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Primus Information
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'Primus' is a rock band formed in California in the mid-1980s. Les Claypool (vocals and bass guitar) has been the only constant member.
Their music has proven difficult to define; while usually considered by critics to be funk-metal or alternative metal, Primus has been called everything from "thrash funk" to "alternative rock" to "the Freak Brothers set to music." Les Claypool himself once described their music as "psychedelic polka." Thanks to the diversity of their sound they have been able to gain fans from nearly all rock subgenres. They are characterized by their irreverent approach to music - they release their records on Claypool's Prawn Song Records label, a parody of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song, and their catchphrase was for several years "Primus Sucks!"
Members
'Current Members'
*Les Claypool - Lead vocals, bass (1984-present)
*Ler LaLonde - Guitar (1989-present)
*Tim Alexander - Drums (1989-1996, 2002-present)
'Past Members'
*Brian Mantia - Drums (1996-2000)
*Todd Huth - Guitar (1984-1989)
*Jay Lane - Drums (1984-1989)
Primus had many variously assorted drummers in the '80s whose names are not known.
Band Biography
Early Days (1984“1991)
Primus began as Primate in the mid-1980s with Claypool, Todd Huth, and Jay Lane. They formed in El Sobrante, California. After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of funk/metal fusion, Huth and Lane left in 1989 to pursue other projects. Claypool recruited death metal guitarist Larry LaLonde and eclectic drummer Tim 'Herb' Alexander. Primus gained even greater popularity and soon released their first album, Suck on This, a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley concerts. The album was produced on Claypool's Prawn Song label and financed by his father.
A year later the band released their first studio album, Frizzle Fry also on Prawn Song and released singles for "John The Fisherman" and "Too Many Puppies." With a music video - featuring Kirk Hammett - a studio album, and a tour with Jane's Addiction, Primus's popularity grew to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records, who signed them in 1990.
Peak Years (1991“1996)
Primus's major label debut was Sailing the Seas of Cheese supported by singles "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver," and "Tommy the Cat," which both appeared on MTV (a third single "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" was also released but did not feature a video). The band also appeared in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and made music for Beavis & Butthead. With a major label behind them, Sailing the Seas of Cheese went gold and the band toured in support of U2. Today Sailing the Seas of Cheese is considered an alternative rock classic by many critics.
After the release of Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, in 1992 Primus released a cover song EP Miscellaneous Debris, with their version of XTC's "Making Plans For Nigel" managing to break airwaves.
In 1993, Primus released Pork Soda, which managed to debut at #7 on the Billboard Top 10. The album was darker than previous Primus efforts, dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a somber mood. "My Name is Mud", "DMV", and "Mr. Krinkle" were hits, the latter inspiring a video featuring Claypool in a pig suit and tuxedo playing upright bass in an abandoned warehouse as a carnival of oddities parades behind him. The band reportedly put their heart and soul into the video, but it received next to no play on MTV.
Pork Soda also carries the distinction of being the first full length album recorded at Claypool's house. The band would subsequently record all of their albums in his home studio.
In 1994 Primus headlined Lollapolooza, an alternative rock festival they still regularly perform in. They also made an appearance at Woodstock '94 Music Festival where they performed "My Name is Mud" with predictable results (Claypool claims to still have mud in his speakers). It was clear that Primus-mania was growing, and the band was churning out material frequently. In the previous four years they had released three albums, an EP, six music videos, and a home video. To top it all, they toured with Rush, who they consider to be one of their biggest influences.
During a lull in 1994, the original Primus lineup of Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to record Riddles Are Abound Tonight under the band name Sausage. Among the pre-Primus Primus songs they recorded were "Temporary Phase" and "Prelude to Fear". The video to "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" - featuring the band in blue leotards performing on stationary bicycles - was the impetus for Beavis's Cornholio character when it appeared on Beavis and Butt-head.
In 1995 Primus released their fifth album, Tales from the Punchbowl, which contained Primus's most successful single to date, the Grammy-nominated "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver". The ubiquitous song was accompanied by an equally ubiquitous video with the band members dressed up as cartoon cowboys. So great was their popularity that the band was invited to perform on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien's shows. Two other less sucessful singles, "Mrs. Blaileen" and "Southbound Pachyderm" (the later of which featured an entirely claymated video which apparently only got played on MTV a few times) were also released.
Many falsely believed "Wynona" was about actress Winona Ryder. Claypool has acknowledged several times that the song is not about Rider, indicating that the song's name is spelled and pronounced differently. While this placated Rider, her then boyfriend Soul Asylum vocalist David Pirner took offense and renamed one of his songs "Les Claypool's A Big Fucking Asshole" in concert. .
They were not asked to appear on Letterman.
Mantia Era/Hiatus (1997“2002)
Disturbed by their sudden fame, Primus gradually began to disown "Wynona." It wouldn't be long before Claypool stated that they would stop playing it altogether. Nonetheless, Alexander left the band in 1996 due to creative differences and was replaced by Brian "Brain" Mantia of Limbomaniacs and Praxis. Mantia was one of the many original drummers Claypool auditioned for Primus before settling with Alexander - Mantia bowed out before because of a foot injury.
With Mantia aboard, Primus was asked in 1997 to compose the theme song to South Park after the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone professed to be big fans. By this time, bands that were influenced by Primus' bottom-heavy rock - such as Tool, KoRn, and Limp Bizkit - were starting to gain a growing audience in the alternative metal genre which Primus had helped to promote.
