The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, U… Read Full Bio ↴The Melvins are a sludge metal band that formed in Montesano, Washington, United States in 1983. The band currently consists of Buzz Osborne (vocals, guitar), Steven Shane McDonald (bass), and Dale Crover (drums). Osborne is the only remaining original member, although Crover has been a member since early in the band's career.

In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge, and doom metal. The Melvins' music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag's My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka "King Buzzo") and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. The Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.

The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.

Though the group has received mostly positive critical notice, Crover's drumming has been especially praised; Patrick Kennedy describes his work as "astonishing, powerful, and daring."

While never finding and most likely never even seeking great mainstream success, the Melvins maintain an impressive schedule of new albums and tours, including a collaboration with Fantômas in The Fantômas Melvins Big Band, two releases with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and in 2004 the Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire. In appreciation of their devoted fans, the Melvins have released various collectables through the years that have included two-headed dolls, an eight-track tape, and a plastic fetus in a jar.

Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs. Cobain maintained his relation with the band. Later he produced and played on some songs (guitar on "Sky Pup", percussion on "Spread Eagle Beagle") on the band's major label debut, Houdini. Dale Crover is also attributed as playing on the Nirvana debut album, Bleach, and on "Incesticide". In addition, Dave Grohl (ex-drummer for Nirvana) co-wrote and played drums for Isabella on Buzzo's Melvins solo album, King Buzzo.

Dr. Geek
Melvins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now talk to Dave
The king is our job to the night
It's sanitary
And crazy with delight
And people say
Ignore about the night
It's tips away
And now it's alright

It's time to deliver
It will make my day
And we will get crazy for free
Now talk to Dave
The years gone to our lord
It comes to be
That maybe it's too hard
And hopefully
It falls and sticks on mars
The opening
It's clean and it's all
It's time to deliver

It will make my day
And we will get crazy for free

Overall Meaning

Interpreting the lyrics to Melvins' song Dr. Geek can be a bit of a challenge as the words appear to be nonsensical on the surface. The lyrics seem to be devoid of any coherent story or message. However, one could interpret it as showcasing the band's strange and unique style of music. The song features nonsensical phrases like "talk to Dave," "the king is our job to the night," and "it falls and sticks on Mars." While these lyrics may not make sense, they are delivered with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm that captures the band's essence. One interpretation could be that the song is about letting go of rationality and embracing spontaneity and madness - getting "crazy for free."

The instrumental portion of the song is essential to interpreting the lyrics; the distorted guitar riff and heavy drums create a chaotic atmosphere that complements the nonsensical lyrics. The song's lack of a coherent narrative may suggest that the Melvins' focus is on the visceral, emotional impact of their music, rather than communicating a clear message. The strange and seemingly random phrases are not intended to be understood but rather evoke a mood and emotions that words cannot express.

Line by Line Meaning

Now talk to Dave
Let's have a conversation with Dave.

The king is our job to the night
We are responsible for the entertainment of the night like a king would be.

It's sanitary
It's clean and well-maintained.

And crazy with delight
We are wildly happy and excited.

And people say
Others tell us.

Ignore about the night
Don't worry about what happens at night.

It's tips away
It's easy to forget about.

And now it's alright
Everything is okay now.

It's time to deliver
We need to follow through on our promise.

It will make my day
It will be the highlight of my day.

And we will get crazy for free
We will have an amazing time without spending any money.