YOUR QUESTION

06/22/2020 James N

Good afternoon Mr Dunn,
I've been noodling away on my bass on and off (mostly off) during this lockdown (in the UK!) and am finding it hard to maintain the enthusiasm to have regular practice sessions - how do you try and continue to make time for your practising? (I'm assuming as a professional its much more second nature than for us mere hobbyists!)
Similarly, what tips would you have for a relatively beginner/intermediate bassist for improvisation and writing basslines, and do you have any resources that you find yourself going back to time after time? I do try to learn and play my favourite songs, but find that many of them have complicated sections that I just simply cannot figure out, which is somewhat dispiriting.
Many thanks for your time.

MY ANSWER

Maintaining enthusiasm and discipline is an age old battle with the self-employed. To me it is essentially the same as maintaining a physical exercise routine or consistent bedtime. I’m saying it wavers. I’m at the point in my career now where I mostly practice with a specific goal in mind — a recording session, a live gig, etc. I also have to balance a writing schedule. There are not enough hours in a day. I make a lot of lists.
The only tip I have for improvising is to do it more and with a variety of people, or paintings or trees. In quarantine times you can improvise to Berio violin duets or Ed Blackwell drum solos. For writing I suggest learning your favorite lines, making variations on them, pushing your limits. Having a teacher or peer help you decipher the complicated bits will further your skills. You’ll soon realize that there is a lot of logic and simplistic foundation to a lot of what is unfamiliar. The dispiriting aspect should compel you to figure it out and conquer it.

YOUR QUESTION

06/15/2020 madamimadam

Hey Trevor!
1) Were you to design your signature pedal effect, what it would do?
2) Have you had some "your" unusual combination of FXs chain you would like to share?

MY ANSWER

1) It would be able to manipulate long loops as one might in a DAW, choosing instantaneously, in real time, how and what part of a loop would be treated and displaced.
2) My chain is constantly shifting. I don’t use much more than distortion, an octaver and occasionally some kind of delay or looper.

YOUR QUESTION

06/14/2020 Keb

Hey Trevor. Long time listener, first time caller.
In addition to watching you perform live, I’ve happened to notice you at a couple of more abstract/noise type shows in NYC over the years (Aaron Dilloway, Jandek, Full of Hell, etc.). I’m genuinely curious to know what your view on noise music is? Are there any artists within the genre that have been impactful on you at all?

MY ANSWER

Noise is a somewhat recent allure. I particularly enjoy being at loud, intense live shows, surrounded by the visceral dystopian sound-bath. It’s a new and only slightly explored genre for me, but aside from the artists you mentioned I’ve also really enjoyed Puce Mary and C. Spenser Yeh. Come to think of it, I was checking out artists on Realicide, such as Mavis Concave and Robert Inhuman quite a while ago. Noise is a genre I feel comfortable around and I always appreciate hearing/seeing artists do things that I am unable to do. I have a lot of respect for anything that moves me inexplicably.

YOUR QUESTION

06/09/2020 Gladys Kravitz

How did it go when you noticed you had become an adult? Was it the first time you got paid for a bass gig? When Mr. Bungle struck a record deal? I'm curious as to how the crossing of the threshold from boy II man worked for you.
From the outside, you're a man of extremes -- handsome, youthful looks, vibrant energy as a player, verbal wisdom in lyrics and interviews... and the best old man voice in the game. So it's funny to imagine you were once in the process of coalescing who you were into an adult. Of course, the process never fully ends, but it's interesting to think of times when we weren't yet "fully grown" and suddenly we are. So maybe you remember a situation where you figured out "oh man, I'm not a kid anymore".
PS: In a recent interview to the Vinyl Guide, Trey retold the story of the Secret Song in DV and made an amazing impression of your Old Man voice. You guys should be the new Statler and Waldorf!

