Mr. Bungle
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Mr. Bungle was an avant-garde, experimental musical group that cycled through several musical genres oftentimes within the course of a single song, fusing radically different styles together. While it would be impossible to list all of the genres incorporated into their music, some notable ones include heavy metal, rock music, funk, Surf Rock, ska, free jazz, pop, contemporary art music, rockabilly, bossa nova, and even video game and cartoon music. Mr. Bungle released three full-length albums between 1991 and 1999 and has not been active since then.
Major Releases
Their self-titled debut Mr. Bungle, recorded a year after Mike Patton was recruited into Faith No More, was produced by jazz experimentalist John Zorn. The content is very hard to pin down using specific genres, and the structure and musical style of any single track can dramatically alter anywhere in a song. One track on the album, "Quote Unquote" caused a minor controversy; it was originally titled "Travolta", presumably referring to actor John Travolta, but was renamed after the actor reportedly threatened legal action.
Disco Volante, their second major release, has a completely different tone. It is the most experimental of Mr. Bungle's albums as the music ventures into more complex and formal sonic territory. Extreme shifts of musical style are constant throughout the album, arguably making it Mr. Bungle's most difficult and inaccessible release. While the debut album focused on mixing styles that teenagers are likely to encounter in high school, such as rap, metal, and funk, the sophomore release made a noticeable shift in musical direction to include influences from contemporary classical music, electronic music pioneers such as Pierre Henry, Morton Subotnick and Dick Hyman, avant-garde jazz, and European film music of the 1960s and 1970s (Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Peter Thomas, etc.). In doing so, the album constituted a marriage of formal, academic avant-garde with informal pop culture, and as such is an excellent representation of the synthesis of high art and low art.
The band's third album, California, is their most accessible. While the genre shifts are still present, they are less frequent, giving the album a less chaotic and more stable feel. While "Disco Volante" was a dark, brooding work, "California" has a much lighter tone, and shows influences of exotica, Radiohead, and Queen while still incorporating more out-there sounds including Kecak and Roma music.
Stage Antics
More so than other Mike Patton related projects, Mr. Bungle was known for their terrifying stage shows, where Patton would wear a gimp mask and Trevor Dunn would donn a blue dress and pigtails while headbanging maniacally. The presentation of the band on stage has sometimes been close to a realization of Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty in the musical domain. This was particularly felt at the live shows during the "Disco Volante" era. The shows for the "California" tours, while still involving various members wearing masks and dressing up, were no longer showing evidence of Artaud's influence.
Anthony Kiedis VS Mr Bungle Feud
Mr. Bungle is also known to have had a bad relationship with the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, and it is no coincidence that the album titles of Mr. Bungle's 1999 album California and the Chili's 1999 album Californication are similar. In fact, California was supposed to be released in 1998 also, but their label Warner Bros pushed it back so as not to coincide due to fear of what Kiedis might do. Both Patton and Kiedis have denied this was true, with Patton stating that because the Chili Peppers and Mr. Bungle have two entirely different fan bases, delaying the release was absolutely unnecessary. The bad relationship started when Kiedis saw singer Mike Patton's other band Faith No More and accused Patton of ripping off his style. Patton took great offense to this and there has been bad blood ever since.After Kiedis was responsible for getting Mr. Bungle kicked off a series of summer festivals in Europe, Australia and New Zealand (as being the headlining act at the said festivals they had final say on the bands that would appear). Mr. Bungle covered the songs Under the Bridge and Scar Tissue on Halloween 1999 where Patton introduced each band member with the name of one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (including "the Ghost of Hillel Slovak").
The rest of the Chili Peppers seem to have no problems with Mr. Bungle, though Flea and Trevor Dunn have a public dislike of one another.
Mr Bungle's End
Mr. Bungle is currently disbanded. When asked about a possible reunion, Mike Patton stated, "It could happen, but I won’t be singing. Some bridges have definitely been burned. It was a fun time and sometimes you just have to move on. I’ve got a lot on my plate now." Trevor Dunn adds, on his website, "Bungle is dead. Please realize that..." Spruance, Heifetz and McKinnon have been more optimistic; to quote Spruance, in response to the standard 'Mr. Bungle regrouping' question: "“I hope so because that band could take over the fucking universe if it wanted to."
Trey Spruance is now part of the band Secret Chiefs 3. Trevor Dunn occasionally steps in to play bass.
Band lineup
Regular members of Mr. Bungle included:- Mike Patton - vocals
- Trey Spruance - guitar, keyboards
- Trevor Dunn - bass
- Danny Heifetz - drums
- Clinton "Bär" McKinnon - reeds
- Theo Lengyel - saxophone, keyboards (till 1996, left the band due to creative differences)
Discography
| Album Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label |
 | 1986 | The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny | Ladd-Firth Productions |
 | 1987 | Bowel of Chiley | ? |
 | 1988 | Goddammit I Love America | The Works |
 | 1989 | OU818 | "B" Productions |
 | August 13, 1991 | Mr. Bungle | Warner Bros Records |
 | October 10, 1995 | Disco Volante | Warner Bros Records |
 | July 13, 1999 | California | Warner Bros Records |
The four early pre-Warner Bros cassettes are not part of the band's official catalogue, and are considered nearly unfindable today. They are quite valued on eBay, with auctions ending in the triple digits. They are, however, downloadable from a semi-official ftp-server.
Sources
- [link] Huge FAQ on Mr. Bungle.
External links
- [Bungle Fever] fan-site
- [Caca Volante] news and archives
- [Mr. Bungle] at the All Music Guide
- [Mr. Bungle FAQ]
- [Mr. Bungle Lyrics]
- [Rolling Stone] article on the band's split
- [link]: Archive.org hosts the Coronet educational film "Lunchroom Manners," in which a puppet named Mr. Bungle teaches children how to behave at lunch. The first two minutes of audio are featured on Mr. Bungle's self-titled CD.
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