YOUR QUESTION

11/01/2020Tyler Hartman

As a beginner bassist, I mostly pluck using either my index or middle finger.
However I find it QUITE hard to alternate between those fingers every pluck at a consistent tempo. (I believe that is a very common technique, right?)
Do you have any advice on how I could improve?
Also, I have recently discovered Astrud Gilberto and the late France Gall. ( Particularly, I am VERY fond of their 60's releases! )
I'd love to hear your option on their music.
Are you a fan of Bossa Nova and Yé-yé?
-Many Thanks, Trevor!

MY ANSWER

Put on your metronome at a slow tempo, maybe something like quarter-note = 60 and play eighth-notes alternating 1st & 2nd fingers. Keep an eye on these fingers as you might not know if you’re alternating or not at this point. Your muscle memory isn’t developed yet. Make sure the 8ths are even. Once this feels comfortable step up the tempo two notches and continue in this manner.

Yeah, those Frenchies are fab, right? Serge Gainsbourg wrote a lot for Gall, no? Some of that stuff is a little campy but it’s fun. Wouldn’t say I’m necessarily a ‘fan’ but I dig it.

YOUR QUESTION

10/30/2020 Warner

When MB signed to WB how many albums was the contract for? Or was it an album by album case? I imagine they said nothing when they heard you disbanded, no? Is it ever weird for you to think about the likelihood that there probably isn’t a single person who’s working at WB these days who knows who you guys even are?
Thanks for all the music and inspiration! Glad you guys are at least temporarily back at it

MY ANSWER

Each album was on ‘option’ meaning, they would decide if we were gonna do another record after they balanced their checkbook and figured out how much we had lost them. Potentially it was a 7 album contract. They never really said anything ever. I don’t think anyone at WB knew who were were in the ‘90s when we were ON the label.

YOUR QUESTION

10/29/2020 Dying

I am like snorting and drooling--chunks of food flying out of my mouth and acidic coffee burning my nasal passages--gasping for air laughing at the idea of the word "DEMO" added to the end of the Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny title. That is some deeply funny ass shit. What was the decision making process behind that, Trevor?

MY ANSWER

Well, the original demo didn’t have the word “demo” in it so the re-recording had to since it was originally a demo.

YOUR QUESTION

10/25/2020 eric

Is it easy for you to separate art from the artist or does it depend on the situation? Case in Point: Burzum....A groundbreaking band in the black metal genre. But the sole member Varg is about as divisive as it gets. From church burnings, to going to jail for 15 years for murder and his admitted neo nazi views it can easily turn people away. The flipside is one car argue that its extreme music. The fact this music was made by an extreme person only adds to its "authenticity" Kind of like if a gangster rapper goes to jail for murder, it may add an authenticity to his albums. Then you look at people like R Kelly or Morrissey. They play simple R&B or indie rock so them being fucked up doesn't really add anything to their music (as opposed to Burzum or gangster rap)

MY ANSWER

Ah, this question. Trying to get me cancelled? It is a tricky question. It’s fairly well known that Miles Davis beat his wives. Does that stop me from listening to his music? No. It does not enter my mind when I listen to his music. I suppose it is a case by case situation, but as an audience member one simply has to make personal choices and separate or not based on their own moral compass. No one is an angel, and I bet most of us would be taken aback if we really KNEW what some of our favorite artists were up to behind closed doors. Ignorance is bliss. In this day and age, we are privy to too much information. There are things we aren’t supposed to know.

I mean, I’m not going to listen or support a neo nazi under any circumstance. I also wouldn’t listen to music by, say Charles Manson, mostly because I feel it would conjure negative energy that I don’t want in my house and ears. Do I continue to enjoy Polanski movies despite his deplorable behavior? Yes. That’s a personal and conscious choice that I make. Perhaps on my compass what he has created outweighs what he has destroyed. Humans are complicated and multifaceted and never black and white. Art might end up being the only positive aspect of a person’s whole.

YOUR QUESTION

10/23/2020 Bunny positioning

Hi, question about the mix of Raging Wrath. Are Trey and Scott’s rhythm guitar tracks panned to the same positions of the stereo image throughout the entire album, or does it change from song to song? If it’s the same on each song, mind divulging who is on the L and who is on the R? This is very exciting info 4 geeks.

