TREY SPRUANCE talks about the early days of MR. BUNGLE to The Vinyl Guide

Episode 180 of The Vinyl Guide is a particularly special one for fans of Mr. Bungle. Over a succession of episodes Nate Goyer has revealed his love for the band, which is why this particular series of interviews has enlightened so much.

His first was a wonderful conversation with Greg Werckman [listen], part two saw Nate look back at Bungle’s history with ex manager Kristin Yee [listen] ....now we can listen to the third.



You have to agree that Trey Spruance’s Californian accent has a comforting sound and is extremely easy to listen to.

The two begin with talking about Trey’s vinyl collection and then move on to the early days of Bungle tape cassettes and mailing lists. Trey tells us that the master tapes for the original demoes are uncounted for which might make it difficult for reissues. During this chat Nate and Trey re-address much of the interview Nate performed with Kristen Yee in Episode 175.

He debunks the story about Mr. Bungle’s altercation with Red Hot Chili Peppers at Warner Bros HQ saying, “...our issues with the case much later.”

Trey also plays down Kristin’s description of the band’s craziness on tour, and recalls the fantastic story of how the band were once locked in the venue by staff after Mike Patton handed stage monitors into the audience for them to tear into pieces, whilst smashing up the stage lighting with golf clubs! 

“... I remember Heifetz telling the audience that assembled, collecting autographs or whatever, waiting for us to come out, ‘they’re gonna kill us call the cops’. Indeed they did call the cops and the cops came... and broke us out of there. But before Patton took a crap in a paper bag and put it in a microwave ...”

Trey describes what was supposed to be the original artwork for the Mr. Bungle debut record, John Zorn’s production, and the studio recordings of Mr. Nice Guy and 
Thunderball. He also addresses the reasons why Travolta track title was changed to Quote Unquote, and discusses the Kevin Kerslake directed video for the song.

They don’t exactly set out to prove Kristin’s recollections wrong, but Trey remembers stories with more accuracy.

Part 2 will be available soon in which Trey recalls some great moments around Disco Volante and talks about Secret Chiefs 3.

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