credit hijacking the time I met the melvins for this post.

[Dumpster D]

The VERY FIRST ever concer I ever went to EVER was the melvins in 2000...Toronto, ok? and IT WAS THE BEST.
the single most LOUDEST, brutally sonically raping, LONGEST set I've ever seen a band dish out.
that was a ground shaking experiance that has changed me forever.
I have one picture of buzz from that show left since I lost the rest of my favourite pics sadly (I would prefer to send it privately if anyone is requesting to get a copy, I've never seen any pictures that have turned out like this one)

NOT ONE SINGLE SHOW I've been to since has come CLOSE to being as loud or impresive...and I've seen too many shows.
they must have just released the uh,...Electroretard because they did Lovely butterfly deep into the second set...and it was boiling and sweaty, the air was thick with sound and buzz had this totally esoterric look in his eye, they all dressed up in mu-mu's with red hearts on em', pouring so much sweat his guitar was even dripping sweat...there was a fan somewhere, but It was so loud you'd swear it was the speakers blowing Buzz's huge hair! they brought their own gear and practiacally doubled the SPL of the venue...I mean they brought a LOT of gear, Kevin had that nice Gold top Danelectro, horned bass...nice! dunno if It was hollow or not.

They came through the crowd and all I could see was a huge hair-bush coming though the crowd toward the stage, Buzz passed right by and he gave me a look that was as If he was going to either smile and greetingly acknowledge me, or he was ready to punch my lights out...It never really panned out past the totaly wierd stare (he did looked even freakier at Fantomas, like he could strare directly into every single eye in the crowd at the same time)


anyway the REAL story was seeing them in Montreal Region in 2007, long and short the show was great, despite the fact that they had to rent gear and the drums werent the big monster kit I was so so anticipating, they sadly had no merch either...god damn Goverment!!!
there was only one hotel in the region and it was a middle of nowhere kind of deal...
I had a few beers at the local bar after the show and a few sketched out looking college guys were hanging around that my (ex) girlfriend picked up right after the show to hang out with, they must have "date raped" her beer, cuz she gave it to me and I had 4 big beers at the most, before getting into the cab to go to the hotel, I got spinningly sick on route...had to run into the room to be sick...next morning I was F@#ed, It felt like my head was in a long sewer pipe...not good...like a hangover louder than a jet engine..I went down to grab some breakfast and was just joking over a cup of coffee, that The sweat hogs probly stayed at this very same hotel...low and behold,  I look up and buzz and crew are checking out and rolling through the lobby..so I kina geeked out big-time.

I had a really nice chat with buzz while he loaded his guitar in the van, he's a 1st class guy all the way man!
I didn't want to bother them too much, but basically it's nothing they probly don't get a million times over..
he was in a pretty good mood, I mean it was probly a suprise to see melvins fans in the middle of nowhere, Buzz seems like he's got the modesty to appreciate people who come a LONG way to see them play.
I get the impression that he is quite "personable"
he introduced himself to us and that says a lot about his respect.

I didn't speak to Jared or anything, I dunno, I'm embarrassed I don't know them too well, plus he didn't seem like he was having a good morning or something, so I tried not to bug him, I think I must have woken dale up a bit because I came up behind him to get the door while he was carrying his cymbal bag to the van...I have been told he's a bit shy..so I just said "hey, dale..that was Awesome!" well, he didn't say much so he was probly tired too, seeing them made me forget how tired I was, I mean It was like 7 in the morning right?

I think he just was content to see a big fan, there were no other serious melvins type guys at the show, it was a mixed festival..lots of gigs happening.
I confessed that, yes I'm wearing a melvins shirt to a melvins show, making me a huge loser...but "come on, It's the MELVINS dude!!!"
I would have asked for his autograph on the shirt or something...but I mean I'm not the guy to ask for that kind of stuff from people who are true Idols.
I was asking him about his gold tooth and how much It cost, I never noticed it untill I was standing in front of him.

I had to apologize for being so "hung over" and tried to explain what must have happened, I think the rest of the guys in the van, like dale and coady were starting to get pissed I was talking with buzz and they must have had a long way to go, Jared was sort of giving me the eye a little...heheh..well I think all in all I only chatted buzz up for a good 5 minutes before They were on their way.

anyway I dunno, we had a good chat, and it was really nice to meet em' really nice guy, I gotta say, I look back on that and just think "wow, what a fine man....wow"

I dunno, I feel like there are a lot of things artistically about the melvins that I feel I share as an artist, I made a really awesome peice that was a hand painted skate-board deck with the Kozik "Hitler Bunny" from electro retard, next time I see them, I'm handing it over to Buzz fo shiz, he's definetly got a good eye for collecting weird stuff, again he's a man after me own heart he is! .

yep, hail to the melvins!

p.s. to anyone who reads this far, Sorry for the long read.

[Mount Ambulance]

Yeah, that Toronto Show was choice shit huh? Definatly, one of the top 5 times I've seen 'em ... I got a tape of it floating around somewhere ... mabey one day I can find it and make ya a copy ... not the greatest fildelity but definatly listenable ... nice story ya told ... that was for Victoriaville? Missed that one saw the BigBand there a couple years previous ...

