"Tommy the Cat." "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver." "My Name Is Mud." Yessiree, Primus is responsible for some of the most cutting edge and original rock music of the 1990s. Although originally formed in 1984, it was not until shortly before the end of the decade that the classic Primus lineup featuring Les Claypool (bass/vocals), Larry LaLonde (guitar), and Tim Alexander (drums) was solidified. With most hard rock/heavy metal acts at the time either neatly falling into either "thrash" or "glam" categories, Primus joined a variety of underground bands that refused to be pigeonholed (and by the early '90s, had fully infiltrated the mainstream)--merging metal, funk, alternative, punk, country, roots rock, and experimental music, along with Claypool's penchant for witty and often humorous storytelling lyrics. Building a large and loyal following first in and around San Francisco (before eventually, going global), Primus kicked things off with a string of releases that are now considered classic alt-rock titles: Suck on This, Frizzle Fry, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Pork Soda, and Tales from the Punchbowl. Along the way, Primus toured with some of rock's biggest names (Jane's Addiction, Public Enemy, Rush, U2, etc.), headlined the third Lollapalooza Festival, and issued a variety of crafty music videos, which stood out in sharp contrast to the ultra seriousness of most other video clips at the time. Primus, with Greg Prato, is the coauthor of Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool.
Greg Prato is a Long Island-based music journalist, whose
writing has appeared in Rolling Stone. He is the author of numerous
books, including A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other:
The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, Grunge Is Dead: The Oral
History of Seattle Rock Music, and MTV Ruled the World: The Early
Years of Music Video. He is the coauthor, with Primus, of Primus,
Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of
Les Claypool.
"A book about the highly strange San Franciscans Primus has been
overdue for years, so Greg Prato's excellent oral history of the
band is welcome--doubly so, given that the key band members, Les
Claypool, Larry Lalonde and Tim Alexander, are involved . . . Great
stuff."
--Record Collector Magazine"They were real musicians'
musicians . . . Primus had their own thing, for sure. Nobody really
does that Primus thing--they have their own personality, which is
something difficult to do." --Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili
Peppers"Primitive, animated, dinosaur, Halloween, trailerfunk. I
felt Les was a kindred spirit. Someone I could learn from and
collaborate with. Quick, schooled, humble, with an amazing musical
lexicon and down home as hell, with a bent sense of humor." --Tom
Waits"There's an unbelievable batting average there in songs . . .
There are so many songs that I like and so many different feels and
so much different sh*t in there. It's a huge body of work."--Matt
Stone, South Park"I was very enthralled by their whole enthusiasm
at what they did. That was infectious."
--Chuck D, Public Enemy"I think [Les] is one of the greatest
lyricists in America right now. He has a turn of phrase that always
just evokes a kind of hidden world. It's like Grapes of Wrath kind
of stuff. It's really the mettle of America."
--Stewart Copeland, the Police"Definitely one of the greatest live
bands, and I think that is always a sign of music that holds up . .
. It's very timeless . . . Primus was very influential in the
formation of [Muse] and what our priorities were."
--Matthew Bellamy, Muse"It was '89 or '90 that I heard about them .
. . I was fascinated by the band, but more so intrigued and
mesmerized by Les, because he was such a cartoon character. And his
bass playing was obviously phenomenal."
--Linda Perry, 4 Non Blondes"At Phish practice, we used to listen
to Sailing the Seas of Cheese . . . [Les] is the most unique bass
player."
--Trey Anastasio, Phish"I just remember listening to some of those
clips over and over again, just the bass solo, over and over again,
sitting there trying to figure it out. Those records were a huge
part of me growing up."
--Tom Blankenship, My Morning Jacket"They have a body of work that
I'm always impressed with. Really, that's a band that never failed
to deliver the goods on why you enjoy them . . . It actually gave
me the feeling that there was some kind of justice in the
world--watching them ascend. It's kind of like one of those
moments, like sometimes those things happen, and it makes you think
there's a possibility that the universe can have balance."
--Norwood Fisher, Fishbone
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