988 (Radio Bremen): Jimi (album - Hairway To Steven) Touch And Go
*31 May 1988 (Radio Bremen): Backass (album - Hairway To Steven) Touch And Go
*19 September 1988: Comb (12" 'Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis') Fundamental
*21 September 1988: To Parter (12" - Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis) Touch And Go
*03 October 1988: Something (12" - Butthole Surfers) Alternative Tentacles
*10 October 1988: Hey (LP – Butthole Surfers) Alternative Tentacles
;1989
*12 April 1989: Eindhoven Chicken Masque (v/a album - Gods Favorite Dog) Touch And Go
*12 June 1989: Too Parter (2xLP - Double Live) Not
*12 June 1989: The One I Love (2xLP - Double Live) Not
*19 June 1989: Ricky (album - Double Live) Not
*21 June 1989: Rocky (album - Double Live) Latino Bugger Veil LBV 002
*21 June 1989: Gary Floyd (album - Double Live) Latino Bugger Veil LBV 002
*22 June 1989: Tornadoes (2xLP - Double Live) Not
*27 June 1989: Tornadoes (2xLP - Double Live) Not
*15 July 1989 (BFBS) / Peel 109 (BFBS): 'The One I Love (2xCD-Double Live)' (Not/Latino Bugger Veil)
*25 July 1989: The One I Love (2xLP - Double Live) Not
*21 August 1989: 1401 (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
*23 August 1989: 1401 (10" - Widowermaker!) Blast First
*24 August 1989: Booze Tobacco (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
*24 August 1989: Bon Song (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
*31 August 1989: Booze Tobacco (EP - Widowermakers) Blast First
*09 September 1989 (BFBS): '1401 (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
*12 September 1989: Helicopter (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
*16 September 1989 (BFBS) / Peel 116 (BFBS): 'Bon Song (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
*30 September 1989 (BFBS): 'Bon Song (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
*10 October 1989: Booze Tobacco (10" - Widowmaker! EP) Blast First
*24 October 1989: Jimi (Boxset - The Devil's Jukebox) Blast First
*Autumn 1989 (Rockradio): 'Bon Song (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
;1990
*19 February 1990: No Rule (CD album - Double Live) Not
*20 February 1990: Dum Dum (CD album - Double Live) Not
*10 November 1990: Lonesome Bulldog (Flexi-disc 7") The Catalogue
*11 November 1990: The Hurdy Gurdy Man (single) Rough Trade
*17 November 1990: The Hurdy Gurdy Man (12") Rough Trade
*25 November 1990: The Hurdy Gurdy Man (12") Rough Trade
*07 December 1990 (BFBS): The Hurdy Gurdy Man (single) Rough Trade
*13 December 1990 (Radio Mafia): Hurdy Gurdy Man
;1991
*02 February 1991: Golden Showers (album - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*02 February 1991: Lonesome Bulldog III (album - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*03 February 1991: Blindman (album - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*03 February 1991: Earthquake (v/a album - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erickson) WEA International
*09 February 1991: No, I'm Iron Man (LP - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*10 February 1991: Earthquake (Album, Compilation: Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erickson) WEA International Inc.
*21 February 1991 (Radio Mafia): Earthquake (LP - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson)
*02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS):  'Earthquake (Compilation CD-Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erickson)' (WEA International Inc.)
*02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS): 'Blindman (LP-Pioughd)' (Rough Trade)
*02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS): 'No, I'm Iron Man (LP-Piouhgd)' (Rough Trade)
*03 March 1991: Blindman (album - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*03 March 1991: No, I'm Iron Man (album - Piouhgd) Rough Trade
*23 March 1991: Something
*07 July 1991: Earthquake (CD - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute To Roky Erickson) Sire
;1992
*07 November 1992: Eindhoven Chicken Masque (v/a album - God's Favourite Dog) Touch And Go
== See Also ==
*Blast First
*Gigography 1987
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
Category:Artists