Where do you think these titles come from? Titles like "Roman Bird Dog", "Jew Boy Flower Head" (I think maybe this is a reference to Buzzo himself) and "Black Santa", sound at least to be somewhat random.
jew boy flower head stems from the nazi experiments when they tried to graft growing plants and flowers onto the heads of jewish prisoners
a black santa is a mixed drink:
1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz Kahlua coffee liqueur
1/4 oz peppermint schnapps
Pour the vodka and Kahlua coffee liqueur into an old-fashioned glass
half-filled with ice cubes. Add the peppermint schnapps, and serve.
that sounds like an awesome drink. If you add milk is it just a Santa?
haha, this reminds me of a story my sister wrote a while ago for our high school's "literary-arts" magazine. in it, she made up a fictional drink that had some really fucked-up ingredients (red bull, for example) and some idiots actually made it and drank it and ended up puking their guts out. :D
Well this concoction is legit! So I will bid you good day sir.
Flowers and growing plants in their head? That's weird and downright frightening... doesn't even make sense.
Never thought a "black santa" was a drink. I just thought it was some kind of strange joke from the Melvins (I kinda guessed the strange voice in the song was a way of suggesting a big black man dressed like santa claus coming right out of the fireplace with the gifts and stuff heeheh :) )
i'm pretty sure it isn't true, either.
i remember somebody posting that a while back and then saying it was a joke.
Ya, it was the Reverend Ebeneezer, I was hoping he'd point it out first :lol:
(http://www.collectingpez.com/pics/blacksanta.jpg)
hoe hoe hoe
Quote from: anacondaYa, it was the Reverend Ebeneezer, I was hoping he'd point it out first :lol:
haha!
sorry about that..
Rev, that was really funny when you posted that. i was almost certain you were for real and i got really excited.
Heheh, one of my friends from school drew a picture of a Black Santa on a computer once with the words "SANTA IS COOL!" written on it.
Oh yeah, and that Jew Boy Flower Head thing is disturbing.
But what about these titles? I have no idea what they mean in these.
Skweetis
Copache
Sweet Willy Rollbar
Goose Frieght Train
'Skweetis' and 'Copache' seem to be scrambled up or nonsensical words.
Quote from: Lividity'Skweetis' and 'Copache' seem to be scrambled up or nonsensical words.
for sure. just like so many of buzz's lyrics.
Quote from: LividityBut what about these titles? I have no idea what they mean in these.
Skweetis
Copache
Sweet Willy Rollbar
Goose Frieght Train
i really like their ability to stick words next to each other that really have no business being anywhere near each other in any normal manner, yet somehow it sounds good and not foolish.
is it just my love for the melvins clouding my otherwise 8) rational 8) reasoning?
Yeah, I wish I could make up words like he does.
Oh yeah, and "We We" probably doesn't have any story, I assume.
i never paid attention to the titles since they all seemed like they were joke titles anyways.
many weed references as song titles.
Hog Leg
Hooch
Stoner Witch
Manky
Larry
Roll Another One
cottonmouth
Quote from: Hank Hillmany weed references as song titles.
Hog Leg
Hooch
Stoner Witch
Manky
Larry
Roll Another One
cottonmouth
i considered myself a pretty experienced potsmoker, but i have no idea how "hog leg" "manky" and "larry" are related to grass...
are you pulling my so-called-leg?
yep...ahhh... puffin' on the ol' hogleg!
Puffin' on the ol' arm of infant?
:o
Actually, hooch is booze. If you've seen the video, it should be obvious.
Larry means heroin, Instant Larry means tombstone heroin,
like, lets go see Larry :o
They call a speedball a Courtney nowadays
Courtney is a dumb name.
ruins play a good song called speedball.
one of their only english lyrics.
Quote from: anacondaLarry means heroin, Instant Larry means tombstone heroin,
Hmmm...Then what would 'Steve Instant Neuman' mean?
Well, I heard Steve was a guy that was the bass player in some early Ledbelly cover band that Kurt Cobain started. Then Steve inexplicably tried to attack Kurt with a vaccum cleaner or something. Kurt retailiated by whacking him in the head with a piece of wood.
I think Steve accidentally cut off his fingers later in life.
