Thank fuck for The Melvins. While other bands chase their own behinds in the attempt to stay current, fall over themselves trying to placate their fanbase and generally forget why they started making music in the first place, Buzz Osborne (vocals/guitar) and Dale Crover (drums) keep on doing exactly what they want, when they want. It’s tempting to peg their new album ‘A Senile Animal’ as some kind of heroic return, featuring as it does some of their most infectious and accessible work to date, as well as new recruits Jared Warren (bass/vocals) and Coady Willis (more drums) aka Big Business. But with five album releases in the last two years, the fact of the matter is they’ve never been away.
“I’ve had people talk about ‘The last real Melvins record...’ I’m like, ‘Real[$italics] Melvins record?’ I have no concept of what they’re talking about," laughs Buzz. "If you put it out, it’s a real album! Considering how much time we put into that stuff, for it not to be a real record... y’know? I’d put the album we did with Lustmord, ‘Pigs Of The Roman Empire’ (2004) in our top five records because it covered ground that we hadn’t covered before. It’s the exact record that we needed to put out at that point.”
One only has to look at their recent projects - the Lustmord collaboration, two albums with Jello Biafra, a live remake of 1993’s ‘Houdini’ - to conclude that The Melvins are scarcely the most predictable of bands.
“God forbid,’ shudders the guitarist. ‘We can do straighter stuff if we want to. We can also do a lot of other stuff, which sets us apart from almost every other band. We can do just about anything any other band can do, but they can’t do what we[$italics] do.”
This (per)versatility has ensured that The Melvins have continued to be a vital musical force even as their more photogenic peers have fallen by the wayside. Or died.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason most of our contemporaries were able to become famous is because they all had frontmen that looked like cute wounded junkies. Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell. And none of us could really pull that off. I honestly believe that if the singers from those bands were 300 pound black guys with the exact same voices, nobody would have bought their records.”
Despite their relative lack of commercial success, The Melvins are regularly cited as an inspiration by younger bands. Buzz views this with a degree of scepticism.
“Most of them miss the point. I’m not even sure what the point is. But they’re missing it.”
True. The Melvins are not an easy band to emulate. For one thing, they’re awesomely talented musicians. For another, they’ve never stopped trying new approaches to their music. This, after all, is the band that recorded ‘Gluey Porch Treatments’, ‘Lysol’, ‘Stag’, ‘Prick’ and ‘Colossus Of Destiny’. None of which indicate a band given to second guessing the requirements of their listeners.
“Well, if we did that people would hate us anyway. I’ve always said that. So I’m not afraid of doing things differently. I’m really, really happy with the new album... I'd put it in my top five as well!”
When discussing the new album, a curious thing happens to Buzz’s voice. It almost cracks into a giggle. While it’s hard to find an artist who doesn’t hail his or her latest work as the best thing they’ve ever done (aside from Devin Townsend) few seem so genuinely thrilled about their new work as Osborne does today. Especially after 20-odd years of making music. And he’s right to be. ‘A Senile Animal’ is a fucking great rock album just like Sabbath, Kiss or Cheap Trick used to make. It’s a hell of a lot heavier, of course, but just as concise. Six of its ten tracks clock in under the three minute mark, while the whole album lasts just over 41 minutes. Though prolific, The Melvins are firm believers in quality over quantity at a time when many bands feel the need to fill all 80 minutes of a single disc or - heaven forbid - present the listener with an interminable double disc opus.
“That’s ridiculously long. We always shoot for somewhere between 40 and 45 minutes. 50, max. It’s all I wanna hear.”
The recruitment of Jared and Coady following the exit of bass player Kevin Rutmanis was something of a thunderbolt for Melvins fans. The pulverising twin-kit charge of ‘A Senile Animal’ illustrates that it was in fact a masterstroke.
“I’ve been in this position so many times before," recalls Buzz. "You try to think of what you’re gonna do now. The last thing I wanted to do was just get somebody that fit the suit. I wanted something that was a little more out there. So we started thinking about people to play with and Jared’s name came up. We had played with Big Business before and liked ‘em. We’d also talked for years about adding another drummer. So I said to Dale, ‘Instead of just asking Jared, why don’t we ask both of them to join?’ He thought that was a great idea.”
Thankfully, the absorption of Jared and Coady into The Melvins didn’t result in the end of their own band.
“We insisted that they continue with Big Business. We wanted them to focus on that and play with us as well. And it worked out well. They moved from Seattle to LA, but they were going to anyway! We did a lot of work in a very short amount of time.”
On the subject of previous bass player Kevin Rutmanis and his eventual departure from the band in 2005, Buzz is tight-lipped but gracious.
“We hit an impasse as a result of personal issues. Let’s leave it at that. I honestly hope things work out for the best with Kevin and I have nothing bad to say. I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t know what any of our ex-bass players are doing. Lori Black lives in San Francisco but I haven’t talked to her in about four years. Joe Preston, I have no idea. Mark D, I have no idea at all. Matt Lukin played with Mudhoney for a long time and then was completely out of music probably for five or six years. That’s it, y’know?”
