[2] The three primary members of Painkiller were John Zorn on saxophone, Bill Laswell on bass guitar and Mick Harris on drums.
[3] Harris' blast beats inspired Zorn to create his signature style, forming improvisational groups like Naked City that merged disparate genres into a unique scene.
[4] Several musicians have made guest appearances both live and in the studio, including Buckethead, Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth, Yamatsuka Eye, Mike Patton, Koichi Makigami of Hikashu, Justin Broadrick and G. C. Green of Godflesh, Fred Frith, and Keiji Haino of Fushitsusha.
[5] Hamid Drake joined the band for Zorn's 50th Birthday shows at Tonic in New York City.
[6] On June 23, 2008, Painkiller performed Their Last Show In Citè de la musique Paris, France with the original line-up of Zorn, Laswell, and Harris, along with an appearance by Fred Frith and Patton.