Quote from: LividityI think Steve accidentally cut off his fingers later in life.
unfortunate for a bass player...
this steve guy actually emailed me once and told me all of these stories and i tried to help him get in touch with buzz and dale. i think he even told me why his name was instant but i have forgotten now...
Remember now - I live in Florida. Pot talk differs drastically depending on your geographic position.
hog leg - fat ass Bob Marley joint
hooch - pot synonym. I got pulled over once and the cop said "Do I smell Hooch?" I said "No" - but indeed he did.
larry - after Larry the Cable Guy - after Cable. like K-Bull, K-nug, Krypto. call dealer and ask if "Larry" is there, or "You got channel 50?" (you have an eighth for sale?)
I found out that Copache is the name of an Indian tribe or something.
Also, about "Harry Lauder's Walking Stick Tree"...Harry Lauder was a guy that was...an entertainer, I think? Anyway, this was around 1910, and he died in 1950. The 'walking stick' is his wooden cane. I saw a website that has info on him, I'll get it if anyone wants it.
Maybe Instant Larry is reference to Kurt
Quote from: Hank Hill
larry - after Larry the Cable Guy - after Cable. like K-Bull, K-nug, Krypto. call dealer and ask if "Larry" is there, or "You got channel 50?" (you have an eighth for sale?)
Man I hate that redneck comedy crap.
You got channel 50 is a good one though.
My personal favorite is " Big Fat Knuckle Sandwich "
im dying to know what must be slaughtered
dada
the title "my small percent shows most" was inspired by a pink floyd title, with a very very similar title.
"honey bucket" was about the Readings Festival
"Brain Center at Whipples" was a title of an old episode of some sci fi show ( i can't remember the show)
"stoner witch" was something that kurt and buzz called stoner girls at their high school.
i'm wondering how they got "Black Stooges" and "Dr. Geek". That song "Oven" always made me picture Hansel and Grettle pushing the evil witch into an oven since that song is evil sounding.
I think the title for "BCAW" was inspired by Outer Limits, or from what I heard anyway.
I noticed something about "Skweetis". It looks like "sweet" and "kiss" smashed together...might be a misleading title for the song, I guess.
I always thought all the "made-up" words and nonsensical combinations Buzz uses are related to skat singing in jazz: creating the right sound for the right moment in the music, but no deep meaning beyond that.
Ill say it again ; DA DA...
black stooges is kind of obvious = the stooges plus black sabbath/flag :)
and buzz hates doctors...I think i read that in some interview :roll:
One thing i notice with Melvins song titles is, generally, the better the title - the better the song. Or flipped around, the worst titles tend to make the worst songs. Here's an example of a few...
GREAT TITLES
A Growing Disgust
City Dump
The Savage Hippy
A Vast Filthy Prison
The Bloated Pope
The Anti-Vermin Seed
Black Heath
The Decay Of Lying
The Bunk Up
We Are Doomed
TERRIBLE TITLES
Tommy Goes Berserk
Brass Cupcake
Embrace The Rub
Choco Plumbing
Give It To Me
Chicken Butt
Christ Hammer
Scooba
Im not really looking forward to Pinkus Abortion Technician because i think all these titles are terrible!!
Flamboyant Duck
Break Bread
Prenup Butter
I do like really 'Don't Forget To Breathe' as a title though. So im guessing by deduction, that this and Graveyard will be my favourites!
For me it gets no better than "The Fool, The Meddling Idiot" it makes you think of every evil scientist/villain who has endless soliloquies about people who don't understand their genius.
And how those people must die! :lol:
Quote from: Mecha Mummy Jr. on April 03, 2018, 11:12:50 AM
For me it gets no better than "The Fool, The Meddling Idiot" it makes you think of every evil scientist/villain who has endless soliloquies about people who don't understand their genius.
I agree, that IS one of the best titles too! Also one of the bands best songs!! I didn't discover until recently that the title is a direct steal from a line in the 1956 movie Sci-Fi classic 'Forbidden Planet'.
Quote from: Mecha Mummy Jr. on April 03, 2018, 11:12:50 AM
For me it gets no better than "The Fool, The Meddling Idiot" it makes you think of every evil scientist/villain who has endless soliloquies about people who don't understand their genius.
