Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers is an American rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus. Rooted in the 1980s hardcore punk scene, Butthole Surfers quickly became known for their chaotic and disturbing live shows, black comedy, and a sound that incorporated elements of psychedelia, noise rock, punk and, later, electronica, as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing.

Links To Peel
Peel first heard of Butthole Surfers in the mid 80's and when the band did a gig in 1987 at the Clarendon Hotel Ballroom in Hammersmith, he was overwhelmed by their performance on his 10 August 1987 show after seeing them for the first time the previous week:

"'Perfectly extraordinary. I mean, excellent. But if you said you enjoyed it, I should be seriously concerned about you as a human being. But very well worth seeing and hearing.'"

Peel reviewed the gig on the Observer newspaper, which later got reprinted in the Olivetti Chronicles.

In 1988 Peel was invited to have lunch with the group, but decided not to attend, which he mentioned on his Peel 099 (BFBS) show in 1989:

"'I was invited out for lunch, of all things, with the Butthole Surfers last year, and I chickened out at the last minute cos I thought they'd obviously be expecting some kind of fellow who looked as though he'd just escaped from a biker gang, and when they get this rather portly, avuncular grey-haired old chap - a nice chap in many ways, but at the same time it's not what they expect, really, from a DJ.'"

In 1990 according to Peel on his 17 November 1990 show, somebody mentioned to him that a member of the Butthole Surfers invited him to get in touch:

"'Somebody was telling me that a member of the Butthole Surfers is in town and invited me to get in touch with him, and so on, and discuss record label and forthcoming LP, and whatever else I wanted to discuss. Of course, I'm tempted to do that, but you can't help but thinking at the same time, you know, that they're going to introduce foreign bodies into your gruel. Makes me rather apprehensive about the whole process.'"

By 1993, the Butthole Surfers left their indie label and joined Capitol, at this time Peel had lost interest in their music.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1987 Festive Fifty: 22 Going On 23 #44

Sessions
The band's second session is available on Peel Show 1988 (vinyl, 7", Not On Label)

1. Recorded: unknown. Broadcast: 12 August 1987. Repeated: 08 September 1987 2. Recorded: 1988-09-20. Broadcast: 27 September 1988. Repeated: 02 November 1988, 21 December 1988, Session Mixtape Mar-Sept 1988
 * Graveyard / Florida / Cherub / Shot Gun
 * Blind Man / Edg / Neee Neee

Other Shows Played
1985 1987
 * 29 October 1985: Comb (12" - Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis) Touch And Go
 * 25 March 1987: Sweat Loaf (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First


 * 10 April 1987 (BFBS) / Peel 057 (BFBS): 'Pittsburgh To Lebanon (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First)

1988
 * 01 May 1987 (BFBS) / Peel 059 (BFBS): 'Sweat Loaf (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First)
 * 10 August 1987: 22 Going On 23 (LP - Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
 * Peeling Back The Years (24 October 1987): 22 Going On 23 (LP – Locust Abortion Technician) Blast First
 * 22 December 1987: '22 Going On 23 (LP-Locust Abortion Technician)' (Blast First) FF #44
 * 18 May 1988 (Rockradio): Track 6 (Julio Iglesias) (album - Hairway To Steven) Blast First
 * 19 September 1988: Comb (12" 'Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis') Fundamental
 * 21 September 1988: To Parter (12" - Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis) Touch And Go
 * 10 October 1988: Hey (LP – Butthole Surfers) Alternative Tentacles

1989
 * CD November 1988: EDG (session)
 * 12 April 1989: Eindhoven Chicken Masque (v/a album - Gods Favorite Dog) Touch And Go


 * 19 June 1989: Ricky (album - Double Live) Not
 * 15 July 1989 (BFBS) / Peel 109 (BFBS): 'The One I Love (2xCD-Double Live)' (Not/Latino Bugger Veil)
 * 25 July 1989: The One I Love (2xLP - Double Live) Not


 * 21 August 1989: 1401 (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
 * 23 August 1989: 1401 (10" - Widowermaker!) Blast First
 * 24 August 1989: Booze Tobacco (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
 * 24 August 1989: Bon Song (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First
 * 31 August 1989: Booze Tobacco (EP - Widowermakers) Blast First
 * 09 September 1989 (BFBS): '1401 (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
 * 12 September 1989: Helicopter (10" EP - Widowermaker!) Blast First

1990 1991 1992
 * 16 September 1989 (BFBS) / Peel 116 (BFBS): 'Bon Song (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
 * Autumn 1989 (Rockradio): 'Bon Song (10"-Widowermaker!)' (Blast First)
 * 10 November 1990: Lonesome Bulldog (Flexi-disc 7") The Catalogue
 * 13 December 1990 (Radio Mafia): Hurdy Gurdy Man
 * 03 February 1991: Blindman (album Piouhgd) Rough Trade
 * 09 February 1991 / Best Of Peel Vol 22: 'Blindman (LP-Pioughd)' (Rough Trade)
 * 10 February 1991: Earthquake (Album, Compilation: Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erickson) WEA International Inc.
 * 21 February 1991 (Radio Mafia): Earthquake (LP - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson)
 * 02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS):  'Earthquake (Compilation CD-Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erickson)' (WEA International Inc.)
 * 02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS): 'Blindman (LP-Pioughd)' (Rough Trade)
 * 02 March 1991 (BFBS) / Peel 174 (BFBS): 'No, I'm Iron Man (LP-Piouhgd)' (Rough Trade)
 * 23 March 1991: Something
 * 07 July 1991: Earthquake (CD - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute To Roky Erickson) Sire
 * 07 November 1992: Eindhoven Chicken Masque (v/a album - God's Favourite Dog) Touch And Go