Bearing in mind the number of bass players that have passed through the ranks, one wonders if Jared is a little worried about his job security...
“He better[$italics] be. None of those people would have ever quit. Regardless of what they think now. We never had anybody quit our band. They were booted, whether it was their fault or not. I actually liked all the bass players. I really liked the things that they contributed musically. Jared is outstanding by his being a lead singer as well.”
There’s no doubt that Jared’s vocals - uncannily similar to the young King Buzzo’s - add a certain depth and shade to the new material. One of the key moments on ‘A Senile Animal’ is the glorious choral section of ‘A History Of Bad Men’. It’s a brilliant example of the secret pop heart that beats beneath The Melvins’ crusty carapace. It also sounds a bit like classic Queen.
“That’s what happens when you have someone who can actually sing with the band,” sighs Buzz.
The final song on the album is entitled ‘A Vast Filthy Prison’. While the title might suggest a somewhat Gnostic perspective on the world, perhaps inspired by the work of science fiction author Philip K. Dick (who coined the phrase ‘Black Iron Prison’ in his mindblowing semi-autobiographical novel ‘Valis’) it is in fact an oblique summary of Buzz’s philosophy of self-determination.
“It’s about a prison for the self. It’s something you’ve built. You’re now in it and it’s beyond your imagination. You can’t blame the world for it. Basically it’s about desperation and being stingy. Demanding things while looking like you’re being benevolent, but you’re really not. That’s as close as I can come to where it’s actually at.”
Buzz warms to this theme.
“We are personally responsible for our own destiny. You have to make things happen on your own terms. If you’re gonna sit around and wait for somebody else or the government to do it for you, you’re an idiot. People who wanna sit there and blame the way the world is for all their woes, I have no hope for them. Most of these people can’t even pick a good band to listen to, let alone comment on what’s going on in the outside world. Or monied celebrities trying to tell me what I should do with my money? Fuck that. They should all be hanging by their necks. ‘Save Africa!’ First, find Africa! ‘Save Tibet!’ Fuck[$italics] Tibet! Find it on the map, now tell me why you care about it. Fuck that, I have no interest. If there are celebrities involved and they have some interest in it, then that is exactly why I am not interested in it. Brad Pitt talking about Africa... fuck that. Fuck[$italics] Africa. If he’s involved there’s gotta be something wrong.”
The Melvins are isolationists, having always existed in their own private universe, aloof from any current scene or trend. And Buzz likes it that way.
“It’s self-inflicted,” Buzz explains. “That’s always been the case throughout our career. There’s no golden era. I lived through all those eras and if people wanna look back on all that stuff as the good old days, they can go right ahead. I’m looking to the future, y’know?”
“I’ve had people talk about ‘The last real Melvins record...’ I’m like, ‘Real[$italics] Melvins record?’ I have no concept of what they’re talking about," laughs Buzz. "If you put it out, it’s a real album! Considering how much time we put into that stuff, for it not to be a real record... y’know? I’d put the album we did with Lustmord, ‘Pigs Of The Roman Empire’ (2004) in our top five records because it covered ground that we hadn’t covered before. It’s the exact record that we needed to put out at that point.”
One only has to look at their recent projects - the Lustmord collaboration, two albums with Jello Biafra, a live remake of 1993’s ‘Houdini’ - to conclude that The Melvins are scarcely the most predictable of bands.
“God forbid,’ shudders the guitarist. ‘We can do straighter stuff if we want to. We can also do a lot of other stuff, which sets us apart from almost every other band. We can do just about anything any other band can do, but they can’t do what we[$italics] do.”
This (per)versatility has ensured that The Melvins have continued to be a vital musical force even as their more photogenic peers have fallen by the wayside. Or died.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason most of our contemporaries were able to become famous is because they all had frontmen that looked like cute wounded junkies. Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell. And none of us could really pull that off. I honestly believe that if the singers from those bands were 300 pound black guys with the exact same voices, nobody would have bought their records.”
Despite their relative lack of commercial success, The Melvins are regularly cited as an inspiration by younger bands. Buzz views this with a degree of scepticism.
“Most of them miss the point. I’m not even sure what the point is. But they’re missing it.”
True. The Melvins are not an easy band to emulate. For one thing, they’re awesomely talented musicians. For another, they’ve never stopped trying new approaches to their music. This, after all, is the band that recorded ‘Gluey Porch Treatments’, ‘Lysol’, ‘Stag’, ‘Prick’ and ‘Colossus Of Destiny’. None of which indicate a band given to second guessing the requirements of their listeners.
“Well, if we did that people would hate us anyway. I’ve always said that. So I’m not afraid of doing things differently. I’m really, really happy with the new album... I'd put it in my top five as well!”
