YOUR QUESTION

11/24/2019 Volante

Did you ever see the 1986 Keanu Reeves/Crispin Glover movie Rivers Edge? If so, what do you think of it? I know Trey says that movie is the closest to capturing mid 80s Eureka and the whole high school scene you guys came out of
Also, can you share the story of the time you met Kurt Cobain backstage in 92. I remember Danny or someone mentioning it in an interview a long time ago

MY ANSWER

Yeah, hellloooo. Saw it in the theater when it came out. Also it was my idea to use the theme song as our walk-off music for the RW shows. Very recognizable vibe that movie.

I never met Kurt. He and Courtney were at our NYE show at the Kennel Club in SF passed out in the dressing room. I didn’t know who they were. I think that was the show where Patton hit me in the forehead with a wooden driver.

YOUR QUESTION

11/24/2019 23:41:44

Steven S Gonna list a bunch of bands. Curious as to what you think of them

1. Melvins 2. Godflesh 3. Ministry 4. Faith No More 5. The Cure 6. Radiohead 7. Joy Division 8. Ice Cube 9.Nirvana 10. Guns N Roses 11. Beck 12. Napalm Death

MY ANSWER:

1. Duh 2. Street Cleaner was huge for me 3. Never got into them 4. Loved Introduce Yourself 5. Not really my thing but I do like their first record 6. Nearly flawless for what they do, definitely a fan 7. Over-rated 8. Early stuff 9. Never owned a record but apparently know every song 10. Nah 11. Meh 12. First record mostly

YOUR QUESTION

11/24/2019 JC

When you look at a band like Metallica or the Chili Peppers, how exactly did they lose "it"? Once upon a time both bands had something interesting to say musically and the more successful they got, the worse the music got. Is it fame? Ego? Drugs? Money? Lack of motivation? All of the above? In your opinion, why do some bands stay true to themselves and why do others fall off a fucking cliff?

MY ANSWER

Hard for me to say, coming from the outside but I would say all of the above. Those things you list all seem to be tied together. Success and fame lead to more frivolous spending and partying and less time caring about what they used to care about which was how to make interesting music. But let’s compare those bands to someone like, say, David Bowie, who partied his ass off and continued to make incredible music until literally his dying days. Is part of that because he wasn’t American? I think certainly he was more of a true artist than those you mentioned. It probably boils down to a core integrity and motivation and those as you know are rare in artists or anyone for that matter.

Speaking from my own place on this planet, I know that partying and money have their place but neither will keep me from trying to achieve what I want to achieve and honor those that came before me, whom I would not exist without.

YOUR QUESTION

11/22/2019 Deanky

Hello, Mr. Dunn

- I think you might have answered this one loooong ago but if so I can’t remember said answer and I haven’t been able to find anything so apologies if you did. ‘Cusp’ on John Zorn’s Filmworks V appears to sample ‘Everyone I Went To High School With is Dead’. Were you involved in that or was it just something he did? Or am I wrong and they just sound similar?
- If you could choose one animal to become hyper-intelligent and start a new band with you, which one would it be? This one is important
-This one is more broad music stuff in general and might not be something you can answer, but how does one even gain the patience for, really, anything in music? Been wanting to actually make fully formed songs and stuff for quite a while but even though I know it’s an unrealistic expectation and all, every time I try and sit down to do any musical thing, I usually just end up getting frustrated that I don’t immediately know how to do everything already. Any tips or such for this kind of thing?

Also there’s a guy in my class also named Trevor Dunn and I told him he had the same name as a musician I like and he went like “I know” but I don’t think he was actually listening. It’s OK though. I understand

MY ANSWER

I believe that was just something he did, and in fact that record was made quite some time before I started working with him in the studio. Not sure I’ve actually ever heard it, only heard about it ; )

Praying mantis.

Patience is a muscle that must be developed like anything else, and in fact, has nothing to do with music. You need to learn it, let it evolve and then apply it to whatever aspect of life you choose. I think it is sort of a lost skill in the world. It takes work. Study a piece of music you like. Spend a lot of time studying it and if there’s something you don’t understand then find out what that is and study that. If you are frustrated by not achieving instant gratification then you have a larger problem to address. I’ve been working at music for over 40 years and I’m still far from understanding everything much less being able to execute or control it. Maybe try a martial art or meditation to help build the skill of patience. But you also have to have discipline and be willing to make sacrifices.

