Melvins Interview: April 1995

My good friend Nick at Graywhale Entertainment gave me Stoner Witch by the Melvins for Christmas. it was released late in ‘94 and it was one of my favorite Christmas gifts. While everybody was sitting around the fire listening to a Fresh Aire Christmas, I was stuffing stockings to the sweet holiday sounds of “Revolve”, “Roadbull” and “Sweet Willy Rollbar”. Since that time, it has been a constant disc in my transport.

There is nothing like the Melvins. Either you love them or you hate them, there is no middle ground for these boys. And if you hate them, well, I say you just haven’t seen the light yet. These guys are great because they are so original. Every album and every song on those albums are different. They always keep you guessing, which it seems is pretty hard for this day and age. (If you don’t believe, listen to that hot, new, I group Candlebox.)

Anyway, I was able to speak with Mark Deutrom and “King” Buzzo Osbourne the other night on the phone. Mark plays bass and Buzzo plays guitar and writes most of the music/lyrics. The connection was bad, but the conversation was good. Here’s how it went.

Mark Deutrom: Hello where are you from?

SLUG: Salt Lake City, Utah.

MD: Oh, Salt Lake City, We know it well. The Donnor Party passed close by there.

SLUG: Wow, you know your Utah history.

MD: No, it is just one of those facts that get stored away and now I’ve got a chance to use it.

SLUG: Where are you at?

MD: In Buzz’s apartment, in Hollywood.

SLUG: Do you like Hollywood?

MD: No, not particularly. When I left Hollywood I was a really good shot and I used to walk around with a .357, but no, I don’t like Hollywood that much.

SLUG: Last time I actually spoke with you was when you opened for Nirvana.

MD: Oh, yes, at the Golden Spike Arena.

SLUG: Yes, very much so. And then we have the last time you played Salt Lake at the Bar & Grill. That wonderfully non-violent show.

MD: Oh, you were at that show?

SLUG: Yes, right in the middle of things, trying not to get killed.

MD: Are we playing in Salt Lake City Buzz?

King Buzz: Nope, not until we play there with White Zombie.

SLUG: Your press release says that you will play on April 11, headlining your own show.

MD: Well, that is wrong and you can thank White Zombie for that Mark and I carried on for sometime are that speaking about various topics including Charles Manson, and literature. And then, King Buzzo got on the line.

SLUG: When does your next tour start?

KB: It starts on Thursday, March 30 and we are going all over the United States with this one.

SLUG: Last time you played Salt Lake, that was kinda of a crazy show.

KB: Oh yea, that was a fun one. That was our last show on the tour. I had a good time that night. I’m not sure what I think of Salt Lake City though.

SLUG: Why’s that.

KB: I don’t know, it’s a very strange place.

(At this point in time, I wanted to say, ‘yeah, well for the definitive definition of Salt Lake look no further than Trent Harris’s film Plan 10 from Outer Space. This movie will explain a lot of your unanswered questions, but I didn’t, I bit my tongue on that one!)

SLUG: Have you ever spent an extended amount of time here, other than playing?

KB: No, never. I don’t know how you stand it, it’s very weird.

SLUG: Like how do you mean?

KB: Very Straight, very right winged, you know.

(Ok, moving along…)

SLUG: Tell me about Prick.

KB: What do you want you want know?

SLUG: I want to know how you got Atlantic Records to let you release an album on Amphetamine Reptile Records?

KB: Atlantic didn’t have a choice. We would have done it anyway and put it out as a bootleg, so they might as well just let us do it. We told them to kiss our asses.

SLUG: Because Melvins do whatever the hell they want?

KB: We do, we pretty much do whatever we want.

Buzz went on to say how things are going to be just fine with Atlantic because Melvins will be in charge of making their own decisions and they will have total creative control. We also discussed the superficiality of bands that seem to exist today and the only really good bands are honest bands—Bands that are original and do the things they want to do, not because they are motivated by money or fame. Melvins are a real band, doing what they want to do. And Stoner Witch is one of the best, complete set of songs I’ve heard. This CD will put you in a trance like state. Check it out and don’t miss the Melvins when they open up for White Zombie in June.

Read more from the SLUG Archives here: 
B-Movie Reviews: January 1995
Movie Reviews: November 1994