And how those people must die! :lol:
A classic film reference from Forbidden Planet. How could they go wrong? Or Brain Center At Whipple's (twilight zone title). Or Toadi Acceleratio (Disneyland ride). Brilliant references.
Quote from: Vcavallo on July 20, 2005, 02:53:40 PM
Quote from: Hank Hillmany weed references as song titles.
Hog Leg
Hooch
Stoner Witch
Manky
Larry
Roll Another One
cottonmouth
i considered myself a pretty experienced potsmoker, but i have no idea how "hog leg" "manky" and "larry" are related to grass...
are you pulling my so-called-leg?
Over a decade late, but I had to respond - my local dispensary actually has a really good sativa strain called "Larry" that I get a lot; always makes me think of the Melvins tracks.
Re. Jew Boy Flower Head: Always thought this was a reference to the Didjit's song title Killboy Powerhead, which was covered by Offspring on Smash.
Never noticed skweetis as sweet+kiss. Good eye!
Lots of combo band names.
Green Honey = Green River +mudhoney
Black santa I assumed Black Sabbath + Santana
Cardboa negro is some play on turbonegro
Black Stooges as was mentioned Black Sabbath + stooges
Kurt probably followed the same line of thinking with Aero Zeppelin
Foaming may be a Germs reference
Queen may be related to the band queen
Buck Owens is Buck Owens
Eye Flys may be Stooges "TV Eye" + something
Black Heath could be Black Sabbath + Heathens
Any of the Captain songs may refer to beefheart
Judy and Everybody Loves Judy refer to Judas priest
Little Judas Chongo may also be Judas priest
Ggiibbyy for the butthole surfers Gibby Haynes
Dr Geek and Doctor Mule could be Dr Hook and something
Sweet Willy Roll bar could be sweet, rolling Stones, maybe something else? There are a lot of Willie/Willy/Williams in music
Pink Bat = Pink Floyd + b... Beatles?
Heater moves and eyes may be heathen + tv eye
There seem to be a few more recurring words in these type of song titles... house, pig, flower, snake/cobra, pig, history, hippy, dump, dead, hammer, drunk, cow, lion and the elusive Larry
I sometimes wonder if, say, "a history of bad men" is history + bad men (mentors?).
Roman Bird Dog always seemed like a pun for "roaming in the chords B and D" and "Hung Bunny" means your stuck in the B. I never played the song on guitar so don't know if it matches with the strings, notes, or key at all
We We seemed like a bastardization of the French "oui oui" turned into a piss joke
Piss Pisstofferson should be self explanatory
I love Choco plumbing and up the dumper
Quote from: amazonAMAZON on April 05, 2018, 02:30:52 AM
Judy and Everybody Loves Judy refer to Judas priest
We All Love JUDY.
Thanks for catching that, yeah.
I should also point out that black could mean Sabbath or Flag. Damaged in particular seems seminal.
House may very well be Funhouse.
"Bar-X-The-Rocking-Em" might refer to "Rock Em Sock Em" by the Mentors. Which leaves Bar-X which could suggest The Ex "Barricades" but that's only a guess. Any other thoughts on. This one?
I'm now quite certain "Eye Flys" is "TV Eye" (Stooges) vs "Halo of Flies" (Alice Cooper).
Still fascinated by "Mombius Hibachi" (same derivation as "Hooch?") and "Charmicarmicat" and "It's Shoved" and I suspect they could be nods to be something.
"Science of Modern America" could be The Scientists vs "Youth of America" (Wipers).
Other recurring words that might be clues... "Bloat" / " Roman" / "Bird" / "She" / "Evil" / "Teeth"
Quote from: amazonAMAZON on April 08, 2020, 03:27:58 AM
"Bar-X-The-Rocking-Em" might refer to "Rock Em Sock Em" by the Mentors. Which leaves Bar-X which could suggest The Ex "Barricades" but that's only a guess. Any other thoughts on. This one?
Not sure what a Bar Ranch is, or maybe it's a Bar X as in the 10th bar in a song on a music sheet.
This is the rocking M which looks like a Particular branding iron (which I naturally figure resembled Mark D's Cowboy hat sorta) :
Quote from: amazonAMAZON on April 08, 2020, 03:27:58 AM
I'm now quite certain "Eye Flys" is "TV Eye" (Stooges) vs "Halo of Flies" (Alice Cooper).
