FAITH NO MORE and MR. BUNGLE singer Mike Patton spoke to Consequence Of Sound about how the pandemic has affected him personally and professionally. He said: “When this stuff started, all I can think about is basically we were so lucky to do those BUNGLE shows when we did them in late February. I just felt lucky that we got those in. During the [pandemic], I had to cancel a year’s worth of shows. I was scheduled to be with FAITH NO MORE, doing a lot of different stuff on different continents. So, I took the pandemic as an opportunity … I like being at home and I’m not really a social guy anyway. So fuck it, I’ll stay home and make music. No big deal. So the first three months were like gold. I was totally working every day and during the pandemic I’ve worked on three or four different records. So to me, it wasn’t that much different than my norm. However, after like three months, I was, like, ‘Fuck this shit, this is getting old. Come on, I gotta go to a fucking restaurant.’ And it became a little more laborious.
“In San Francisco, where I’m at, some things are kind of open, some things are not,” he continued. “You don’t really understand the protocol and whatnot. It’s coming to that realization that you can’t get what you want when you want it. I think moving forward, during the pandemic — and there’s no end in sight, let’s be honest … let’s not listen to Trump — there’s no end in sight, so this is the way we’re going to live for now. So it’s on me to figure out how do I adjust, and not just close myself up and isolate. I can’t do that.”
Asked what he thinks it’s going to take to get the concert industry going again, Mike said: “I’m not a scientist, my friend. What I would say is two words: Doctor Fauci. I ain’t doing shit and nobody’s going to do shit until we know it’s safe. Not just for us, but for everybody. Right now, a public gathering, which a concert really is, is not a good fucking idea. It’s not a good idea, and most of us keep that in mind. I’m not trying to push the envelope here. It’s not going to happen. So what we’ll do is basically wait until we’re told what we need can do. It’s fucking simple. Be safe, be cool. A lot of people and a lot of musicians don’t get that. But we’re not gonna play until we know for a fucking fact that it’s safe to do so.”
MR. BUNGLE will release “The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo” on October 30 via Ipecac Recordings.
As was the case with MR. BUNGLE‘s live performances this past February, original MR. BUNGLE members Trevor Dunn, Mike Patton and Trey Spruance are joined by Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.) and Dave Lombardo (DEAD CROSS, SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES).
The 11-song release features tracks written by the Eureka, California-born band for their 1986 cassette only demo as well as a reimagined cover of the S.O.D. classic “Hypocrites / Habla Español O Muere” (a.k.a. “Speak English Or Die”) and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY‘s “Loss For Words”.
The album was produced by MR. BUNGLE, recorded by Husky Höskulds at Studio 606, and mixed by Jay Ruston. Rhea Perlman narrates “Anarchy Up Your Anus”.
