Paul Leary

Best-known as the guitarist for veteran crazed rockers the Butthole Surfers, Paul Leary became one of alt-rock's most in-demand producers during the '90s, due to his work with some of the genre's biggest names. A native of San Antonio, TX, Leary (whose full name is Paul Leary Walthall) first met future Butthole frontman Gibby Haynes during the early '80s while the two were attending a local college, Trinity University. With the two sharing the same love for punk rock, experimental artists (Frank Zappa, Yves Klein), and even classic rock (Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grand Funk Railroad), Leary and Haynes soon became friends. It also became apparent that they also shared the same whacked sense of humor and quirky outlook on life, as the duo started up a local fanzine; which specialized in gross-out photos of horrific medical conditions. The duo eventually agreed that college life wasn't for them, and relocated to California together by 1982. Soon after, the Butthole Surfers were born. Although the group had more in common with performance art than rock music, the group fell in with the punk scene, and throughout the '80s issued a steady stream of cult classic albums (including such standouts as 1987's Locust Abortion Technician and 1988's Hairway to Steven).

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