MY ANSWER

I don’t think that threshold is ever obvious or apparent for that matter. How could it be? Is there a snap that happens in one’s brain? I don’t believe so. As a culture that has ultimately forsaken ritual we have no definitive transition point. I would say any level of pain or trauma will put some gray hairs on you. To some degree I’ve always felt old. I was a curmudgeon at a young age. But due to good genes, I suppose, I’ve always looked younger than my age which means I wasn’t really taken seriously until I was in my mid 40s. It’s certain that the process never ends, nor should it. How frightening to image there is nothing left to learn.

YOUR QUESTION

06/05/2020 Valentina Sangiorgio

Hi Trevor!
1. I know how to read sheet music but I am not sure how to know if I need to re-tune my bass. For example, if the sheet music is in a certain key, how would you know if you have to re-tune, like if the tuning is in standard E, D, drop D, Eb, etc.? I don't know if I worded that right, but you'll probably get it.
2. This kind of goes with the first question, but what would suggest doing to practice reading sheet music? I only use tabs to play but I would really like to learn how to play reading sheet music.
3. I really want to learn how to play slap bass. I've tried watching videos on how to do it but when I try, it just sounds sloppy and I feel like my thumb is just flying around and missing the string most of the time lol. I can't play fast at all either :D How did you learn, or what did you do to practice playing slap?
4. I use a starter kit bass. What bass would you suggest to be a good bass but not so expensive? I've been doing some research and I came across the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV Pro. What's your thoughts on it?
Thank you Trevor for all that you do and for being such a down to earth guy!! YOU'RE THE BEST!! Stay safe! :)

MY ANSWER

1. The only reason you would need to tune the E string down (to Eb, D , etc) is if the music required those specific notes otherwise out of the instrumen’s range. Music written for bass, regardless of key, can all be written with standard tuning in mind. Unless the composer has specific reasons for scordatura it is assumed that you are in standard tuning.
2. I’m not a believer in TAB. I think it’s an inefficient and limited form. To practice reading all you need to do is read. Read anything—bass music, piano music, violin music— any clef. I also highly recommend taking some piano lessons and learning the basics of reading with that instrument. It also helps to transcribe some of your favorite melodies or bass lines. Write them out yourself, then play along while you read it.
3. Most of my slap technique came from checking out Larry Graham, Louis Johnson and Mark King. Louis Johnson has a great instructional video that I believe you can view on the interwebs. It also would behoove you to study with a private teacher, preferably in person. The act of slap bass is quite physical. The two main components are the downward ‘thumb’ and the upward ‘pluck’ (typically up an octave from the ‘thump’. Also, the only way to play fast is to first be able to play slow. Take it one metronome marking at a time.
4. I don’t know that bass specifically but ultimately, as long as it doesn’t feel like a baseball bat, the action is tolerable and the strings don’t have shards of rust on them, anything will work for a starter bass. The cheap Fender knockoffs are perfect actually.

YOUR QUESTION

05/23/2020 Árpád Kovács

Considering Jed Watts made a cameo appearance during the Raging Wrath Bungle reunion shows, and even Spruance and Patton have since let bygones be bygones, any chance Theo Lengyel might make a cameo appearance in a possible Bungle Proper reunion?

MY ANSWER

Keep in mind it took us 35 years to reunite with Jed, who remains as amiable as ever.

YOUR QUESTION

05/22/2020 Kenny

Hi Trevor! I was sitting here, listening to Bungle while eating my Honey Bunches of Oats (which, sure, Bungle might be a bit more of a Cap'n Crunch type of band, but in these trying times, you take what you can get) and a question came to mind, that I proceeded to Google and couldn't find anything on, so if you've already previously talked about this somewhere, I apologize:
You've talked previously about the "Sleep Trilogy" of Bungle songs (which, for those who might be reading if you answer this, were "Slowly Growing Deaf", "Carry Stress in the Jaw" and "Phlegmatics") and that got me thinking: "Everybody I Went to High School With is Dead" is a killer song, but when I think about it, I personally feel like "Retrovertigo" is almost like its counterpart (not necessarily a sequel, however), in the way that (in my personal view, of course you'd know the meaning better than I do) they both seemingly tackle the past and memories associated with it, be it the disconnection from peers shown in in "Everybody [...]" or the way that the past becomes romanticized (my takeaway of "Retrovertigo")
So my questions are: Was "Retrovertigo" intentionally written as a companion-piece to "Everybody [...]"? And how do you cope with painful/bittersweet nostalgia?

