THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS - The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey's Grave (Reading Festival, 27/08/89)

[SIRRUBADUBDUB]

i was there - best concert ever - Mission came on to remind people they were next! At the end of the show we're going home - we're out of here Daddio!

[dubversion]

This is still probably the greatest show I ever saw, the crowd went fucking mental

[MrFob007]

I was there too...!!! from Rome Italy with a little Citroen LN...!!! Buttholes fuckin' great....

[TraderWoody]

I was there too! Gibby is actually wearing a tiny "LUNG!" sticker on each man-boob. I gave him them at a record signing they did before going on stage. Gibby was also seen pestering men who went into the urinals.

[GuildfordGhost]

@TraderWoody Great post! :o) Having now seen a fair bit of interview footage with the band, I wonder how they physically function at all. Have the years mellowed them, do you think?

[172Break]

Great Weekend - I rememebr the Butthole's coming on stage, smashing everything up, going off and them coming back on 5 minutes later!

[MarcusJH1970SX]

Aaaah yes - I was there. Made the pilgrimage from Lincolnshire aged 18 to see the Surfers and they made my weekend. Thanks so much for posting this! I can remember that "Ladies and gentlmen ..." line SO VERY CLEARLY, I was going f*****g nuts down the front and collapsed afterwards, My indie mates walked away in disgust!

[GuildfordGhost]

@MarcusJH1970SX Sounds rather like it was for me too. I didn't film this, of course, I just bought it as a bootleg video some years ago. I might return to it at some point and upload another track. Can you remember anything from the set you might want to see again?

[MarcusJH1970SX]

@GuildfordGhost

I'd love to see the whole lot - to be frank I was so hammered for their set that I can't remember a lot! Battered and bruised for weeks afterwards but what a show! They did Sweatloaf as well I think? You still listen to them today?

[GuildfordGhost]

@MarcusJH1970SX Hi Marcus. Rarely, but occasionally. I purchased most of the early albums on CD a couple of years back to upgrade from my vinyl copies (which I guess must have some value now). I've put SWEAT LOAF onto DVD and I'll be uploading it in the next couple of days. This is the one where Gibby did the filthy version of the middle section of THE END at the start (erm... does that make sense?)

[MarcusJH1970SX]

@GuildfordGhost Sounds good - will look out for it. Vaguely remember some Gibby filth ...

[halation777]

I heard Gibby singing Depeche Mode!!

[slatepipe]

absolutely excellent. i was at this gig, im about 10 yards to the left of whoever filmed this, right against the boards. this still is one of the best live performances i have ever seen. i hadnt really heard much about them before and when they smashed their guitars up after the first song i remember a big crowd surge and quite a few people rolling around on my head. i was 22, quite scared and very excited.

[GuildfordGhost]

@slatepipe I was just 19 at the time. My only festival away from home at night. It was really these guys why I went. Everything else was an also-ran. I've still got a plastic truncheon Gibby kicked off the stage and a friend picked up for me. I wonder what happened to that video footage Gibby made of us lot before sticking the huge video camera down his trousers?

[slatepipe]

@GuildfordGhost

ive got this whole performance on dvd - i bought it from some feller on ebay a few years ago. i'm amazed it was recorded and the quality is pretty good, especially the sound. great souvenir. if someone would collect all the recordings of it together, including gibby's, it'd make a great film. i went out and bought all their records straight after this. at this gig they were at their absolute peak, in my opinion

[Spam1521]

I have the same guitar smashing footage from another camera. Will upload it soon.

[Thurmostat4812]

@GuildfordGhost, I am only 14 and I am so amazed by the Butthole Surfers. My personal Faves are the 1st EP and Locust Abortion Technician. How about you?

[GuildfordGhost]

@Thurmostat4812 Locust Abortion Technician all the way for me, though there's some really decent stuff on Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac and a couple on that first EP. I think they lost that edge in the end. I loved the stuff when they went for pure noise, especially when it involved computers.

[Skincat71]

"And then I came to the room where my mother's lingerie was, and I put it on and I fucked our dog and I walked on down the hall...."

[Skincat71]

I think I was standing quite near you! Haven't seen this since the day itself, great memories (I was a naive 17-year old and I honestly thought they were going to sod off after one song!)

[GuildfordGhost]

@Skincat71 I didn't film this - it's just an upload from a bootleg I got hold of. I WAS there, of course, but about 10 rows back in the middle. In my mind I sometimes still am! Better to think of myself as a carefree 19-year-old than the lump I am now!

[LiFe0In1ThE0MaTrix01]

"See, when you're tripping and drunk on whiskey, you don't really know what's happening. You are physically out of control and you're mentally out of control." - gibby

[vinylfresser]

oh ja great band,gibby and paul!burn!

[GuildfordGhost]

I see where you're coming from. I don't like HTS much as an album (definitely LAT for me, followed by PPAMS) but JIMI is the perfect track. I actually prefer the live version from the Astoria, though (as seen on SNUBTV).

[Skincat71]

@GuildfordGhost that was the Mean Fiddler. You're right about the '89 weather though it pissed down for the 1st 2 days - after one night the old battered canvas tent I was in ripped in two.

[GuildfordGhost]

You're the age I was when I was really into this band. I'd love to be able to spot myself in the audience. I was such an indie kid - blue dungarees, a flowery shirt and a raincoat during this day, I seem to remember! I'll give your channel a check. Thanks, Incidentally, what's your favourite BS album?

[GuildfordGhost]

Were you there? I remember Gibby coming out with the camera, filming the audience, and then shoving the camera down the front of his jeans. Not something I want to see! ;o)

[skawashers]

it was such a bloody hot weekend, i was pretty near the front on top of a giant pyramid of people. Fucking buttholes was just ear splitting beautiful noise. Ive got a few Photos from that day

[GuildfordGhost]

Actually, it pissed down constantly all day Friday and Saturday. It was only Sunday (this day) when it became scorching hot. I came home with a tan from the one day alone. 20 years ago! I feel so old...

[skawashers]

im pretty damn sure it didnt piss down that year , Might have been a bit murky. But i remember watching gaye bykers on the Friday. ive got a number of photos of me and mates around the camp fire,. so not sure about it pissing it down, i dont think i ever went to a reading when it did piss down. maybe a bit wet but not massive amounts

[GuildfordGhost]

HI again. GBOA were the very first act on the main stage of the whole weekend. It was grey for them, it started spitting during the excellent SPACEMEN 3 set, and then it began raining heavily and rained until after New Order. Saturday morning was fine but started raining as soon as the second act of the day, THE BHUNDU BOYS, came on, and rained until after THE POGUES. Sunday was lovely, though, by which time it was a partial quagmire.

[walrus555]

This is fantastic. Destroying their instruments on the first song

[GuildfordGhost]

They did get new ones! The first act that day was WORLD DOMINATION ENTERPRISES and they prided themselves on the fact that the guitarist had NEVER tuned his guitar, so every 'chord' was rather arbitrary and just a cacophonous noise. You don't get bands like that these days!  Have you got a favourite Buttholes album? For me, it's LOCUST ABORTION TECHNICIAN by a long way.

[ricv64]

yeah I  could never imagine them as having songs , they just cut loose