your question

12/20/2019 Simon James

The first Bungle album may well end up being your most loved work by old and new fans alike. I think it’s one of the greatest albums ever made. What would be an appropriate question to address this glaring fact do you think? I’d love to know.

12/21/2019 I’m a big fan of Mr. Bungle and Paul Simon. What’s your take on him?

12/21/2019 I’m a big fan of Mr. Bungle and Paul Simon. You have said before how great it feels to make a living out of making weird music. Do you ever want to try and make something as perhaps less weird yet in my view brilliant as songs like Paul Simon songs?

my answer

I can’t stand it when, in the midst of my active career, people suggest that my greatest accomplishment has already been fulfilled giving a veritable brush-off to my remaining work yet unseen. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s one of the greatest records ever made, but how can I have any real perspective on that? Above all, I’m not sure what you question is. Your question is what question should you ask me about your opinion on a record I was part of 30 years ago?

I like some Paul Simon stuff. 50 Ways is one of the greatest songs every written. And I love me some Simon & Garfunkel. I don’t think Simon was always original but I recognize the moments where he is. And yes, writing a brilliant song is always a goal.

your question

12/19/2019 ET phone home

Hi! I've got Fantomas-related questions:
1) I don't remember where I read it, but I believe it was published that the material for both Delirium Cordia and Suspended Animation was culled from the same sessions. That sounds funny from the outside -- do you remember how those sessions went? I.e. was it clear from the outset that you were recording material for two albums (one darker and more disturbed and the other more cartoonish and violent)? Or were you really just handed multiple bass parts to nail on top of whatever parts were already recorded? This ties into the next question...
2) I know, I should be more used to the notion that Fantomas is Mike Patton's baby rather than a collaborative effort. It's just that the music sounds so involved and "real" on the part of the players, it's hard for me to imagine that the process was just Patton handing over audio demos, midi files or sheet music before or during a studio session. What I'm getting at is this: what kind of suggestion or direction did Patton provide during the recording process? Was there any occasion in which he would clue you, Buzz or Dave in on what he was visualizing for a section or track? Or did he just ask you to stick to what he recorded in a cassette demo at home? (the demos for the first album sound really close to the final product, but I dunno if that's the case for the later albums).
3) What do you feel about Delirium Cordia as a finished product?

my answer

1. From my standpoint it was all one session. We rehearsed all of that music in one go, although I think Delirium was put together more or less in the studio
2. Probably the reason the records sound “real” is because we spent hundreds of hours rehearsing that stuff. Just four guys in a room hammering away. Essentially it was exactly as you describe it: He handed over a cassette of completed demos which we had to sift through and decipher. He was constantly cluing us into everything and was very specific about what he wanted to the point of telling Dave which cymbal to play on any given nanosecond. So ultimately we were urged to stick to the pacing and phrasing of the demos as well as the notes.
3. I haven’t heard it in so long I don’t remember.

your question

12/18/2019 Will you go out on a date with me?

my answer

probably

your question

12/18/2019 Rick

What are your thoughts on Mike Pattons "Adult Themes for voice" and is the rumor that it was made to mess with hardcore fans true?
Also have you ever thought about making a solo record filled with solo double bass compositions like Pentogram? Because I would buy that it a secound.

my answer

I love that record, I think it’s some of his best work. I don’t know about that rumor but my guess is that no one would actually make an entire record just for the sake of “messing” with a specific audience. Let’s face it, that record messes with everyone, which is why it’s great. I do believe that it was made with integrity and a genuine sense of art based on eclectic influences.

