Bob Log III (born November 21, 1969) is an American
slide guitar one-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform.
The simplest type of "one-man ban ...
based in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
, and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. During performances, he plays old
Silvertone archtop guitar
An archtop guitar is a hollow electric or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with jazz, blues, and rockabilly players.
Typically, an archtop guitar has:
* Six strings
* An ...
s, wears a full body human cannonball suit, and a helmet wired to a telephone receiver, which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. His show has been described as a
blues punk
Punk blues (or blues punk) is a rock music genre that mixes elements of punk rock and blues. Punk Blues Genre AMG Allmusic.com, Retrieved on May 21, 2008 Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as pr ...
guitar dance party. Log tours internationally, performing about 150 shows each year; he has made tours of North America, Europe, Japan and Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Taiwan, and Iceland.
Early life
Bob Log III was born in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and raised in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
. Growing up, Log listened to musical artists such as
AC/DC,
Screaming Jay Hawkins,
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
,
Hasil Adkins
Hasil Adkins (April 29, 1937 – April 26, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His genres include rock and roll, country, blues and more commonly rockabilly, and because of his unusual playing and singing style ...
and
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
.
[''Kansas City Star'' Interview](_blank)
from Bob Log III: Official Website Log got his first guitar at the age of 11, and by the age of 16 he had moved to slide guitar, playing
Delta blues, modeling his slide guitar style on that of
Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Career
Log began his music career recording and touring with
Mondo Guano, a four-piece
slide guitar,
blues, home-made percussion band based in Tucson, Arizona. Upon leaving Mondo Guano, Log went on to perform as one half of the Delta blues rock duo,
Doo Rag, with bandmate
Thermos Malling.
After six years of making music with Doo Rag, Bob began a solo career, warming up audiences bands, including
R. L. Burnside,
Blues Explosion,
Ween
Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band a ...
,
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
Fr ...
, and
Ani Difranco. Over time, Log acquired a kick-drum and a homemade foot cymbal which he custom-outfitted with a kick pedal of its own. These instruments, combined with his slide guitar work, telephone microphone vocals, and drum machine accompaniment, form the framework on which Bob Log constructs his songs. His version of quick
Delta blues is based on the sound that he and Thermos developed in the duo
Doo Rag, with greater emphasis on guitar showmanship, fingerpicking, and one-man-band-style drumming with his feet. He began touring in North America, including performances in Toronto in 1999 and 2000.
Stage persona
Log describes his on-stage setup in the song "One Man Band Boom", introducing himself to the audience as, "Bob Log the third, one-man band, Tucson, Arizona. Heyeeeh! Lemme introduce the band to ya. On cymbals, left foot. Over here on the
bass drum we got right foot. Shut up! This is my left hand that does all the slide work, right hand does the pickin'. My mouth hole does most of the talkin'. And you're looking at my finger. My finger is an asshole."
The monkey paw
An early press release from record label
Fat Possum
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...
claimed Log had a monkey paw grafted on to his wrist after a boating accident as a child. When asked to explain Fat Possum's insistence that his right hand is a monkey's paw, Log replied to an interviewer that, "My hand is just hairy. Very, very hairy. It is NOT a paw. Fat Possum was drunk."
Audience participation
During performances Bob Log will often call audience members (both male and female) on stage to sit on his knee while he plays. Log credits years of drumming with his feet for his ability to simultaneously drum and support the weight of multiple people: "My legs are huge now. Sometimes I can get a girl on each knee and bounce 'em along." Log has distinctively used breasts as a theme in his performance and hired two "professional women" to use their breasts as percussion instruments on his song "Clap Your Tits". Log is quick to point out that all of these acts are carried out between consenting adults and individuals familiar with his brand of humor, stating, "First of all, if you come to my show knowing I've got a song called "Boob Scotch" and you get offended, I'm sorry but I've got to say just get out."
Eventually, Bob Log added a wireless set-up to his guitar in order to allow him to take part in more active antics about the venues in which he is playing. On a number of occasions, Bob has set sail atop his audience in an inflatable
dingy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...
or played portions of his set from the women's washroom. During various shows on his September 2009 UK tour Bob Log would enter/exit the stage whilst playing guitar sitting on top of the shoulders of Russell Gray, lead singer of
Russell and The Wolves.
Boob Scotch
One of Bob Log III's more controversial antics is 'Boob Scotch', that is, scotch which has been stirred by a female (or male) breast.
This practice was integrated into the song "Boob Scotch" from the album ''Log Bomb'', in which Bob Log sings "I think we need to sit down and talk, put your boob in my scotch. Come on dip your tit in my drink, stir my scotch with something that's pink."
Lyrics to ''Boob Scotch''
from the Warehouse
Bob Log III often invites audience members to 'make' a Boob Scotch, asking them onstage to dip their breast in his scotch (usually ordered for him by a fan) after which he lifts his helmet slightly and downs the drink. Log has also been known to dip his own breast in his scotch.
Lyrical quotes
* "I'm a professional, God damn it. I live in a car."
* "Ladies and gentlemen's ... We've all got boobs people, look between your, your, non-boobs ... what you're going to find is a nipple! No matter if you're a man or woman, OR an angry woman."
Discography
Bob Log III
Albums
* ''School Bus'' (Fat Possum, 1998)
* ''Trike'' (Fat Possum, 1999)
* ''Live!!! Aloha from Japan'' (Bloat Records, 2000)
* ''Log Bomb'' (Fat Possum Records, 2003)
* ''My Shit is Perfect'' (Birdman, Voodoo Rhythm, Bloat Records, 2009)
* ''Hiram & Huddie Disc 1 – A Tribute to Hank Williams Sr" (Hillgrass Bluebilly Records 2009)
* "Guitar Party Power" (Bob Log 111 2016)
* "Bump or Meow Vol 1" (Bob Log 111 2016)
Singles
* "Daddy Log's Drive In Candy Hoppin Car Babes" (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
* "I Want Your Shit On My Leg" (Dropkick)
* "Bubble Strut" (Dropkick)
* "Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump, Baby! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump" (Munster)
* "Riverside (Tribute)"
* "Party Van" (The Hermit Strut)
With Doo Rag
Albums
* ''Chuncked & Muddled'' LP/CD/CS (Bloat Records, 1994, BLT 10048)
* ''Barber Shop'' CS (Bloat Records, 1994, BLT #?)
* ''Doo Rag, What We Do'' LP/CD (Dependability, 1996, L 45649)
Singles
* "Hussy Bowler" 7" (Westworld, 1993, WW-7)
* "Trudge" 7" (In The Red, 1994, ITR 021)
* "Swampwater Mop Down" 7" (Drunken Fish Records, 1995, DFR-11)
* "Two Tones To Tune" 7" (Discos Alehop!, 1997, hop 014)
Splits
* ''Sinful Tunes & Spirituals'' 2x7" (Au-Go-Go, 1998, ANDA 238)
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Capper, Andy. "Log Jam", ''Bizarre Magazine'', accessed fro
"www.boblog111.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.
* Evert
"www.grunnenrocks.nl". Accessed June 8, 2007.
* Finn, Timothy. "Log Jam", ''Kansas City Star'', accessed fro
"www.boblog111.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.
* Williams, Dez
Pixelsurgeon Interview: Bob Log III
"www.pixelsurgeon.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.
External links
Official website
Live Show in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Log III, Bob
One-man bands
Fat Possum Records artists
Punk blues musicians
Masked musicians
Musicians from Tucson, Arizona
Slide guitarists
Guitarists from Arizona
American male guitarists