Mudhoney, forged from a host of hobbyist bands, could lay claim to the accolade "godfathers of grunge" more legitimately than most - whether or not they desired that title. The band, named after a movie by cult US film director Russ Meyer, was formed in Seattle at the start of 1988 by Mark Arm (b. Mark Thomas McLaughlin, 21 February 1962, California, USA; vocals), Steve Turner (b. 28 March 1965, Houston, USA; guitar), Matt Lukin (b. 16 August 1964, Aberdeen, Washington, USA; bass) and Dan Peters (b. 18 August 1967, Seattle, Washington, USA; drums). Arm and Turner were both ex-Green River, the band that also gave birth to Pearl Jam, and the less serious Thrown Ups. Lukin was ex-Melvins, and Peters ex-Bundle Of Hiss.
Mudhoney was the band that first took the sound of Sub Pop Records to wider shores. In August 1988, they released the fabulous "Touch Me I'm Sick" single, one of the defining moments in the evolution of "grunge", followed shortly by their debut mini-album. Contrary to popular belief, Turner chose the name Superfuzz Bigmuff after his favourite effects pedals rather than any sexual connotation. Early support included the admiration of Sonic Youth who covered their first a-side, while Mudhoney thrashed through Sonic Youth staple "Halloween" on the flip-side of a split single. The first album was greeted as a comparative disappointment by many, though there were obvious stand-out tracks ("When Tomorrow Hits'). The EP Boiled Beef And Rotting Teeth contained a cover version of the Dicks" "Hate The Police", demonstrating a good grasp of Mudhoney's "hardcore' heritage. They had previously demonstrated an ability to choose a sprightly cover tune when Spacemen 3"s "Revolution" had appeared on the b-side to "This Gift". Mudhoney also holds other UK cult artists such as Celibate Rifles and Billy Childish in high esteem. Members of the former helped in production of the band, while on trips to England Mudhoney invited the latter to join as support. It was Mudhoney's patronage that led to Childish's Thee Headcoats releasing material through Sub Pop.
Meanwhile, Mudhoney's shows were becoming less eye-catching, and progressively close to eye-gouging. Early gigs in London saw Arm invite every single member of the audience onto the stage, with the resultant near-destruction of several venues. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge was a departure, with Hammond organ intruding into the band's accomplished rock formula. It demonstrated their increasing awareness of the possibilities of their own songwriting. The band members all have middle-class backgrounds, and while Arm is an English graduate, Turner has qualifications in anthropology. After much speculation, Mudhoney became the final big players in the Sub Pop empire to go major when they moved to Reprise Records, though many argue that none of their efforts on the label managed to reproduce the glory of "Touch Me I'm Sick' or other highlights of their independent days. 1995"s My Brother The Cow, however, revealed a band nearly back to its best. Released after extensive worldwide touring with Pearl Jam, highlights included "Into Yer Shtik", which reflected on the passing of one-time friend Kurt Cobain. Jack Endino's production, meanwhile, added lustre and managed effectively to capture the band's always compelling live sound.
During this period Mark Arm also played with the trashy Australian garage rock band Bloodloss, who released their major label debut, Live My Way, in 1995. He returned to Mudhoney for their 1998 release, Tomorrow Hit Today. The following year the band was dropped by Reprise and shortly afterwards Lukin tended his resignation. He rejoined at the end of 2000 for a brief spell before being replaced by Guy Maddison (also Bloodloss). Arm and Turner recorded and toured with their garage blues side project Monkeywrench before Mudhoney reunited to record the excellent Since We've Become Translucent, released by Sub Pop in 2002. In 2004, Mark Arm toured with MC5 as a replacement for the late Rob Tyner.
