Primus Tracks

Mike Dillon joined Les Claypool's troupe for the Purple Onion album in 2002 and stuck around for the various incarnations of Claypool's band(s). He also joined Primus for the Wonka album and tour. As a touring and recording musician, Mike has crossed paths with dozens of luminaries, and somehow keeps a keen memory of tiny details from numerous tours, which Frankie expertly picks for specifics. Mik...

Mark Kohr joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about getting his start in making music videos and the creative process. He has directed videos for Green Day, No Doubt, and Primus, to name a few. We go video by video for his recollections of working with Primus and Les Claypool! Find Mark at www.markkohr.com Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Multi-instrumentalist Eenor (Frog Brigade, Yard Dogs Road Show) joins us to talk about the arc of his music career and his excellent run with Les and the Frog Brigade. He sheds light on many of the unusual instruments he brings to the table, and even plays some music for us! Find Eenor at eenor.bandcamp.com and eenor.com Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Josh and Frankie discuss two studio tracks recorded for compilations in 1993 and 1994. Poetry and Prose is a delightful meta-ditty, and Bastardizing Jellikit is the sleazy cousin of the rendition we all know from Suck On This. Take a big ol' bite of the cheese as Primus engages in "playing along" with their own popularity. @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter! Get involved Instagram Facebook Ema...

We've reached the end of Pork Soda, and revel in its triumvirate of instrumental tracks that close this inimitable record. Hamburger Train dominates the discussion, as it actually has a live history and is an 8-minute marvel. We give live commentary on the final three tracks and bid a fond farewell to the liquid pig. @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Bur...

The vaudevillian track The Air is Getting Slippery is perhaps Primus at its most suggestive, and has the air of something sordid, but Frankie helps Josh navigate the sweaty overtures of the lyrics, and they're able to sort out all of the references in the lyrics. Plus, Larry LaLonde on the banjo? MORE PLEASE! @primustracks on instagram and twitter. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your m...

I'll tell you why: buried on the back half of Pork Soda is Mr. Krinkle, which has become a latter-day live staple and undisputable crowd pleaser. Josh and Frankie break down its appeal and why it's a reliable sampler for the uninitiated. Further, we pick apart the lyrics for the numerous references to people/places/things from the world of Les Claypool. You'll feel like you're part of the gang! Ge...

(The) Pressman is one of a few tracks left over from the early days of Primus, and it finally made its way to a studio recording, stashed in the last half of Pork Soda. Josh and Frankie slowly come around on this previously-pedestrian track, delighting in its earnest approach bits of clever musicality. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

The title track of the 1993 effort is a novelty mishmash self-indulgent parody of advertising and a metaphor for what Les Claypool sees Primus as in the public eye. Josh and Frankie get into some live performances, the inspiration for the track, do some visualizations, and find a disturbing meme centered on the term Pork Soda. Grab yourself a can and enjoy. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Bu...

An unexpected Tim Alexander composition divides the two halves of Pork Soda. We get into the specifics of the recording of this track, which occurred separately from the rest of the album, try to get into the mind of one Tim Alexander, and spend some time with the only known live performance of the track. I WAS THERE! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Nature Boy, an enigmatic track that delights and confounds when it rears its hydra heads in concert. Senior bass analyst Louis Ortega drops in to demonstrate its many memorable bass licks, and we all hail Tim Alexander for his transcendent drumming. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

A standout offering from Pork Soda, The Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon serves as a companion piece to Fish On and provides just as many delights. Our ol' pal Anthony Garcia joins in the fun to examine the monster drum sound, understated bass (until that massive solo) and the overall ambiance. Bonus points if you have that shirt! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Pork Soda is a bass clinic that demands an expert, therefore, junior bass analyst Matt Hunter joins Primus Tracks for a trip to the DMV. What's up with all the tapping, and why does it make so much sense? How is Tim so precise? Just what the hell is Larry doing (again)? We dig into it and postulate as to why it's such a live rarity. Call it...pointless. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn y...

Josh and Frankie take on arguably the darkest of Primus Tracks, and delve into what gives Pork Soda such a reputation. They also take apart the lyrics and how they match with the accompanying quasi-blues riffs. Even for Primus, it's kind of a weird one. Fish on! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Welcome to Track 3 from Pork Soda, in which Josh and Frankie delve deep into Primus history to find the origins of this track, and Frankie's lyrical interpretation opens up a whole new world for Josh! This is one of the most sinister-sounding tracks in Primus history, and they're ready to take it on! @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter spread the word! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn...

We've arrived at 1993's Pork Soda! Josh and Frankie get into some of the circumstances around the recording of the album and tackle the first single from the album, which is nearly ubiquitous at Primus shows and on playlists. We are back at it with track origins, recording equipment, live history, music&lyrics, and how it all comes together. Wipe off your feet, grab a can of swine, and enjoy. Get...

Ron Rigler, engineer behind Miscellaneous Debris, joins us once again to delve into the recording of this little slab of Primus covers from 1992. We go track by track about the sound, the studios, and our appreciations for the originals in the lineup. @primustracks on Instagram and Twitter Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Gabby La La traces musical journey from childhood to her teenage years and into the gigging that helped land her a spot touring and recording with Les Claypool, friendships with Buckethead and Bernie Worrell, and why, when asked if you have some songs, you always say yes. Find Gabby and her music at gabbylala.com and on Instagram @gabbylalamusic. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your mon...

Animator Webster Colcord created a caricature of Les for a Beats Antique video, which opened the door to further collaboration on the videos for Bubbles Burst (CLD) and Candyman (Primus). He walks us through the processes and challenges of stop motion animation and shares some insights into working with Les Claypool. Find Webster's work on Instagram @webstercolcord and at https://vimeo.com/webster...

Renowned photographer Jay Blakesberg gives us a tour behind the scenes and the lens via his book, To Defy the Laws of Tradition: A Photographic Archive of Primus & Les Claypool - Jay dishes on the stories behind some of the photo sessions therein, and provides insight into the creative and collaborative processes with Les Claypool. Bonus: The book is marked down from $110 to $65 from now until the...

The bastards are back, and they've brought their friends. Josh and Frankie provide info on the eight (!) guest musicians on this track, which wraps up our outing on the Seas of Cheese, as well as how such a convention of great minds came about. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Josh and Frankie define the symbolism of the instrumentation of this track, which is just three fishing stories sewn together. OR IS IT?! There's more beneath the surface, and Josh lures it to the surface while Frankie reels in some live clips of Fish On from over the years, including as far back as 1990! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

Anthony Garcia returns to get us to the bottom of the success of this Primus live staple. What makes it so catchy? Why does it get everyone fired up? WHERE IS THE BLUE ROOM?! We dig into it all, and Josh realizes he knows more about drug slang than he probably should. Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

We bring it home for this monster Primus track with an examination of latter-day performances, lyrics, and a run through Frankie's favorite live Tommy moments. Plus, the Primus Mystery of the week! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money 

PART ONE of TWO in which Josh, Frankie, and Senior Bass Analyst Louis Ortega discuss and deconstruct Tommy The Cat, perhaps the pinnacle of all Primus tracks. Louis demonstrates the many different interpretations of that legendary bass riff, and we take a trip through the history of the track up to 1997. Much more to come in Part Two. SAY BABY! Get involved Instagram Facebook Email Burn your money...