MY ANSWER

Firstly, not to be a grammatical stickler, but it’s “Everyone..” not “Everybody…” I do make particular distinctions in my lyrics. That song and “Retro..” were never intended as companion pieces, although I do see what you’re talking about. Both are somewhat judgemental observations of cultural conditioning. I suppose I’m always wary of social norms dominating individuality. Myself, I struggle with the bittersweetness of nostalgia, constantly fighting my tendencies for hoarding vs living in the moment. Forgetting is an important human mechanism that we are seemingly less and less capable of. Even others won’t let us forget. My takeaway from your question is that I tend to say the same things over and over, often forgetting what I’ve already said only to repeat it in some new disguise. Perhaps the result is my “voice”. But coping isn’t that big of a deal for me. If nostalgia starts to bother me I make a move towards something I don’t know.

YOUR QUESTION

05/21/2020 Zinglebert Flobbdibak

I'm curious about the "888" tattoo - a quick gooble search turns up mostly biblical and psychic associations. Of course I may be way off base not knowing you personally at all - but you don't strike me as particularly orthodox or whimsical.

MY ANSWER

My parents were married on Aug 8 1958 and my father, having built his own dragster in the ‘60s, used the number 888 for his Top Fuel Hemi-powered car. The tattoo is in honor of my parents. I am capable of being both orthodox and whimsical.

YOUR QUESTION

05/21/2020 Michelle

What follows is a serious inquiry, I hope you treat it as such.
Humpty Dumpty has just fallen off the wall. As we know, all the King's horses and men are insufficient to the task of reconstruction. However, you are not. Do you:
a. Attempt to rebuild to Humpty's original specs. And stress out when the outcome is similar to the that of previous efforts. You end up in a tavern, drowning your sorrows with the horses and the men.
b. Repurpose the parts into something entirely different. You end up in a tavern in another land because the King put a price on your head. He doesn't appreciate thinking outside the cask.
c. Use the pieces to reinvent the Humpty brand, maintaining, at the least, his egg-like nature. You end up in that same tavern with the you from b and wake up the next morning spliced together but only your right sides.
d. Fuck this project and walk off the jobsite. You end up in a tavern. Fuck that egg. You saw what happened to the previous three guys. The King doesn't pay you enough for this shit.
e. You are already in a tavern and too hammered to give a fuck in the first place.
I hope you laughed. I did but I'm almost always high af.

MY ANSWER

I should probably reciprocate the highness but it’s a bit early in the day for me and I’m about to do a 20 minute Shaun T intervallic workout. My natural inclination would be to opt for choice ‘a’ although the much disputed identity of our unfortunate anthropomorphic egg-friend compels further research. I do have a tendency to fear change and “keep things the way they were”. The stress of this attempt is also translatable from my natural state, the self-critic if you will. Round objects shouldn’t be placed, unbalanced or unsupported, at a height which puts them at danger. That’s just common sense. I would expect that Mr. Dumpty knew his limits, being a fragile egg after all, and is arguably responsible for his own demise. Perhaps he, too, had previously been at the tavern. Certainly only a speculative suggestion. I guess that’s not the point anyway. Yeah, option “a”.

YOUR QUESTION

05/18/2020 Eric

Hey Trevor
1) what does OU818 stand for?
2) who had the idea for the 'tractor in my balls shirt'
3) Crispin Glover. Misunderstood genius or total whackjob? Or a little of both
4) Buzz Osbourne. Misunderstood genius or total whackjob? Or a little of both
5) was Eureka in the mid 80s as bad as it seemed?