1997's Brown Album was a departure from previous Primus leaving the majority of fans disappointed. Featuring crude (almost demo-like) production and a more straightforward song structure, the album was quite a letdown. Although Tom Waits names it as his favorite Primus album, it generated a very mixed reaction from the public. Many veteran Primus fans were turned off by the poor production as well as Mantia's drumming, seen by many as inferior to Alexander. Critically it was Primus's least successful album, having received, for the most part, adverse reviews. Commercially it did not do as well as previous efforts. Both singles "Shake Hands With Beef" and "Over The Falls" flopped. The band would later distance itself from the album. Claypool would go so far as to comment in concert, "does anyone want to hear anything from the Brown Album? Me neither."
Antipop was released in 1999, and was the first album to feature heavy input from outside musicians and producers. The album was seen as a 'return to form' by most long term Primus fans, featuring harder edge song-writing fans had been craving as well as greatly improved production over the previous album. The band toured with Ozzfest and released a video for "Lacquerhead" that was banned from MTV because of its drug content, even though it was an anti-drug song. After touring to promote the album throughout 2000, citing studio mismanagement and general dissatisfaction, Primus went on indefinite hiatus in 2001.
During the hiatus, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with Blue Man Group, A Perfect Circle, and Born Naked, among others. Claypool explored the jam band scene with Oysterhead and his own Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. He also collaborated with Mantia in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. LaLonde joined Mantia to produce two experimental No Forcefield records, and tried unsuccessfully to start a recording studio.
Reformation (2002“Present)
In late 2003 Claypool reunited with original Primus drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist Larry LaLonde to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. 2004 saw them continue touring, and even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety. For these two tours, the band sold recordings directly recorded from the sound-board online, following an example of other bands such as Phish. The performance in Chicago was video taped as well, and was released on the 'Hallucino-Genetics' Live DVD. The band's current style is based on the jam band style with extended soloing from band members and less focus on lyrics. This follows the musical evolution of Les Claypool's work during the Primus hiatus.
On July 19, 2005, it was announced that Primus was going to release a new full-length album by spring of 2006 with an international tour, expected to be the band's longest yet, in the works as well. This marks the first full-length Primus album since 1999's Antipop, and the first full-length album with Alexander on the drums since 1995's Tales From the Punchbowl. So far no song list or any additional information about the album has been announced.
In 2005 the band performed at Lollapolooza and Vegnoose while still spending time recording new songs; no new tracks were performed at these festivals.
Etymology
Primus were originally called "Primate" until another group called The Primates threatened legal action. Claypool allegedly selected Primus as the next closest thing to Primate in the dictionary, though he has been known to claim that Primus was the closest thing that rhymed with anus. Primus is Latin for "the first".
Song Content
Primus is known for most of their lyrical content based around made-up characters or friends with goofy humor. But most of their songs have darker meanings and political views. Here are some examples.
*"Too Many Puppies": about conflict in the Middle East. "Puppy" is a symbol for "soldier."
*"John the Fisherman": the true story of a modern day fisherman whose ship went down at sea, and whose final mayday "Oh my god we're going down" was recorded and broadcast on the news.
*"Pudding Time": about materialism and consumerism in the face of the depletion of the natural environment.
*"Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers": about the heavy use of methamphetamine by some blue collar workers. As the song itself states, "the flame that burns twice as bright burns only half as long...."
*"American Life": An ironic story about about immigrants and veterans in the land of the free living on the streets.
*"Bob": about a friend of the band's that committed suicide.
*"Southbound Pachyderm": about overhunting of endangered animals ("Southbound" is symbolic for "going down" as in "not doing well")
Politics
Many of Primus's songs have political undertones, and their true politics are thought by most to be liberal. A quote by Ler LaLonde jokes that "we pretty much go along with anything Bob Dole says", which was a sarcastic response to Primus's well known liberal politics. Les Claypool is shown on Primus' Hallucino-Genetics DVD stating support for Michael Moore's controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary, a move which alienated some of Primus's more conservative fans who feel Moore is simply an opportunist promoting his own agendas at the expense of others. Claypool has made anti-Bush and anti-war statements at many of his shows.
Trivia
Primus is the only band with its own ID3v1 genre tag.
Primus hire many of their friends from the Bay Area to be in the stage crew, and many of them appear in Primus's videos and home videos.
Danny Elfman is a fan and friend of the band, as is Jerry Cantrell, who has joined the band on stage.
Primus was ranked at number 97 on Vh1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Quite to the contrary, they are also ranked at number 22 on Blender Magazine's 50 Worst Artists.
Discography
Full Length Albums
| 'Title' | 'Year' | 'Label' | | Suck on This | 1989 | Prawn Song | | Frizzle Fry | 1990 | Caroline | | Sailing the Seas of Cheese | 1991 | Interscope | | Pork Soda | 1993 | Interscope | | Tales from the Punchbowl | 1995 | Interscope | | Brown Album | 1997 | Interscope | | Antipop | 1999 | Interscope |
EP/Singles
| 'Title' | 'Year' | 'Label' | | Miscellaneous Debris | 1992 | Interscope | | Rhinoplasty | 1998 | Interscope | | Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People | 2003 | Interscope |
Singles
From Frizzle Fry
* "John The Fisherman"
* "Too Many Puppies"
From Sailing the Seas of Cheese
* "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver"
* "Tommy the Cat"
* "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers"
From Miscellaneous Debris
* "Making Plans For Nigel"
From Pork Soda
* "My Name Is Mud"
* "DMV"
* "Mr. Krinkle"
From Tales from the Punchbowl
* "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver"
* "Southbound Pachyderm"
* "Mrs. Blaileen"
From The Brown Album
* "Shake Hands With Beef"
* "Over the Falls"
From Antipop
* "Lacquerhead"
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