Let's Go to Hell: Scattered Memories of the Butthole Surfers

by James Burns

The Butthole Surfers remain one of the most enigmatic bands in the history of rock music. Most of their records have no information of any kind, and often with the suggestion that you play them at 69 rpm.... They lived like nomads through much of the 1980s, and built their reputation upon tours that never ended, and shows that resembled hedonistic acid tests. They left a heap of former band members in their wake, and have often alienated as many fans as they've attracted. Here for the first time is the complete story of one of the most controversial and dangerous bands to have emerged from the ashes of the punk rock movement. 'Let's Go to Hell' compiles the scattered memories into the first comprehensive overview of the band. Featuring exclusive interviews, tons of rare and unpublished photographs, and analysis of the band's vast recorded (and unrecorded) efforts, 'Let's Go to Hell' finally tells the story that was thought (and often hoped) would never be told...

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

506 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2015

Reviews

[Michael Allen Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exhaustive history of the Butthole Surfers, including a discography, list of shows, and all sorts of esoteric details about their career. I enjoyed this, and it certainly well-researched and complete, however I do feel like the author obviously has a penchant for the early years, and a lot of the book is weighted toward the band before their early 90s success, legal trouble, etc. Some of the anecdotes get a little repetitive, and some of the writing gets bogged down in details relatively unimportant to the casual reader, however, this is definitely the definitive history of BS. As much as I would have loved to have been there myself, it was great reading stories of the madness and chaos they spread in their heyday.

[Spenser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited for this book but it could really use some editing. Somehow it is both over and under detailed at the same time and is full of typos and redundancies. Its also a 50 dollar book!

[David Jemmott · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend Jimmy Burns wrote this. If you like the Butthole Surfers you'll love it

[Kurt Gottschalk]

Review forthcoming in the Wire magazine (UK).

[boofykins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was clearly written as a labor of love. Other reviewers complain of the editing. It’s really not as bad as they make it seem. It’s a small press book. It’s gonna have warts. I’m cool with it. If you’re not, that’s fine. I’m just glad that James Burns spent all that time and effort to compile what is surely to be THE definitive history text of The Butthole Surfers, a band that is criminally neglected as it pertains to their place in the history of music.

Burns does a good job of presenting the Surfers as accurately as possible, warts and all, without letting his obvious fandom bleed through TOO much. Exhaustively researched, I can’t imagine there is too much more information one could expect out of this tome.

[Veronica Thede · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in order to better understand one of my best friend's most intense interests; the punk band, "The Butthole Surfers". The music made by this band has never been something I have particularly enjoyed, but knowing the stories behind the scene helped me appreciate them in a new light. The beginning of the book was interesting because I really didn't know much about the band. As I continued reading, I found myself growing bored with the repetition of similar anecdotes. This being said, there isn't much in-depth information about the band out there, and this book did an amazing job at viewing them as people, and at a new angle.

[M Orange · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that this book is in bad need of an editor. When read a book with so many sentences that are worded are like this, it’s tough to want to keeping going. However my love for the band helped me persevere, and I’m glad I stuck with it to learn their crazy origin story, most of which I was only partially aware of.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad this book was written. Not the best prose or anything but essential for fans of this wonderful, life-changing band who seemingly became just another corporate disaster in the 1990s.

[John Spiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positives: 1) Comprehensive narrative of the BS's history with an emphasis on the years that matter; 2) fairly balanced account of matters such as the BS's lawsuit against Touch and Go; 3) exhaustive discography and concert history. This was clearly a labor of love.

Negatives: 1) Somewhat uneven editing and formatting. It was only occasional and not enough to be hugely distracting. 2) The author would sometimes launch into cultural critiques that felt forced and a little ham-handed. 3) Several times the author would provide a narrative of some event and then would follow it with a block quote from someone basically repeating the narrative. (This relates somewhat to point 1.) 4) The price of the book was high, though that is probably understandable given that it is a private publication.

If you consider yourself a serious Butthole Surfers fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book. If you are a causal fan or just intrigued by the band name or salacious stories associated with the band, you will likely balk at the sticker price.

[Berbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the band was reasonable. The political garbage in it was distracting and pointless. Discography included is priceless if you want to start collecting Butthole Surfers cds\records/tapes/posters...etc.

[Sarah Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A text book for all Butthole Surfer fans!

[Dave]

Awesome.