MY ANSWER

1) The first four letters are a homophonous device where each character represents a word creating the phrase, “Oh, you ate one…” Van Halen had an album called OU812 utilizing the last character to represent the word “too”. This seems to be a pedestrian joke about eating something whose identity is not disclosed nor does it appear to have any relevance to the contents of the record. You may also notice that VH’s OU812 is chronologically sandwiched between their 5150 and F.U.C.K albums in what might be called their semiotic period. This was also their 8th studio album and the 2nd one with Hagar. And y’all know that 8 dived by 2 is 4, which is half of 8. The “8” that Mr. Bungle substituted probably stood for the number 8. The rest of the math is clearly explained in the intro to that demo.
2) Someone in the band, who had heard someone else in the band say the phrase.
3) Can’t say I know the guy so my opinion would solely be based on whatever is available to the general public. I do appreciate much of his art
4) I mean, look at the guy.
5) Having been a curmudgeon most of my life I would say it’s worse now, thanks to the meth. But yeah, it was pretty bad. Must be a million similar small, impoverished, towns across this free nation that are devoid of substantial culture and prone to boredom and violence.

YOUR QUESTION

05/18/2020 Harry palmer

Trevor, I would like first to thank you from the bottom of my God knows why still beating heart for the day back in? '93? When a drummer that moved from orange county to the stubbly little city of Reno turned me on to your release on Warner bros, Mr. Bungle. I read stunned amazed in stitches laughing and by the end crying that against all odds you recording found its way into the black hole of culture were I resided. , pleased even more to see the Dunn name on the bass credits. I've hallways asunder that Donald was your father. , and of the five 8 teams. That were in the family vehical (Floyd,: dark side of the moon, eagles : greatest hits, fleeteood: rounded, kiss: destroyer,and the blues bros. . , all shaped. And I feel so fucking lucky to have born at the right time and place to play each one of thoose 8 tracks to the point I still expect certain songs to be cut in half. .. growing up I doubted I would find anything to bring back that first listen to and been touched so deeply by sonic bliss and to have that gap broken so ... words fail me. But the emotion banquet I gourged on listening to by the track Caroslej just kept getting better and better. THANK YOU, SIR. ! And for performing on new years Eve w Promise, and with Incubus in Auburn, iwhen I turned my wife on to California. . Enough w the sappy shit. My question is, this: I've grown up and lived threw some messed up shit, but I'd havevto say that with Microsoft tech. Patented # wipo20200606061a, chip for cryptograms currency to the sheep so docile being led by their noses to where fear governs decisions , not The Billl of rRghts, what's your and the other MB. members thoughts feelings? I'm at a loss . . I guess if self absorbing ignorance and fear dominated the country that School House. Rock made me feel lucky enough to live in that dying or killing for it seemed worthy. Noble. . , that well maybe its time that we wind up in company of the dinosaures or Rome. '
If this ship goes down and all of us with it, the one thing that I would ask is that I could hear would be yours %and your band mates ripping and lampooning all the assholes who helpped make it possable. Peace.

MY ANSWER

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I couldn’t agree with you more.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 JD

Sex Pistols. Over rated? Or do they get the credit they deserve? Or do you have to had been there at the time to fully grasp what they did or didnt do? I think they broke down some barriors....unlike the Clash and Ramones who are over-rated drivel

MY ANSWER

First of all, I love The Clash. Sex Pistols are a bit of an anomaly, no? I do think it’s impossible to take them out of political context. Their music doesn’t do it for me for a number of reasons and perhaps they were really just a political concept anyway. Imagine seeing them in Louisiana in the ‘70s!! Talk about trolling. I hardly view them as an actual band to be honest. I do agree with you about the Ramones who were like the other side of the coin that KISS resided on. Appealing bubble gum packaged with all the imagery needed to attract young eyes.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Crispin Glover

Could you ever tolerate being in a band with a J Mascis type. I hear hes mellowed big time these days but the stories of him torturing the other 2 in that band (esp Barlow) are the stuff of legend

MY ANSWER

Yeah, I weirdly have a high tolerance for that type of thing. It’s one of the qualities that makes me a good side-man. I’ve found a way to turn the torturing into a personal challenge in which the endgame can be a result of all parties being happy.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Chris

