I’m on my last day of antibiotics and I’m just taking Advil for pain as needed. The surgery seems to be healing nicely. However there seems to be damage to my jaw, muscle or tendons, because it’s still very painful to open. I’m getting there though. I might even try to eat something solid but easy today.
In reflection of that sentiment, here’s Faith No More’s cover of “Easy” by the Commodores.
FAITH NO MORE – “From Out of Nowhere” (1990 Slash records 3 track 7″ single)
When I was beginning to seriously collect Faith No More in 1991 onwards, I had no idea what was out there. I found the UK 7″ single for “From Out of Nowhere” at a record show in Guelph. There are different versions of this single out there with “Cowboy Song” on the B-side, but that track can also be found on Live at the Brixton Academy. The UK single on Slash/London has two live tracks you can’t find anywhere else, recorded by the BBC on March 2 1990. Shortly after “Epic” was released as a single, but before it went mega.
The problem is, with 10 minutes of music squeezed onto the B-side, this single sounds horribly thin and is ridiculously quiet. Tons of surface noise too. The A-side, which spins at 45 rpm, is better. Have a look at the unaltered waveform in Audacity for comparison.
Faith No More didn’t truly make it big until the end of the (first) vinyl age. The album version of “From Out of Nowhere” was always an excellent song; one of their most “mainstream” if you can call it that. The keyboard hook is the main angle, and Patton’s notable for using that clean nasal voice he discontinued not long after. An excellent song, and a cornerstone of any nutritious Faith No More collection.
The B-side, the exclusive live recordings, rotates at 33 1/3 rpm. Captured in Norwich, “Woodpecker From Mars” is Faith No More’s instrumental classic led by a keyboard violin voice by Roddy Bottum. There is a different performance on a home video called You Fat Bastards (which is the complete Brixton set) but nothing else on audio. “Epic” is disappointingly edited by the BBC. They obscure the line where Mike Patton naughtily sings “get down on it and fuck it some more.” The band sound fresh and almost green with enthusiasm for the song, playing it a bit more straight than they would later on.
On the plus side, this single comes packaged in a gatefold sleeve, a rarity for 7″ release. Inside Mike Patton is givin’ ‘er live on stage. Some kids probably taped this to the wall as-is.
In short, the music is great. The vinyl is not.
2.5/5 stars
FAITH NO MORE – We Care a Lot (Originally 1985, 2016 Deluxe Band Edition)
In 1985, roughly when a young band called Mr. Bungle was forming elsewhere in California, the legendary Faith No More released their debut album. Original pressings and reissues have the band name written as “Faith. No More.” It was a version of their name that they’d soon drop. The lineup of Chuck Mosely, Jim Martin, Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould and Mike Bordin put together a low-budget debut that garnered them enough attention for their next album to be distruibuted by Warner. A viable career as a rock band followed. As a result of this fruitful career, in 2016 We Care a Lot was officially reissued with a load of bonus tracks and full participation from producer Matt Wallace. As the liner notes say, “We’re putting this out because we can.”
This reissue includes four demos, and interestingly they reveal that there was an instrumental “Intro” for this album that was apparently dropped. This sci-fi, keyboard-led intro would have been an interesting way to kick off the album with some atmosphere and foreboding. (For a custom listening experience, try playing the album with the instrumental first.) The disc instead commences directly with “We Care A Lot”, the first version mind you, not the hit single you know. The sound is a tad more primitive and the lyrics were different in several places. The “NASA Shuttle” hadn’t fallen into the sea yet in 1985, so it is Los Angeles that Chuck cares a lot about it. Instead of the Transformers, he gives a shout-out to Mr. T.
“Jungle” is a disorienteing series of head-punches with reverse-echo. A jagged Jim Martin riff and staggering Mike Bordin drum pattern makes it a relentless slam. Chuck Mosely sounds frantic, unstable and urgent. The same relentless approach pounds your head on “Mark Bowen”, slower but no less imposing. Though Chuck is all over the map with his scattershot vocals, the band is solidly ominous behind him.
An absolutely beautiful acoustic interlude called “Jim” reveals a previously unknown part of Martin’s talents. Though less articulate, this kind of composition sounds like the ones Randy Rhodes would include on an Ozzy record. And just like with Ozzy, next it’s something heavy to slam. That something is “Why Do You Bother”, the original side one closer. Tense and rhythmic, it’s a tornado of fun.
