So, you're prolly thinking "hey is this post about how Dogs are descended from Wolves?" Well, no. It's not.
This post is about an album that came out in 1991 by Butthole Surfers guitarist, Paul Leary. Ever since around my freshman year in HS, 1988, I have been such a huge fan of the Surfers. I mean I had seen some of there tapes in the "Alternative" section at the local Camelot Music in the St. Charles Mall. You see, back then alternative actually meant something, it was meant for music that was without classification or was not POPular in the mass public's eye, Skinny Puppy, Big Black, Greater Than One, and the Butthole Surfers were just such groups that were meant to be in that section. In 1991 Paul put out this album and I had gone right out and bought it at The Turntable in Schaumburg, IL., which was THE indie record store in the Subbies for those who needed their fix or just plain didn't wanna drive to Chicago to go to Wax Trax!. I still have the receipt taped on the inside of the cover insert. This album was made pretty much using only Guitar MIDI and was one of the main reasons that i wanted to get into Synths and Guitar Synthesis. After my graduation party in 1992 I had about $400.00 (US) that I wanted to go out and spend on a MIDI Guitar kit, my then HS GF had to chime in and say "why would you wanna go and spend all that money on a toy?" As to which I replied "Fine, I'll go out and spend it all on baseball cards."
I would later regret this choice, I had no interest in baseball, actually kind of despised it in HS, I have since become a fan of just the experience of being at the game, who cares what's happening on the court. All my cards are still at my Mommy's house in the basement safe in a box, half of them are unopened. So, maybe in two more years I will go through them and look to see which one of them is worth $5.00 (US).
When I got my guitar for Santa's Birthday 1990, I had gone to Guitar Center in Chicago with my Daddy, back when they were located on Clark Street where The Alley in now Located. The whole way there we were listening to "Rembrandt Pussyhorse" & "Cream Corn From the Socket of Davis" on a Memorex cassette I had made for just such rainy day trips, even though it was December, Chicago still like to rains. I remember that I wanted a Les Paul Standard because that's what Gus Warsaw had and it was also what some guy let me play while me and my friend Brian Miller were at his brother's apartment that summer on Southport & Addison in Chicago. I also remember that visit I had to be the driver while they bought weed from some bruthas in an alley behind the Wild Hare, a Reggae bar. As I walk around Guitar Center I was in awe of the whole upstairs synth section, as I'm having a butterfly attack at all the knobs and sliders producing such warm familiar sounds that my soul had been waiting for, some guy starts to play "Stranger Die Everyday" by the Butthole Surfers. It was then that I knew I had to get a synthesizer or some sort of electronic music equipment.
Putting the synths on hold due to the $$$ on the price tags was hurtful, but always kept me searching for more music that pushed the musical boundaries by using them, I had settled with a nice 1990 Fender Stratocaster. When I had gotten home my Dad had also picked up an Ernie Ball guitar book for beginners. I learned all the basic chords and even Jingle Bells. I then Just started to take what I learned in that book and applied it to every Butthole Surfers song I owned, those being their first two on Alternative Tentacles records on Vinyl, Psychic..., Rembrandt, Cream Corn and Hairway to Steven. Other bands that were there to help me learn songs, riffing and other types of guitar techniques were Didjits, Helios Creed, Dinosaur jr. and Cro-Mags. OOH! lest we not forget the famed Ministry.
I think I got side tracked and just went on a rant about a bunch of ish, but oh well, that's the beauty everything neurological. You kinda get the idea though, eh? Paul Leary's album pretty much rules still after almost 20 years and it seemed like the Surfers were around me the whole time during my guitar search, on the drive there, the guy on the synth, and they helped me learn guitar in a way that I found fun and could understand. I hope you can get your life back now.
As of the end of this post I am currently listening to "Muerto E Ido" by El Ritual from the album of the same name "El Ritual" 1971
