He has been called many things, including a threat to the American way of life, but Avant Garde musician Eugene Chadbourne has made it through customs and has kicked off his New Zealand tour.
The 55-year-old has been on the scene since the early 1970s and has played with an impressive array of musicians, making more albums than he can remember.
"I kind of lost track, he says. "When I first started out I was very good about counting because I wanted to impress people. I got up to about a hundred records and then the CDs came in and I got really confused about whether you should count them."
Chadbourne's expertise extends beyond his extensive output, he has also invented a hefty arsenal of improvised instruments - including an electric rake and toilet plunger.
"I made an instrument out of a toaster once that I really like, with a banjo neck on it and you could actually make toast for the audience," he says. "That was my favourite because it had that kind of practical side to it, but also it was impractical because you had to make sure you had a loaf of bread with you."
Although New Zealand audiences will not be treated to any breakfast snacks. They will be able to share the air with a man who, as legend goes, was called "the biggest threat to the American way of life", after a White House spokesperson was treated to a frenzy of his protest songs.
Chadbourne has been very vocal about the flaws of previous US administrations, but says he has higher hopes for Barack Obama.
3 News