In 1996, “Pepper” became a popular hit single from a relatively unknown band called the Butthole Surfers, much to the chagrin of radio announcers. But while the band seemed to be just another one-hit wonder in the flavor of the month alternative rock scene, they had actually had a long and storied history that stretches back all the way to the start of the ‘80s. How listenable their recordings actually are is debatable. But no one disagrees that the Butthole Surfers drew eager crowds to their shows because of the surreal shocks that lay in store for their audiences.



The band was started in 1982 in San Antonio by two graduate students with a penchant for the morbid. Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary had originally met in college in the late ‘70s, and both seemed on the fast track to success—four years later, Haynes was completing his accounting degree and Leary his MBA. Rock and roll intervened.

In 1981, they started publishing a ‘zine called Strange V.D., which featured images of bizarre medical anomalies and diseases with funny captions written underneath. One of the images was found by Haynes' employer at an accountancy firm, costing him his job. Leary dropped out of his MBA program just as he was finishing his last semester. They both started performing together, first as Ashtray Baby Heads and then as Nine Foot Worm Makes Home Food. After a radio DJ mistook one of their song titles for the band's name, they decided to keep it.

They added band members and crafted a surreal live show filled with nude dancers, fire juggling and disturbing film clips of sex-change operations. Needless to say, the band's live shows grew notorious. People flocked to their shows, not sure what sort of derangement they'd see next. In 1985, they released their first album, Psychic…Powerless…Another Man's Sac. Reviewers weren't sure what to make of their “music.” Was this Dadaist punk noise or just…noise?

The band's lyrics didn't offer any more clues. On the band's sophomore record, Rembrand Pussyhorse, the song “Creep in the Cellar” has a line that goes: “There's a creep in the cellar that I'm gonna let in…and he really freaks me out when he peels off his skin.”

Their third record, 1987's Locust Abortion Technician, earned them a more solid cult following, and is the closest thing to what could be called a breakthrough album for them. All kinds of bizarre sounds and musical influences could be found on their music, sometimes with melodies, often without. This was freak music, and it was certainly good at freaking people out like a bad acid trip.

The band went through some tough times, with a constantly rotating lineup due to the fact that members kept getting sick of having no money in the early days. Drug abuse was another concern. In 1992, they surprised everyone by signing to a major label, Capitol, for whom they produced several albums before tensions with the label came to a head.

The Butthole Surfers have had a long and twisted history, but it hasn't ended yet. Considering there are still Butthole Surfers tickets being sold, you could become a part of that history and see them today! Visit http://www.stubhub.com/butthole-surfers-tickets to buy and sell Butthole Surfers tickets.