Old News

December 2004

An article by Greg Prato in this month's Rolling Stone entitled "Mr. Bungle Go Kaput" may be the closest thing to an official break-up announcement we are ever going to get. Featured are statements by vocalist Mike Patton about the split including, "We could have probably squeezed out a couple more records but the collective personality of this group became so dysfunctional," and "This band was poisoned by one person's petty jealousy and insecurity, and it led us to a slow, unnatural death."

September 2004

May 2004

"Book of Horizons" is out, and a newly updated Web of Mimicry website has been launched to go along with it. There you will find an updated gallery of essentials, a new message board, and a few other surprises. An interview with Trey Spruance about the new album appears in the current issue of Melbourne, Australia's BEAT Magazine.

See also the recent site for Game Audio Magic, a game music, movie scoring, and album production company formed by Trey Spruance, Tim Smolens, and Jeff Attridge.

April 2004

The Mr. Bungle store is open (again) at The Official Mr. Bungle website. Various shirts from over the years are now available, including the beloved "There's A Tractor In My Balls Again" design. The store is powered by Cinderblock, who have screens for all of the designs, we are told, and will be able to print as many shirts as demand requires.

The new Secret Chiefs 3 release, "Book of Horizons," will now be out on May 18th, and pre-orders of the CD ($14) can be made at http://www.lobefood.com. On "Book of Horizons" the long-rumored Spruance projects FORMS & Holy Vehm will finally make an appearance among the seven individually named "configurations" of the band which make up the album.

Fantômas begin the European leg of their tour in support of "Delìrium Còrdia" in early May. See the tour dates section or the Ipecac Recordings website for details.

In related (and somewhat odd) news, a Lynx Dry anti-perspirant commercial featuring "Page 9" by Fantômas has been airing in the UK. A clip of the ad can be downloaded in the archives section of the Ipecac Recordings website.

March 2004

The release of the next Secret Chiefs 3 album has been pushed back to May-ish. However, there will be a Mimicry Records showcase at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas on St. Patrick's Day featuring the Secret Chiefs 3, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Dengue Fever, and Estradasphere. Those who attend can pick up a new Mimicry Records sampler CD.

Dengue Fever will also be playing for free at the Spaceland in Los Angeles every Monday evening during the month of March. See their official website for more information.

Mike Patton will be performing with Rahzel again during a small Eastern U.S. tour in early March. See the tour dates section.

Fantômas embark on a North American tour with Melt Banana this month, beginning with a free show at Amoeba Music in Hollywood on March 24th. See the tour dates section or the Ipecac Recordings website for details.

Mr. Bungle continues to be "over" according to some involved, and "in limbo" according to others. We aren't holding our breath for an official statement or another release.

October 2003

A blurb about Mimicry Records and the upcoming Secret Chiefs 3 release can be found on Midheaven's news site. The first volume of the three-volume production known as "Book of Truth" will be called "Book of Horizons," and will hopefully be out in March of 2004. The Secret Chiefs 3 should begin to tour in support of it around that time as well.

The Secret Chiefs 3 will also be on the next Domain Cleveland compilation entitled "The Little Domain That Could," out November 15th. They will contribute a new & exclusive Secret Chiefs 3 track, as well as a collaboration by members of the Secret Chiefs 3, Dog Fashion Disco, Faith No More, Tub Ring, and others. Fore more information visit http://www.domaincleveland.com.

In other news, Mike Patton is really going to be in that movie. He has now completed filming his parts for "Firecracker," and several production stills are available at the Dikenga Films website.

Patton will also be performing with Rahzel, AKA The Godfather of Noyze, on a very brief tour of Colorado & California in November. See the tour dates section for details.

The release of Fantômas' third album, "Delìrium Còrdia," was originally slated for October, but has been postponed due to manufacturing issues. There is no new release date yet. Keep up to date at the Ipecac Recordings website.

And finally, following the sudden and tragic closure of the beloved Ipecac Recordings BBS, the Bungle Fever message board is now open for business at http://bbs.bunglefever.com. Gulp. It will likely be a quicker and more reliable source of Bungle-related news, tour dates, and trash-talk than the main Bungle Fever site, simply because I am very lazy. Good luck.

