While he remains known for his tenure as Faith No More’s singer, Mike Patton has an astonishing resumé rivaled only by the likes of Josh Freese. Here, we compile a playlist of songs charting his course to joining every musical act on the planet.
Faith No More “Epic” (1989)
This huge hit for Faith No More confirmed the one exception to Patton’s mission – not joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Patton’s style in the music video screams ‘low-budget Anthony Kiedis’ – only his talents that would come to full fruition later in his career suggest anything but.
Sepultura “Lookaway” (1996)
Featuring Korn’s Jonathan Davis and Limp Bizkit’s DJ Lethal in addition to Patton, this track boasts Patton’s foray into nu-metal, a genre which he says “makes [his] stomach turn.” Still a killer track, with an equally killer band behind him.
Peeping Tom “Sucker” (2006)
While this pop venture features numerous artists (Massive Attack and beatbox extraordinaire Rahzel, among others), “Sucker” is notable in its R-rated collaboration with Norah Jones. Yes, here’s M.P. playing second fiddle to a musical act your own grandma would approve.
Björk “Where Is the Line” (2004)
A standout track from the Icelandic alternative goddess’ vocal-based album Medúlla, we see Patton hamming it up on a bassy, rhythmic contribution. Check the strange remix from Patton’s masturbatory side-endeavor, Fantômas, as well.
Tomahawk “Capt. Midnight” (2003)
An excellent cut from this group, which features members of Melvins, Helmet, and, of course, the Jesus Lizard in the form of guitarist Duane Denison. It’s clear that Patton can go toe-to-toe in terms of insanity with Jesus Lizard spectacle David Yow – only in terms of sheer power, rather than ramblings that sound like an amped-up Tom Waits after a few too many drinks.
Mondo Cane “Che Notte!” (2010)
With an orchestral backing band featuring a member tally in the dozens, who knows how many branches of the “six degrees of Patton” tree grew with this project. “Che Notte!” features, among other embellishments, a pistol being fired off. While it’s not an original piece, it remains essential listening.
Mr. Bungle “Sudden Death” (1985/2020)
Yes, it’s true that Mr. Bungle’s first three LPs get the spotlight. That said, “Sudden Death” – a song that actually predates those aforementioned three records – sees Patton teaming up with not only regular cohort Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), but also Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. Yep – it’s Patton rising to the status of ‘80s thrash icon.
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners “Get Up, Punk! 0200 Hours” (2005)
The most overtly hip-hop entry into Patton’s eclectic discography sees the man flipping all sorts of traditional rap and scratch tropes on their heads, blending cinematic samples with the work of the semi-titular Brooklyn ensemble. This track could have fit into the previously-discussed Peeping Tom record, proving that the mainstream is never truly mainstream in the hands of this musical chameleon.
Dillinger Escape Plan “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” (2002)
We would be remiss not to recall the time when Patton joined this legendary math-metal outfit. This tune might be the man at his most psychotic – a ringing endorsement if ever there was one.
The Moonraker Shows Patton Did With Buckethead (1998-2000)
We felt this was necessary to include solely based on the fact that Buckethead is one of the few musicians that has a discography as expansive as Mr. Patton. When the two joined forces for these low-key performances, it proved that both of them still have plenty to check off of their…forgive us…bucket lists.
This record opens with a Trump sample because of course it does. This is a bland collection of typical-sounding A-F songs. This record would be great if Anti-Flag didn’t already exist. It came out in 2020 (surprise!) prior to the presidential election. Good thing they put this record out otherwise we might be dealing with another four years of “Cheeto in Chief” jokes. Thanks, Anti-Flag! This isn’t a bad record, by the way. It’s just their worst.
Unfortunately, this is yet another collection of Anti-Flag-sounding songs by a band that sounds like Anti-Flag. Even though they used a more diverse variety of instruments on this one, the songs seem uninspired compared to the bulk of their catalog. Maybe they shouldn’t have spent so much time and energy finding creative ways to call George Bush a nazi when the genuine article was right around the corner.