When discussing the new album, a curious thing happens to Buzz’s voice. It almost cracks into a giggle. While it’s hard to find an artist who doesn’t hail his or her latest work as the best thing they’ve ever done (aside from Devin Townsend) few seem so genuinely thrilled about their new work as Osborne does today. Especially after 20-odd years of making music. And he’s right to be. ‘A Senile Animal’ is a fucking great rock album just like Sabbath, Kiss or Cheap Trick used to make. It’s a hell of a lot heavier, of course, but just as concise. Six of its ten tracks clock in under the three minute mark, while the whole album lasts just over 41 minutes. Though prolific, The Melvins are firm believers in quality over quantity at a time when many bands feel the need to fill all 80 minutes of a single disc or - heaven forbid - present the listener with an interminable double disc opus.
“That’s ridiculously long. We always shoot for somewhere between 40 and 45 minutes. 50, max. It’s all I wanna hear.”
The recruitment of Jared and Coady following the exit of bass player Kevin Rutmanis was something of a thunderbolt for Melvins fans. The pulverising twin-kit charge of ‘A Senile Animal’ illustrates that it was in fact a masterstroke.
“I’ve been in this position so many times before," recalls Buzz. "You try to think of what you’re gonna do now. The last thing I wanted to do was just get somebody that fit the suit. I wanted something that was a little more out there. So we started thinking about people to play with and Jared’s name came up. We had played with Big Business before and liked ‘em. We’d also talked for years about adding another drummer. So I said to Dale, ‘Instead of just asking Jared, why don’t we ask both of them to join?’ He thought that was a great idea.”
Thankfully, the absorption of Jared and Coady into The Melvins didn’t result in the end of their own band.
“We insisted that they continue with Big Business. We wanted them to focus on that and play with us as well. And it worked out well. They moved from Seattle to LA, but they were going to anyway! We did a lot of work in a very short amount of time.”
On the subject of previous bass player Kevin Rutmanis and his eventual departure from the band in 2005, Buzz is tight-lipped but gracious.
“We hit an impasse as a result of personal issues. Let’s leave it at that. I honestly hope things work out for the best with Kevin and I have nothing bad to say. I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t know what any of our ex-bass players are doing. Lori Black lives in San Francisco but I haven’t talked to her in about four years. Joe Preston, I have no idea. Mark D, I have no idea at all. Matt Lukin played with Mudhoney for a long time and then was completely out of music probably for five or six years. That’s it, y’know?”
Bearing in mind the number of bass players that have passed through the ranks, one wonders if Jared is a little worried about his job security...
“He better[$italics] be. None of those people would have ever quit. Regardless of what they think now. We never had anybody quit our band. They were booted, whether it was their fault or not. I actually liked all the bass players. I really liked the things that they contributed musically. Jared is outstanding by his being a lead singer as well.”
There’s no doubt that Jared’s vocals - uncannily similar to the young King Buzzo’s - add a certain depth and shade to the new material. One of the key moments on ‘A Senile Animal’ is the glorious choral section of ‘A History Of Bad Men’. It’s a brilliant example of the secret pop heart that beats beneath The Melvins’ crusty carapace. It also sounds a bit like classic Queen.
“That’s what happens when you have someone who can actually sing with the band,” sighs Buzz.
The final song on the album is entitled ‘A Vast Filthy Prison’. While the title might suggest a somewhat Gnostic perspective on the world, perhaps inspired by the work of science fiction author Philip K. Dick (who coined the phrase ‘Black Iron Prison’ in his mindblowing semi-autobiographical novel ‘Valis’) it is in fact an oblique summary of Buzz’s philosophy of self-determination.
“It’s about a prison for the self. It’s something you’ve built. You’re now in it and it’s beyond your imagination. You can’t blame the world for it. Basically it’s about desperation and being stingy. Demanding things while looking like you’re being benevolent, but you’re really not. That’s as close as I can come to where it’s actually at.”
Buzz warms to this theme.
“We are personally responsible for our own destiny. You have to make things happen on your own terms. If you’re gonna sit around and wait for somebody else or the government to do it for you, you’re an idiot. People who wanna sit there and blame the way the world is for all their woes, I have no hope for them. Most of these people can’t even pick a good band to listen to, let alone comment on what’s going on in the outside world. Or monied celebrities trying to tell me what I should do with my money? Fuck that. They should all be hanging by their necks. ‘Save Africa!’ First, find Africa! ‘Save Tibet!’ Fuck[$italics] Tibet! Find it on the map, now tell me why you care about it. Fuck that, I have no interest. If there are celebrities involved and they have some interest in it, then that is exactly why I am not interested in it. Brad Pitt talking about Africa... fuck that. Fuck[$italics] Africa. If he’s involved there’s gotta be something wrong.”
The Melvins are isolationists, having always existed in their own private universe, aloof from any current scene or trend. And Buzz likes it that way.
“It’s self-inflicted,” Buzz explains. “That’s always been the case throughout our career. There’s no golden era. I lived through all those eras and if people wanna look back on all that stuff as the good old days, they can go right ahead. I’m looking to the future, y’know?”