August 2003

The Mr. Bungle Online Store is finally open (again) at Cinder Block! Now selling several items of clothing from the California tour. The Hawaiian style shirts appear to be a bargain at $16 each (they were $40 from the merchandise booth at the shows in '99). Visit the store at http://www.cinderblock.com/wc.dll?Webstore~nCatalog~MRB to see what else is available.

July 2003

Bär McKinnon talks about Mr. Bungle, his recent solo work, and various other subjects in several current articles found in the Australian publications "dB Magazine," "BMA Magazine," Newcastle's "U Turn Street Press," and Melbourne's "In*Press". See the tour dates section for details on McKinnon's current tour of Australia.

A recent interview with Trey Spruance can be found at Perfect Pitch Online. In it, he says of Mr. Bungle, "I think the band has a lot of fucking steam left in it. The best days are clearly ahead. It'll be incredible, but I don't know when it's going to happen." He also discusses Mr. Bungle's first demo, the production of "California," and his brief stint as Faith No More's guitarist.

In other news, a Mr. Bungle petition has been created at Petition Online in an attempt to convince the band (who haven't even broken up, really) to continue. I don't particularly support such a petition, or expect the members of Mr. Bungle to be influenced by it, but here it is for those interested: http://www.petitiononline.com/mrbungle/petition.html.

June 2003

It appears that Mr. Bungle merchandise will finally be available for purchase over the web soon. Several shirt designs that were sold on the California tour appeared briefly on the Ipecac Recordings Cinder Block website in error, and have since been removed. Those who got in orders before the removal will receive the items they purchased, however. A separate Mr. Bungle store should be opening on Cinder Block soon, and will be linked from Mr. Bungle's official website at http://www.mrbungle.com. Keep refreshing!

May 2003

In a recent interview on http://www.counterculture.co.uk/, Mike Patton says of Mr. Bungle: "I think it is over. The guys are spread all over the world and we don't talk to each other. I have not spoken to a couple of the guys since the last tour, years ago." As this is along the same lines of what several members of the band have been saying for the last six months or so, it may well be true. Read the article at http://www.counterculture.co.uk/interview/tomahawk-mike-patton.html.

April 2003

Mr. Bungle fans who live in Australia may be able to receive drum lessons from Danny Heifetz himself. He is now giving lessons through Billy Hyde Music in Sydney.

March 2003 (really this time)

Oops! The Bär McKinnon performances that were to take place in Victoria this month have been postponed. He will now be playing sometime in May, although no further details are available yet. Neil Hamburger's tour dates have not changed. See http://neilhamburger.tvheaven.com/whats_blank.html for those.

March 2003 (or close enough)

Sweet Muscular Jesus! Mr. Bungle's own Clinton "Bär" McKinnon will be opening for comic genius Neil Hamburger at three shows in Victoria, Australia on March 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. We're not sure what his performance will entail, exactly, but as this is perhaps only a thrice in a lifetime opportunity to see the man play solo, be there or be a rectangle! See the tour dates section or http://neilhamburger.tvheaven.com/whats_blank.html/ for details!

February 2003

Just a reminder that NOTHING is going on with Mr. Bungle, for those of you who are antsy for an update of some kind. Everyone is off doing their own thing for the time being, but if they ever miraculously decide to come together for another Mr. Bungle album, you'll be sure to hear about it.

Meanwhile, Trey Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3, which has featured at least three other Mr. Bungle members on and off, is reported to be releasing a trio of new albums this year on his Mimicry Records label.

Also out on Mimicry this year will be the next Sleepytime Gorilla Museum album. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, for those who don't already know, is a fantastic band from Oakland, California who already have one album out on Chaosophy Records. Carla Kihlstedt, a guest musician on "California,"and member of Tin Hat Trio and Charming Hostess, sings and plays fiddle in Sleepytime. That's why I get to promote them here.

