King Buzzo, as Melvins guitarist and singer Roger »Buzz« Osborne is affectionately known by his fans, is the sphinx of extreme rock. With a wry sense of humour, he has been drawing new insights from the unholy primordial soup for some four decades, which he and his eternal sidekick Dale Crover have turned into wondrous albums whose aesthetic defies clarity with brute elegance.
Osborne remained musically uncompromising. He also pursued his quest outside his regular band. For example in projects like Fantômas with Mike Patton, Dave Lombardo and Trevor Dunn, or in collaborations with noise legends Lustmord, political punk Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) or the bombast band Tool. He has also been releasing solo albums for some time.
The one great constant in Osborne’s now almost unmanageable oeuvre is the consistency with which he plays by his own rules. Even his collaboration with the record industry in the 90s did not change this.
Unkonventionel unplugged
Osborne is currently in the process of adding new facets to his oeuvre. With bassist Trevor Dunn, with whom he has not only played in Fantômas over the years, he is exploring the possibilities of reinterpreting his repertoire with acoustic instruments in a new constellation. Not surprisingly, this has little in common with conventional unplugged concepts. Dunn has played with avant-garde greats such as John Zorn, Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson and Roswell Rudd, and is far more than an accompanist to Osborne.
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The Melvins, to whom Dunn also belonged for a few years, may have reached the limits of their possibilities at times, but Osborne continues to prove himself a solitary seeker. King Buzzo has revealed to us the 10 Vinyl records that have had a big influence on his life.
Buzz Osborne: Certainly my favorite band and easily the best live band from the 60’s
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Buzz Osborne: I will never tire of this record. Unbelievable performance from a towering monster.
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Buzz Osborne: I’ve listened to all or parts of this record weekly for almost 40 years. Recorded live to two-track. Incredible.
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Buzz Osborne: Phenomenal. The best overall album Alice ever did. Creepy and scary.
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Buzz Osborne: One of the best albums ever made. I don't trust people who don't know this record. If you know it and don't like it… goodbye.
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Buzz Osborne: If you don't like this record, you just don't like rock music. My favourite Stones album.
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Buzz Osborne: Turn out the lights and crank this thing.
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Buzz Osborne: I had this when I was 12. I'd never heard anything like it. Blew my mind. Still does.
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Buzz Osborne: I'd never heard anything like it when I first heard it about 40 years ago. HUGE record for me.
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Buzz Osborne: Fucking great record! A lot of jazz heads hate this record but they’re wrong.
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