Butthole Surfers - Dum Dum

Outstanding fan video

Butthole Surfers are hands-down the greatest live act I've ever seen. I lost track of them a while ago, so I'm not sure how they're holding up these days. Their Summer '08 Tour should tell.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with them in their hometown of Austin and despite their reputation as a bunch of lunatic freaks, they were refreshingly friendly and down-to-earth. On top of that, they were responsible for a touching act of kindness that will forever remain strong in my memory.

Back in the mid-1980s, there was a disabled kid who was a fixture of the punk/hardcore scene in New Orleans. He had some sort of muscular disease and it was very difficult for him to get around. Nonetheless, he almost always made it to the shows.

One night, the Surfers were due to play and the kid was in the hospital. They were his favorite band and word got back that he was extremely disappointed to miss them. The next day they went to the hospital, set up their gear, and played the entire show for him, song for song.

No matter what, I will always respect them for that.