A return to Snub TV today, one from 1989 and one from 1990. In 1989 Texan experimental psychedelic punks Butthole Surfers arrived on Snub. The band pursued extremes to their outer limits- hardcore punk, noise, chaos, drugs, tape edits. They were not a mainstream band and were not looking for mainstream approval. Their appearance on early evening BBC 2 must rank as one of Snub's finest achievements.
Snub caught the Buttholes at their home studio and asked them some questions which were answered in absurdist style. Note the size of some band members irises during the interview section- substances may have been consumed. The band then play live, filmed at a gig where they take sludgy 80s slowcore punk to new levels.
In 1987 Butthole Surfers released an album, Locust Abortion Technician, a record that captures them somewhere in the midst of art rock, noise and weird metal. Sweat Loaf samples/ covers Black Sabbath and opens with some lovely chords and then goes seriously leftfield with an exchange between a father and a son...
'Daddy?Yes, son.What does regret mean?Well son, the funny thing about regret is that it's better to regretSomething you have done thanTo Regret something that you haven't doneAnd by the way, If you see your mom this weekend, will you be sure andTell her...SATAN SATAN SATAN!!!'
I'm not sure they still make bands like Butthole Surfers.
A year later, March 1990, electronic/ industrial pioneers Cabaret Voltaire were on Snub.
Cabaret Voltaire were punk before punk, making their own instruments, sampling, looping tapes, using video and film, hitching a ride with punk but not really playing in the same park. 1981's Yashar and their adoption of synths and sequencers saw them move into new territories- Sensoria, Don't Argue, Hypnotised are all shown in this ten minute clip and all sound like they were leading while others followed. The interviews and footage in the Snub clip shows how ahead of their time they were, and in some ways, still were in 1990. Richard H Kirk played a key role in the development of techno with Sweet Exorcists' Testone.
3 comments:
Great stuff, Adam. I didn’t catch much of Snub TV at the time. Not sure why, probably that it was on when I was travelling home from work and/or on an after-work night out.
I remember the Cabaret Voltaire piece, though, as it was probably the first time I’d seen them on mainstream TV, at the time of broadcast. Brilliant.
I hadn't realised that's where the Orbital sample came from. Thanks Adam!
The Cabaret Voltaire interview and clips are great aren't they- said it before about Snub, but the fact this was all on mainstream, early evening tv is unbelievable now.
The Orbital sample, yes- should have mentioned that in the post!
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