The podcast returns with a special international roundtable edition focusing on Mr. Bungle and their relationship with the metal genre. Appropriately enough, my guests are both distinguished scholars in the burgeoning field of “Bungle Studies”:

* Dr. Sam Thomas, a professor of English at Durham University in the UK and author of a forthcoming paper (”Unsentimental Education: Mr. Bungle, Metal Music, and the Recording of The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny”) in The Journal of Popular Culture; and

* Luis Misiara, an independent researcher (and veteran of the infamous Web of Mimicry forums) from São Paulo, Brazil, who has put together a series of in-depth interviews with guitarist Trey Spruance.

The discussion here is based partly on the above-mentioned sources (see below for links) as well as a two-part essay on Mr. Bungle and metal that yours truly wrote for Veil of Sound in 2024 (ditto). But none of this is required reading in order to listen to the show, so fear not.

LINKS

* Luis Misiara, “A chat with Trey Spruance — 05/09/2017”

* Luis Misiara, “What’s he building in there? — New intel on Trey Spruance’s current affairs” (2022)

* Dr. Sam Thomas: Durham University | Instagram

* My two-fer on Mr. Bungle for Veil of Sound: Part 1 | Part 2

* Who Cares Anyway: Post-Punk San Francisco and the End of the Analog Age (which includes a couple of chapters on Mr. Bungle)

* The Who Cares Anyway Podcast (whose episodes include an interview with Spruance as well as a recent interview with percussionist William Winant)

MUSIC CREDITS

* Mr. Bungle, “Grizzly Adams” (1986/2020)

* Miguel Angel Olivares Avendaño, “Carousel” (8-bit version)

* Mr. Bungle, “Raping Your Mind” (1986/2020)

* Sequoia Sounds, “Quote Unquote” (piano cover)

* Mr. Bungle, “Sudden Death” (2020/1986)

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