The Mimicry Records excitement doesn't stop there. They will also be releasing the very first full-length Dengue Fever album. Dengue Fever is an L.A.-based group that was recently formed by Ethan Holtzman with his brother Zac (from the now-defunct Dieselhed) and mesmerizing Cambodian vocalist Chhom Nimol. Unfortunately, Nimol was recently arrested when the band was stopped at an INS checkpoint while on tour in Southern California. Donations for her defense can be made to:

Free Chhom Nimol
1812 Effie Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026

There will also be a fundraiser/party on February 27th at the Short Stop Bar in Los Angeles (1455 Sunset Blvd.) and a benefit concert on March 2nd at The Derby Nightclub in Los Angeles (4500 Los Feliz). For more information about either of these events, email denguefever23@hotmail.com. Hear Dengue Fever samples at ftp.bunglefever.com, and keep up with the news about Chhom Nimol at the official Dengue Fever Newsletter site on Yahoo! Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/denguefevernews/.

Speaking of Dieselhed, vocalist/guitarist/song-writer extraordinaire Virgil Shaw is promoting his latest solo album, "Still Falling," with a North American tour starting on February 22nd. See his official website for dates.

News on any other Bungle-related artists can always be found at the Ipecac Recordings website, Caca Volante, the Faxed Head website, etc. (see the links section).

And finally, no, I really can't tell you where you can buy a Mr. Bungle t-shirt. My best advice is to check in at the future home of the official Mr. Bungle website periodically for updates (you never know): www.mrbungle.com.

November 2002

Given up on ever getting that two dollar scam order you sent in for after Disco Volante came out? Recently several people have reported receiving packages containing the extra artwork, lyrics, and stickers (plus the addition of an un-used Mr. Bungle ticket from 1996) that were sent to most folks in the early days of the "scam" -- six years after sending in their two dollars. For those of you who who are still waiting, select the image to the left to see what you're missing. YOU CANNOT STILL SEND TWO DOLLARS TO THE P.O. BOX GIVEN IN THE DISCO VOLANTE COVER and expect anyone in Mr. Bungle to receive it, or send you something in return, from what I understand. So don't waste your money.

At this point there are no plans for a new Mr. Bungle album in the near (or even distant) future. Instead, we can look forward to new releases from Virgil Shaw & The Killer Views, Fantômas, Secret Chiefs 3, and other related projects in the coming year.

The Bungle Fever FTP site, ftp.bunglefever.com, has a new home and should be much faster and easier to access. It costs money (hint, hint).

"We Don't Need Society" is now out and available for $13 at http://www.maltsoda.com/. As mentioned below, it features Mr. Bungle's live version of "I Don't Need Society" from a bootleg.

July 2002

Mr. Bungle's live cover of DRI's "I Don't Need Society" will be on an upcoming DRI tribute album called "We Don't Need Society." Mr. Bungle covered the song frequently during their 1992 North American tour. The album is to be released on Malt Soda Recordings later this year. No word yet on an a more specific release date, or from which show the recording to be used was taken.

June 2002

An interesting article about Trey Spruance entitled "The Secret Chief" can be found in the June 5th issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian at http://www.sfbg.com/36/36/art_spruance.html.

And, the official Mr. Bungle website has finally begun at http://www.mrbungle.com/ and will likely feature band merchandise in the distant future.

December 2001

Mr. Bungle remains on hiatus (and record label-free) while its members concentrate on other projects. However, there has been some song-writing and idea-swapping, and no, the band hasn't officially broken up just yet. Visit the following links to help you pass the time until they either announce that they've really broken up, or release a new damn album:

• Barefoot Hockey Goalie - featuring Danny Heifetz and Bär McKinnon
• Ipecac Recordings - home to Fantômas and Tomahawk, co-owned by Mike Patton
• Virgil Shaw & the Killer Views - featuring Danny Heifetz and Virgil Shaw from Dieselhed
• Web of Mimicry - home to Trey Spruance's record label
• Selected Discography of Trevor Dunn - find out who Trevor Dunn is playing with
• SecretChiefs3.com - the official, unofficial Secret Chiefs 3 site
• Faxed Head - inspiring disabled rockers from Coalinga
• Estradasphere - Trey Spruance is almost in this band

April 2001

It's true: Bungle vocalist Mike Patton will be in the upcoming Steve Balderson film "Firecracker," starring Dennis Hopper, Sally Kirkland, and Deborah Harry. Patton is described as playing the part of "one of Frank's Green-suited Men." For more information visit the official "Firecracker" website at http://www.dikenga.com/films/firecracker/.