Side two boasts several standout tracks. Certainly “As the Worm Turns” has earned its place in Faith No More history, since Mike Patton re-recorded it in the studio and performed it live numerous times. Its cascading keyboard melody contrasts with the heavy riff. This version is rougher, but no less perfect. “Greed”, which opens the side, is also notable. It reads like a rejection letter from record labels. “They say that when I’m supposed to be singin’, all I’m really doin’ is yelling!” Though one doesn’t think Chuck would have been sensitive to such criticism, he does seem stung that “they say that I can’t sing, that I don’t say a thing, that I make everything up.” But he defiantly strikes back with a heartfelt melody delivered at maximum intensity.
For thunder, check out “Pills for Breakfast”, another instrumental anchored by a Jim Martin riff that could move mountains. Martin’s guitar gives “Arabian Disco” a solid spine, and Mosely shoves in as much melody as he’s got to give. Only here at the tail end of the album does the quality of the songs dip at all. “New Beginnings” is too laid back compared to the rest of the disc, bordering on dull.
Faith No More have been blessed with a number of (arguably) 5/5 star albums in a row: Introduce Yourself (1987), The Real Thing (1989), Angel Dust (1991) and King For a Day (1995). We Care A Lot isn’t quite at that lofty point yet, but it wouldn’t take long. Chuck Mosely’s unique approach of “yelling when he’s supposed to be singing” isn’t for everything and wasn’t fully harnessed in the studio until the next album. But all the ingredients are here, on the first record, ready to explode in every direction. Fortunately for you, this CD edition goes on for another nine bonus tracks!
Some 2016 remixes by Matt Wallace add more punch to the originals: “We Care A Lot”, “Pills For Breakfast”, and “As The Worm Turns” are given the remix treatment. Less echo; louder and punchier guitars. No structural changes. Three of the best tracks were selected, and sound great if played on a shuffle with later Faith No More classics. The next batch of bonus tracks are four demos (including the aforementioned “Intro”). Dig into early version of “Greed”, “Mark Bowen” and “Arabian Disco”. The arrangements are all more or less intact, and the recording is so good that they could have been released long before.
Finally there are two live tracks from San Francisco in 1986. “Jungle” (with a segue into “Shout” by Tears For Fears) and “New Beginnings” are bootleg quality, but look what they have done in terms of track selection. There are no songs repeated among the bonus tracks. Between the demos, remixes and live versions, eight of the album’s ten are present in alternate versions. That’s value for the consumer.
Snag We Care A Lot if you see one in the wild, but absolutely aim for the 2016 Deluxe Band Edition.
4/5 stars
1992
I’ve never been much of a winter guy. I get that from my dad. The winter of ’92 was long with a number of serious snow days. I had just learned how to drive and it was certainly a challenge. Details are not important. You don’t need an accounting of times my little Plymouth Sundance got stuck or struggled to make it home from school. All you really need to know was what was in my tape deck.
I was still digesting a lot of the music that I received for Christmas at the end of ’91. The live Poison and Queensryche sets got a lot of car play once I dubbed them onto cassette. At this point my attention to detail was becoming overwhelming. I painstakingly faded in and faded out the sides of the live albums onto cassette. This had to be done manually as you were recording. If I missed the cue I’d do it over again until I got it right to my satisfaction. I should have known there was something wrong with me!
We had one serious snow day that year, and although class wasn’t cancelled I stayed home. My school friend Rob V made a tape for me of David Lee Roth live in Toronto on the Eat ‘Em and Smile tour. I know that I played that tape on that day because the memory is so clear. It was a great concert. Roth and Steve Vai had a fun interplay, where Steve imitated Roth’s vocal intonations with his guitar. Vai followed his voice as Roth told the crowd, “Toronto kicks ass, because the girls are soooo fiiiine!”
Time flies, and 1992 didn’t take long to kick into gear with new releases.
I had just discovered Queen. Suddenly here comes this new movie Wayne’s World which made Queen a worldwide phenomenon for a second time. More important to me though was the fact that the soundtrack CD included the first new Black Sabbath track with Ronnie James Dio in a decade: “Time Machine”! My buddy Peter didn’t care — he was strictly an Ozzy Sabbath fan. No Dio! (And certainly no Tony Martin!) But I was excited. I wanted to get that soundtrack as soon as possible.
