Les is More

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Oct. 10, 2003 | 4:51 a.m.

For 14 years Primus reigned as perhaps the planet's most indescribable popular rock band.

Led by bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, the trio carved out a niche all its own from 1986 to 2000 with a genre-defying sound that blended elements of punk, funk, metal and Frank Zappa-variety humor.

Though they confounded many critics, albums such as 1991's "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" and 1993's "Pork Soda" attracted a legion of fans worldwide.

Today, three years after calling it quits, Primus is back, at least temporarily. For the first time since 1996, drummer Tim Alexander has rejoined the band's other two founding members, guitarist Larry LaLonde and Claypool.

A 31-date U.S. tour kicks off Monday in Petaluma, Calif., before stopping at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Last week the reunited Primus also released its first DVD, "Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People," a collection of the band's 13 videos, along with documentary material, live footage and other assorted extras.

The two-disc package also includes an audio EP, featuring five new tracks, the original trio's first studio output since 1995.

Claypool has also been busy in the years since Primus went on hiatus, playing with Phish's Trey Anastasio and ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland in Oysterhead and touring with his own Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains and Les Claypool's Frog Brigade ensembles.

On Tuesday the 40-year-old bassist extraordinaire took time for a telephone interview from his country home in Northern California.

Las Vegas Sun: How have the latest round of Primus rehearsals gone?

Les Claypool: It's going good. There's a (ton) of material to rediscover, kind of like looking through my old yearbook or something.

We haven't played with Tim as Primus in about seven years, and we're also trying to do quite a bit of material that we never really performed live.

Sun: Why did Tim leave the band in 1996?

LC: We'd been playing together for a while and it seemed like we had reached a stalemate. It seemed apparent that Tim wasn't too excited anymore. So that, of course, was bringing down our excitement level.

Sun: What made you decide the time was right to relaunch Primus?

LC: We're feeling nostalgic and we're all in different head spaces now. It started out as us putting together something to release, which eventually turned into a DVD, and we started communicating with each other again and coming up with ideas.

Sun: Will the reunion extend beyond the upcoming tour?

LC: When there's sparks flying, it's hard to step away from it. But nothing's being planned.

Sun: How has the chemistry been between the three of you?

LC: We're not trying to force anything, and I think that's always what's given Primus its sound. It's always been just the three of us getting together in a room and throwing pasta at the wall. It was never overly calculated.

Sun: Are you satisfied with the DVD?

LC: I think it's great. I kind of wish they hadn't have stuck that big old nasty (promotional) sticker on the front of the jewel case. But other than that, I think it came out great.

Sun: The video for "Lacquer Head" was banned by MTV when it was originally released. Any idea why?

LC: Who knows? They said it was too violent. There's no lack of hypocrisy at MTV, but I don't watch MTV so I can't really complain. It's not part of my world, so I doubt they would want me as part of their world.

Sun: Have you noticed any sort of backlash from longtime Primus fans over your collaboration with Anastasio and your association with the jam band scene?

LC: There's always the occasional grumble (from people) who want Primus and that's all they want. But that's not reality. You can love sushi, but if you eat it every day for your entire life you're gonna get pretty damn sick of sushi.

Sun: Do you expect jam-band fans to start listening to Primus?

LC: My thing has been greatly accepted, so I think it's more about how you approach your music, not the style of music you play. We've gone out and played some pretty aggressive stuff in front of these crowds and it's been very well received, mainly because of how it's approached, not the material. It's more the free-form nature of it.

Sun: How would you classify Primus' sound?

LC: Nobody's ever been able to pigeonhole the band or categorize the band. Everybody's tried. Nobody can do it.

I've seen the band dubbed alternative, punk-funk ... when we opened for U2 they called us a grunge band ... prog-metal, funk whatever. They're always trying to put us in some category and it just doesn't really fit into anything. It's just Primus.

Sun: Let's finish with a few quick ones. Is it true you're deaf in one ear?

LC: No. I've lost some high frequency in my right ear from a scuba diving accident about 10 years ago. But I'm not deaf.

Sun: Masked guitarist Buckethead played in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. What's under his mask and chicken bucket?

LC: A horrible, wretched man.

Sun: Having played with Copeland, would you like to see the Police reunite and tour?

LC: I saw the Police reunion thing on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and I thought it was great. So sure, I'd love to see that, but I just don't think it's gonna happen.

Sun: And finally, did you really audition for Metallica?

LC: I auditioned for Metallica years ago, when (original bassist) Cliff Burton died, yes.

Sun: Are you glad that didn't work out?

LC: Yes.