I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: PRIMUS-Suck on This (1990).

This was the disc that introduced me to Primus–it was on a beach vacation with my friends Al, Joe and Rad.  Al made this the soundtrack of the drive and, man, it was weird and crazy and super cool and by the end of that trip I was hooked.

Actually I was immediately hooked when the band opened this live disc with a rough version of Rush’s “YYZ” which then launched into “John the Fisherman.”  What do you make of this band and this weird song?  Stomping bass which is doing all of the lead stuff, with guitars that are just noises and craziness but which really work with what the bass is doing (once you listen a few times, anyway).  The drums are mammoth and very prog rock.  And then there’s Les’ voice–cartoony and unconventional–sometimes deep, sometime really silly, sounds that work perfectly with the storytelling lyrics.

The quality of this recording is pretty poor, although I find that it sounds a bit better on smaller, less “good” stereos, where Ler’s guitars don’t get lost so much in the bass.  Most of these songs have been re-recorded for later albums, so perhaps the newer versions sound cleaner to me.  [Groundhog’s Day, Frizzle Fry, John the Fisherman, Pudding Time and Harold of the Rocks on Frizzle Fry and Tommy the Cat on Sailing the Seas of Cheese].

The best songs on this disc have really catchy parts: “John the Fisherman” (most of it) or the insane fast bass and wild soloing section of “Groundhog’s Day.”  Sometimes it’s just when the noise stops and Les gets a line, like “It’s Just a Matter of Opinion” (in “The Heckler”).  Although the noise there is really catchy too–listen to what Ler is playing during the funky bass section–it’s wild and amazing.

Of course “Tommy the Cat” is a major standout from all three guys.

The only song that doesn’t really work for me is “Pressman” which seems a bit too long without a lot of resolution (although the end is pretty cool).  I often get “Jellikit” (the other song that didn’t make it to a studio album) in my head, whenever I think, Did you like it?  There’s even a drum solo from Herb the Ginseng Drummer in that song

What’s fun is that the audience is totally into it and they know most of the songs–anticipating lyrics and even singing along.  And this is where “We’re Primus and we suck.” comes from.  It was a shocking debut when it came out, and it’s still pretty unusual, although not as unusual as some of their later songs would be.

[READ: January 3, 2015] Primus

As I said above, I’ve been a fan of Primus since near the beginning of their existence.  And yet, for all of my enjoyment of them, I didn’t really know all that much about their origins.  I didn’t know that the original line up was Todd Huth and Jay Lane (guitars and drums), and that the three of them wrote the songs that appear on Suck on This and much of Frizzle Fry.  Ler had to learn these unusual parts (Ler took lessons with Joe Satriani and is much more accomplished than his lack of flashiness indicates) and did so wonderfully. I also didn’t know that Les and Kirk Hammet were in the same class in high school (and that he’s the reason Les picked up a bass in the first place, even though they never formally played together).

The book is constructed as a series of quotes from a vast assortment of people.  The “cast” is two pages long and includes current and former members of the band and management as well as fans like Trey Anastasio, Matthew Bellamy (from Muse), Geddy Lee, Chuck D, Eugene Hutz, Tom Morello, Buzz Osborne, Matt Stone, Mike Watt, Hank Williams III, guys from 24-7 Spyz, Fishbone, Limbomaniacs and even Linda Perry (!).

It opens with Les talking about his high school years.  And what’s amazing is how many people who were involved in Primus are friends from when he was a kid.  If they didn’t play together, they were involved with art or management or something.  We also get the origin story of Bob Cock, which answers many questions.

Les had formed Primate (legal dispute with the band The Primates made them become Primus) with Todd and Jay.  They toured a lot and were gaining a following, but Les was always looking for something more.  He even auditioned for Metallica after Cliff Burton died (Kirk thought it sounded great but I guess James didn’t).

They made a demo tape called Sausage which supposedly sounds fantastic.  You can find it online, but it’s evidently fifth or sixth generation and it sounds pretty bad–I’d love to find a better version.  But it is amazing to hear how much the songs sounded exactly the same as when they were officially recorded.

Primus was originally placed with the funk rock scene (because of Les’ bass), so they played with the likes of Fishbone and Red Hot Chili Peppers, even though they weren’t quite the same–actually they’re not like anyone else.

What’s most interesting about the band members is that even when they leave they don’t ever seem to hold a grudge.  Todd left because he wanted to start a family and Jay left because another band he was playing with was recording for a major label.  So Larry joined in 1989 and so did Tim Alexander.  I also had no idea that when Larry was in Possessed (I have that album) he was in 10th or 11th grade!

The book then walks through their albums and their growing success (and how cool Interscope was with them, allowing them a lot of freedom for their weird music).  Also that Pork Soda was a huge release when it came out (which I didn’t quite realize).

We also learn why Les recorded the Sausage album with original Primus guys (Jay and Todd).  The played some early songs which the three of them wrote but which Primus never recorded.  There’s also information about Les’ label Prawn Song which, before it became basically a place to release Primus and Les solo albums was a chance for Les to put out records from his friends’ bands.

Tim Alexander left because he seemed to be unhappy with his lack of a say in the band.  The whole band seems to have been adrift for the recording of Punchbowl (which sold poorly) and Tim left soon after.  And while there were some hard feelings at the time it seems they were easy to patch up.  So the first change of drummer was Brain (who had been in the Limbomaniacs).  And even though Brain brought an interesting new sound to the band, the discs he was on didn’t do very much for the band (not Brain’s fault).

Les was unsettled and he started exploring other avenues.  He never actually split up Primus, he just did some other things at the time.  The one thing I’ve always wondered was what Larry was up to all this time.  And apparently the answer is nothing.  He says he’s very lazy and enjoyed the time off with his family.  I don’t know if that’s the whole truth but it’s an interesting one (let’s assume he was making a ton of money from the South Park theme).

Les made some solo records (the Flying Frog Brigade) and the amazing Oysterhead record (Stewart Copeland sounds quite the smart fellow especially compared to these other guys).

The band reunited with Tim and did some touring in 2003, but while it seemed fun, they didn’t really feel it and only managed an EP together.  So they drifted again.  But by 2011, they had gotten Jay Lane to rejoin on drums and released Green Naugahyde.  Of course for their latest album (the Willy Wonka cover disc) Tim was back again, so clearly the friendships are strong even when they aren’t hanging out.

And indeed, every single person talks about how nice the guys are (and how they’re all friends).  If I have one complaint about the book it is that it needs a serious editor.  I can’t say how many times you read that so and so is such a good friend.  Or, even more egregious is how many times the rockers tend to repeat themselves…sometimes in the next chunk of text and sometimes in the very same paragraph.  The book probably could have been about 50 pages shorter with all of that taken out.

But aside from that, the book is fun.  Much of the book comes straight from Les, and he is always an excellent storyteller.  Nearly everyone else they talk to is interesting and either thoughtful or funny.  The only person who comes across as kind of a dick is Buzz Osborne–I’m not even entirely sure why they talk to him so much, as his lack of gushing over the band really stands out.

There are some cool pictures (I wish there were more, actually), including a funny one of Les and Geddy Lee on a boat catching a leopard shark (the accompanying story is hilarious).

The other thing I would have liked in the book is a complete discography of the guys in the band–what records has Larry been on, what has Tim done, even Brain and Tod and Jay?  Most of their records are mentioned, but a list would have been very helpful.

This was a really enjoyable book to start the new year with and it has gotten me to listen to the old Primus records again.  Now I just need Les to give me a nickname.