There was a new music store that had just opened at the mall about six months prior. The very first tape I would ever buy there was the debut album by Mr. Bungle in late ’91. It would be the very Record Store that I would later dedicate years of my life to…but not yet. When it opened, I recall my sister and I being glad that there was finally a music store at the mall again, but disappointed in the prices. $14.99 for a tape was a lot of cash. CDs were unfortunately out of our price range. New cassette releases like Wayne’s World were cheaper at $10.99, so I went to the mall before class one morning to get a copy. And this is a funny memory as you’ll see.
When I worked at the store, the boss would give me shit if he thought I was talking to someone too much. I think he would have preferred good old fashioned silent labour, but I don’t know that. He also drilled into us to pay attention to every customer and don’t ignore anybody. So it’s quite ironic that he lost a sale that day by ignoring me and talking it up with some hot girl visiting him!
I was standing there in front of his new release rack looking for Wayne’s World. I knew it was out, but didn’t see it anywhere. I checked his soundtracks and it was missing in action. I wanted to ask him if he had it, but he was chatting it up with this girl. Eventually I caught his attention, but only because as I stood there waiting, I thought he did ask me a question. So I said, “Pardon me?” But he wasn’t actually talking to me, he was still talking to the girl. Once he noticed me, he informed me that Wayne’s World was sold out but he could hold a copy for me as soon as the next shipment arrived. I was ticked off so I said no thanks, and picked it up at the Zellers store down the hall instead.
Wayne’s World in the deck, I happily rocked to Queen, Sabbath, Cinderella, and hell even Gary Wright. Peter and I saw the movie one Saturday night at a theater in Guelph, and liked it so much that we went back to see it again the following afternoon. I saw Wayne’s World four times that winter!
I got my fill of Queen with the recent Classic Queen CD, released later that March. I got the CD for a good price at the local Costco! This enabled me to get a good chunk of Queen hits all at once in glorious CD quality.
The next big release to hit my car deck was a big one. A really big one. An album five years in the making through triumph and tragedy.
On March 31 I went back to the Record Store on my way to class, and the new release I was waiting for had arrived. I left gripping Adrenalize in my hands. An album I had been waiting for since highschool and even had actual dreams about! It was finally real. Into the tape deck it went as I drove to school. Less riffy…more reliant on vocal melody…not bad? I’ll let them have it though. After what they’ve been through? Yeah, I’ll cut them some slack.
Two weeks later, I was digesting another massive chunk of music.
I didn’t get Pandora’s Box in 1991 when it was released. There was so much going on. But my parents bought it for me as an Easter gift in April ’92. That Easter I was “Back in the Saddle” with three CDs of Aerosmith!
It was a bittersweet gift. Traditionally the family spent Easter at the cottage. I have lots of happy memories of playing GI Joe in the fresh Easter afternoons up there. This time I had to study for final exams and stayed home with my gift. I must have played that box set two times through while studying that weekend.
Exams were over by the end of April and suddenly…it was summer holidays. In April! It was…incredible! I stubbornly refused to get a summer job. I have to say I don’t regret that. I had savings from my previous job at the grocery store and I was getting Chrysler dividends cheques (yeah, baby). Between that, Christmas & birthday gifts, I got most of the music I wanted. And I got to spend that summer just enjoying it all. It felt really good after such a long and frankly lonely winter.
Pandora’s Box tided me over. After all, it was a lot to absorb having heard very little “old” Aerosmith up til that point. My favourite track was “Sharpshooter” by Whitford – St. Holmes. I liked that they included a sampling of solo material by various members. These were new worlds to discover, but what about the next big release? Who would be the one to spend my valuable savings on?
Iron Maiden were back on May 11 after a very short absence with Fear of the Dark, their second of the Janick Gers era. But I needed to save my money, and wait one more week for something even more important to me. It was Revenge time.
Speaking of triumph and tragedy, it was time for some overdue spoils for Kiss. Having lost drummer Eric Carr to cancer in late ’91, Kiss deserved to catch a break. Fortunately Revenge turned out to be a far better album than the previous few. I recall getting over a really bad cold, and my lungs were still congested on that spring day. The outdoor air felt amazing. I walked over to the mall on release day and bought my CD copy at the Record Store. I probably ran all the way home to play it, lungs be damned.