Was it weird playing festivals for the first time with Fantomas and Bungle (must have been 2000 for both bands)...Neither band seems suited for festival atmosphere, ESPECIALLY Fantomas

MY ANSWER

Yes, it was. Festivals are weird, hasty and impersonal. I wouldn’t be caught dead at one unless I was getting paid. All that mud! Everything about them is typically weird: the set times, the catering, the party atmosphere, the relentless down-time. I much prefer clubs.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Jeff S

There seems to be this perception that you and some of the other guys in Mr. B are embarrassed by your late 80s slappeh da bass era....I get that Bowel of Chiley was amateurish and raw but GDILA and OU818 had some great songs on there
Also, am I the only one who recognized that Patton took the "raise a glass and toast to the thing that hurts you the most" lyric from "Bloody Mary" and reused it in the Faith No More song "Last Cup of Sorrow" a decade later????

MY ANSWER

I feel that there were moments of good song writing/ideas with those demos, but to me the musical packaging doesn’t hold up as well as other things. They reek with amateurism and failed experimentation. I wouldn’t say I’m embarrassed, but I do like the idea of moving on and forgetting. And, no, you are not the only one who recognized that bit of self-cannibalism.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Jeff

Does it annoy you when a musician preaches politics to the point it becomes obsessive. Someone like Roger Waters for example

MY ANSWER

Not necessarily. That’s his right and anything annoying can be avoided for the most part. Opinions are rampant thanks to our omnipresent access to them. Also, very simple to avoid. Being annoyed isn’t that big of a deal either.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Sofia

Hey, I saw the "Cronenberg on Cronenberg" book on a pic you posted on Instagram. I was actually watching all his movies from the 70s until the "crash" for the first time ever on this quarentine and discovered that book through you. That came on the right time. What did you think about the book?

I loved it, although sometimes his point of view on politics x art (feminism and other stuff) is a bit too closed on one side to me, he keeps saying that the artist should have no responsability at all - a point of view that I understand, but do not fully agree, because to me there are contexts and contexts. But I do like when he says he wants those things to be a bit more subtle. It's a new perspective to me, because I've always related pretty fast with more politicized art, and somewhat, to a certain extent, art with political statements seems to be in a lot of places right now - take "Parasite" winning the Oscars, Beyoncé releasing "Lemonade" some years ago and talking about feminism and black people, and a lot of other stuff.

It's something relatively new to me to dig artists that don't have such a proeminent political statement on their work - in that I include you, Mr Bungle, Patton. I'm curious about what you think about this theme - art and politics. Do you agree with Cronenberg? Or do you enjoy works that have a more direct political message? Do you think that maybe this political wave on art has to do with the state of the world right now?

MY ANSWER

I loved that book, too. Read it years ago and pulled it out to re-read, which I haven’t got to yet. He’s a very quotable guy; very eloquent and direct. I have a leaning to agree with him about responsibility partly because, regardless of what an artists creates, it will be interpreted subjectively. If 100 people listen to lyrics I wrote there will be 100 different takes on what they “mean”. Part of the art, to me anyway, is creating something that has no meaning, or that I myself don’t even understand. Not only is it not my responsibility to explain my creations, sometimes I can’t. I personally have almost zero interest in politicizing my art. I also find politics incredibly boring. Now, if we are talking about social justice, for example, that’s more interesting, but still I find it…hm, tasteless perhaps?…to weave into the chords and melodies I write. And I am using that word literally.

I’m certainly not going to stand on a soapbox and say that politics does not have a place in art. Of course, the beauty of art is that it is individual, and it’s anyone’s right say what they want to say. If we don’t like it we don’t have to pay attention to it. If we find it harmful, well, that is also a different story and deserves action. Can art create political change? To a degree, but probably not on it’s own. Attentive people respond to subtly more than one might think and another beauty of art is hiding meaning within it’s form. The is a reason for metaphor. My opinion, my identity, my ego, and my beliefs are my own. Completely subjective. I will act accordingly in the political realm by, say, voting and making certainly life choices. But I have no interest in aligning those things (in an obvious way) with my musical creations. Powerful art might be a catalyst for self-reflection and exploration into deeper beliefs, but sometimes political art is more about the message and the politics than it is about the unique humanity of creating something and I find that distracting to the point that both the vessel and the contents are watered down.

