CBS SF Talks To Melvins Guitarist Buzz Osborne

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Over the course of an over 30-year career playing by their own rules, guitarist Buzz Osborne and monster drummer Dale Crover have co-piloted seminal underground rock band the Melvins through a wildly diverse exploration of heavy music. Inspired by the slow tempos and down-tuned guitar sludge of Black Sabbath as well as the dissonance of punk mavericks Flipper and My War-era Black Flag, the Melvins became legends in Washington State during their formative years in the early-to-mid 1980s after being founded in the small town of Montesano.

The band's combination of crushing riffs and lumbering grooves would end up influencing the entire Northwest music scene. Aberdeen natives and early fans Kurt Cobain (who at one point auditioned for the band) and Krist Novoselic were inspired to form Nirvana, while fellow grunge heavyweights like Alice In Chains and Soundgarden similarly updated the Sabbath template. The Melvins have been credited as a cornerstone inspiration for a number of heavy rock subgenres, providing the template for stoner-rock bands and experimental drone terrorists alike.

With a revolving cast of bassists, the Melvins have produced a veritable landslide of experimentally minded releases that have consistently pushed the envelope of alternative rock. Whether recording for major label Atlantic during the early '90s or issuing discs on numerous independent imprints, the group has forged a singular, instantly recognizable sound. The band has received piles of critical accolades since the start of its collaboration with with equally heavy duo Big Business featuring bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis a decade ago with the celebrated effort (A) Senile Animal in 2006.

Powered by a massive two-drummer onslaught (the two players used a huge overlapping kit that shared some drums), that album and follow-up recordings Nude with Boots and The Bride Screamed Murder spotlit Osborne's twisted, tuneful riffs and some of the band's catchiest output yet. The group would also branch out with other collaborators, partnering with noted avant-rock bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, John Zorn) on an album and a record-breaking tour that had the trio playing 50 states and Washington, D.C. in 51 days with Dunn sticking exclusively to acoustic bass, reuniting with original drummer Mike Dillard (with Crover switching to bass), issuing a guest-packed collection of cover songs (Everybody Loves Sausages in 2013) and recording with Butthole Surfers members Paul Leary and J.D. Pinkus.

This year, the group has, if anything, ramped up its already prolific output. In addition to Sub Pop issuing a set of long-shelved recordings with godheadSilo bassist Mike Kunka that were recorded back in the late '90s (credited to Mike and the Melvins and entitled Three Men and a Baby), the band has hit the road with latest bass-playing recruit Steven McDonald of Red Kross and OFF! fame to promote their other new album. The Ipecac Records release Basses Loaded features newer material recorded with McDonald as well as songs featuring a variety of recent bassists and a guest spot from Novoselic himself. CBS SF recently spoke with Osborne about the passing of Prince and the band's current tour with fellow mavericks Napalm Death and Melt Banana that comes to Slim's for two sold-out nights this week starting Thursday.

CBS SF: I have a bunch of prepared questions, but in light of the news today, I wanted to ask your thoughts on Prince's death? To me, he was a rare mainstream pop star who actually had an enormous amount of musical talent...

Buzz Osborne: Well, it's never good when anybody dies, you know? Honestly, I don't really know much about him other than the basics. I never owned any of his records. I never knew him personally. The only personal experience I ever had with him was when I was kicked out of a chair by his body guard so he could sit down to watch Bjork. I was at a Bjork concert and his body guard threw me out of my seat so he could there. That's the only contact I ever had with him.

CBS SF: Beyond the baseball theme of the new album with its title and the version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the band is almost taking a pitching rotation to filling the bass player position with all the different people involved. I know from previous talks with you and Dale that using different bassists started more out of necessity when you wanted to work and whoever your bassist at the time being unavailable. At this point, has it become your modus operandi to draw from this stable of players because it makes scheduling easier and keeps things fresh for the band?

Buzz Osborne: Yeah, that way we don't have to rely on anything. That's exactly what it is. It's too hard to have it be any other way. It's too difficult to worry about. But who knows what the future holds?

CBS SF: That kind of leads to my next question. Steve plays with both Red Kross and OFF! If he had commitments with one of those bands, would you just switch back to one of the other configurations? Or would you maybe look into finding someone else entirely?

Buzz Osborne: Nothing is going to stand in our way. Nothing. So we'll figure it out.

CBS SF: Most of the songs that you put on Basses Loaded were taken from the last few Amphetamine Reptile 10-inch records you'd put out with the exception of a couple of tunes. Were the songs with the other line-ups just leftover songs from past sessions that you'd done? Or did you record new songs to fill this album out?

Buzz Osborne: They're new songs, but you've got to remember, when we do stuff with Amphetamine Reptile, it's hyper limited. It doesn't even go to stores. So if you consider a hyper-limited 10-inch as a record being "out," then I guess it was out. It went out to a few people, but not many.

CBS SF: So compiling the songs on this album is a way to make it available to everyone versus the few hundred people who were lucky enough to score the vinyl release?

Buzz Osborne: Yeah. Those releases are for a boutique audience, you know?

CBS SF: How did you settle on the material you recorded with Steve? Did you come to the sessions with finished songs that were already completed, or did you work some of the tunes out with him?

Buzz Osborne: A little of both. I had an idea for a couple of things and then we wrote a couple of things with him. So a little of both.

CBS SF: Speaking with Dale in the past, he has said that the band sometimes plans up to a year or a year and a half into the future. How long was the collaboration with Steve been in the works?

Buzz Osborne: Well, at least for tonight's show! Understand that Bases Loaded has been completely finished for over a year. So it's not new to us. We leave very little to chance.