To say I was happy was an understatement. In 1992 you had to come out with something strong or you would sink. It was a more vicious musical world than just a year ago. Fortunately Kiss did not wimp out and came out with an album just heavy enough, without following trends. It would be my favourite album of the year, though a few strong contenders were still lined up.
My birthday was coming and I would have to wait a little while to get some more essential tunes. Fear of the Dark was on the list. So was Faith No More’s Angel Dust, which was a must. And, of course, rock’s ultimate royalty returned in 1992. A band that rock history cannot ignore, though it arguably should. A band that defined the term “odorous”. A band with a colourful and tragic backstory. A band making its long feared return with its first album since 1984’s Smell the Glove. And with their new album Break Like the Wind, they proudly proclaimed, yes indeed, this is Spinal Tap.
Once again, quite a bit of music to absorb. I had been anticipating the Iron Maiden. I heard the first single “Be Quick or Be Dead” on Q107 late one night, and didn’t think much of it at first. I was concerned that Bruce Dickinson’s voice was becoming more growly and less melodic. The album helped assuage these concerns with a number of melodic numbers including “Wasting Love”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” and “Fear of the Dark”. But the album was infected with lots of filler. “Weekend Warrior”, “Fear is the Key”, “Chains of Misery”…lots of songs that were just not memorable. Fear of the Dark sounded better than its predecessor but could you say it was better than Seventh Son? Somewhere in Time? Powerslave? No.
Though it was murky and dense, the Faith No More album blew me away. The M.E.A.T Magazine review by Drew Masters gave it 2/5 M’s. I gave it 5/5. I wanted something heavy and weird from Faith No More. I got what I wanted. Peter was a big Faith No More fan too, but I don’t think he dug Angel Dust as much as I did. We both appreciated the comedic aspects but I really got into the samples, nuances and rhythms. It was, and is, a masterpiece. I believe I can say that I was of that opinion from the very beginning.
And Spinal Tap, dear Spinal Tap. The Majesties of Rock took a little longer for me to fully understand. And no wonder, for Spinal Tap are playing musical 4-dimensional chess inside your ear canals. I simply had to accept that several years had passed since Spinal Tap last recorded, and they had grown in their own stunted way. I’ve always thought that the title track was sincerely brilliant. But I never liked that Nigel Tufnel had so few lead vocals. I have long appreciated bands that had multiple lead singers. While this time even bassist Derek Smalls stepped up to the microphone, it was David St. Hubbins who sang lead on 11 of the 14 tracks. Now, this is certainly not to criticise the enviable lead pipes of St. Hubbins, but merely to state that there wasn’t enough Nigel. Having said that, Nigel did branch out by employing a new guitar playing technique — doubling his solos with vocals, like Gillan used to do with Blackmore. He also got to unleash his new amps that went up to infinity, which debuted live at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in April.
Like all things, summer eventually came to an end and it was back to school once again. That fall and into Christmas I got some of the last new releases that were on my radar. I missed Black Sabbath when Dehumanizer came out in June. That one took a long time to really like. While the production was incredibly crisp, the songs didn’t seem up to snuff to me. At least at first. In time, it became a personal favourite album.
That Christmas came the new Bon Jovi album Keep the Faith, Queen’s new Greatest Hits, and of course AC/DC Live. It was also the Christmas that I first realized there was something wrong inside my head, and I realized it because of those albums. It was partly the obsessive-compulsive disorder, but also a massive hangup about being ignored. I wanted the AC/DC double Live, but was given the single. I wanted Keep the Faith and Queen on CD but got cassette. As I grew older and learned more about myself, I realized that I became very upset if I felt like someone was not listening to me or understanding me. Nobody seemed to get why I wanted specific versions (because of my OCD actually), and I couldn’t explain it, so that set me off even further. I became extremely grumpy that Christmas over these gifts, and it was ugly. I isolated myself to stew in my own negativity. It’s not something I’m proud of, and you can call me a spoiled brat if you want to (you wouldn’t be wrong). At least I’ve worked at trying to figure out my defects.
It’s not like any of it mattered in the long term. I have re-bought all of those albums twice since, each!