I tend to look with disdain upon trends even if I do fall victim to them from time to time. There are too many reasons why trends and herd mentality are both dangerous and lack real backing. I often don’t trust them. But I do believe it’s human nature and a survival instinct to go along with the pack. Less likely to be eaten by predators. These days there is such an ‘us vs. them’ mentality that no gray areas are tolerated, and I love gray areas. I like being confused. I try to keep a grip on why I chose music in the first place — it was because of the sound and the feeling I got when listening to and/or playing with other people. It had nothing to do with where my genetics can be traced back to who I like to make out with.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 Dave

Hello Trevor,
You play many different types of music with many different musicians. Do you ever get to a recording session or a show and just aren't in the mood for whatever type of music you're about to be playing? If so, how do you get yourself psyched up to play what you don't feel like playing?

MY ANSWER

Usually any negative feelings I might have, physical or mental, dissipate once I actually start playing. I’ve noticed that’s almost always the case as if there is some healing element to simply lying my hands on the instrument. I hate the idea of ‘phoning it in’ and do my best to rid myself of any bad mood or ego blockage that would be readily apparent upon listening. I’ve certainly done gigs that serve only financial purposes but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to sound good, or rather, do the best job that I can and provide what I’m being hired for. There is usually plenty of psychological warm-up time for any live gig or recording session which often involves going over the music, internalizing it, being prepared to be inside the music. Most likely it’s not the music that is going to affect me negatively regardless of genre; so essentially I can go to the music for direction. The music will tel me what it needs and that attention puts me in a good zone.

YOUR QUESTION

05/16/2020 the ideograph

Hello Trevor, I'm interested in any reflections you'd like to share on working with Zorn, if this question hasn't been addressed elsewhere. Back in Bungle days, what was it about his work that interested or challenged you? What do you derive from more recent collaborations, after you've both perhaps shifted your artistic interests and positioning through the years? And which Moonchild piece do you recall enjoying playing?
I'm sad I missed the Moonchild Templar shows a few years back (I was deep in other musical rabbit holes). There seemed an elevated energy between yourselves as a group, particularly with Zorn conducting the encore improv, that is conspicuous even in recordings. Joey Baron is a delight to watch & I love your delivery of pieces like Libera Me, A Second Sanctuary. Looking forward to the upcoming Trio-Convulsant and your solo material, when it manifests - bring on more Trevor voice.

MY ANSWER

Back in the Bungle days we were attracted to Zorn’s somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of music. This has continued into current times with Zorn knowing instinctively how to achieve ideal orchestrations as well as combinations of musicians. Working with him is always intense—a hyper-focused work ethic that doesn’t wane until the project is complete. No lollygagging. It’s hard work and it’s lots of fun. The Moodchild shows were always super intense as well, very physical for me, plus I was doing the “conducting” —cueing the others, and also non-stop. My favorite album is the expanded version Six Litanies For Heliogabalus. I love watching Joey play, too! Cheers

YOUR QUESTION

05/15/2020 MeltmuhBanana

Is there a genre of music that you haven't delved into yet that you are seduced into possibly playing with in the future? And on the other side of that- is there one in the spectrum of which you are absolutely NOT interested?
Of the artists/musicians operating in the biz today, who would you most like to work with if given the opportunity?
All the best!

MY ANSWER

Salsa music is a genre that, as a bass player, has long been intriguing and for which I have respect. I don’t know if I’d ever attempt to play it for real, but I have fantasized about diving into it as a student. Broadway musicals are something I would steer clear of. I’d love to work with Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Megan Thee Stallion or Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker