If you know him, you know him as the voice and hair of (the) Melvins. If you don’t know (the) Melvins, then it’s time for you to look beyond the surface of grunge history. For the first time ever, the Wizard of Buzz, Buzz Osborne – AKA King Buzzo – is touring Europe, Australia and the states in support of a solo release. The album, titled This Machine Kills Artists, deserves quite a few listens.
The 17 all-acoustic tracks and subsequent stripped-down tour may come as a surprise to longtime fans, but after 30 years, a legend can do what he wants.
In Fargo, North Dakota, Buzz answered his phone with a friendly “Hello.” That was pretty much the end of formal pleasantries.
Weld: During an interview in a 1993 episode of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, Riki Rachtman said the Melvins are “…loud. Is that a good description?”
King Buzzo: I don’t have many good things to say about Little Rick. He never liked us. You can probably tell from that interview. He comes from that hair metal world. I come out of the weirdo world.
Weld: You replied that the Melvins attempt “domination through amplification.” How do you dominate when you’re solo with just an acoustic guitar?
KB: Domination with no amplification. That’s it. Just straight up domination.
Weld: Ha. Of course! I love it.
KB: In interviews like that, you say stuff along those lines whether you mean it or not. The truth isn’t something that helps anyway. They say it always sets you free. I’ve never found that to be true.
Weld: What does set you free?
KB: What sets you free? I don’t know. Your own girl, your own god. Who knows? You’re not gonna get it through entertainment, that’s for sure. They’ll tell you any goddamn thing you wanna hear, yeah? Don’t believe me. Find out for yourself. Don’t believe me about what you should do or what the truth is. Who knows? Do we even wanna know the truth? A lot of times I’m sick and tired of the goddamn truth.
It’s sort of like when people say this: “I just wish they were straight with me.” And I always think, “No you don’t.” The last thing you want is for me to be straight with you. You think you hate me now? If I’m straight with you, you’re really gonna hate me.
Weld: That’s fair, I guess. Generally speaking, people can be pretty scared of the truth these days.
KB: Why shouldn’t they be? As usual. It doesn’t bother me though. I don’t wanna hear the truth. I’m not strong enough.
Weld: Over the years, you’ve had at least 13 bass players on your albums and tours.
KB: I guess so. I’ll take your word for it.
Weld: Were you relieved to not have to find a bass player this time around?
KB: Well. It’s a long career. It’s not like there’s a new one every week. The guys that we’ve played with, we usually play with for a long time. In 2005, when we had to get rid of Kevin [Rutmanis], it was a result of extracurricular activities. I promised myself I would never get caught up in this kind of thing again – never – so I’m never gonna rely on one person to make things work. Not ever again. That’s basically where it’s at.
Weld: Are you planning on performing the new album in its entirety?
KB: I’m doing a combination of Melvins songs and songs from the album. So, you know, they’re songs I wrote anyway.
Weld: The album title, This Machine Kills Artists, is a pretty obvious reference to Woody Guthrie. Where does he rank for you?
KB: I like him as much as anybody else does I suppose, but I don’t think I’m overly excited about him or his message. If I had to pick somebody that was heavily influenced by him, who then went to do something that I think is better, it would be Bob Dylan. So I’m a fan of Woody Guthrie as a result of Bob Dylan being influenced by him. Bob Dylan’s better than all of them. Not just by an edge. By far. He’s better than all of them.
Weld: (the) Melvins have been around since 1983. What’s the biggest difference in performing, singing, songwriting etc. 30 years down the road?
KB: I think I’m better at all of it now. If you do anything for a long period of time, hopefully you’ll get better at it. I guess sometimes it doesn’t work, but I’d like to think it was better. I feel better about it all. I’ve changed.
Weld: Did you happen to catch Pearl Jam’s unfortunate rendition of “Let It Go” from that Disney musical?
KB: No. I don’t really pay attention to what Pearl Jam does. I have no idea what they do. No clue.
Weld: So is it safe to say you won’t be doing any Disney covers on this tour?
KB: (mysteriously) One never knows. It could happen. It’s always good to stay tuned, ’cause you never know.
Weld: (the) Melvins’ second album is called Ozma (Note: she is the Princess of Oz).
KB: Yep.
Weld: Have you read any of those non movie Wizard of Oz books?
KB: Definitely. Fantastic stuff, I love it. Of course we were influenced by that. Hard not to be.
Weld: King Buzzo would have made a good character in Oz. Maybe a companion to Ozma.
KB: Yeah. They’d probably burn me at the stake.
Weld: What is your favorite color?
KB: Black. Black is the one. Guess why – ‘cause of Johnny Cash, the Man In Black.
Weld: Well, I guess Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash are pretty good influences to have.
KB: Oh, we love Johnny Cash. How could you not? Don’t trust anybody that doesn’t like Johnny Cash. The man.
Weld: Do you have any parting shots for the average Birmingham rocker?
KB: I’m hoping they come out and give this a shot. You know, it’s my job to go out and sell this to people. So I know it doesn’t look like it’s gonna work out on paper, but I think if they have an open mind, they might think it’s all right. Gimme a chance.
Give King Buzzo a chance at the Bottletree Cafe on July 23. Emma Ruth Rundle will open, and tickets are $12 in advance, $15 the day of the show.