Guitar hero Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween) tips his cap to Butthole Surfers in a new clip from a forthcoming documentary on the legendary underground psych-punk rockers. The Butthole Surfers Movie is currently in development by director Tom Stern (The Toys That Made Us, An American Werewolf In Paris), who began documenting the San Antonio band behind the smash hit “Pepper” back in 1986 at CBGB’s in New York.
In the brief clip, Deaner leaves no doubt about where he places Butthole Surfers on the Mt. Rushmore of psych-rock, calling them “the most psychedelic band ever.” He goes on to list what he views as the most psychedelic rock riffs including “Purple Haze” and “American Woman” but pushes those aside to discuss the Surfers’ “foulest” 1987 track “Graveyard”.
“I play music, I’ve dedicated my life to music,” said Melchiondo, who wrote a forward for the band’s 2019 authorized visual history, What Does Regret Mean? “They’re the greatest live band I ever saw. I mean, I saw Prince 50 times. I’ve seen every one of my favorite bands a million times. Crazy Horse, P-Funk, you know like the great, great, great, great live bands. And [Butthole Surfers] not once, or twice, or three times, ten times were the greatest show I ever saw. If you told me to name the ten greatest shows, Bootsy’s on there and then there’s nine Butthole Surfers shows.”
This appearance comes as the latest in a media frenzy of a year for the Ween guitarist. Back in July, Deaner appeared in an episode of the new Discovery fishing show Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky. Then in August, Ween starred in the South Park 25th-Anniversary Concerts alongside Primus and the show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, a broadcast of which aired on Comedy Central.
The Butthole Surfers Movie will tell the story of the band that emerged from Texas in 1981 led by frontman Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary. Over the course of eight studio albums, The Butthole Surfers grew into legends in the underground scene for their captivating and chaotic live performances. The group went on to inspire bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam, play the first-ever Lollapalooza festival, and make an album with Led Zeppelin‘s John Paul Jones.
Set to appear in the documentary alongside Melchiondo are RHCP’s Flea, Henry Rollins, Sonic Youth‘s Thurston Moore, and The Jesus Lizard‘s David Yow. The film is currently accepting tax-deductible donations through its website.
What Does Psychedelic Mean to Ween? | The Butthole Surfers Movie