I can always count on interesting stuff from Les Claypool. He is one of my favorite musicians, his imagination seems to have no bounds, and his band, Primus, is one of very few artists to have toured on Lollapalooza, The H.O.R.D.E. and Ozzfest. The first time I saw Primus, they were opening for Rush. Second time, they opened on the Anthrax/Public Enemy tour. Third time, Shea Stadium opening for U2. Fourth time Lollapalloza (with Alice In Chains, Fishbone, Tool and Rage Against The Machine also on the bill). Les has jammed with Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Tom Waits and Alex Lifeson of Rush. His latest project is the film Electric Apricot, which he wrote, directed and co-stars in. It's basically a Spinal Tap-ish "fake" documentary of the jam band scene. I haven't seen it, but I have the soundtrack, which features four trcks from the title band, which Les plays drums (not bass) for. I like the way they kind of parody the jam band scene, but you can tell they also love it (as Les has spent lots of time at jam band festivals in recent years). I'm looking forward to seeing this movie when it comes out on DVD.
Coincidentally, I recently listened to the only album by Oysterhead, which featured Les, Trey Anastasio of Phish and Stewart Copeland of The Police. 2001's The Grand Pecking Order kind of introduced Les to the jamband scene. In my mind, the album is a classic. I saw one of their few shows, at New York's Roseland, and even convinced my bosses at Video Hits 1 to allow me to interview the band and shoot the show, which was a huge thrill. I am probably one of the only people to interview the three of them together. Oddly, all three guys said that they didn't want to reunite with their former bands, and since then, all three of them have. Here's hoping for an Oysterhead reunion!
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