YOUR QUESTION

11/22/2019 Ari

Hi Trevor,
Thanks for answering all these questions.
1. Are you using thomastik spirocore's? Bel Canto's? any other strings? Have you ever experimented with guts?
2. What type of Pick-up do you use these days?
3. Do you ever use a stool when practicing or do you always stand?
4. Have you checked out John Patitucci's book of 60 melodic Etudes?
5. Have you come across any books for bass in the last couple of years that you recommend?
Thanks!

MY ANSWER

Woah, I just realized I’ve been answering the questions in reverse chronological order. Not fair. Couple newer ones snuck in there. Sorry about that. Ok, whatever, onward….

1. Yes, I use Thomastik orchestral — the standard ones with the red thread. I used to use the rope core before I had my bridge replaced which made them sound too midrangey so I went to the Spirocore. I’ve never used gut. I do too much arco stuff for that to make sense.
2. I’ve been using the ol’ Underwood forever. Gage’s Realist didn’t sound good on my bass although I’ve heard it sound great on other basses, obviously.
3. Definitely use a stool, especially if practicing for several hours but I’m constantly moving from sitting to standing up, partially to keep my body from being stagnant but also for variety of toque, leverage, power, etc
4. No, I haven’t. Should I?
5. I still work from some pretty standard books. I still find them insurmountable: Simandl, Zimmerman’s Contemporary Concept, Petracchi’s Simplified Higher Technique. Occasionally I mess around with some Slonimsky patterns.

YOUR QUESTION

03/21/2020 Vidar Nilsson

Will the early Mr. Bungle cassettes ever be reissued?

MY ANSWER

No, and that is pretty much definitive. I would say, aside from RWOTEB everything else was a sort of gearing up towards our first WB record, so we said what we wanted to with that music.

YOUR QUESTION

03/22/2020 Sophia

Hi Trevor,
Just wondering if you’re ever going to answer any questions anymore. How did you feel about those Mr. Bungle shows? What have you been doing since then? And since we’re in the middle of a coronavirus, how are you holding up? Take care as always.

MY ANSWER

I looks as if I am.

Super stoked on those shows. Really fun music to play from the first note of rehearsal. Dave and Scott brought the roots, and of course, that’s why we hired ‘em. Also really great to see such a response. Despite all the complaining on line it seems that our audience knows to expect nothing.

I’m holding up alright. Trying to keep busy practicing bass, reading, cooking, exercising and soon to dig into writing. I do very well with isolation as I mentioned on my recent ‘rumors’ page. Trying to keep my mind as well as my body from withering away. Communicating with friends as well.

YOUR QUESTION

03/24/2020 Bryan White

What's your opinion of the band...the swans?

MY ANSWER

Love ‘em. I saw one of their first “comeback” shows at the Brooklyn Masonic Theater in 2010 (?). One of the loudest and best sounding shows I’ve ever seen. They probably would have been too dark for me in my youth, and even today some of those records push my emotional tolerance, but I still dig it.

YOUR QUESTION

03/25/2020 Gloria Stone

Was the jumpsuits and masks bit from the early days inspired by Devo?

MY ANSWER

The masks started out from having Halloween masks lying around in November right before our very first gig and being somewhat sardonic about the metal ethos and machismo. KISS was a personal influence for me. Then there were the days when The Deli Creeps (feat. Buckethead) opened for us in SF. The sheer dedication Buckethead had to staying in character and freaking everyone out was enough to push us further. Devo were certainly influential but I think Halloween and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer were also.

YOUR QUESTION

04/08/2020 Nick

Hey Trevor, you had a section on this site a few years ago where you listed all your gear through the years. Mind reposting please?
Thanks / Stay Well

MY ANSWER

Hm, yeah…I dunno. I deleted all those photos and frankly decided I didn’t need to give away any more info about my arsenal than necessary. Happy to answer any questions about gear, of course. Maybe one of these days I’ll get inspired to redo it.

YOUR QUESTION

04/12/2020 Alan Li

I've heard it speculated that the Madness song "House of Fun" was an influence on Carousel. Is there any truth to that?

