Mr. Bungle

This article is about the band. For their eponymous album, see Mr. Bungle (album). For the LambdaMOO avatar, see A Rape in Cyberspace.

Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle performing in 2020
Mr. Bungle performing in 2020
Background information
OriginEureka, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1985–2000
  • 2019–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitemrbungle.com

Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout its career, the band is best known for its experimental rock period. During this time, it developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, further enhanced by frontman Mike Patton's versatile singing style.[1][2][3] This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.

The band was founded as a death metal project while the members were in high school. It is named after a character in the 1960 children's educational film Beginning Responsibility: Lunchroom Manners, as featured in the 1981 HBO special The Pee-wee Herman Show.[4] Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid-to-late 1980s. On the back of Patton's success as frontman of Faith No More, the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1990 and released three studio albums between 1991 and 1999 in the eclectic, experimental style it became known for. In the band’s early days and up to the second album, The band toured in 1999 and 2000 to support its third album before going on an indefinite hiatus that was confirmed as a dissolution in 2004.[5] It reunited as a thrash metal band for a series of shows in February 2020 to perform its 1986 demo album The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.[6] The band then returned to the studio to re-record the demo as a professional album, released in October of that year.

Mr. Bungle has gone through numerous lineup changes, with Patton, guitarist Trey Spruance, and bassist Trevor Dunn the sole consistent members. The band was based in San Francisco during its tenure with Warner Bros.[7][8][9] During much of the band's existence, it was in a public dispute with Red Hot Chili Peppers, particularly between Patton and Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis.[10][11][12][13][14]

  1. ^ Bukszpan, Daniel (2012). The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal: Completely Revised and Updated. Sterling. p. 167. ISBN 978-1402792304.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Huey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "POP MUSIC REVIEW : Mr. Bungle and Mike Patton of Faith No More at Lingerie". Los Angeles Times. January 12, 1991.
  4. ^ "Mr. Bungle Frequently Asked Questions". Bunglefever.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  5. ^ Prato, Greg (December 8, 2004). "Mr. Bungle Go Kaput". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  6. ^ "MR. BUNGLE To Reunite For First Shows in Nearly 20 Years". Blabbermouth.net. August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "MR BUNGLE". Trevordunn.net. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  8. ^ Mathieson, Craig (November 2, 2012). "The leap from Faith". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ Bogosian, Dan (2020). Red Hot Chili Peppers FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Best-Selling Alternative Band. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781493051427. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Kerrang! 292
  12. ^ Wall, Mick (2010). Appetite for Destruction: The Mick Wall Interviews. Hachette UK. ISBN 9781409114352.
  13. ^ "Faith No More Return of the King". exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "BBC1 Radio Interview with Mike Pattonn". YouTube. July 30, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2018.