CBS SF: When you talked to Rolling Stone about the new album and how Dave Grohl initiated the idea of getting together with him and Krist Novoselic, but then didn't show up for the studio session. Did you come up with more than the single song that made it on to Bases Loaded that might see future release?

Buzz Osborne: That's the only thing that's completed. We have a few other things, but we have to finish them. That was recorded a while ago. So who knows?

CBS SF: So what would you have to say to Grohl the next time you ran into him in LA?

Buzz Osborne: I don't know where I'd run into him. I don't really run in those circles. I'm off the A-list.

CBS SF: If he were to come to you and say "Hey, I'm really sorry that happened. Let's try it again." Would you be open to it?

Buzz Osborne: I'm always open to anybody who apologizes to me. Of course. I'm that kind of a guy. I accept apologies.

CBS SF: You've always been fairly pointed in your assertion that the Melvins aren't a metal band; a heavy band maybe, but you've always characterized your music as not metal in interviews. But now you're on the road with what could arguably be described as one of the first extreme metal bands in Napalm Death. How did this tour come together?

Buzz Osborne: Well, I would disagree that they're a metal band. I don't think there's anything metal about them at all. I don't think they're a metal band in any way. I think if anything, they're a performance art band.

CBS SF: Between you and them and Melt Banana, you're definitely three of the more experimental heavier bands that I can imagine...

Buzz Osborne: I would say that's true. There are elements of those things, but they're far too weird. All three bands are way weirder than any of those labels, certainly.

CBS SF: So as far as getting together for the tour, it was just a matter of you admiring each other's music and saying, "Hey, we should hit the road together."

Buzz Osborne: That's pretty much it. We thought it was a good idea, and it's been great. A lot of people were wondering why we would do it, but I knew it would work. I knew it would be great. From the getgo, I thought it would be a totally great thing to do.

CBS SF: Looking at some of the set lists that you've been playing on the tour, you've been mixing it up quite a bit. I was wondering how you settled on some of the covers that have regularly been getting aired. I have a copy of the 7-inch single with the cover of Malfunkshun's "With Yo' Heart (Not Yo' Hands)" you put out in 1990. That song and the Green River cover "Leech" were two that stood out to me...

Buzz Osborne: Those are actually played as a medley, so they might be two and a half minutes maybe. They're jammed together, so it doesn't take up too much space. "Leech" was actually on our first album and we hadn't played it in a long time. The Malfunkshun song was another song we'd covered that we thought would be fun. You resurrect songs here and there. That's the only reason.

CBS SF: When you started rehearsing with Steve, did he bring specific Melvins songs that he wanted to play to the table?

Buzz Osborne: Honestly, I don't know how familiar he was with our stuff. That really didn't concern me. I wasn't looking for a fan, I was looking for a bass player. It was much better to go for a style than someone who knew our stuff inside out. It's much more important to me.

CBS SF: There's a Melvins documentary, The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale, that is getting set for it's premiere in the coming months. Have you had a chance to see the film?

Buzz Osborne: Well, we didn't have anything to do with making it. We did interviews for it, but we didn't make it, so I haven't seen the finished product. I saw a rough cut when it was maybe 70 percent done.

CBS SF: Do you foresee the band being there when it premieres? Are you curious about what the final cut will look like?

Buzz Osborne: I believe I will be there. It's always hard to watch something that's about you. That's a little difficult, but I'll soldier through it somehow.

CBS SF: I caught a recent video interview you did in New York with an 11-year-old kid where you talked about not just contributing music to a cartoon but actually appearing in a cartoon.

Buzz Osborne: That's true!

CBS SF: Any further details that you can discuss about the project yet?

Buzz Osborne: No, not yet. We kind of have to wait until it's done. They kind of have to give us the go-ahead.

CBS SF: Is it going to be on Adult Swim or something like that?

Buzz Osborne: I have no idea where they'd show it. I don't watch cable tv or tv in general. So I don't know. I know it's on tv and I know it's popular.

CBS SF: You don't seem to be touching on the material from the new Sub Pop album by Mike and the Melvins on this tour. Do you see yourselves performing those songs live or touring with Mike Kunka from godheadSilo in the future?

Buzz Osborne: I think it'd be a good idea. We'd like to do that. I just don't know exactly when. But we'll do our best, you know? You bet.

CBS SF: What else do the Melvins have on tap for this year? You mentioned that most of the recordings on Basses Loaded were done a year ago, and the Mike and the Melvins recordings started even further back. Do you have more material that's already done?

Buzz Osborne: Yeah, we have a whole other album that's done, but it's a project that we can't even talk about yet. But hopefully it will come out by the end of the year. And we're going to Europe in June and we have another tour that we'll announced at the end of this tour.

CBS SF: I just saw this recent tour where Iggy Pop was backed by Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and a couple other guys from that band. It was really interesting to hear Iggy revisit some of his solo material that he hadn't touched on in a long time. If you had a chance to work with one of your influences, who would it be? Two who immediately came to my mind that might make for an interesting collaborators would be Gene Simmons from Kiss and Alice Cooper...

Buzz Osborne: Oh man, I don't even know where to begin. Nothing that comes to mind that's crazy or too outrageous. How about Dick Dale? We want to work with Dick Dale.

CBS SF: Any thoughts on how you would approach working with Gene Simmons? I know you played "Going Blind" with him live onstage in LA and the band opened for Kiss back in the '90s...

Buzz Osborne: I don't know how good of an idea he'd think it was, but we would do something with Gene at this point of his life and career. We wouldn't say no! But he probably would.

CBS SF: It seems like if he's still going to be out there making bushels of money touring with Kiss every summer, a Gene and the Melvins album would be a great side project. How many bushels of money do you need?

Buzz Osborne: Yeah, well I can't see it happening. But I wouldn't say no to it.