MY ANSWER

I believe they stay in the same position throughout, and I’m pretty sure Scott is on the right, Trey on left. Scott starts the first riff in Anarchy and you can tell it’s him by his tight-as-a-frog’s-ass rhythm. Trey has a more fluid attack, if that’s the right word.

YOUR QUESTION

10/22/2020 Reed

Have you ever gotten into Grindcore or Norwegian black metal? Bands like Emperor, Mayhem, Burzum, Deicide, Napalm Death etc. Its usually the next logical step after thrash. If so, what bands?

MY ANSWER

Yes, of course, I got into all of those bands to a degree. I’m a big fan of Full Of Hell and Intestinal Disgorge. Cattle Decapitation also.

YOUR QUESTION

10/21/2020 Tommy Westerkamp

Hi trevor, a bass player only question :-). Thoughts on 6 string basses? Or five string? Do you still play 5 string bass? I am struggling what to play. i own a 4 and a 5 string but the 5 string is now with a high c. It's not very functional in my opinion but i like the sound of it on its own. The low b is better in context with a band. Hopefully you like the question otherwise no problem. i understand :-().
Greetings from Amsterdam.
Best regards, Tommy

MY ANSWER

I’m not a fan of higher strings for bass. I feel like guys who like to play up there should be playing guitar, although it is a sounds in itself. I use my Alembic Europa 5-string quite often, but I also l love playing four string, which is what I was raised on. I choose which bass I’m going to play depending on the music, and not just based on the number of strings. My Pbass and Europa have completely different sounds, for example. But you can’t really beat those extra five notes on the B string, not to mention the facility you gain with being able to play lower notes higher up on the fingerboard.

No need to struggle, I think. Use the appropriate bass for the situation. That’s part of your versatility.

YOUR QUESTION

10/18/2020 Chris

Thoughts on Dillinger Escape Plan? They seem to have a lot of Bungle in their DNA.

MY ANSWER

I dig that band, although I haven’t kept up on all their records. We taught them everything they know.

YOUR QUESTION

10/18/2020 Luke

1) Having worked so closely with Trey and Patton, do you ever check out albums they have done that you were not involved with. Would you check out the first couple Tomahawk albums when they were initially released or SC3s last several albums, or Faith No More etc?
2) Will Moonchild ever release another album or is that project originally done?

MY ANSWER

1) I was a fan of Tomahawk before I was involved, mostly because of Duane’s writing, but of course, I had to study those records to eventually learn the songs. I try to keep track of everything Trey is involved in and have several SC3 records. FNM I was never particularly into, although I always gave those records a listen when they first came out, or would go see them live just to be supportive. Not really my cup of tea though. It does get harder to be objective about colleagues whom one works with regularly.
2) That project is done. Zorn tends to have a limit with certain bands and that one completed it’s purpose.

YOUR QUESTION

10/18/2020 Bobby Big Bill$

How can I purchase master license for Squeeze me macaroni?

MY ANSWER

What on God’s earth for?

YOUR QUESTION

10/15/2020 Norton Karn-Vanian

Thoughts on Skinny Puppy?

MY ANSWER

My one thought is that I saw Godflesh open for them in the ‘90s. I went for Godflesh, of course. Left after probably the 3rd SP song.

YOUR QUESTION

10/12/2020

Sorry, I have 3 questions.
1) Would you be annoyed if someone intentionally chose to listen to your Nocturnes record at, say, 2 o’clock on a bright, sunny afternoon?
2) Are you friends with Lev Zhurbin or was he more of a hired session player? I remember back in the MySpace days circa 2006 when he was an unknown player just starting out and he had some pretty cool compositions, but I hadn’t heard anything about him since then.
3) This is not a common position but I think I hate Flea even more than Kiedis and I know some people love to say how it’s really just Kiedis who is the problem and that no one else in that wretched band is a dick or whatever. I know Kiedis was direct with Bungle management about hating you guys’ (or at least Patton’s) guts, but I’m just wondering if Flea and you ever crossed paths, like at WB in Burbank or a festival or something, and if he was “nice” to you, because that’s his schtick, being a suuuuuper nice guy!

