Mike Patton: Mad Genius or Meh?

[Shadowmancer]

Is this man a mad genius of music or is he pretty much meh?

I ask this question because I remember seeing IC say that he didn't really like any of the bands I mentioned in a defining the decades through albums for the 90s. One of which was a Faith No More album.

Now I put Mike Patton on the list of one of the greatest minds of music ever. He explores the music in so many ways through his various side projects, Tomahawk, Fantomas, Mr. Bungle, Peeping Tom, and I am sure I am missing more. His musical sound is varied and diverse yet all contain that thread that makes it a Mike Patton song.

Yours Please.

 

[MattMoses]

Mike Patton is awesome, and is one of my favourite musicians. He was pretty much my guide into Avant-Garde music which I grew to become a big fan of. I love the fact that he's so diverse and open-minded, and he's gone on to form some fantastic projects. Faith No More were one of my favourite bands when I was in high school, and while I'm not the fanatic I once was, there's nothing better than throwing on Angel Dust every now and then. Fantômas are just crazy. I recall the first time I heard The Director's Cut, it blew my mind. How they beatifully managed to infuse musical scores and frantic rhythm pieces was, for me, the pioneering of experimental music. Mr. Bungle are just strange, in a good way. Highly creative and fun stuff. I never really got into Tomahawk much, though there's a few songs I do enjoy. I loved his collaboration with Dillinger as well, their EP Irony Is a Dead Scene ranks among my favourite EP's of all-time. Love some of the stuff he did with Zorn, though he's worked with him on so many albums I haven't had chance to purchase them all, let alone listen to half of them.

He's one the most diverse vocalists I know of, from any genre of music. There really is no limiting Mr. Patton, wether it be from his death growls to his rapping, he is one truly talented individual. Some of his stuff, such as the spoken word and chanting really isn't my thing, but I respect it. He's also one of the best producers out there too, he's definitely someone I'd want to produce my album. Patton is a legend whom I have a lot of respect for.

 

[The Dewbliners]

Whilst I'll never discredit Mr. Patton as a musician (huge fan of Faith No More), and his abilities are greatly underappreciated, I would hardly consider him a mad genius. Genius,yes. But not a mad one. That would indicate him being borderline insane. Is he insanely talented, and multi-faceted? Hell yes.
Is he outright insane? no, I wouldn't say so.


On an aside, from what I understand from an associate who did lighting for him in the early 90's, his personality does leave a little something to be desired. Apparently, he's talented (that's a given), and he knows it, which can make him act a bit like a douchebag. That's all I've got for tonight, as I'm a bit drunk. I'll most likely post a less rambling, and more coherent response tomorrow when I'm sober. Forgive the redundancy, please.

 

[Shadowmancer]

I chose to use mad genius because it sort of implies the eclectic nature of his musical creations. I would put this man up there as one of the most important musical minds of our time. I mean when Faith No More put out Album of the Year they say that it was a bad album, that shows a deal of perfectionist there that you will rarely hear about from a bloody good album.

 

[The Dewbliners]

I chose to use mad genius because it sort of implies the eclectic nature of his musical creations. I would put this man up there as one of the most important musical minds of our time. I mean when Faith No More put out Album of the Year they say that it was a bad album, that shows a deal of perfectionist there that you will rarely hear about from a bloody good album.

In that case, sir, you're absolutely right. I would concede, under these terms, he's a proverbial mad genius. Now that I think of it, they're absolutely is a difference between Faith no More and Peeping Tom. For one, Faith was more about fast paced, fusion metal (I guess that's what it should be called, mixing old school hip hop with metal), whereas Peeping Tom is a more broody, dark sound. On top of that, you have a good point with the perfectionism, as I can't remember him ever releasing a truly shitty record.