[Landline] Expansionizers
Butthole Surfers, Michael Moorcock, Hermeto Pascoal—what more do you need?
“LANDLINE” — AN EMAIL BULLETIN BY JAY BABCOCK
No. 0026
TUESDAY, FEB. 1, 2022
Hello friends,
1.EXCUSES, EXCUSES
Well, I’ve let things slide and they have not in fact fallen into place, despite my best non-efforts. Reality simply isn’t cooperating. Self-imposed deadlines have come and gone. And then, gone further.
So! I am abandoning any further attempt at assembling a tight and coherent Landline right now and am gonna just flow three random bits ‘n’ bobs in your general direction. Hopefully something sticks.
2. A JOURNEY BACK TO BUTTHOLE MANOR
Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to — and yes, enjoying — a lot of ‘70s/’80s radio hits lately, but I found this blast of lore about the Butthole Surfers’ ridiculously contrarian, post-Roky prime early years to be especially refreshing. Journalist Bill Baird rounded up Paul Leary, King Coffey, several very early band members, and many others — including the legend that is Bill Daniel!—who can remember anything to produce some quality oral history for the San Antonio Current…
Scott Stevens: I’d heard of Gibby Haynes in the fall of ’78. He was a tall skinny guy — an accounting student in a black leather jacket. He was also the president of the Theta fraternity. And they were the hardcore party fraternity house. Not just suds, if you know what I mean. He was the last person in that frat. The university shut it down, trying to clean up the school’s image.
Quinn Matthews: My brother, Gibby and I moved to Woodlawn and McCullough [avenues], and that house became known as Butthole Manor. Which was a ridiculous place. A mother and two daughters lived upstairs. They said, “We love listening to your rehearsals!” One day, the mom came down and had a head bandage. She seemed a little frail, and we were like, “Are you ok?” And she said, “Oh, I had brain surgery two weeks ago.” We were the soundtrack to her recovery.
King Coffey: On one tour, I had a full-on mohawk. Stopped at a McDonald’s outside of Dallas, and while I was standing in line, these two Bubbas came in and said, “I don’t like it” and punched me square in the jaw and knocked me out. When I came to, nobody was helping. They were laughing at me. “That’s what you get.”
Good work, Mr. Baird.
Read the whole piece here: https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/before-pepper-and-mtv-an-oral-history-of-the-butthole-surfers-san-antonio-years/Content?oid=28070897
3.ANOTHER MAN’S MEMORIES
Here’s a recentlyish recorded hour of Michael Moorcock — the legendary New Wave science fiction author/editor/Hawkwind collaborator/friend-of-J.G. Ballard/anarchist/inspiration to so many — in a great enthusiastic mood, telling stories upon asides upon stories from this London days forward to his Texan present, in a continuous high chortle, prodded on by Stephen Coates of Bureau of Lost Culture. Tremendous pleasure to listen to.
Get a contact smile here:
4. SELF-RELIANCE WITH THE SORCERER HERMETO PASCOAL
Progressive-experimentalist-traditionalist-expansionist Brazilian genius art-jazz musician Hermeto Pascoal is 85 years old and isn’t done yet. Ahead of “O Bruxo”’s scheduled visit to London in May, Sean Kitching at the Quietus has compiled a handy introduction-survey to the great man’s imposing oeuvre, with the requisite youtube clips. Read it here:
https://thequietus.com/articles/31008-hermeto-pascoal
It’s beyond my small brain’s understanding why Hermeto is not feted more in the English-speaking media—he is clearly a human of immense wisdom, talent and charisma, with a significant body of work. And absolutely fearless and joyful. Look-listen at some of his further out performances on film:
2013:
A recording of a 1981 mythical Hermeto group live performance long thought lost has been recovered and will be released this Friday, Feb. 4. Go here:
5. MONEY HELPS PAY BILLS AND BRINGS A BASELINE LEVEL PEACE OF MIND
This email newsletter “Landline” is free to read, but seriously folks, it is sustained by paying subscriptions. $5/month cheap, $40/year cheaper, and there’s a founder’s option too. Paying subscribers get extra stuff. Explore the exciting options here:
If you are broke but want to read everything emanating from Landline HQ, let me know privately and I will personally escort you through a hole in the paywall. No one will be denied access!
More of this on the sooner side,
Jay Babcock
Tucson, Arizona