By Glenn Ito

Editor's Note: I think the most impressive thing about of TREVOR DUNN is his flair for diversity. He's an open-minded 'X-generator' with impeccable upright and electric bass chops, a skillful and creative composer/arranger, and has the ability to settle into any style of music - convincingly. His various involvements to date include: Mr. Bungle, Graham Connah, Ben Goldberg, Junk Genius, John Schott, Kronos Quartet, ROVA, Tom Waits, Wayne Horvitz, William Winant, Beth Custer, Terry Riley, James Tenny, Ellery Eskelin, Gerry Hemingway, Wadada Leo Smith, Joe Gore, Naut Humon, John Zorn, Henry Kaiser, John Tchicai, Mark Izu, Eyvind Kang, Donald Bailey, Hal Stein... Currently, he's involved with FANTOMAS, which includes Faith No More's Mike Patton (Trevor's high school chum and Bungle bandmate), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), and Buzz Osbourne (Melvins). Not bad for a kid from a small, Northern California town called Eureka. Trevor has indeed FOUND IT!

GI: Can you recall the first time you were attracted to music?
TD: My parents kept a lot of records around the house. My mom has a healthy collection of jazz, my dad is into Country and old rock. But they also kept us kids stocked with plenty of childrens records like Walt Disney soundtracks: Jungle Book, Cinderella, The Haunted Mansion, etc. That animated stuff used to scare the shit out of me. There was one record from the movie Black Beauty (early 70s) about a runaway horse that I distinctly remember affecting me. For some reason the chorus of the title song overwhelmed me, and I can remember listening to it over and over again, and not knowing why I was so emotionally charged by it (I had NO musical knowledge at the time). In retrospect, I think it was some cheesy, dramatic harmonic progression (maybe I should go back to that record and finally figure it out).

How I got from that to KISS records, to Ornette, I'll never know.

GI: What convinced you to become a performing artist?
TD: That must have been KISS. My older brother was a huge fan and wound up with tickets to see them at the Cow Palace in 1979. I was 11 at the time and threw a serious tantrum when I found out I wasn't going. Well, I convinced my dad to take me and my life was changed forever. Once again I was scared shitless by music. Even though I played clarinet, I was convinced in the 4th grade that my friends and I, who had elaborate plans to start a rock band, would be "bigger" than KISS by the time we were in the 6th grade. It wasn't until junior high that I started playing bass, but by the end of that school year I was performing for my classmates in a band we called Ful Choke. I also remember at that time being very adamant about never having a 9 to 5 job.

GI: Would you mind revealing the elements of your 'sound?'
TD: I'm not one of those musicians who pays an incredibly biased amount of time listening to other musicians of the same instrument. I put down my fretless when I realized I couldn't play ONE note without sounding like I'd been listening to Jaco, and I attribute that to learning too many of his licks. I'm attracted to a lot of angular and dissonant music, so melodically I strive for that in my "jazz-improvisation". There are traditions of jazz-playing that work for me, like playing "around" the barline, or using extended harmonies, but only insofar as my jaded, cynical embrace of art can cope. I mean, I feel a bit screwed up. My musical influences run the gamut which is an hallmark of my era: Punk, jazz, death metal, Messiaen, Jo Stafford, etc. And I can't really be held accountable for when any given music is going to rear its head, whether in composition or performance. Let me try to be a little more faithful to your question. As far as the sound I try to achieve on my upright, I like a dark, woody tone. The darker the better. I hate the sound of the D.I. in the studio and use it sparingly. I try to play without an amp whenever possible. I like the percussive thud of my bass with minimal sustain. I find that practicing while sitting on a stool with the bass between my legs expedites the digestion process.

GI: What's your favorite food?
TD: Mom's blackberry pie. Italian seafood, garlic, basil, pumpkin ravioli, and chocolate. But even more interesting are my least favorite foods which I experience quite frequently on the road: Fig Newtons, McDonalds, Subway, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola. Fuck MonoCulture! It's killing us! I also hate coconut and pineapple for your information.

GI: Can you give recommendations for fine eating establishments when on the road?
TD: Lenny & Joes (off the 95 between Providence and New Haven)---the lobster roll rules. Jakes Seafood in Portland, Barolo in Denver. When I'm home I eat the 49er roll at Ebisu, but my first stop off the Super Shuttle is La Tacqueria: one beef taco with guacamole and one veggie taco with guacamole and a large mango juice, poOr favor.

Trevor's recent trio date w/ Adam Levy and Kenny Wollesen is called TREVOR DUNN'S TRIO-CONVULSANT - "Debutantes & Centipedes" (Buzz Records ZZ76003). MR. BUNGLE CDs: "Mr. Bungle" (Warner Bros. '91), Disco Volante (Warner Bros. '95), "California" (Warner Bros. '99)