March 2001

Coalinga metal group Faxed Head have finally unveiled an official website! Their latest album, "Chiropractic," is to be released in June on Trey Spruance's Mimicry Records label. For more information visit http://www.faxedhead.com & the Web of Mimicry. The next Secret Chiefs 3 album, "Book M," will also be released on Mimicry Records this Summer. Two new Fantômas albums loom on the horizon as well. A collection of soundtrack covers called "The Director's Cut" will be released in July on Ipecac Recordings. An album of original material is scheduled for sometime next year. Visit the Ipecac Recordings website for details.

October 2000

The European tour is over, but some of you can take comfort in the knowledge that you will be able to relive it later this month. On the evening of October 22nd, German television station WDR will broadbast the Bizarre Festival set from August 19th in its entirety! Have those VCRs ready, as this sort of thing never ever happens to Mr. Bungle, other than this once. For more information visit the Rockpalast or WDR websites.

Waiting for Mr. Bungle to hit your neck of the woods again (or for the first time)? Could be a while. There are no further plans to tour at the moment, and with a total of five tours under their belts in support of California already, they probably won't be on the road again any time soon.

You may be able to fill that void in your life with some related-artists happenings. The new Dieselhed album, "Chico and the Flute," is available from the Bong Load Custom Records website. A new Secret Chiefs 3 album is also expected soon, accompanied by some touring. Mike Patton will release two new Fantômas albums on his Ipecac Recordings label in the near future, as well as a major-label project called Peeping Tom. Fantômas, also featuring Buzz Osbourne, Dave Lombardo, and Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, will be touring Australia, New Zealand, and Japan in November. Trevor Dunn always has numerous shows & recordings in the works; visit his official website for more information.

July 2000

European tour dates are still being finalized. Confirm with venues (many are linked from the tour dates section) before you purchase that plane ticket from Boise to Rome, and visit Bungle Fever frequently for updates.

June 2000

There will be a live interview with Trey Spruance and Danny Heifetz (currently on tour with the Secret Chiefs 3) on Saturday the 17th at Break The Silence. The interview is set to begin at 6:15pm PST, 8:15pm CST, and 9:15pm EST. Visit the website for streaming audio and call 847-742-9494 to participate.

Mr. Bungle finally begin a festival-laden tour of Europe in mid-August. For dates, see the tour section.

May 2000

According the the Lowlands Festival website, Mr. Bungle will perform at the Lowlands Festival 2000, taking place August 25th, 26th, & 27th in Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands.

March 2000

Mr. Bungle are taking time off from touring for several months after wrapping up the final show of their Australian tour on March 24th at Maquarie University in Sydney. The band has tentative plans to perform in Europe, and perhaps South America, in late Summer 2000. Meanwhile, Trey Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3 will tour the U.S. in May & June.

February 2000

Sno-Core TV Episode 5, "Tune Talk With SOAD and Bungle," is now available at the Sno-Core website.

A Webcast of the Hollywood Sno-Core show is planned for February 17th at 8pm EST/5pm PST. To hear the show, visit the Sno-Core website. You will need Real Player or the Windows Media Player.

The official dates for the Australian tour in support of California have been announced by Mr. Bungle's management. Opening for Mr. Bungle in Australia will be the infamous Neil Hamburger. Tickets will not be available for all shows right away, but some may be purchased currently over the internet at Ticketek Australia and Ticketmaster. For more details, see Bungle Fever's tour dates section.

After Australia, tentative plans are for a short break followed by tours of both Europe and South America.

January 2000

You can download Liquid Audio files of Mr. Bungle live from the Sno-Core tour at Sno-Core.com. A new live track is released every week. Also check out Mr. Bungle in Sno-Core TV Episode 2, "Meet the Bands II."