1992 went out much like it came in, cold and snowy. Canadian winters are hard. Some people have the DNA for it, but I don’t. I’m half Italian. I wasn’t designed for snowy, damp winters. That’s why music is so important to me in the winter months. Music can be a completely indoor activity and I had a continually fresh supply. 1992 was a big year for heavy metal even though the grunge revolution had already started. Of course, things were not to stay as they are. Iron Maiden and Faith No More were about to hit some major speedbumps, and Black Sabbath had already split in two by the end of the year! 1992 was the last time we could pretend heavy metal was still in good health. Hard rock was about to endure further challenges and hardships. At least we had ’92.
GETTING MORE TALE #799: Mix CD 10 – “I’m So Bad Baby I Don’t Care” (2003)
Welcome back to an informal series of stories on the subject of musical rediscovery! It is a blast listening to mix CDs (or tapes) that you made ages ago. To get you caught up, you can check out the below if you so choose!
This is one I have been looking forward to, for a couple reasons. One, I love the cover artwork. I recently reconnected with an old friend from the UK named RooRaaah. He drew this rabbit, “Rab C. Rabbit”, and I always thought the crude sketch was hilarious. If I hadn’t used it on my 10th mix CD, I might have lost it forever.
The second reason is that I burned this CD in the aftermath of dating Elli, as told in Record Store Tales Part 15: Dating a Radio Station Girl. I was seeking all sorts of music, from heavy and angry to soft and soothing. There’s a healthy dose of nostalgia, as I knew I could always return there to fill the holes in my heart. There are even some rarities here, the kind of things you found by browsing Limewire.
As usual, I opened with a comedy bit: Trey Parker and Matt Stone yelling “Dude!” at each other, from the movie Baseketball. “I guess you’ve got a point there.” Then straight into the brand new Anthrax: “Safe Home”. We’ve Come For You All was fresh and this song captured part of how I felt. “My whole world has moved on.” It was a strong, albeit mainstream single for the thrash pioneers, and one that still holds up.
From there to full-on nostalgia: “Mr. Roboto”! Wow, she must have really done a number on my heart to make me go all the way back there, the first rock record I ever bought. At this point in my history, I lost my original LP copy and hadn’t yet got one on CD since it was so hard to find. Hence the Limewire download. A co-worker picked up the Styx CD for me in Toronto a year or two later. Then, first of three Motorhead tracks is a wakeup: “I’m So Bad Baby I Don’t Care”. I was definitely pissed off! But then it’s onto the Faces classic “Ooh La La”, a taste for which was acquired by repeated viewings of Rushmore.
Albums and artists tend to repeat on this CD. Even certain songs repeat! Jellyfish’s excellent “The Ghost at Number One” is the first of two appearances. I can taste the nostalgia, as I retreated to a simpler time, sitting in front of the TV watching music videos on Much. I always appreciated the Beatles-esque track, which I haven’t heard in years. Back to the 80s again, and the Gowan classic “A Criminal Mind”. Comfortable MuchMusic memories in the basement. A dark, plaintive song that spoke to me. “And you will never break me, till the day I die.”
Motorhead’s “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” reflects a fresh appreciation for punk rock in my post-Elli haze. You could thrash out to it and just rock the frustrations till they were gone. This song will lift you up no matter how deep the hole. A real weird rarity follows this, a Limewire discovery: Mike Patton & Dillinger Escape Plan covering Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You”. And they fucking kill it, too! Just a bootleg, but good enough for a mix CD.
Back to the movie Rushmore. One of the most impressive tracks in that movie is the Live At Leeds version of “A Quick One (While He’s Away)” by The Who. Once a co-worker told me exactly what that song was (from expanded edition of Live at Leeds), I grabbed it (before buying the CD later on) from Limewire. The track is an utter marvel, and I maintain the live version is the superior one. I couldn’t believe it was actually live! It’s as clean as a studio cut with perfect harmonies, but with explosive live energy. It’s my favourite Who song, hands down. It’s the kind of song that made me feel smug, like “Yes, I have fucking great taste in music.”
The first repeat band (and song) is “The Ghost at Number One”, this time live. Jellyfish’s immaculate live version is tight as a drum. Then, a magnificent double repeat: Styx, now with Lawrence Gowan on lead vocals, with “A Criminal Mind”! And not just “A Criminal Mind”, no; live in Kitchener Ontario, this one! It’s cool that James “JY” Young threw down that wicked guitar solo right across town. So this one is special to me no matter how you slice it. The centerpiece of the CD, perhaps.