Still fascinated by "Mombius Hibachi" (same derivation as "Hooch?") and "Charmicarmicat" and "It's Shoved" and I suspect they could be nods to be something.
"Science of Modern America" could be The Scientists vs "Youth of America" (Wipers).
Other recurring words that might be clues... "Bloat" / " Roman" / "Bird" / "She" / "Evil" / "Teeth"
Eye Flys always reminded me of the book by Joseph Heller called Catch-22...I thought Eye flys was just something people would say about like a baseball player who couldn't even catch fly's.
"Man that guy's got flys in his eyes I tell ya!"
Mombius is a witch, and you fry things in a hibachi, so It's like a stoned fried witch? The lyrics sort of hint at a different subject matter though.
As for black stooges, I thought it was about that Skit from MadTV with "black face" 3-stooges (which is an impossible to find skit but it was hilarious, they get into a cocaine fight) :lol: not surprising it was pulled off the air and you can't find it on Youtube.
I tried to google the episode just now it was blocked by safesearch?
All I can find is the title:
Mad Tv
Messy Flour "three Stooges" Cocaine Fight
Tv 1996
and is Black Bock named after a brand of Beer? or is it more literally a black goat?
These type of names all seem to come from songs buzz would have played learning guitar in the 80s. Black Stooges = Black Flag + The Stooges
Not sure what the Bock would be.
Seems some songs get titles based on the lyrics, but not these. It's like a code. Remember Buzz doesn't even know the note names less read any music tabs.
Goat is a recurring word so "Bloat" could be Black+Goat
There are quite a few uses of the word "pig" in the titles too. Other animals - dog, cow, bird etc as well. I've always found that interesting symbolically maybe.
You've got "War Pigs" and "Pigs on the Wing" right there. Both bands The Melvins have covered. Wouldn't be surprised if there's a punk song or two with Pig in it.
For Dog I'd guess "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is the likely touchpoint
Quote from: amazonAMAZON on April 08, 2020, 09:49:33 PM
These type of names all seem to come from songs buzz would have played learning guitar in the 80s. Black Stooges = Black Flag + The Stooges
Not sure what the Bock would be.
Seems some songs get titles based on the lyrics, but not these. It's like a code. Remember Buzz doesn't even know the note names less read any music tabs.
Bock is like German word...sounds like "Buck"...it means goat...bock beer...look it up...it goes back to monks brewing medieval beer....either that or it's literal for Black Goat...scape goat...satanic shit.
either way..."STAG" is also a beer brand.
"Honey Bucket" likely Mudhoney + Buck Owens
"Bitten into Sympathy" seems like a dead giveaway of ??? + "Sympathy for the Devil." Wonder if 'bitten' is the same source as "The Bit"
A few more clues on the Mike and the Melvins album.
Dump is a keyword "Chicken n Dump", "Up the Dumper", "City Dump"
Teeth is certainly something "Dark Brown Teeth", "With Teeth", "Treet", and "Limited Teeth" with 'Limited' likely being something about Public Image LTD. Notice they also covered PIL "Annalisa" on that record so it might be like Maggot where they had two song titles referencing Judas Priest and covered a song they learned from Judas Priest (Green Manalishi). I don't know PIL discography at all. Does any of this add up?
Hammer ... "Lifestyle Hammer", "Christhammer"
"Hooch" could be a take on H+Leech
"War Pussy" takes the keyword War and adds half of Pussy Galore. Looking at songs the Melvins have covered this might be the droid we're looking for:
https://youtu.be/aTtmE-K__BQ The Accused "Reagan's War Puppets"
"Annalisa" could be the root of "Anaconda"
"We We" seems to indicate there's a keyword there. Maybe "We Reach" is also one of these titles.
Also struck me "Green Honey" may be "Green Manalishi"+Mudhoney instead of Green River.
Quote from: amazonAMAZON on April 14, 2020, 10:12:27 PM
A few more clues on the Mike and the Melvins album.
Dump is a keyword "Chicken n Dump", "Up theDunper", "City Dump"
Teeth is certainly something "Dark Brown Teeth", "With Teeth", "Trey", and "Limited Teeth" with 'Limited' likely being something about Public Image LTD. Notice they also covered PIL "Annalisa" on that record so it might be like Maggot where they had two song titles referencing Judas Priest and covered a song they learned from Judas Priest (Green Manalishi). I don't know PIL discography at all. Does any of this add up?