Am I crazy or does this record start with the opening notes of “Baby, I’m an Anarchist” by Against Me!? I mean they did try to sign them back in 2002, inspiring one of the greatest songs ever written (Tonight We’re Gonna Give It 35%). Maybe this was an homage. Either way, super generic album. At least it’s not a bunch of recycled Twitter slogans like the Trump records. There are also a ton of featured artists on the album, which is interesting to hear since Anti-Flag has such a distinct sound. I’d say give this one a listen for that alone.
The criticism of those last three records may seem harsh so let’s give credit where credit is due. Anti-Flag has like ten fantastic records. How many bands even have ten records? “The People or the Gun” is a solid selection of catchy political anthems mixed in with some generic filler. Still fun though. I will say that Trump song is cringy. It’s got a real “Hello, fellow young democrats” feel to it.
This is one of the better records in the latter half of the A-F discography. While the band tends to borrow from itself, “The General Strike” fuses the tone of “For Blood and Empire” with “The Terror State.” It’s just not as great as those records. This album highlights a particular attribute of every A-F album. Say what you will Anti-Flag, but those spikey-haired 40-year-olds sure as fuck know how to open and close a record.
“Mobilize” was created as a direct response to the attacks on 9/11. Released on February 19 the following year, Anti-Flag basically made this record quicker than it took for the towers to come down. The lyrics are super hamfisted, though well-intentioned, but the music is incredible. They really learned how to build a song to a big moment on this record. Not sure why it’s considered a full-length, though. Poorly recorded live songs shouldn’t count.
This is hands down the best album in the back half of the A-F discography. “American Spring” combines the classic Anti-Flag sound with a ton of throwback ’90s punk, which is a very underrated era in punk. This album really shows Anti-Flag carrying the punk torch into the next generation. Elephant in the room, A-F put out a ton of records since what most consider to be their golden era and I’d venture to bet that a lot of casual fans just check out the singles. If that’s you, then listen to this record.
“The Bright Lights of America” is by far the most exploratory record Anti-Flag has ever released. The tone is dark, the instrumentation is diverse, and the lyrics get extremely personal at times. Overall the album is a very successful departure from the band’s usual sound. However, some songs drag on a bit due to length and tempo, putting it just out of the top five.
This album launched Anti-Flag and helped shape the entire genre of modern protest punk. “Die for the Government” is as important to punk as it is for the band itself. There’s a mix of great and “eh” throughout this album but you can’t tell me you don’t feel all your blood rushing to your face when you hear Justin Sane’s opening war cry in the title track. This is the only record in this ranking that features original bassist and vocalist “Andy Flag,” which is the perfect cringy punk nickname. It’s just insane. Pathetic, really.
This was probably the first “real” punk album I ever heard. The first time I saw this album cover all I could think was, “Woah. That’s a lotta mohawks.” Anyway, “A New Kind of Army” is made up of iconic songs, chantable lyrics, and couple tracks that are just okay. This was during an era when Anti-Flag was putting out some of their best songs but every record had a handful of duds. They were likely trying to find their sound during this time and wrote a ton of incredible songs in the process. Justin Sane’s vocal tone on this album is absolutely perfect.
Sometimes art predicts the future. Jules Verne predicted the submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Orson Scott Card predicted internet forums in Ender’s Game. Well, in perfect Anti-Flag fashion, the title track predicted people snarkily complaining about the government on Twitter. If you boiled every A-F at record down to a 6 song EP this would be their best. “Underground Network” has some great coming-of-age songs about growing up punk, which I wish the band would make more of. Unfortunately, “Underground Network” contains a handful of skippable tracks. I feel like I’m repeating myself but we are ranking Anti-Flag records after all.
“For Blood and Empire” was a massive hit for the band and propelled them into permanent punk relevance. Upon its release, people were skeptical about the band signing to a major label and worried it would lack the edge of their previous albums. While their pop sensibilities definitely improved on this album, the slight change in sound only served to showcase Anti-Flag at their best: as songwriters. Slicker production and tighter songwriting led to not only a number of iconic A-F songs but also made for a record with no skips. I’d argue that the best tracks from “Underground Network,” “Die for the Government,” and “A New Kind of Army” outshine the best tracks on this album, but as a whole, “For Blood and Empire” is an overall better listen from start to finish.