Don’t read anything into “Crabsody” by AC/DC being on this CD. It’s not on any of the US albums, so I downloaded it when I searched for “rare AC/DC” on Limewire. (Strictly a novelty song, incidentally and not a lost AC/DC classic.) You can definitely read “nostalgia” into the next track. Back to 1981 (Jesus!) and “Believe It Or Not” by Joey Scarbury. And I clearly went for the most mangled transition I could manage, since the very next song is “Chinese Arithmetic” by a Patton-fronted Faith No More (second appearance for Mike). The track opens with Patton announcing, “The word of the day is…fuck.” Which he then repeats a few times, before seguing into “Vogue” (as they often did).
Finally it’s back to Gowan again, and “Strange Animal” (featuring Tony Levin on the Chapman Stick). The rhythm that Levin lays down is a beast! Even in shitty Limewire quality, this song moves. Motorhead make their final appearance on the war ballad “1916”, a song which I found real affecting at that time. I got the album as soon as possible.
Ending the CD (sort of) is CKY, whose only real claim to fame is an attachment to the Jackass guys via Bam Margera’s brother Jess. The details are lost to me now, but I would have heard this song either a) on a Margera DVD or b) on a mix CD played in store. It’s a good little ballad circa the millenium, and it suited my grey heart. It’s been years since I last played it, and I can hear what I liked in it. Thank God I’m not that sad sack o’ shit anymore, though.
The real final track is just a coda, a preview of the new Metallica song “Frantic” via a show called MTV Icon. Remember, when they paid tribute to Metallica and had Snoop up there doing his thang to “Sad But True”? Well Metallica closed the show with their own song, and then I guess the credits must have rolled or something, because this thing just fades out before James can even deliver one “Fran-tic-tic-tic-tic-tock!”
I put some effort into typing out an interesting looking tracklist on the back, and Rab C. Rabbit looks fab on the front. I even glued the two together to make the insert. Here’s the funny thing though. I guess I must have needed a case to put this CD in, so I swapped out one from a local band called Vacuity, and threw their CD in the trash. The vacuity.net sticker is still on the back. This is funny, because one of the guys from Vacuity worked at the Record Store, and, well, he really wanted me to like his band. When he and store parted ways, I parted with the CD! Dick move, I know, but he was kinda a dick.
I think this my mix deserves:
5/5 Rab C. Rabbits 
In 1991, MuchMusic made a change that, I think, ultimately hurt their standing with heavy metal. They cancelled the twice weekly Pepsi Power Hour, and replaced it with the daily Power 30. The difference of course was that the Power 30 was a shorter show, but at five days a week, you’re getting an extra 30 minutes of metal every week. In theory. In reality, this meant more ad breaks so the amount of music you got was the same or even less. The reduced run time also meant no more hour long specials or hosting gigs. Coming up, we have a Power Hour co-hosted by Queensryche, but this segment with Faith No More is from the shorter Power 30.
Here Billy Gould and Roddy Bottum talk Slayer, Helmet, Young Gods and possible issues with the “MidLife Crisis” video. They’re funny in this clip but you can certainly see how the Power 30 offered less.
Roddy Bottum is a man of many talents. A multi-instrumentalist, Roddy might be best known for his bands Faith No More and Imperial Teen. Roddy is also a composer and Sasquatch: The Opera is his first entry on that stage, but surely not the last.
An opera about Sasquatch? What’s the deal with that? It’s been a difficult journey. I had the chance to question on Roddy about it and his other projects. Read it from the man himself.
Mike: Sasquatch: The Opera has to be the most intriguing three-word title I’ve ever seen. I understand the story is about the misunderstood “monster”, but how did you settle on the Sasquatch for your monster? I’m a bit of a Sasquatch geek, and I’m curious if you are too.
Roddy: It’s a character I always identified with. The ‘gentle giant’ aspect of him I kind of created myself. It’s a characteristic I always am moved by in literature and film. Elephant Man, King Kong, Frankenstein… the vulnerability of the misunderstood oaf, if you will. I’m also very sexually attracted to exactly that type.
Mike: Would you ever go on a Sasquatch expedition?
