Skyscrapers & Submarines

September 27, 2010 12:40 AM

Mr. Bungle Monday!!! In their 15-year career, the band only made one music video and it was banned by MTV for being ... well, generally deranged. Quote Unquote was originally called Travolta but Warner Bros. pressured them into changing the title. Luckily, their 3rd and final album left enough of a lasting impression to warrant fanmade videos. Thus, we now have: a)YT user tkan's Chris Cunningham-inspired Retrovertigo & the Hitchcock-esque Pink Cigarette clips; b)YT user Illusionoel's Goodbye Sober Day, which reworks footage from Baraka; and c)Vertigo, a beautiful medley of the album itself, California, performed by a highschool drumline

In unrelated Bungle nostalgia, remember the time they went for Halloween dressed as the Red Hot Chili Peppers? That was fun. (Backstory here).

posted by mannequito (28 comments total)

Ah yes. The Marquee in NYC in 1991. They came onstage in boiler suits and S&M masks. They left with my heart.
posted by Hickeystudio at 12:54 AM on September 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Any link to the school hygeine film from which they got their name?
posted by sourwookie at 1:22 AM on September 27, 2010

Lunchroom Manners (I think this is it, from what I can find with a quick google)
posted by IvoShandor at 1:40 AM on September 27, 2010

I'll never forget the day a friend sat me in a chair and made me listen to "Ars Moriendi" from California. I sat with my mouth hung open and when it had screamed through the climax I asked when the hell we could go see them play, see actual people doing that live.

"Never. Band broke up and they swore never to play together again," and that sadist grin never left his face as he said it, the bastard.
posted by Appropriate Username at 2:16 AM on September 27, 2010 [5 favorites]

Whats's the deal with the My Ass is on Fire video? Bungle Fever says it's by Steve Lederman, is it a fanmade video as well?

Nice post!
posted by Bangaioh at 3:42 AM on September 27, 2010

Fantomas>Mr. Bungle
posted by auralcoral at 4:00 AM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

thanks, a good way to wake up.
posted by andywolf at 5:38 AM on September 27, 2010

slight derail: quick question, when i google ars moriendi it switches google over to another language and i have to dig around to get it back to english. any idea how to keep it from doing that?
posted by andywolf at 5:43 AM on September 27, 2010

Every British person of a certain age immediately thinks of this when hearing the bands name.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:25 AM on September 27, 2010

Mid twenties.... booze... grass.... Bungle. Good mind-warping times. The Bungle album is one of the rare ones from back then that I can still listen to any time and enjoy it as I approach 40. Thanks for the post.
posted by Diag at 6:31 AM on September 27, 2010

Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some Fantômas, but nothing they've done touches the majesty of California.
Also, while searching for Bungle stuff I just found this strangeness.
posted by brevator at 6:54 AM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wish they had a whole album that sounded like Vanity Fair.
posted by haveanicesummer at 7:31 AM on September 27, 2010

California was just released on vinyl a few days ago, by the way. For the first time, I think? I managed to snag a copy at my local record store, but based on a quick google search it looks somewhat scarce already.
posted by naju at 8:22 AM on September 27, 2010

Also, the album ranks in my top 10 of the 90's. For real.
posted by naju at 8:23 AM on September 27, 2010

Ah yes. The Marquee in NYC in 1991. They came onstage in boiler suits and S&M masks. They left with my heart.

The Marquee, you sure? I saw them on Halloween night 1991 at NYU.
posted by Liquidwolf at 8:27 AM on September 27, 2010

Great post. The fan videos are fantastic. Now I'm all nostalgic for 1990s California thrash funk. Without Primus, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, there would be no Korn or Insane Clown Posse. Then where would we be?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:33 AM on September 27, 2010

Also, while searching for Bungle stuff I just found this strangeness.

That is priceless. "Not many people care about Mike Patton anymore." This is my new line to fill awkward silence in a conversation.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:37 AM on September 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

The first Mr. Bungle album was easily one of my most listened to (tapes) of my high school years. I got to see them twice, once at the Limelight in NYC on the Disco Volante tour, and again in maryland on the California tour. Both great shows.

I read that recently Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn played together for the first time since the last Bungle tour at a John Zorn performance. One can always hope, they said there would never be a Faith No More reunion, either.
posted by stifford at 8:49 AM on September 27, 2010

... no Korn or Insane Clown Posse. Then where would we be?

Much better off, in my opinion.

Don't tell SheMulp I said that.

But, yes, Mr. Bungle is one of the few bands I never, ever get sick of. Especially Disco Volante. Boy did I used to annoy people at work by setting "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" on repeat.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:53 AM on September 27, 2010

I often find myself muttering 'Kiah ma taki a mata tah way'* under my breath over and over when walking through crowds.

*or however you'd spell that
posted by FatherDagon at 9:29 AM on September 27, 2010

15 years can't be right. They were playing house parties in Arcata in the late 80's.

Trevor used to drive around a really cool "art car" with baby heads and whatnot all over it.

I miss my youth quite a bit,
chuck.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:49 AM on September 27, 2010

Ah, perhaps they were together for a span of 15 years.

Mah bad.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:50 AM on September 27, 2010

Every British person of a certain age immediately thinks of this when hearing the bands name.

Yeah, for Americans (of a certain age and disposition) it looks more like this.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:45 AM on September 27, 2010

Thanks for all the good feedback guys. Yeah I got the one music video info from Wikipedia (3rd paragraph of the intro) but should have thought to check with BungleFever first, as it does appear that My Ass Is On Fire was an official video. Never seen it before but I like it.

Gonna have to look into the California on vinyl thing. Somewhere on BungleFever I read that it was the only album not released in that format, but I think the site hasn't been updated since 2002 or so. Here's hoping this is a sign that a reunion is on the way!
posted by mannequito at 1:43 PM on September 27, 2010

And, might as well tell my own Bungle-live anecdote.

I saw them once, in Toronto, summer 2000. We arrived at the venue to be told doors would be delayed 2 hours since the band had been held up at the border. Ok, we said, and proceeded to set up shop under a highway overpass and consume way too much hash.
We head back to the venue (the Government/used to be RPM I believe, next to what was then the Warehouse and last I checked is called KoolHaus) and get inside to find it has been totally oversold. The place was packed to the point where you could hardly move, and it's July in Toronto ... not nice. Took about 3 hours before Bungle finally came out on stage, as I guess the border delay was worse than expected. The whole time, the venue is playing that little 5 second intro clip from California, the hawaiian music, on a loop ... and man, people started to lose it, screaming for them to change the music, eventually throwing bottles at the stage and any staff who would show their faces. It was pretty scary.

The worst part was that they only let MB play for 45 minutes before they were booted because the venue had the longest running Friday night clubnight in the city. Still though, only six songs (Sweet Charity, Retrovertigo, Air Conditioned Nightmare, & Vanity Fair from California, Quote Unquote from the self-titled debut, and Ma Meeshka Mow Sqwaz off Disco) and it would still hold up in my top-3 shows of all-time.
posted by mannequito at 1:53 PM on September 27, 2010

Sorry, that was July 1999
posted by mannequito at 1:57 PM on September 27, 2010

the ending to Pink Cigarette is one of the best things in atonal music.
posted by joelf at 4:15 PM on September 27, 2010

Wow. Thank you for this. Mr. Bungle completely passed me by all these years. These videos are sickeningly good and I'm so glad to have so much more of it to explore and enjoy all for the first time.

Thank you, thank you.
posted by Khalad at 10:01 PM on September 27, 2010