During the post-9/11 political punk explosion, Anti-Flag was seen as a “poser” band. At the time, bands like Against Me! and Leftover Crack were quickly on the rise, making Anti-Flag appear tame and “too popular” in comparison. Hell, on the Against Me! tour DVD they catch footage of some drunk crustie outside of the Ottobar proclaiming, “Anti-Flag?! They’re like… my nemesis.” Illuminating. Anyway, “The Terror State” changed that perception. With its extremely dark tone and violently aggressive lyrics, A-F took inspiration from the new blood in the punk scene and re-established themselves as the kings of punk songwriting. This record is so good you can ignore all the Rock Against Bush lyrics that somehow feel more dated than Dead Kennedys lyrics about Californian politicians from the ’80s. I may not know what any “G-A-double-T”s are but it’s been 20 years since this record came out and I know I damn sure don’t stand for any of those.
Matt Berry has perfected the character of the arrogant blowhard, so he could easily slip into the role of Lee Ving of Fear. Additionally, as a comedian himself Berry would meld perfectly into a reenactment of Fear’s infamous SNL appearance.
The audience won’t even be able to tell these two gangly but seemingly handsome people apart. Jeremy Allen White could easily play the role of the aloof yet excitable Strummer. Thanks to White’s role on “Shameless,” he should be very comfortable performing the many, many, many sex scenes that will be included in this movie.
Only an athlete could bring the power and insanity necessary to play X-Ray Spex’s frontwoman Poly Styrene. Nia has been pretty much out of commission wrestling-wise recently, so now would be the perfect time for her to have a run in Hollywood like her cousin The Rock.
For Henry Rollins we need to do the full “I’m Not There” treatment and have different actors play him at different stages of his life. I don’t know much about this Timothée Chalamet kid but he seems to be pretty good at everything he is in so it only makes sense if we want some box office pop. Plus they both have the “I can’t be bothered to take a photo” glare down perfectly. For the older “spoken word” era Rollins we will have to go with a bulked-up Casper van Dien, if Hugh Jackman can get in shape for Wolverine at 54 why can’t Casper. The world needs a Casper Renaissance.
Unless we tell the story about Travis Barker quitting The Aquabats no one wants to hear about the early days of “Total Request Live” Blink-182. Audiences want to hear about the breakup, the UFOs, and Skiba. Ira has done cameos in a few films and I think he had the chops to pull off a thoughtful, existential Hoppus the public never gets to see.
If you are going to set any movie in New York in the 1980s you are contractually obligated to have a scene where the main character is harassed by a roving gang of punk rockers on a graffiti-laden subway car. Even if it is for just one scene, Bale will drop fifty pounds to play a tweaked-out punk with a red mohawk in a leather jacket and a switchblade named something dumb like Landfill Chowder.
With today’s technology, we could have Adam Drive play Billie, Tre, and Mike all at the same time. I think the guy has the acting chops to do it. I had an AI system come up with what it might look like in the photo above and, to be honest, I don’t hate it. We will put Adam’s head on Andy Serkis in a mo-cap suit and do the rest in post.
Now hear me out. If we give Ezra the “Chris Pratt” treatment and turn him into a total meathead, he will make the perfect Danzig. If he ends up going to jail he won’t have any time to do anything but work out. These are two guys who take themselves way too seriously and have had run-ins with the law in their own very unique ways. Dave Bautista will play the Northside Kings guy that knocks him out in act 1.
This one kid that hangs out in front of my local AMPM would make the perfect Iggy Pop. He may not be a celebrity per se, but he’s well-known in my town. And I’m pretty sure this guy can act because every time I see him he has some new story as to why he needs five bucks, or a ride downtown, or a cigarette. We better hurry though because he is going to stop looking like young Iggy Pop soon and start looking like current-day Iggy Pop.
