Guitarist/producer of The Butthole Surfers talks long awaited album, band doc, and group’s turbulent history on our latest podcast episode.
In this episode, I’m joined by Paul Leary, guitarist, producer, and founding member of legendary Texas alt-rockers the Butthole Surfers, to discuss the long-awaited release of the band’s “lost” album, After the Astronaut.
Originally recorded in the late ’90s as the follow-up to Electric Larryland and the hit single “Pepper,” the album was shelved by Capitol Records after the label pushed for something more commercial amidst other internal issues. Nearly three decades later, the original version is finally being released as intended through Sunset Blvd Records.
Paul talks about the chaotic history behind the record, the band’s embrace of electronics, industrial textures, sampling, and experimental songwriting, and why the album represented a return to the Surfers’ weirder roots rather than an attempt to repeat mainstream success.
We also discuss the unlikely rise of “Pepper,” the brief era when experimental music broke into the mainstream, recording techniques, political themes in the band’s music, possible future plans, and the status of the band’s documentary The Butthole Sufers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt.
And stick around after the interview, when I’ll be playing Imbuya, a single off the new album.
🎧 Listen to the full episode via the Spotify embed above, or the podcast platform of your choice using the podcast buttons below.
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PodchaserAfter the Astronaut arrives June 26, 2026. Click here to pre-order.