Thank you for taking the time to make these great videos, Mark. Longtime fan. I am enjoying your channel greatly and appreciate your incite and candor so much! Thanks again!

I could listen to Melvins making fun of white zombie for ever.

Thank you for this. What a beautiful set up you have

Hey, Mr. D! Keep those essays coming along. I've found your channel when searching for some stuff on Melvins' history, and was quite impressed with your detailed description of events in regards to the record process for Stoner Witch, Stag and other touring stuff. Absolutely interesting. I remember vividly back in 08' when I first saw a video of you guys playing Lollapalooza 96 (I Think) and though to myself: "good god, look at the size of that hat on the bassist's head and that huge, almost vertical drum tom on Dale's kit". Good memories. I'll stick around for everything else, including your own songs (Cowboy Fight is a doozy) and takes on music production and stuff. Keep them coming! Cheers from the Southern Hemisphere, somewhere around the tropic of Capricorn. :)

Rob Zombie was an Al Jorgenson knock off.

Good to finally hear some stories about that tour. The crazy over-the-top radio ad on the 7" live set (Tora Tora Tora Tour) made it seem like total hell, hilarious as it is. Thanks!

Great to see you taking the time to enlighten us plebs on life on the road.

Lol the immigrant song comment.

Hey Mark! I went to see this tour at The El Paso Coliseum. I think Babes in Toyland was the other band on the bill. I actually got one of you stubby picks which are still the picks I use. I also remember you had this great cowboy hat Melvins logo. Anyways it is great to find your channel. All the best.

Around the time of this tour( a bit before) I worked as FOH engineer for a venue WZ came to. At the time Monster Magnet was the support act. I remember being told Monster Magnet could only have 6 channels on the sound board. Even though I had enough to give them what they asked for on riders. Also I had compressors/gates /fx units, but was told openers could use none of it. Also LR FOH eq had to be bypassed during monster magnets set. I’ve never seen anything like it before or or since. MM and their crew had a hatred for them that they couldn’t contain. I recall being completely shocked that WZ would treat an opening act this way,when they’d be touring the US for 2 or 3 months together and have to see them every day…

Thanks, Mark. This is a funny and legendary historical take on the tour.

Mark, I am also really enjoying your channel. I was surprised to hear you mention Fitchburg, MA, because that is where I first saw the Melvins in 1997 opening for Tool! I seem to remember that show being at a hockey rink, maybe, and that the crowd was typically impatient/hostile. I would love to hear about this tour. I have been a fan ever since. Thanks for everything!

15 degrees of scrutiny sounds like a great album or band name

Just discovered your channel today. It was in my KZfaq feed probably because of all the Melvins stuff I’ve watched recently(just saw them for the 4th time a month ago). Of course I’m a way bigger Melvins fan, but I thought White Zombie were a decent live band. I saw them once early, in the late 80s, when they were a lot more noisy. Pre major label. They played for about 20 minutes and blew all their amps and that was it. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait to explore more of the channel.

Been enjoying yr channel lately. Great stories. Just got Stag on Third Man Records vinly. Look forward to more content.

I was at the Detroit, MI show. It was my first time seeing Melvins and I was hooked for life. It sucks hearing what a nightmare the tour was, but your set made one of the most substantial impacts on my musical taste and direction. Thanks for uploading these videos, so glad I got see your version of the band a few times.

Yes! I have been waiting for this story!!

The sun tan story is hilarious. You tell quite the tales. Thanks

Yes, my first Melvins show was on this tour at the Mercer arena in Seattle. Lifelong fan ever since

Oklahoma City, with Melvin's and Reverend Horton Heat. You guys kicked Ass!

I was at the Spokane WA show, to see Melvins and Babes in Toyland. Thanks for this video.

I saw the Show at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo on this tour! I loved your set at this show! I saw the Melvins play live quite a few times in the 90’s and into the early 2000’s. You were always my favorite bass player for the band. Such a cool vibe during the shows, that cowboy hat and just playing that bass like a laid back champion.

I really dig these videos mark. Love the WZ laminate story. More laminate than laminate.

That 15 degree rule reminds me of Danzig's contractual stipulation that you may not look him directly in the eyes, lest he be reminded of his vertically challenged disposition.

Yes went and saw the Melvin's and left before zombie played.