MY ANSWER

1) People are free to adhere to their own rituals as deems fit. Also, I probably wouldn’t be aware of it.
2) The Secret Quartet was put together by my friend Jenny Choi. I didn’t meet Lev until the first rehearsals for that piece, so really more of a hired hand.
3) Believe it or not I saw Flea once at a FLEA MARKET in South America once — maybe Santiago….? I swore I would have punched him in his stupid mouth if I’d had the opportunity. That guy is loathsome every time I see him in some music documentary that he thinks he has the authority to talk about. Why do all those guys talk so much?

YOUR QUESTION

10/11/2020 Ultra Mono

Hi, sorry for yet another Bungle related question, but I have to know the story behind the DV cover art, as that photo has been an obsession of mine for years (even got the viperfish tattooed). All I know is that someone named Arthur Hertz took that picture, and that it wasn't your 1st choice but WB made you change it, or something like that.
And thank you for staying clode to your fans, even when they come up with stupid questions you already answered too many times. ;)
Socially-distant greetings from France !

MY ANSWER

See previous question for more on this, but no, that was indeed our first and only choice for the cover. WB did fuck up a lot with the inside artwork though, thus the “scam” we concocted to get the artwork we wanted in there.

YOUR QUESTION

10/10/2020 Sofia

Hey, it's Disco Volante 25th anniversary today. One thing I am curious about is that picture on the cover. Where did you guys found that pic and why did you choose it as your album cover? I love that pic and actually wanna have it tattooed. :)

MY ANSWER

Once we figured out there was a deep sea diving theme to the record I did some research in what is still my favorite place to do research: The public library! This was in San Francisco and I found a book (probably credited in our liner notes, but I can’t remember) with lots of good stuff. That photo was screaming album cover and everyone agreed immediately— a rare occurrence.

YOUR QUESTION

10/07/2020 Brian

Hey Trevor,
I'm looking forward to the new Bungle activity this month, and I got a good laugh out of the promo ad for the upcoming Halloween performance.
I know I've asked about this topic before, and I apologize because I know it's not your favorite subject. I thank you for shedding some light on it before.
Regarding Songwriting on all the songs from Goddammit I Love America and all the songs from the Mr Bungle 1991 LP, you told me who did the basic songwriting skeletons.
But can you show some love for Bar, Danny Heifetz, Theo and Luke Miller? Which songs, of any from the two releases I mentioned, would any of those guys have had any hand in the creative process of? Which of any of those songs, might someone generously give them even a partial writing credit for? Horn arrangements etc
I know that you said you and Trey wrote a lot of the horn parts, but who was the other most frequent horn writer besides you two in those years? Bar or Theo?
I know you might find this a little tedious, but I'm obviously very, very interested in the nuts and bolts of composition. Of course I'm also interested in other band minutiae of personalities and what not but for me, nothing is more important than the literal MUSIC itself, and how it was created.
Thanks you so much. Take care.

MY ANSWER

Bär and Danny didn’t join Bungle until 1989, the year we recorded OU818. I believe there is a riff in Mr. Nice Guy that Danny wrote, but neither of those guys were really writing that much for the band until later and, in fact, I’m not sure Danny wrote anything else after that. Luke and Theo didn’t write anything for the band, although Theo made some attempts during the DV sessions. Patton, Trey and myself did all of the horn arrangements. In Patton’s case, he would sing us the parts, Trey and I would write them out and the Horns Of The Cuckold would play them. Of course, with Bär and Danny, there was always a collaborative element — they would mold their parts, as musicians do, giving the music their signature.

YOUR QUESTION

10/06/2020 holly.f.w

Hey Trevor,
Stumbling across your work has been one of the better things to come out of quarantine (here in Melbourne, Australia we currently can't go more than 5km from home. Strange times.).
Art and music are pretty heavily entwined for me, and your current cassette project got me curious - with regards to the collages, is visual art something you've explored much of? They're fantastic and it would be exciting to see more if that's ever an avenue you might go down.
Stay safe and stay sane (as best you can, I suppose). I'll be keen to see Mr Bungle perform online later this month.

MY ANSWER

Visual art and writing are two things I’ve actually been doing longer than music. I used to draw quite a bit, took a couple of art classes, etc. I did do some early collage stuff a youngster but didn’t really start exploring it deeper until I was in my 30s. Now that I’ve sort of lost any drawing technique I find collage to be very liberating and also it doesn’t bear the pressure that music holds for me being a studied musician. I have been taking commissions for larger collages (approximately 8x11) although haven’t had the time to advertise this side hustle. I love making them, but they are time consuming. There will definitely be more!

