When he was young
Lake Highlands resident Colby Jones was a bit befuddled after learning his former employee was the frontman of a band named, of all things, the Butthole Surfers.
Jones, who hired Gibby Haynes in the 1970s, had no idea the neighborhood native had even an ounce of musical talent.
“You’re immediately put off by the name. What, they couldn’t have come up with something different?” Jones says. “I didn’t know he was interested in music. He was just a kid at the park or a kid who worked for me.”
Jones hired Haynes and a friend to supervise one of Dallas Park and Recreation’s playground summer camps. The citywide program kept kids busy with soccer, softball, crafts and one-act plays.
“Those boys were great,” Jones says. “Sometimes you had to pull the reins in because they were fun-loving guys. You had to be careful and not give them too much freedom. Overall, it was a really good experience.”
Haynes channeled his exuberant energy into the Butthole Surfers, an experimental punk band that was known for members’ zany behavior as much as its chaotic sound. Rolling Stone magazine described Haynes in 1996 as a “hedonistic Texan and ranting front man” who “has made an art of being a drunken and disorderly redneck prone to onstage antics such as breaking bottles on his head and firing a shotgun above his audience.”
But before Haynes made headlines, he was a quick-witted Lake Highlands teen who seemed to be good at everything he attempted. He played football for the Wildcats and was a standout basketball player, something he also pursued at Trinity University.
Haynes was highly competitive, says longtime friend Scott Bevers. When his high school teammates didn’t finish their drills fast enough, Haynes told them, “get your ass moving or you’ll make a mud puddle.”
He also had a knack for theatrics. He helped organize Lake Highlands High’s senior show, wrote several skits and sang in the band Maximillian and the Malignant Marauders.
“It didn’t surprise me he’s in entertainment,” Bevers says.
His father, Jerry Haynes, was an entertainer himself. Clad in a red-and-white suit, Haynes — known as Mr. Peppermint — was the beloved children’s show host akin to Mr. Rogers. Haynes told Rolling Stone in 1996 that his dad was “the nicest guy in the world,” and Bevers agrees. His parents often argued, so he was drawn to how welcoming the Haynes family was, he says.
“They’re the most humble people you’ll ever meet,” he says. “They’d give you the shirt off their back.”
Mr. Peppermint’s reputation was more wholesome than his son’s. But he loved classic rock and got Haynes a job working as an usher for Dallas Memorial Auditorium.
“He saw any show he wanted at an early age,” Bevers says.
As high-schoolers, Bevers and Haynes scored gigs as security guards at Texxas Jam, a rock concert at the Cotton Bowl featuring Aerosmith, Van Halen, Ted Nugent and Heart. The two didn’t do much security work, Bevers recalls, but they did gain instant access to the musicians they admired.
The two teens walked into the bathroom after Neal Schon when Haynes noticed the Journey guitarist forgot his four gold and diamond rings. They chased him down to return them.
“He was so appreciative and made us sit down and eat lunch with the band,” Bevers says.
Years later, Haynes and a few friends started a band in their college dorm. They titled one of the first six songs they wrote, “Butthole Surfers.” That’s what fans nicknamed the up-and-coming band, and it stuck.
Jones, despite being baffled, earned cool points as a dad because of Haynes. His son’s favorite thing to tell his peers was, “Gibby Haynes with the Butthole Surfers worked for my dad.”
Three fun facts Behind the Butthole Surfers
1.) The first two songs Gibby Haynes wrote were titled “Manic in Hand” and “Broken Mold.”
2.) Initially, the Butthole Surfers changed their name constantly to play bars that already kicked them out. The band’s first gig was at an art gallery in San Antonio, where they played a six-song collection twice.
3.) Gibby Haynes wrote a children’s story “The Next Big Thing” that Zach Galifianakis narrates. Penguin Random House is set to publish another children’s book by Haynes.