Awesome recap once again Mark! Did the other bands on this tour (Rev Horton Heat and Babes in Toyland) talk to you guys about getting the same shitty treatment from the Zombie crew? Buzz has also said you guys were not allowed to soundcheck after a while because ‘Rob was trying to eat his lunch’. I’m sure that did not go over well with you guys or anyone else either!

Love listening to these

We did some artwork of the Melvins dressed up as KISS to to give to the band (Buzz was a mix of Gene & Paul’s characters, Mark was a mix of Ace and Vinnie Vincent’s characters and Dale obviously was a mix of Peter and Eric Carr’s personas). We could’ve cared less about White Zombie, but after the show in Winston Salem, NC we were at a gas station and lo and behold, in pulls the WZ tour bus and Rob steps off the bus. We never got to meet the Melvins so we thought this was a perfect opportunity to pass out artwork on to the Melvins. Rob gave my brother and I the weirdest look when we walked up to him and weren’t in the least bit interested in him and asked if he could pass our caricatures along lol Have a feeling those drawings never made their way to the Melvins lol

Dude, thank you. I traveled from far Western Kansas to catch the June 5th show of that tour at Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem NC. I was more excited to see Melvins' set than anything else and got to absorb the experience front-and-center. You emerged from backstage amidst a barage of feedback, walked up to the microphone and addressed the crowd in an exaggerated, nasaly drawl, "Do you guys love Satan?!" The roughly 30 minutes of audio bliss felt personally delivered to 16 year-old me. I absolutely lost it during Road Bull. I was the kid running circles out around the half-empty floor, yelling along with Buzz and imposing mosh upon the uninterested. The rest of the line-up was less-than memorable. The Reverend was respectably interesting, but the Zombie chodes were just flat-out boring--they even seemed bored themselves. Far away from the stage and not within 15°, I honestly spent their set-time criticizing them. I was surprised the crowd didn't seem to notice how Rob was so out of breath the entire show, he was unable to complete one full phrase without dropping out to gasp for air--dude has NO breath support. Everything Melvins were in general and that night specifically profoundly inspired what eventually developed into my philosophy of creativity and expression. I'm thankful you were a part of it and that I was there to see it.

I saw this tour in chicago. I was close to the stage for the melvins and the reverend, and was in the balcony napping during white zombie. the opening bands were great!

I went to this tour! Saw them in El Paso, and honestly despite the complaints it really was a fantastic show

Thank you for that unforgettable show. A friend and i drove from Indianapolis up to Fort Wayne to see you guys for the first time. As we entered and made our way to the front of the line, chest against the stage and big smiles on our stoned faces we realized their were maybe 50 or 100 people : / spread out on the floor. Do these people not know who the " Melvins " are ?!?!?!? We had you guys ALL too ourselves LOL. I almost feel like you guys were vibing off of our energy HAhahahaha...IT was magical to say the least. Dale was hitting the drums so hard pieces of his sticks were hitting us in the face. And please correct me but if memory serves me right, did you play the entire - Lysol Album straight ( 30 ) minutes ???

I always thought Buzz didn`t share enough details on this juicy story, thank you for your generous contribution! I didn`t realize White Zombie was such a scientific band- 15 degrees angle to keep out the prying. Smart dudes.

That's classick with the Flava Flav style lamenents lol! Didnt see the show in Little Rock but a friend of mine did who hated it because the audience around him hated the Melvins and then White Zombie sucked. Really enjoy these vids and hope to hear about your experience working on Ozma & GPT as well as Honky (where I saw you guys on that tour with Helmet in Memphis and the crowd also hated you until you played a fast/heavy song; just like a few of the other shows I saw the Melvins both with and without you on bass). Thanks Mark D:)

The Little Rock Barton Colosseum gig was my first Melvins show. My 31st Melvins show was last week. You guys and the Rev really were on fire, and I seem to recall Buzz and Dale having good things to say about the crowd during the stage patter that evening. I was a WZ fan at the time (I was 15), but they were pretty lame. I would have had Stoner Witch on cassette by that point. My understanding is that WZ played to a tape, even with their music being so simple. Barton is still in use, but mainly for the Arkansas State Fair. Last time I went in there during the fair they were having a Monster Truck rally. It's also notable for BOC's version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" from "Some Enchanted Evening" being recorded there. The walls are basically infused with bad weed, cigarettes, and animal poop. Hope you're well, Mark.