Mr. Bungle seem to be making the most of their stint as openers on Sno-Core 2000. For several shows they have worn costumes (Bär dressed as a construction worker; Danny as an overgrown, bonneted baby; Trevor as a cowboy with a drooping mustache; Trey in a flowing white blouse and a large foppish hat with an ostrich feather sticking out of it; Mike in a sailor suit with a white cap, white gloves, and a pink scarf, or as a Geisha Girl in full makeup; James in blue jeans, a suede vest, and an Indian chief headdress; and percussionist Ches Smith -- filling in for William Winant -- dressed as a grocer), and cheerfully welcomed their audience to "Sno-Queer 2000." Their tacky tourist stage props have been replaced by flowers, "I heart boys" & "sodomizer" bumper stickers, and a guitar made out of a ski. Sets have been short, enthusiastic, and crammed with homosexual innuendo.

Distressed that Mr. Bungle doesn't plan to visit Europe in the near future? If you'd like to see them perform at Glastonbury 2000, you may want to try casting a vote at the Glastonbury Festival Voting Booth.

Mr. Bungle performed on New Year's Eve at the Galleria Design Center in San Francisco with four other bands. The "Goodbye Sober Day" schedule resembled the following:

7:45pm Kids of Widney High (30 minute set)
8:30pm Fantômas (20 minute set)
9:20pm NoMeansNo (60 minute set)
10:30pm Melvins (45 minute set)
12:00am Mr. Bungle (90 minute set)

Bungle, brandishing bottles of champagne, opened with "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (by Burt Bacharach) after a countdown to the year 2000 by emcee & band manager Greg Werckman, complete with multi-colored balloons dropping from the ceiling at midnight. The rest of the set was made up of songs familiar to anyone who saw Bungle play in October or November (view the setlists at Stefan Negele's Caca Volante Database). A "Goodbye Sober Day" t-shirt commemorating the evening was being sold along with the usual Bungle merchandise.

December 1999

Mr. Bungle have wrapped up their second North American tour in support of "California." Plans to finally begin touring Europe in January of 2000 have been cancelled, however. Instead, Mr. Bungle will tour North America again, this time playing with three other bands as part of the annual Sno-Core tour described as "a gathering of tribes, music, culture and physical stimulation." Shows will open with Puya, followed by Mr. Bungle (performing a 40-minute set), Incubus, and headliner System of A Down. The tour is expected to last from January 14th to February 27th. For specifics, see the tour dates section.

A three-week Australian tour is still tentatively scheduled to begin mid-March. The European tour will now most likely take place in the summer.

October 1999

The first performance of the current tour, titled "An Evening With Mr. Bungle," took place at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 20th. New songs performed on this leg have included "Taboo Tu" (Arthur Lyman), "Metti Una Sera A Cena" (Ennio Morricone), "State Oppression" (Raw Power), and "I Feel For You" by Jerry Reed. Covers from previous tours, "24.000 Baci" (Adriano Celentano), "Drug Me" (Dead Kennedys), and "Tower of Strength" (Burt Bacharach) are also being performed. A Giorgio Moroder-style "Holy Filament" is rumored to be a possibility. James Rotondi from Grassy Knoll has replaced touring keyboardist Jeff Attridge.

An official source of Mr. Bungle merchandise is in the works. The website, where fans will be able to purchase t-shirts and other merchandise that so far has only been available at Mr. Bungle shows, is expected to be completed sometime within the next few months.

An interview with Mike Patton, in which Mr. Bungle's music is described as existing "on the outer limits of the avant-garde," appears on CNN's website this month.

September 1999

Tentative dates and venues have been announced for "An Evening With Mr. Bungle." Shows will consist of two 45 minute sets by Mr. Bungle with no opening bands. For more information, see the tour dates section. There will be some new merchandise available at these shows, and audience members are encouraged to bring "tacky tourist gear" for the band to use as stage props.

August 1999

Mr. Bungle ended the first portion of their North American tour in Petaluma, California on August 28th. They will tour North America again in October and November, and play a New Year's Eve show in San Francisco, California at the Galleria Design Center with several other bands. For ticket information visit Ticketweb or call (415) 255-0333.

