Watch the Butthole Surfers video starring Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Butthole Surfers are two of their generation’s greatest alternative rock bands. With that, it comes with no real surprise that there is a significant level of kudos shared between the two outfits. Whilst their music might be stylistically different, unrelenting individualism and a surreal form of comedy connect them. Once fuelled by copious amounts of drugs and alcohol and the limitless energy that this combination can bring, in their heyday, both acts created scintillating music that has avoided the passage of time.
In addition to being one of the more unique rock bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are also one of the most commercially successful. It is a peculiar prospect when noting just how niche they were in their early days. Back when they featured the late guitarist Hillel Slovak, the Chili’s were one of the city’s many funk-metal bands, hopped up on drugs and not looking past the here and now.
However, after Slovak’s tragic death in 1988, they metamorphosed with the introduction of teenage guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith. Whilst still a funk-metal act on their first album together – 1989’s Mother’s Milk – the project did see them start to reset their course. On the record, they laid the foundations for the catchy funk-rock of their follow-up – 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik – and everything that followed, including 2002’s By the Way.
As for San Antonio’s Butthole Surfers, they emerged from the Lone Star state’s hardcore scene in the 1980s, creating a three-dimensional form of music that was at points incredibly punishing and at others downright hilarious. This substance helped them to stand out, pushing the group onto the national stage and helping them to cultivate a dedicated fanbase.
Drawing on a range of genres from metal to experimental, musically, there’s a lot to love about the band. The cherry on the cake is frontman Gibby Hayes’ wild lyrics and vocals.
Butthole Surfers were so impactful when they broke through that John Frusciante credits them with changing how he views music. He recalled being “scared” when first watching them live. Reflecting on how this experience changed the trajectory of his life, he concluded: “Before that, I was just lost”.
However, it is not just through John Frusciante or their crazed styles that both acts are connected. Another moment shared between the bands came in the video for Butthole Surfers’ 1993 single ‘Who Was in My Room Last Night?’.
The video tells the story of a man with an Elvis-like hairdo who drives to a bar, the ‘Den o Sin’, and orders a drink from the strange bartender, a role played by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. However, things do not go to plan, and the already bizarre clip takes a more psychedelic turn when the man hallucinates.
His visions involve the bar’s waitress, who is apparently his girlfriend, and a host of weird creatures. As they evolve, Haynes and the band get really frenetic. Eventually, the man seems to suffer an accident and is last seen falling down a void of cartoon skulls.
Watch the video below.
