Mr. Bungle was formed in the town of Eureka, California in 1985. The first incarnation of the group featured bassist Trevor Dunn & vocalist Michael Patton (formerly of Turd), guitarist Trey Spruance & drummer Jed Watts (from Scourge), and trumpet player Scott Fritz. After Fritz left the band, Theo Lengyel & Clinton "BSr" McKinnon were recruited as new horn players. Jed Watts was also replaced, first by Hans Wagner, and later by current drummer Danny Heifetz. The name "Mr. Bungle" was taken from some short films which appeared on the Pee Wee Herman show and starred the rather ill-mannered, un-hygienic Mr. Bungle, a puppet clown, as the model of what every grade-school kid shouldn't be (only later did the band learn, through Faith No More bassist Bill Gould, that the porn flick "Sharon's Sex Party" featured a character named Mr. Bungle as well.
Mr. Bungle's first demo tape, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny, was released in 1986 (while the band members were still attending high school in Eureka; it is occasionally referred to as the "High School Demos") and exhibitted a fast, thrashing, "death metal with a sense of humor" sound. Their next two tapes, Bowel of Chiley ("Trevor fucked up in Denny's. He wanted a bowl of chili, but he goes, 'I'll have a bowel of chiley.'") and Goddammit I Love America! had more of a ska/funk feel some describe as reminiscent of Fishbone. With 1989's OU818, the band began to show it's experimental side. All but one of the tracks from this last demo tape made it to the band's first, self-titled, major-label release. Mr. Bungle, released in August of1991, was ahead of it's time with it's ruthless blend of musical styles, and it's witty, outrageous lyrics. The band went on a nationwide tour in 1992 to support it.
Four years have passed before the release of Bungle's second major-label effort, Disco O Volante, in October of 1995. The funk/metal sound of the previous album was replaced with a dizzying combination of musical styles, including jazz, techno, and death metal to name a few. Disco Volante was an album of more carefully composed, complex songs than anything Mr. Bungle had done before, giving the band's members a chance to show off their many musical talents on the very successful tours of North America, Europe, and Australia (featuring guest musician William Winant) that followed it's release. Currently Bungle is taking a break while its members work on various other projects, but new material has already been recorded for future releases.
The people who make up Mr. Bungle are often involved in other bands and their releases as well. Trevor Dunn has played with many jazz outfits, including Junk Genius, The Graham Connah Group, and John Zorn's Masada. Danny Heifetz is the drummer for Dieselhed and has worked with the Zip Code Rapists & Pop-O-Pies. Mike Patton doubles as the frontman of Faith No More, and has released solo albums Adult Themes For Voice and Pranzo Oltranzista on John Zorn's Tzadik label. Trey Spruance's many projects include Faxed Head, Scourge, Noddingturd Fan, Millers Higher Life, and The Secret Chiefs 3, who are found on the b-side of the 7-inch included with the vinyl version of Disco Volante. Trevor Dunn and Danny Heifetz also play in the Secret Chiefs 3, who are a band well worth checking out.