Yes, I have thought about making a solo record. Was actually planning on recording in a church this Summer after my tour with Buzz, but that won’t be happening now.

your question

12/15/2019 Loosefish

I know you get lots of these stupid "do you like band x?" type questions, so sorry for another one, but were you ever influenced by the band Cardiacs? I know they were first described to me as "a very english Mr Bungle" which isn't too wide of the mark even though they've been around a lot longer.than Bungle.

my answer

I didn’t get hip to the Cardiacs until about 10 years ago. Not sure if Trey or Patton knew of them. Sorta glad I didn’t know about them. They might have discouraged me by being so good.

your question

12/11/2019 Tyler

Opinions on the band “Idiot Flesh”?
Did Bungle ever run into them!
Many thanks!

my answer

I came across those guys in the early ‘90s in SF and was a fan. Used to go see them in their earliest lineups at The Bottom of The Hill. Bungle never played shows with them but I knew most of those guys. I remember running in Nils at a Messiaen organ concert somewhere. When we cleared out our storage space after we stopped playing shows in 2000 I gave them (well, at that point they had reformed into Sleepytime) a bunch of our leftover gear including an upright piano.

your question

12/10/2019 ET phone home

I see you're into Elliott Smith. Any favorite albums? Do you think he lost something in shifting from solo acoustic home recordings to more fleshed out studio outings with big arrangements?

my answer

I quite like Figure 8 and XO. No, I don’t think he lost anything. I quite like the more produced songs. I think From A Basement on The Hill suffers from poor recordings and would have been a much better record with a more consistent sound. But, no, I don’t think he lost anything artistically.

your question

12/10/2019 Enrique

Hello there Trevor! Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Are you at all familiar with the grandfathers of weirdo atonal punk rock "Patife Band"? They are closely associated with the "Vanguarda Paulistana" movement in Brazil in the early 80s. Great weird music came out of that scene, mainly names like Arrigo Barnabé (brother of the singer and main composer of Patife, Paulo Barnabé) and Itamar Assumpção.

my answer

This is all new to me. Thanks for the tip! Listening now as I answer questions ; )

your question

12/09/2019 Brian

Hello Trevor! Destruction is easily one of my favorite bands. All of their 80s output, even the Cracked Brain album. I could discuss them all day.
Ive met you on several occasions starting in 99. Thank you for always being very kind.
I apologize for asking about Bungle because i know you get tired of it. My question is a little tedious, but could you list the Individual composers for any of the songs the way its listed on Disco Volante like specific Music writer and Lyric writer for each track?
1. Dead Goon- i know youve explained some of this one before, how the original impulse was Dannys very impressive bassline; but who else helped write the other song melodies, horn lines and lyrics?
2. Goddammit I Love America is my favorite Bungle demo. Could you answer the same question for my favorite tracks Waltz for Grandmas sake, Goosebumps, Bloody mary, Definition of shapes. I might've heard that Trey wrote the music for Carousel? I could be wrong.
3. Same question for any of Self-Titled album songs. I believe you mostly wrote Slowly growing deaf and Egg yourself. I know Trey wrote Stub with Mike contributing some lyrics. He said Mike wrote the music and lyrics of My ass is on fire...Mr Nice guy? Love is a fist?
4. I love all the impressive Bungle horn lines, dating all the way back to Carousel in 1986. I know there were several horn players Luke, Theo and finally Bar; and that you and Trey are horn players yourselves. Who did the bulk of charting the horn lines back then? I assume Bar began to help a lot with that when he joined in 88/89, or maybe not.
I also Love your recordings with Graham Connah, Jenny Scheinmann etc...
Sorry if ive asked too much. Looking forward to the upcoming live shows. Take care Brother!

my answer

The song information you request for DV is listed in the liner notes of the vinyl, CD and cassette releases on WB, so no need for me to retype them here. If you only have a digital copy then you are a victim of the digital age.
1. Much of that song was created in a lengthy improvisation that we recorded on a cassette back when we used to rehearse in a converted chicken coop. Patton took some of those ideas, Danny’s bassline and possibly some other collective ideas, and constructed the song, writing the melodies, I believe. Honestly, since that was 30 years ago my memory is a bit blurry.
2. I wrote the music and lyrics for Waltz and Definition. Patton wrote Goosebumps and Bloody Mary and Trey wrote Carousel.
3. I wrote SGD, LIAF (except for the long horn melody, which Trey wrote) and most of Egg (some of which also came out of a spontaneous jam). Patton wrote most of MAIOF, although I think Danny and Trey also contributed. Patton definitely wrote the lyrics for that. Trey wrote all of Mr. Nice Guy —or maybe that’s the one Danny contributed a riff to—hell, I don’t remember.
4. Trey, Patton and myself all wrote horn lines for our individual songs. Since Patton doesn’t read music I was usually the one to transcribe them and make charts for the Horns of the Cuckold.

