Interview: Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers
Sean Ghoulson sits down with guitarist, producer, and proud weirdo Paul Leary to talk about After The Astronaut, the upcoming Butthole Surfers documentary, his favorite bands he’s worked with, and more.
Thankfully for promoters and venue operators around the country, there will never be another band quite like the Butthole Surfers. From San Antonio, Texas, the legendary purveyors of derangement, unpredictability, and sleaze are finally able to release the true version of their final album, After The Astronaut. When originally finished, the LP (which experimented with various influences from genres like trip hop, late ’90s psychedelia, and electronica) was shelved by Capitol Records due to a falling out between the band and the major label they were signed too. When the rights were purchased by Hollywood Records a few years later, they forced the group to change large swaths of the final product, leaving the group unsatisfied with the resulting record, now titled Weird Revolution. Now with the help of Sunset Blvd Records, the band finally has their chance to officially distribute their intended opus.
This release coincides nicely with the upcoming release of Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, a documentary on the band’s extensive history spearheaded by longtime collaborator and Freaked director Tom Stern. With so much on the horizon for 2026, I was luckily able to have a conversation with guitarist and founding member Paul Leary, who was keen to go into specifics on the film, the album, his solo career, his production credits, the band’s reputation, and more. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to sit down with a legend of noise rock, experimental music, and bad-taste art—get in here and hear what he has to say!
After The Astronaut is out June 26th on Sunset Blvd Records. Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt‘s wide release is coming soon, stay updated here.