This is great! I love these types of truthful accounts of the jerk offs like Rob Zombie. You've got some great funny stories. The one White Zombie story I recall Buzz telling was "You're NOT ALLOWED to soundcheck, because Rob is eating" Buzz was like "what's he eating, a fucking faberge' egg omelette?"

First time seeing you all was September 1996

Thanx.so.much.Mark.Interesting..as.always.

Great stories Mark,amazing what a little bit of fame does to people's egos ,especially ''rock stars'' Also how such a supposedly rebellious art form has it's own form of authoritarianism.

I was at the Nashville TN show, at Starwood Amphitheater.Melvins totally rocked it, to my delight, as I was there solely for them. The crowd's reception wasnt the greatest. It was clear that most of them were NOT Melvins fans, which led to them, after about 30-40 minutes or so of a great set list, producing an ear splitting noise/feedback drenched ending.Dale droned on with a heavy ass slow tempo, Mark made feedback/noise/choas with his bass and Buzz just laid his guitar on the ground while feedback wailed away. He proceeded to shout/sing makeshift lyrics into the mic with an insane amount of delay on his vocals for several minutes before he got down on his hands and knees and slowly crawled off the stage while Mark and Dale droned on with their hypnotizing rhythm. I absolutely loved every bit of it. I had seen them several times before, including once already that same year just months earlier so what was really their reaction to a shitty crowd response was, in my mind a hilarious special sort of random treat. And since most of the crowd was disengaged I had a spot right down at the front/center of stage for this spectacle. I'll never forget watching Buzz slowly crawling on all fours, making his exit. I was probably visibly laughing out loud. I saw the Melvins roughly ten times during this era and that show has stood out in my mind as being one of the most memorable. Thank you Mark for sharing your interesting stories and perspective on that tour! Rev Horton Heat were pretty good, I had never heard them before. Their bass player played an upright big ass bass that he effortlessly tossed around and abused like a ragdoll, and Mr. Heat himself was a very proficient speed rockabilly guitarist. I dont think I stayed for all of White Zombies set, as it was kinda bland and the members of the band looked miserable playing their songs.Their stage set was pretty over the top and all the giant screens showing old b horror movie clips was probably the most entertaining thing about their performance.

I just want to say that Stag in my opinion was the best Melvins album.

Love the stories!

IIRC Buzz said its the worst tour hes ever done period so it's interesting to hear another side of the story!

Good stuff Mark. You should do a video about the Melvins show you guys played in Olympia in 1994 when you guys played a quiet set and some people in the audience weren’t happy the band was quiet

My friends and I were tripping on acid, we rolled into Nashville to see the Melvins open for White Zombie and we got really excited when we heard you guys playing, but.... it was your last song. Our fault for tripping balls and not being good at judging time. Then we basically had what I would consider to be a bad trip listening to White Zombie as you say, play the immigrant song. I also remember this funny moment when the band got off with their sequencer and Rob was stomping around looking for the beat and I just lost it- at the moment it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen

Just goes to show who gets "the star-treatment" Danzig is the same way and it seems like rob is pretty much another gene-simmons strictly business type. Would love to hear more stories on this/ this video was fun to listen to and the Melvins are LEGENDS. fact.

Babes in Toyland open in SLC too

I caught the Ren & Stimpy reference. 👏

I went to the show in Salt Lake City at the Saltaire. If it means anything I only went to see Melvins and Babes in Toyland. I thought White Zombie sucked 😅 I remember getting beer spit on me by Buzz and not sure if the other members did but it was from up above. If I remember correctly the venue had a upper level haha

15° of Scrutiny!!!

Rob Zombie has always been a bit of a prat, his terrible solo records and films are testament to that fact. HOWEVER, I will say that those early White Zombie records (as in pre Geffen Records/major label era) are still worthy of a listen. They were more of a Noise-Rock band and toured with the likes of Pussy Galore and Rat at Rat R. Psycho-Head Blowout and Soul Crusher in particular are a hell of a lot of fun if ever you found yourself at a loose end.

Rob Zombie has done nothing but regurgitate the same trash for so long that he loathes enough to actually make fun of it & his fans during interviews. At least Marilyn Manson didn't completely capitalize on one particular costume & songs that practically sound the same. "Another version of The Immigrant Song"...classic!

No one mentions that Rob Zombie is also a pretty shitty live performer.

white zombie is way better than the melvins

Great story, Mark. White Zombie doesn't deserve to play gigs with a band as legendary as the Melvins. Sorry that Sergeant Bozo and crew treated you all so poorly.