Roddy: I think I could entertain that voyage in a ‘social studies’ kind of way but I would be hard pressed to putting my best foot forward in the hopes of finding the monster. I want to believe. I really do. It’s like being taught religion as a child. I remain sceptical and needing of proof.
Mike: Absolutely understood; I hope one day we find that proof. How would you describe the music, is it a “rock opera”? I have to assume it’s a little different!
Roddy: The instrumentation is timpani drums, drum machine, two synthesizers and two trumpets. It’s not exactly rock but it’s more rock than symphonic. I kind of based the musical vibe all around the timpanis. The grandeur of that instruments spoke a lot in the presentation of the piece.
Mike: Do you perform on stage in the musical?
Roddy: I did, yeah, I conducted the piece and played a synthesizer. The one with the easier parts.
Mike: Did you compose Sasquatch primarily on the keyboard?
Roddy: Yes, first in my head and then on the keyboard.
Mike: I read about the apartment fire you had while in the midst of working on Sasquatch. You had to recreate the Opera from scratch, replace props and costumes? Are you happy with how it turned out?
Roddy: The fire gave me the opportunity to create from a clean slate something that I’d already done before. I like that process, actually. The fire was really and truly one of the worst tragedies I’ve had to go through. The cliche of the open window that happens as a result of a closed one, though. That rang true. Still, though I’m spooked by fire and I can’t eat barbecue or mescal or anything with a smokey after taste. Too soon.
Mike: I can’t even imagine what that is like…I love barbecue. Can we expect another musical from you?
Roddy: Yes, I’d like to create another opera that’s about the fall of a nation. Particularly America in this political climate.
Mike: I’d be into that. Now, I was going to go and see Sasquatch with my mom. She’s in her 70s and maybe a little old fashioned. Do you think my mom would have a good time, or would I regret bringing her?
Roddy: I got some of my best criticisms from people older than myself. I’m 55. I like to think of the themes as universal though there are some elements of incest and drug use that seem to disturb people. How open minded is your Mom?
Mike: She’s pretty cool, I think she can handle it. Could Sasquatch get a CD or DVD release?
Roddy: I honestly like to keep the opera in the realm of ‘shrouded in mystery.’ In keeping with the allure and mystique of Sasquatch, the being, I would prefer that the only people who witness my monster and my music are the ones in the theatre who come to see it. It’s too easy for people to listen to something online. I’m not into the lazy attendant factor of that, if that makes sense.
Mike: It does, I have heard stand-up comedians say similar things. It should be just in the moment. Moving on, can you update us on the next Imperial Teen record? I heard it was in the mixing stages.
Roddy: We just finished the record, mastered it last week and are working on the album artwork. It’s got 10 songs, it’s called Now We Are Timeless and it will come out on Merge Records July 12.
Mike: I hope you don’t mind a little fan-geek questioning. I am a music collector. I pride myself in having “almost everything” for many bands I love, but one “holy grail” item would be a live Faith No More bootleg with Courtney Love on vocals. I have been searching for years…decades! Does such a thing exist or is that era now lost to the sands of time?
Roddy: I believe the only audio recording of Courtney singing with us is on a VHS recording of a daytime public access television show recorded in San Francisco in 1984. Courtney wore a dirty white slip and brought into the studio bags and bags of old flowers she collected from the flower mart. We decorated the stage and lit incense and performed in dashikis.
Mike: If it exists, I will find it one day! Regarding Faith No More, I think Sol Invictus is a fantastic record. Among your best. I usually give the rare “5/5 star rating” to Introduce Yourself, Angel Dust, and King for a Day. Now I have added Sol Invictus to that list. You don’t strike me as the kind of band that puts out albums you aren’t happy with, but the reception to Sol Invictus was overwhelmingly positive. With a few years hindsight, how happy are you with Sol Invictus today?
Roddy: I think it’s a strong record, thank you. I’m glad we were in a position to not have to pander to radio playlist or whatever. We made the record we wanted to make and really didn’t compromise at any stage.
Mike: Is that you on vocals in the verses to “Motherfucker”?
Roddy: It is, yes, and thank you for noticing.
Mike: Do you have any other projects cooking currently that you can tell us about?
Roddy: I’m in a band called Nastie Band. Our record will come out in April. It features an 84 year old singer, a pair of identical twins, a drummer and guitarist and many theatrical elements. It’s a performance band, very dark. Another band I’m in is called Crickets. We’re going away this weekend on a writing retreat. Michael O’Neil and JD Samson are both in that band and we liken ourselves to a wobbly dance sound a-la Tom Tom Club. We have our first show in New York in February.