[Dumpster D]

Here's the pic's I have previously mentioned, for the whole world to rape...upload them into cyberpace and do what you like...but I took them and now you can see em'...not a lot of poeple have seen these...they turned out pretty artsy...I think you can see a lot of AURA around buzz.
I know some will say they are grainy and badly shot..I know there are easier and cheaper ways to ruin a print..

so THERE YOU HAVE IT...for the First time ever on the internet!!! my favourite melvins shots from the 2000 Toronto show, enjoy the crappy quality!!!

just know that you got em' from ME!

I had to dig for the negs at request today and spent worthless hours scanning the negatives and dicking around on adobe photoshop trying to get them to look like SOMETHING...and luckily I still had em after all these years...I am missing a LOT of prints and neg sleeves...lucky that I still had these, close call. 

unfourtunately they are poorer resolution than getting them printed again...sorry...maybe one day...I had printed a couple that were great poster sized shots and they were really cool...reminds me of the classic Eraserhead shot!

I swear I can get them to look better...not enough light, wrong film and camera compatability....blah blah..just tell me if you like them!

Cheers~



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mount Ambulance]

Pretty cool ... dig the spotty burned-out quality of the third shot ... cool stuff!

[Idlehanz]

Yea, good stuff.  A different take on the typical pic.  I like.

[gesundheit]

Those pictures have the feel of ancient artifacts, that's for sure...or perhaps even alien...like if Buzz was an alien ruler being from another planet, these pictures would be our first exposure to his menacing power...like an incoming scrambled message from an alien world. Buzz is coming. To take over. Maybe it's even a bizarro Buzzo?

Great shots and excellent review...

[bigjim]

That Toronto show was great. I still think the Evening With The Melvins at The Opera House show was better. Mostly because it was 3 sets long.
The show in 2000 I still remember that guy they pulled out of the crowd to sing Smells Like Teen Spirit and he just screamed lyrics he made up. And Buzz had a look on his face like "that was awesome"

[Mount Ambulance]

Yup, the 3 set show was wicked ... lots of different flavours ... plus Oprea House is a great venue ... hardly see anything there anymore? But I totally dug the 2000 show way more ... DSS on guitar/noise was a brilliant addition, probably best set list I've ever seen 'em do, real heavy, real creepy, real trippy ... mabey my fave Melvins show ever? But Mark era is/was my least fave ... Rutmanis my fave ... so, ther ya go! Yeah, Toronto 2000 mabey my favorite, neck and neck between that show or the Apocolypse Club show ... 90? 91? Or the 2002 HAT show at St. Andrews' Hall in Detroit.

Funny thing was in the late 90's Melvin's kinda fell off the map for me ... I had seen the Trilogy came out ... but never grabbed it ... when I went to the show I had no idea they'd turfed Mark ... got that freak Kevin ... added a guitarist ... I was like WTF!!?? It threw me for a loop ... and blew me right away ... like I said, at the time I didn't dig the Mark era as much as previous Melvins ... but this? Yeah, it fuckin' clicked!! It was like a huge second wind in my Melvins' sails ... that second set just floored me! Fuck, I'll never forget hearing AMAZON for the first time ... LIVE! Damn, that was a sweet moment!

[anaconda]

Wow, the apocolypse club show was a good one! do you remember buzz
yelling "SHUT UP FAGGOTS!" at the crowd before the band even played a note

[Mount Ambulance]

Ahh, looking back on my acid soaked youth ... nope, don't remember that ... damn I saw a heap of shows at that club between say 88-91 (lots of C.O.C shows). It was in the winter as I remember ... I think they did 2 shows there 'round those yrs. I seem to remember they were headlining ... but my buddy says they were opening for someone ... he's sure it was Jesus Lizard ... thou I don't remember ever seeing Jesus Lizard there ... thou I saw the band Lizard from Montreal there a bunch of times ... thou I highly doubt the Melvins were opening for them ... ???

[anaconda]

There was a local band called Zombat that went on before the Melvins

[Dumpster D]

the band opening for them at this particular show was called "Shunt"

The drummer remarked that apparently Maynard had named their band...BIIIG....DEEEAL!

they probly didn't make enough gas money to get home, they are probly homeless in Toronto still.

[anaconda]

actually now that i think about it, the show where  Buzz
yelled "SHUT UP FAGGOTS" was at the Opera House, around 91
I think this was the show that zombat opened if I remember.
I was still a heavy pot smoker back then, my memory is blurry

[Dumpster D]

I don't think I'll ever see a better show in my lifetime than this show.

Anaconda...


unless maybe you want to carpool to freakin chicago with me this june...well do you?

[anaconda]

I could be tempted to throw in gas money, except every time i've been to chicago
something bad has happened. one time a friend was robbed. on another occasion
my girlfriend at the time had her car broken into. i'm hoping to be able
to go to vancouver for the show in july though. we'll see