JD Pinkus, who set a Georgia Boy's State 100-meter freestyle relay record in 1980, left swimming behind in 1985 to tour with the Butthole Surfers, later playing bass for Melvins, Helios Creed, and others. He took up the 5-string banjo, releasing albums like Keep On The Grass (2018), Fungus Shui (2021), and Grow A Pear (2024). JD splits his time between the road, the studio, and the mountain he now calls home.