Ep509: Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers

Gibby Haynes discusses his upcoming EU/UK tour, the completed Butthole Surfers documentary, early punk memories, near-death stage experiences, vinyl reissues and lots more.

EU/UK Tour Tickets here 

Topics Include:

• Gibby discusses upcoming European & UK tour with Scott Thunes and musical kids
• Tour dates are limited, zero chance of expansion beyond Europe/UK
• Scott Thunes was Frank Zappa's former bassist and "clone meister"
• Gibby confirms he's a Frank Zappa fan, particularly loved "Apostrophe" album
• Lost interest in Zappa after "Apostrophe" due to scatological humor focus
• Initial confusion about Scott Thunes - Gibby doesn't know who he is
• Clarifies he works with Paul Green's School of Rock for 20 years
• Scott Thunes may be coming on tour, is friend of Paul Green
• Gibby has no direct connection to Scott Thunes, only knows Paul Green
• Sometimes tours individually with kids, different kids each time
• Butthole Surfers once toured Europe with School of Rock as opener
• Kids' performance quality varies - sometimes really good, sometimes not
• Gibby lost entire record collection when engineer sold it during tour
• Collection was 3-4 feet of curated vinyl, mostly punk and hardcore
• Had valuable Buzzcocks singles collection among other rare records
• Met record dealer in San Antonio mall who introduced great albums
• Dealer showed him Devo's first album when it came out
• Key collection moment was hitchhiking trip to LA in summer 1979
• Saw early LA punk shows including Go-Gos opening for Fear
• LA was only US city where audience spit at bands
• Witnessed massive amounts of phlegm on Belinda Carlisle during show
• John Belushi was standing next to him at the Go-Gos show
• Almost saw the Dickies' "last show" but it was cancelled
• Dickies are apparently still performing, contrary to expectations
• Gibby wrote memoir "Me and Mr. Cigar," wants to do sequel
• Criticizes most musician memoirs as ghostwritten, prefers authentic voices
• Cites Bob Dylan and Patti Smith as examples of self-written memoirs
• Discusses looking at legacy, mentions end being closer than beginning
• Still painting but doesn't do regular gallery shows or solo exhibitions
• Questions whether rockers are musicians or entertainers, favors entertainment label
• Believes rockers make better actors than actors make musicians
• Cites Childish Gambino and Lady Gaga as successful crossover examples
• Mentions Russell Crowe's band "50 Odd Foot of Grunts" dismissively
• Did artwork for several album covers including "P" and other releases
• Sold all artwork at LA gallery show while Sonic Youth members sold none
• David Yow pointed out his success, making him particularly happy
• Maintains friendships with successful musicians like Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Gets VIP access to major shows, brings 15-year-old son along
• Son says he loves Gibby but frequency might be concerning
• Kids don't appreciate backstage access until they can drink alcohol
• Mentions Dwarves show where son enjoyed the beer more than music
• Discusses Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of Stone Age name quality
• David Crosby once asked why they chose "Butthole Surfers" as name
• Responded that "Haynes, Walthall, Pincus and Coffey were already taken"
• Band appeared on Beavis and Butthead with respectful introduction
• Used different band names for every show, including outrageous ones