MY ANSWER

You’d have to ask Trey to confirm that since he wrote Carousel. It’s quite possible as we paying attention to British ska bands back in the day: The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Specials, etc…. Madness was definitely on our radar.

YOUR QUESTION

04/17/2020 JoA

terrible disaster has occurred rendering the whole of the United States uninhabitable, and you are forced to live somewhere else on a permanent basis. Where would you choose and why? Just curious....

MY ANSWER

Many answers to this. Sardinia, Oaxaca, Cloverdale—places I’ve been and love. Or maybe somewhere in Indonesia where I’ve never been. Either way, close to water, where fruit and fish are abundant.

YOUR QUESTION

04/21/2020 Richy

I was wondering what your favorite metal albums are? Also, what was it like being a metalhead when Reign in Blood dropped?

MY ANSWER

That’s a big question…..Reign In Blood, Bonded By Blood, Damaged: Token Remedies Research, Soilent Green: Sewn Mouth Secrets, Sleep: Jerusalem, Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind, Raven: All For One, Mercyful Fate: Melissa, to name just a few of the late 20th century….

Hard to describe what it was like in ‘86 when RIB dropped. We were anticipating it. Master of Puppets had dropped a few months earlier and the hairs on our necks were already raised. I think I was dumbfounded and couldn’t take it out of the cassette player for months.

YOUR QUESTION:

09/18/2019 10:39:54 Chiara Bazzani

Again me. Sorry. I didn't tease you when I met you in Ferrara, but I'm doing it here, I'm a bit aware of that. But here you can skip my mail and avoid answering, at least..
I recently received your Nocturnes. I've listened to the album 5 or 6 times. It takes time for me to listen to music, especially when it's not banal.
I read you had in mind Chopin's Nocturnes, when you wrote yours, but I don't know why I think more about Schumann, especially the Kinderszenen...but that's just a personal feeling I have. What I'd like to ask you is if your familiar with Morton Feldman, in particular his later works. I really can't think about him listening to Tertiam Vocem, which I really like very much. Feldam used to broaden time to very long composition, that's not the case, but there's an attention to quiet sounds, and a certain taste for the use of few notes, which reminds me Feldman. Am I too far from that?
I really like your album. I hope to see you in Italy with these composition. Thank you. (Come to Modena!!)

MY ANSWER:

Thanks for the comments and for listening! I wasn’t familiar with the Kinderszenen so I am listening to them now as I type and that is certainly the vibe. I’ve been somewhat obsessed with Chopin’s Nocturnes for some time but I will give Schumann a chance. I also love Morton Feldman. His sense of time and micro-variation are excruciating in various ways. So, you are not far off at all. I wouldn’t necessarily say Feldman has been a direct influence but he’s in there for sure. That said, there is one small passage in Tertiam Vocem that IS directly Feldman in my eyes. So to you: good ears!

YOUR QUESTION:

09/16/2019 2:52:44v Dr Rozza

Hey,
Haven't seen you play in the U.K since 2008 on the All Tomorrow's Party at Minehead with Fantomas and some other bands you were in. Just wondering if you had any tips on sight reading bass charts, outlining guitar chords and counter point melody, please?
Oh..are you coming to the UK any time soon?

MY ANSWER:

I played in London and Cheltanham just last year, I believe, with Dan Weiss’ Starebaby. Sorry to have missed you, but no immediate plans to return. Hopefully something will come up.
Tips for sight-reading: make sure your reading in general is up to par. Practice reading. If you have to sight-read something, first make an over-view: mark the repeats, understand the form, take a second to pick out the more difficult rhythms and use a pencil to mark downbeats, subdivisions, etc. For outlining chords learn your arpeggios (including alt chords or whatever weirdness you’re into) in all inversions. Also, practice creating linear, melodic walking bass lines over a tune with many chords (such as a jazz standard). The staples of counterpoint are parallel, oblique and contrary motion. If you want to get in to fugues and the like I’d check out books by Hindemith or Schoenberg, for example.

YOUR QUESTION:

09/15/2019 15:35:27 Nathan Mole

Hi Trevor,
Where do you see the direction of contemporary music heading, and do you feel that the work you do has a place along side it?
Whilst I’m at it, I may as well milk the opportunity. I’m 19, and I’ve followed your music for the past few years, and trying to play along to your stuff has greatly improved my playing. From Mr Bungle’s debut, to John Zorn’s O’o.
I haven’t had a chance to catch you in person yet, but when you’re next in sunny ol’ England I’ll certainly save up my coppers and do so.
Thanks. Keep up the great work! :)

MY ANSWER:

Even at the age of 50 I feel as though I’m approaching the “hand off the torch” stage of my career. Maybe that’s self-disparaging but I feel that contemporary music continues to blossom in unexpected ways and I’m talking not only about concert hall music but also electronic music. I recently had the opportunity to see a contemporary concert at the Vienna Konzurthause featuring a bunch of young composers I’d never heard of. The concert was two and a half hours long and I never lost interest. The ideas were fresh and the boundaries were pushed. The music itself will continue to grow as I will constantly push myself to do as well. The real question is will people listen? I suppose if the composers/artists are growing then we can assume the minds of contemporary listeners are also growing and audiences are more open minded. That said, most classical venues still present an over-abundance of Mozart and Vivaldi for my taste.
I’m hoping my work will have a place along side the contemporaries I respect. As a predominantly “rock” and “jazz” musician my concert work has taken a back seat, so I suppose that’s where my focus will be headed once I’m too old to get up on stage myself.

YOUR QUESTION:

09/10/2019 20:53:18TR (Again)

Dear Dunn,
What are your views on Tomahawk? You’re a part of the band but not originally. I’ve only listened to the first two albums with Rutmanis, and I owe them with helping me get into Bungle’s first two albums. Rut, for what it’s worth, is my favorite of the Melvins bassists. Never thought Bungle would play in my lifetime and yet I’m going to Brooklyn Steel for a show—I’ll be 18 then. Word.

MY ANSWER:

I always thought Tomahawk was Patton’s best collaborative project. I liked them much more than FNM and that is due to the brilliant writing of Denison and the way that he and Patton provided a counterpoint for each other. Rutmanis is an amazing bass player, totally unique

YOUR QUESTION:

09/10/2019 18:57:35 Emily Bhi

Trevor,
what are your thoughts on the late, great Jeff Buckley?

MY ANSWER:

What can I say? Incredible voice; incredible musician. Who can argue?

YOUR QUESTION:

09/09/2019 19:52:09 Tarnation

Considering how you've been dealing with interactions with needy and thirsty fans for ages, here's a question: how did YOU deal with interacting with artists of whom you were a fan? Was it always easy for you to maintain a cool facade (at least to me, you exhude coolness and "I don't have time for anybody's shit") or have you ever found yourself "geeking out", so to speak? Do those interactions bring you as much retrospective embarrassment as I feel even by writing this to you? It's admittedly a low stakes engagement (you enjoy somebody's work, you meet said person by chance, it either goes well or doesn't), but I'm curious as to how you've coped with that sort of thing, seeing as you've now got Dave Lombardo in your band and have been playing with him for a while.

MY ANSWER:

I had very few interactions as a fan as a young person. I high-fived John Doe from the front row of an X show when I was 13. I got Hetfield’s and Hammett’s autographs when I was 16 (they seemed bothered and were condescending). Once my high school friend started getting famous in front of my eyes the world of “celebrity” got smaller to me. I began to realize that these were human beings with as many faults and insecurities as anyone else.
In terms of being put in a working situation with people I was a priori a fan of, such as Buzz and Dave, one hides one’s giddiness in order to be professional. I had this same attitude when auditioning one-on-one with Tom Waits as well. After a certain amount of time, and whilst retaining one’s own self-respect, one can set aside the persona one has observed and relate on a human level to another human. I’ve also felt that giddiness with people who aren’t famous but still command my respect. It’s true that I don’t have time for anybody’s shit, and neither do you.

YOUR QUESTION:

09/09/2019 18:01:42 Danny O'Sodom

I want to sing along to the Raging Wrath lyrics next year at the show, but all I know is the bridge+chorus to Anarchy Up Your Anus thanks to the MB twitter page. How can I find out what the lyrics are without buying a death metal to English babel fish appliance? Cheerio

MY ANSWER:

Ha! Good point. We are currently sifting through them ourselves trying to decipher our 33 year old musings. Perhaps we will post them on Twitter at some point, although I would image some might not go over so well in this PC climate.