It sounds like 2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Roddy Bottum. Be sure to check out the Nastie Band in April, and the new Imperial Teen record Now We Are Timeless in July. Thank you Roddy for the chat!
Guest post by Kathryn Ladano
Now that NUMUS‘ most recent season is finished, I just want to say that next season, I can’t friggin’ wait to present Sasquatch: The Opera – composed by Roddy Bottum of the band Faith No More. I saw this at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer and knew that we had to find a way to bring it to Kitchener/Waterloo. It’s happening in February 2019! We’ll be doing four performances which will feature the original cast and the NUMUS orchestra led by Roddy himself!
February 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2019. Registry Theatre, Waterloo.
Read more at the Guardian: Bigfoot and me: Roddy Bottum on his avant garde monster opera
Chuck Mosley, the guy who Cared a Lot, has passed away at age 57 due to his struggles with addiction.
Chuck wasn’t the first Faith No More singer (even Courtney Love was there before him) but he was the guy who put them on the map with two excellent, outrageous albums: We Care a Lot and Introduce Yourself. Without Chuck, it is entirely possible there might not be a Mike Patton, who was a huge fan already when he took over the frontman role. After Faith No More, he spent some time with Bad Brains and as a solo artist.
Chuck was different to the end. Never one to make safe music. We will miss you, Chuck.
Thanks to Heavy Metal Overload for this news.
GETTING MORE TALE #607: Every Picture Tells a Story
If you’re like me, you probably look at childhood photos and are immediately flooded with a million memories. Music, pictures and memories…they all go together don’t they? One triggers another and all three merge together in your grey matter. With that in mind, put on something nostalgic and join me with some short stories about some old pictures. If you can’t think of something to listen to, here’s Bryan Adams doing “Summer of ’69”!
I can tell by my hair that this picture is winter of 1989-1990. On the far left, you’ll notice my Darth Vader lamp, hand made by my mom a long time ago (though not very far away). Darth is priceless to me, and I still have him on that very same dresser today. Next to Darth, I notice that I didn’t think to remove the Speed Stick before taking a photo.
That was my first guitar. I just had to have a whammy bar. That thing would simply not stay in tune. In the 80s, you had to have a whammy bar, although Slash was slowly causing them to go out of fashion. My mom found a guitar teacher, a really nice guy named Gary Mertz. He was teaching my sister, myself and my best friend Bob all in one shot. He came to the house, and did 30 minute lesson with my sister on keyboards first. Then 30 minutes with me and 30 with Bob on guitar. I just wasn’t any good at it. I just don’t have the coordination. How my sister got to be such a great musician, I really couldn’t tell you. I got the shitty genes.
A year and a half later, and look at that hair. Sleek?
Second guitar. A flying V I bought off a guy from work. He was a huge Eddie Van Halen fan, and he customised the V with different pickups to try to emulate Eddie’s brown sound. I still had to have a whammy bar. Constantly diving for it made it sound like I was playing something other than random notes. I was pretty useless on guitar.
A little older now, this is about 1993 and that’s my first beard! Zeppelin and the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701 D) on the same walls as before. The Enterprise and the Kiss sketch I’m holding were both birthday gifts from my buddy Peter. I still have that Kiss sketch on my wall right behind where I work at LeBrain HQ.
Check out this model kit I build. That’s a Klingon Bird of Prey, a Romulan Warbird and a Ferengi ship. I bought it for the Warbird, truly a beautiful ship design. If you look close enough, you can see where I painted in little yellow windows on the forward section, just like the show. I did the same on the Ferengi craft, which actually turned out the best of the three.
And finally, I don’t know what compelled me to take pictures of all my stuff. Here it is, and all laid out specifically just so. Why? Couldn’t tell you. But there’s some cool stuff there!
With the exception of the cassette tapes, I still own most of this stuff. Some CDs have been replaced by expanded editions. The vinyl didn’t go anywhere though, and I definitely hung on to those Star Trek figures.
My collections for each of these bands has expanded so much that I couldn’t fit them all into a single photo anymore. It’s funny to look back and think, “Wow, that’s all I had!?”
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