In Defense of Ska Ep 172: Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, Fantomas)

Here's a question for all the rude boys out there: What's a non-ska band that had an incredible influence over an entire generation of ska artists? The answer is simple -- Mr. Bungle. On this episode of In Defense of Ska, the hosts chat with Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn about the band's origins, their relation to ska music, and more. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Dunn dives into the intersection between Mr. Bungle and ska, gushing about his love for bands like Fishbone, Bad Manners, and Oingo Boingo, as well as recalling the time they played with The Untouchables. Such influences might be subtle when it comes to Mr. Bungle's most popular work, but if you know where to look, they begin to become clear. The group explores the track "Carousel," for example, which wasn't necessarily the band's first ska song, but rather the first ska song they wrote from a sincere place.

Listen to Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn tell these stories and more on this episode of In Defense of Ska, and make sure to like, review, and follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Mr. Bungle is also about to embark on their spring tour. Get tickets here.

For more Mr. Bungle madness, check out Dunn's list of his 10 favorite bass albums. Then, see where he landed on our ranking of the best bassists of all time.

Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don't forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here. Additionally, you can support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.