Butthole Surfers- Classic or dud?

I was supposed to see them again, but it was an all ages show, and the person I was going with kept saying we would have plenty of time, that it couldn't possibly start as early as I was thinking it might start. So we hung around my apartment getting stoned. We showed up at the door, and the guy at the door said, "Dude, the butts are playing their encore now," or something like that.

This thread inspired me to get out some of the CDs and listen to them again, and a lot of this stuff still sounds good to me. At the same time, it's not really what I want to listen to these days, though "I Saw An X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas" should be a more widely acknowledged classic. I remember being very dubious about that song based on its title, but when I finally heard it, I had to give in.

I'm tired of celebrations of weirdness, too.

The really interesting thing about this band, for me, is the consistent in-joke referencing from album to album. They repeat the same phrases or explore the same subject matter as previous for a line or two. It's an on-going thing and it's the thin line that keeps it all "the same". Just a quick example offa WR: "Shit Like That" he says "I need another DOCTOR!" and "doctor" is sung/screamed the exact same way as off the Widowermaker e.p. where he goes "DOCTOR don't toucha me there, DOCTOR" etc. There's a whole bunch of these references/phrases if you go back and play your albums, you'll see it clearly. It's funny. Other phrases: "empty parking lot" (found in Negro Observer and Golden Showers) and "get down", a phrase which finally gets it's own song on WR. Anyway, there's a bunch.

-Boredoms fan

(I know this is just more of an indie cred/protest issue, but if you can find the used Touch & Go copies, you're a better man/woman for it (and slightly more rich). The Butts kinda did to that label what the ex Dead Kennedys did to Jello Biafra...)

shakey mo sounds knows what he's talking about, but i think youll be happiest with the great mid 80s trilogy material ("rembrandt pussyhorse" "psychic...powerless" and "locust abortion technition")
hairway to steven isnt quite as good in my opinion, and stay way clear of anything after that. also, i'm not sure humpty dupty lsd really is a good career overview, it's more an odds and ends thing.

also seek out CREAM CORN ep, hard to find tho.

definitely agree with donut bitch, don't buy from latino bugger veil!!

I remember geting super wasted driving around austin with my best friend who was a stripper at the time singing their version of American Woman over and over again.

Saw gibby around in his hot rod a few times too. The austin scene was kinda tight and we shared dealers from what i remember.

Locust Abortion Technician is a way of life = LSDmo.

But Amazon UK says it's been deleted. Should I just get Hairway To Steven and have done with it? (I've never heard HTS btw)

but the pcpep/brown reason to live period stuff is just as good, in a different way.

just get hairway to steven, you can't go wrong with that. then get rembrambt pussyhorse after that, i reckon

oh, high school.

Stupidity? Annoyingness?

Zoogz Rift >>>>>> Butthole Surfers

I am so not me OMG. I mean, NORMALLY, not now.

<3 you rudipherous

You have not lived until you've read Kramer's in-depth story of the Butthole Surfers and Norway (in toto). Third of the three questions here:

https://believermag.com/logger/three-questions-for-kramer/

“He has told me that he has all ten of your records.”

“We only have two. Believe me.”

“Well, then maybe he is now dreaming. The Swedes are big dreamers."

Fucking hell.

A great read, thanks Ned!

"Of the ten or so times in my nearly sixty years that I have witnessed my life flashing before my eyes, Gibby was right there for eight or nine of them."

Incredible. There needs to be a book.

All 3 answers were just fantastic. I have had to revise my near life long idea of what Daevid Allen was really like.

But that Stavanger gig, OMG!

Thanks for the link.

Whoa. Why is this thread purple. Is this a flashback.

As good a time as any to note that there's a Kickstarter for a documentary happening -- already reached its goal and seven days to go, seems like it'll be good fare based on the people behind it:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theholetruth/the-butthole-surfers-movie/

i have everything by them!

Thank you! xp

and also thanks for linking those three questions to Kramer! what a story teller.

just something from 2017 I didn't know: https://superiorshit.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-artwork-fo-butthole-surfers-ended.html

on Kickstarter--Pledge $250 or more
"What Does Regret Mean?" Book
Get a special edition Melodic Virtue/Aaron Tanner's Butthole Surfers coffee table book, "What Does Regret Mean?" - the first 100 donors who will pledge $300 or more for this reward will receive a book signed by Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary, and King Coffey!

Anyone hear Leary's new album yet?

Born Stupid? Yeah, I thought it was surprisingly enjoyable.

Just leaving this here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj38l9n98aE

there are several clips with Gibby Haynes with The Paul Green Rock Academy on YT, from last Summer. All quite hectic.

crucial chunks of the Butthole Surfers catalog are now available via Matador on digital services ; LP reissues coming down the road (please look both ways). Stream / download : https://t.co/6uSVENanQq
more detail : https://t.co/mhmcRvgwwB@buttholesurfers pic.twitter.com/XeKtLQz9Ld

— Matador Records (@matadorrecords) May 24, 2023

crucial chunks of the butthole

No bonus material? It's just a (bowel) movement then

haha they removed Negro Observer

https://store.matadorrecords.com/psychic-powerless-another-man-s-sac

I just had a good look at the images of the vinyl, and it looks the the record covers all have a logo in the upper left hand corner now?

I just cancelled my order, these seemed like a good deal but not if they're messing around with the music and art.

I think that's just a sticker maybe?

I assumed that at first, but since when do they show stickers on the mockups with the record coming out of it?

Maybe it is, but messing with the music is my main problem with it. Part of the appeal was getting proper versions of these but I can't say that's the case now. And if they're willing to cut a song, who knows what other alterations there may be. I get being... embarrassed, maybe the Surfers themselves wanted the song removed. But for a B.S. song that has the word "negro" in the title, it could be a lot worse. Why not just change the title to "Observer?"

"I Wanna Be Black" isn't the best Lou Reed song but I'm not buying a version of Street Hassle that doesn't have it.

the remasters are very good though, heard the download versions and they're definitely improvements over the 1999 (?) reissues.