YOUR QUESTION

10/05/2020 17:38:02KennyHey Trevor, I'm an aspiring musician, and don't worry, not here to try to get you to check out any of my stuff, but no matter what I create, no matter what style, etc, I'm deathly anxious of showing it to anyone in my family. Friends are perfectly fine, they're musicians too, but despite me having made music for years by myself (kinda hard to keep a band secret from your family), I just can't bring myself to show any of my work to anyone in my family. I guess I'm afraid of being rejected (mostly due to the music being electronic/hip-hop in nature, so it might not be "real music" to them since it was made on a computer), or arguably even worse, praised highly for work that I don't feel like is very deserving of praise.

Given how odd Bungle's releases were, did you have any anxiety about showing them to anyone in your family? How did your family react? And lastly, what advice would you give to someone in my position?

Thanks in advance

MY ANSWER

Being related to someone does not guarantee that you will relate. None of my family understands the majority of my music. That said, my mom, being a jazz fan and lover of live music will come out and see anything whether she gets it or not. I think I understood my black-sheep-ness at a young age and I don’t really go out of my way to share my music with them, with the exception of sending my mom CDs of the more “inside” stuff that I have done. I mean, Bungle used to rehearse in my parents’ living room. They’ve always known I was weird. Other than that, they know where to find my music (and pay for it) if they want to. So I don’t have that anxiety that you speak of. Fear of rejection is real, but so is being true to yourself. Depending on how severe this anxiety is, you may want to seek the advice of a therapist, but mostly I would only worry about satisfying and accepting yourself. If you’re proud of what you’ve created you should bask in that reward, regardless of anyone else’s opinion. My music is not even close to being accepted by all, and I have accepted that for years. That’s just a hallmark of being yourself and ultimately unique

YOUR QUESTION:

10/05/2020 Brad Moore

Hi Trev any chance of a bass lesson next time your in Sydney Australia? Would also love to take you hiking/kayaking for a day and leech your artistic wisdom whilst observing the wildlife Bizarre request I know but I’m sick of not ever meeting any of my musical inspirations, recently read buckethead asked Paul Gilbert for a lesson and he said yes so I thought I’d give it a go. Thanks for all your output over the years I’ve just finished getting all the moonchild albums and It’s hugely impressive stuff, how did Crowleys ideas help with it coming together?

MY ANSWER:

Yes, happy to give bass lessons. Take me out to the river for some platypus watching. I’m not kidding.

Your Question:

10/02/2020

Trevor, what is up with you? For close to 20 years you were the loudest voice in shooting down any talk of a Mr. Bungle reunion. You showed your irritation every time the question was asked, often comparing the scenario to getting back together with an ex-girlfriend. At your most cynical, you would go off on complete non-sequitur tangents about random shit when asked anything about the possibility of a reunion. This is all understandable...except that a Patton interview just revealed that it was YOU who birthed the idea of getting back together! Make it make sense.

MY ANSWER:

It was me who birthed the idea. I like shooting down talk.

YOUR QUESTION:

09/30/2020 Spurpringle

Hey Trevor! Got a fair amount of questions for ya, and I hope that's okay:
1. "Disco Volante", unless I got an odd pressing of the album, seems to be mixed a fair bit quieter than the other Bungle records. Was this intentional?
2. Is that you doing the "dododo"'s with the bassline in certain parts of the secret song on that album? And were you intentionally imitating Abe Simpson and Donald Duck at other parts?
3. A rumor used to exist online that "Hypocrites" was the only song that Trey did lead vocals on, is that really him singing lead on the old tape?
4. Have you ever lent your vocals to any Bungle song, and if so, where? I always get curious if any of the backing vocals are you

MY ANSWER:

1. Don’t remember. It’s a different mastering engineer. It’s was also probably the most difficult to work with being so dynamic. I leave that job to the experts.
2. No, that’s Patton doing the vocal doubling of that part. I was not going for Abe Simpson, more of just an old man in general, but yeah, it came off that way.
3. Yes it is. Part of the concept following the lyric “we’re hypocrites but we’re not hypocrites” was switching instruments. So on the original demo that’s me on guitar, Patton on bass, Trey on vocals.
4. No real harmonies as I recall.