your question

12/06/2019 Waste Of Time And Space

Sorry about the rambling from the last message (I was The Comments Section Pacifist). I recently got into the music of Stravinsky, Varese, Pierre Boulez, and Charles Mingus. If only "The Complete Town Hall Concert" was for sale on vinyl.
1. Who is your pick for the most-overrated composer in twentieth-century classical music (I pick Anton Webern)?
2. Would you recommend that people separate an artist from their music, especially if the artist is controversial? Think of James Brown's history with domestic abuse and aggression.
3. How was creative control distributed among the members of Fantomas? Were there any album concepts or bold riffs you wrote in particular, or were you merely a bystander?

my answer

1. Wow, I can’t disagree with you more about Webern, one of my favorites; a pioneer of sparsity, economy and space. I’m not so much of a fan of John Adams or Phillip Glass. I can listen and appreciate almost any composer from the first 2/3rds of the 20th century.
2. Yes. See my previous answer on said topic.
3. I was not what you would call a bystander but Fantomas was Patton’s baby. He wrote everything. Of course, the players refined things as we rehearsed but he had a specific design in mind which is why he claims 100% of the publishing/writing credits.

your question

12/06/2019 Keipetz

Have you heard XTC,Gong,Henry Cow, Split Enz? Is yes, what do you think of these bands? Thank you for music.

my answer

Yes, I’ve heard bits of all those bands, none of which I followed so much. My recent obsession with Crowded House hipped me to Split Enz. Definitely a fan of XTC’s English Settlement. The other bands sort of slipped past my radar when I might have been more interested in that kind of music, but now that you’ve mentioned them I may have to revisit.

your question

12/05/2019 One Mean Cockfighter

Hello Mr. Dunn,
I was wondering if you had a favorite Hendrix moment, solo, song, album, live performance? I know it's an impossible question. But you da man.

my answer

Yes, pretty much an impossible to answer. Definitely a fan of 1983, If 6 Was 9 and Burning of the Midnight Lamp in terms of songs.

your question

12/05/2019 LanceWith Bungle

embracing their thrash roots, here goes.
Favorite Slayer song?
Fav thrash album?
Best thrash concert you've ever attended?
Reign In Blood or Master of Puppets?
Rank the "big 4" in chronological order along with your favorite album by each
Does Exodus get the credit they deserve? Seems like they always slip under the radar
I know Patton said Slayer should have split after Reign In Blood because they would never top it. Agree?

my answer

Jesus Saves. Melissa. Exodus, Possessed and DeathAngle at The Stone, SF 1984(?). RIB, without hesitation. Slayer (RIB) Metallica (MOP) Megadeth (KIMB) Anthrax (FFOM). Exodus’ Bonded By Blood was huge for me and Holt’s riffage on that record were certainly cutting edge at the time, however, I found it difficult to get past Baloff. So, to answer your question, no, they didn’t get the credit they deserve. Don’t agree with Patton on this one. RIB is an undisputed pinnacle, however, I also dig SOH and SITA. Ok, that’s enough acronyms for now.

your question

12/03/2019Michael welch

Why does it always seem like there was tension between Mr Bungle and Faith No More? Media created or was there any issues? I know after Mr B signed to Warner Bros that pissed off certain people in FNM at the time and I remember Trey throwing shade at them in the press when Patton left in the middle of recording the 1st album to go tour South America with them. Also at the time were you worried about how it would affect Bungle after Trey joined FNM and subsequently left right before a world tour?

my answer

I don’t believe anyone in Bungle has any personal grudge against anyone in FNM. Obviously we’ve all met, and we get along when we do see each other, though hover in different realms. The odd circumstance of sharing a front-man doesn’t come without schedule conflicts, monetary priorities and a certain amount of hierarchy. Back in the day we did have to raise a bit of a stink to be taken seriously and not just a “side project” (which we never were, of course). I don’t recall the ins and outs of the situations you mention but I’m sure there was a combination of some actual tension that was probably magnified in the press.