It's been suggested before that Limited Teeth refers to a series of resin cast melvins collectables in a small batch.. I want some of whatever you've been smoking. :toke:
'Trey' was supposed to be 'Teet'
Damn autocorrect
I don't know. I don't only think about this high. Some of these are sober thoughts. This weird little Buzz's music history home game hiding in plain sight for thirty years.
And there's also "Bent Teeth" on Crystal Fairy. Whatever 'teeth' means to Buzz it's pretty important.
Reading thru these I think you are certainly high ... very high. I think a lot of these titles are probably a lot more personal but also obvious and open than some of the connections you are joining together. But who knows I could be wrong ... overall never really put much thought into the subject. But on that note let me offer a couple wormhole interpretations of "With Teeth" I've harboured since Lysol was current ...
With Teeth pulled from, alluding to the term "Vagina Dentata" (toothed vagina) an age old allusion in mythology and folklore spanning cultures and continents
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina_dentata
furthering the possibility of this association is the consideration of LA punk group Vagina Dentata ... post Germs group featuring Pat Smear and Gerber (Michelle Bell - LA punk vixen/scenestress and Darby Crash's muse). Short lived but recorded a version of Golden Boys, what was one of the last Crash/Smear songs to be written before Darby's death, but never recorded by the Germs. Golden Boys has also been covered by The Dickies and NOFX. Only other Vagina Dentata song I know of is "Creep Street" off of Smear's debut solo album ... but as far as I know this is Smear redoing the song w/ out Gerber in tow.
Knowing that Buzz is a fan of LA punk and The Germs in particular this seems plausible, perhaps even likely ... knowing that I have a huge boner for Gerber also plays into this theory.
Golden Boys
https://youtu.be/o96IUnvlFC0
Live footage at 50:50 (oh yeah also young Red Cross [Redd Kross] at 15:00)
https://youtu.be/Ol5IUR6W91I
Theory two revolves around "With Teeth" being inspired by Jordi Valls aka Vagina Dentata Organ ... Valls under the VDO moniker was an early 80's industrial/art/noise project which along it's own vast output also collaborated with Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, Whitehouse, and Psychic TV. Knowing what a fan of TG (and other noise music) Buzz is this also seems plausible ... likely also? I donno. But I'd like to think so ...
Live
https://youtu.be/dsaaFO_YBFM
https://youtu.be/tkWSig6EEB8
https://youtu.be/Nh43uUwLbco
Perhaps both of these are true ... perhaps neither are. Who the fuck knows? What I do know is that I was surely high as fuck when I came up with these theories almost 30 yrs ago.
That's a slick possibility. Thank you for the thoughtful response.
There are also two Melvins songs that reference 'creep' -- "Creepy Smell" and "The Stupid Creep."
In unrelated news, onions really do make the milk taste bad. They point at it in Napoleon Dynamite: https://www.quotes.net/mquote/1182524
Captain Beefheart has a 1978 album called 'Easy Teeth' which might fit the mold and be the source of the keyword 'teeth.' It's also got a handful of songs that could possibly spawn some keywords
'bat' - "Bat Chain Puller"
'grow' - "Grow Fins"
'pig' - "China Pig"
'electric' - "Electricity"
'bird' - "Golden Birdies"
'crazy' - "Crazy Little Thing"
I know Buzz has mentioned Beefheart before, and I expected the keyword 'captain' is already a reference. Anything else in Buzz interviews point to anything from this album?
I have it on good authority every song title was inspired by Kurt Cobain.
Not song titles as such, but i'm interested in Melvins tendency to parody/pay homage to other things with slightly altered titles. We've had Pinkus Abortion Technician (Locust Abortion Technician) and now Bad Mood Rising (Bad Moon Rising). Are there any other titles - either album or song wise - that are plays on titles of other things?
Tres cabrones
Quote from: moose on July 30, 2022, 05:50:07 PM
Tres cabrones
Oh yeah i forgot about that one. ZZ Top's 'Tres Hombres'. Seems this is a real trend of Melvins over past years. I wonder what ones we will be treated to in the future. Sgt Buzzo's Hearts Club Band??