JULY 1999
A list of radio stations who have California is available at cv.org for anyone who wishes to call requesting that new Mr. Bungle songs be played (management suggests "Retrovertigo," "Sweet Charity," or "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare"). See http://www.cv.org/radio.txt.

Mr. Bungle kicked off their latest tour early with a "warm-up show" at Palookaville in Santa Cruz, California on Monday, July 12. The set lasted just over an hour, and "Vanity Fair" was played when the crowd demanded an encore. Other songs performed included "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare," "Ars Moriendi," "Retrovertigo," a more refined version of the remixed "My Ass Is On Fire" played at two shows in 1996, "None of Them Knew They Were Robots," "Goodbye Sober Day," "Sweet Charity," "The Thrill Is Gone," "Citta Violenta," a small portion of "Love Is A Fist," and "Merry Go Bye Bye" combined with a Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny medley.

The guest musicians currently touring with Mr. Bungle are keyboardist Jeff Attridge and percussionist William Winant.

Merchandise available on the California tour will include (prices may vary slightly depending on venue):

• White t-shirt with California cover logo on front & butterfly on back ($15)
• Black t-shirt with California cover logo on front & butterfly on back ($15)
• A reissue of the torture/letter shirt from several years ago ($20)
• Tan t-shirt with "disgusting looking diseased baby in full color" on front ($15)
• Black t-shirt with robot on front, "None of Them Knew" on back ($15)
• Black baby doll shirt with embroidered butterfly on front ($20)
• Hooded sweatshirt with embroidered California cover logo breast ($30)
• Black, white & light blue polo shirts with embroidered California cover logo on breast ($25)
• Baseball cap with embroidered California cover logo ($20)
• Hawaiian-style shirt with embroidered California cover logo on breast ($40)
• California license plate keychain stating "The Golden Shower State" ($5)

Opening for Mr. Bungle is Dillinger Escape Plan, except for the first three shows in California, where The Kids of Widney High will warm up the crowd. The Dallas, Texas show will be played with The Melvins, Hovercraft, Honky, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

June 1999

On Monday, July 26 at 8pm EDT, Yahoo/SonicNet will host a Mr. Bungle live chat extravaganza. Visit SonicNet for more information.

North American dates for the tour supporting California have been announced. They are listed in Bungle Fever's tour dates section. Plans to release California overseas have been put on hold, as well as any plans to tour overseas, due complications with Bungle's usual overseas distributor London/Slash. Meanwhile, California should still be available as an import in countries outside of North America, and can be purchased from internet music stores such as CDNOW. For more information, visit the WEB of MIMICRY.

May 1999

Mr. Bungle's latest album, "California," is set for release on July 13, 1999. It is approximately 44 minutes long and is comprised of the following tracks:

1. Sweet Charity
2. None of Them Knew They Were Robots
3. Retrovertigo
4. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
5. Ars Moriendi
6. Pink Cigarette
7. Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy
8. The Holy Filament
9. Vanity Fair
10. Goodbye Sober Day

There will NOT be a digipak version of California as previously rumored.

More information and sound samples in mp3 format can be found on the Mr. Bungle Information section of the WEB of MIMICRY.

Theo Lengyel is no longer a member of Mr. Bungle, and does not appear on "California." The band's management sites "artistic differences." The line-up for California is as follows:

Clinton "Bär" McKinnon: horns, keyboards
Trevor Dunn: bass, keyboards
Danny Heifetz: percussion, keyboards
Mike Patton: vocals, keyboards
Trey Spruance: guitar, keyboards, droppin' productions skills, etc.

A tour supporting California will begin in San Francisco, California on July 13. Three European festival appearances were booked as well, however, Bungle was dropped at the specific request of Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis. Apparently Kiedis has fallen off the wagon yet again.

March 1998

A CD version of the 1987 Bungle demo tape Bowel of Chiley has been re-bootlegged and re-mis-titled "Bowl of Chiley," reportedly by Mike Briggs, aka Rastacore Records. The release was not sanctioned by the band, and within a few days action was taken to have its sale at several large music stores halted.

Whatever happened to the infamous "covers album" reportedly in the works? While some songs covered on the Disco Volante tour were recorded in the studio last summer, there are currently no known plans to release them in any form.