Mr. Bungle did not make a huge impact the way Metallica or other contemporaries did but, the type of music it displayed had earned the Mike Patton-fronted band high praise from both fans and musicians. He would influence many iconic bands that came after, including Korn, Mastodon, S.O.A.D. and many more.
Scott Ian talks about trying to sign Mike Patton
Anthrax’s rhythm guitarist Scott Ian enthused over the band’s technicality and innovative songwriting in a fascinating new interview with Mixdown, opining how Patton & Co. “would’ve been right there with everybody else, and maybe even ahead,” had their thrashy 1986 demo “Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny” been put out by a major label.
When Mr. Bungle came out of their near-two-decade hiatus in 2019 to re-record “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo” (released in 2020 via Ipecac), Scott Ian would find himself a part of the band alongside Dave Lombardo (drums) and the three original members – Mike Patton (vocals, keyboards), Trey Spruance (lead guitar, keyboards, piano), and Trevor Dunn (bass).
Ian went on to explain how he would be more than willing to take part in any upcoming Mr. Bungle project, noting how being a part of the band and contributing to “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo” was a dream come true.
The guitarist revealed how the invitation to join Mr. Bungle came as a consequence of him inviting Mike Patton to join Anthrax prior to Joey Belladonna’s return:
“When Patton texted me and asked me if I wanted to do Mr. Bungle. I was like, ‘You’re fucking kidding me?’ He’s like, ‘I told you we would work together.’ Because a million years ago, I had asked him just before Joey came back to Anthrax, I had said, ‘Hey, do you want to sing on the next Anthrax record?’
“We were drunk in a bar in Melbourne, Australia on a festival together. He was with Faith No More. He was like, ‘Oh, man. You don’t want me in your band. I’m a pain in the ass.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no. I think we could deal with it.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, but I got seventy-two projects and I could never commit.’ I’m like, ‘I know, really. I’m asking but I’m not really asking.’ He’s like, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll do something together someday.’ So then when he hit me up, he goes, ‘Remember in Melbourne when I said we would work together?’ I’m like, ‘Uh huh.’ He goes, ‘Guess what?”