My only concern about Trey joining FNM at the time was that things were starting to merge a bit more than I had expected. Probably not unlike Mike’s concerns about some of the early line ups of SC3. Thankfully, all of that is water under the bridge and not really worth entertaining anymore.

your question

12/03/2019 Phil

What do you do if you're a fan of a musician and then it turns out they're an asshole? Does it change your affinity for their music? I am sure Morrissey and Smashing Pumpkins fans ask themselves this question every day

my answer

I’ve had a couple poor experiences meeting people I revered as artists. In addition to that there are artists I like who have dubious reputations regarding their personal lives. That doesn’t change the music or art that I appreciate. Art has a complicated source, and humans are extremely complicated. If I’m not actively involved in their lives then I have to figure out my own boundaries as to how I continue to revere their art or banish it from my own personal world. R Kelly is an example of the extreme. I now believe in muting R Kelly.

On the other hand, I listen to both Christian and Satanic music. At times there is a point where the art overtakes the artist and once it is made public and in my possession, I put my own imprint on it as a listener. I can separate the art from the artist if the art is good enough. But like I said, I have my limits. Fortunately I’m not into either of those musicians you mentioned. However, you might be surprised if you dig deep into the personal lives of great artists. Even, say, T.S. Eliot or Salinger for example. What do we do with the films of Polanski, or the novels of Hemingway? It’s a big question you have provoked here, but if someone is “just” and asshole when I meet them, I try to forget that exchange and separate them from the art I love so much.

YOUR QUESTION

11/30/2019 Rich

Hey Trevor, can you remember any moments in your musical progression when you thought- jeeez I will never be able to play this, and then one day you realised- oh I can play this-
have you any insight into how this occurs?

MY ANSWER

It happens often when I get a difficult piece of music to play. Whether is a self-imposed challenge to learn a Bach cello suite, some new Zorn or Dan Weiss chart. What typically happens is that after chipping away at it, figuring out fingerings, bowings, etc —all the physical aspects — it starts to get easier. At a certain point I actually understand it and start having fun practicing it. Actually the whole process is fun. It’s like a puzzle or math problem. It’s a pretty simple answer to be honest. It takes work. Practice makes perfect.

YOUR QUESTION

11/28/2019 One Mean Cockfighter

Hello Mr. Dunn.
Death Match: Kevin Shields, J. Mascis, or Ronald Jones? And why Ronald Jones?

MY ANSWERs

Oh definitely J. Mascis.

YOUR QUESTION

11/28/2019 The Honorable Reverend Addison Bortion

Hello, Mr. Dunn! I've been a rather big fan of Mr. Bungle, and I was wondering about two unreleased tracks that were hinted at via the official Mr. Bungle twitter, Germs and Captain Asshole. How did those two go, if you remember them that is?

MY ANSWER

I don’t believe Germs was ever a finished song —something Trey was working on that we may have toyed with back in the Goddammit period or so. Capt. Asshole was an instrumental that we played live one time before discarding it. I don’t remember the riff… it think it went dee doop de dooo ding dinga doo…and then ended with a gigue about Darby O’Gill.

YOUR QUESTION

11/28/2019 One Mean Cockfighter

Hello Mr. Dunn,
What are some of your favorite things you order from Cracker Barrel?

MY ANSWER

It’s been ages, but I usually go for the egg sandwich, or the toast with the hole in it and they put the egg inside. If not that then just eggs, home fries, and coffee.

YOUR QUESTION

11/26/2019 Mia

This may sound a little weird, but like, aside from listening to your music everyday (got into Bungle just a few months ago), I just always wonder if you, Mike and Trey are healthy and alright. Have the weight of age somehow affected your work? Like, feeling tired, etc... I just hope you all are healthy and have enough time and money to accomplish the things you want and write the music you want! Hope you all are doing fine!! All my best wishes xx

MY ANSWER

Thank you for your concern. We are holding up. With age, hopefully, comes a bit of wisdom and knowing how to waste less time. We are all still making music and very much dedicated to it. Health and safety to you as well.