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Written by Glenn BurnSilver
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Wednesday, 13 September 2006 |
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Page 1 of 4
 Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne doesn’t like to talk about his hair.
“Not really,” he said from his Hollywood, Calif., home.
Yet, his hair—a mop-fro of gray and black that projects from his head like some gravity-defying creature—is the perfect analogy for his band The Melvins: frizzy, fuzzy, wild, out of control and slightly beyond categorization.
Putting a finger on The Melvins doesn’t come easy. The Melvins kept the punk flame alive when punk “died,” redefined the meaning of heavy metal, and were grunge before grunge — the latter of which they are not credited. Also featuring bassist Kevin Rutmanis and drummer Dale Crover, The Melvins machine gun fire sound oscillates between chocolate pudding enhanced Black Sabbath heaviness and the industrial pounding of Ministry, all with a constant Black Flag-styled in-your-face-I-do-it-my-way-no-matter-what-you-think-commerciality-be-damned ethos that predates anything Nirvana or Soundgarden could have conjured up.
Only now just getting the recognition they deserve, and even then just barely, Osborne laughed when reminded of The Melvins importance to the grunge movement.
“When people talk about our first album and how glorious it was, well, I’m sorry people, I was there,” he recalled about The Mevlins’ 1986 debut, “Gluey Porch Treatment.” “Nobody liked that record when it came out. It was not some golden era or good old days, believe me.
“You just can’t worry about it,” he added. “I like it.”
Little has changed for The Melvins since that debut. Oh, the production value of the albums has increased, and The Melvins continue to “make records we’d appreciate as fans of bands.” But, Osborne continued, the critics have “universally” panned “every album since the first one.”
“Unfortunately, most people are sad, pathetic morons and there is not much we can do about it,” he said.
But much to their credit, members of The Melvins haven’t changed for anyone except themselves. In the last few years they have worked recently with techno guru Lord Lustmord and outspoken activist Jello Biafra. Their next release, recorded with members of Big Business, “(A) Senile Animal,” is due in October. Whatever the direction, Osborne understands that The Melvins alone must make people aware of its music.
“I can’t rely on radio or TV to get the word out,” he said. “They have nothing to do with us. If you don’t bring it to the people, who’s going to?”
But living Hollywood, he must be doing all right by music?
“The world’s not a right place. If the world was a right place we’d be billionaires by now,” he continued. “Maybe if we were a chick band it would work out better.”
Now there’s a scary thought, especially since Osborne usually performs in a dress.
Maybe cornrows would help?
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
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|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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