Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 29, 1993 TAG: 9310290077
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
His road manager called instead. "I'm having a little trouble getting Les out of bed. Can we reschedule?"
Of course, it was early yet: not quite noon.
This is rock 'n' roll, after all.
So, six hours later when Claypool finally got around to calling, the logical question was: What time do you normally get up?
"It depends on what you mean by getting up," he answered.
Don't get any ideas that Claypool is just another typical sleep-late, fried-out rock star, though. Musically, he is anything but typical. And during a recent telephone interview, he was wide-awake and surprisingly serious for a guy who writes songs about pork soda and waiting in line at the DMV.
Claypool and Primus will play Radford University on Sunday.
Since it will be Halloween, Claypool encouraged people to come in costume, although he said he doesn't plan to dress any differently than usual.
"I pretty much look like an oddity most of the time anyway."
Which isn't exactly true. By rock standards, Claypool, 30, looks pretty tame - more auto mechanic than music royalty.
Maybe there is an explanation. Claypool comes from a family of mechanics. His father and stepfather are both mechanics, and Claypool said he instinctively knows his way around an engine.
In fact, he does some of his own car repairs - but more out of necessity than desire. "It's quicker if I do it myself and it's cheaper," he said.
The blue-collar background also helps explain where Claypool mines some of his lyrical content. He often writes about fishing and car racing and rednecks and other assorted "blue-collar tweakers."
Beyond that, Claypool is hard-pressed to pinpoint where he developed such a knack for the bizarre. Just look at some of his song titles: "My Name is Mud," "The Air is Getting Slippery," "Pork Soda," "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver" and "Sailing the Seas of Cheese."
"I've always been one to poke fun at things," he said.
Musically, Primus - driven by Claypool's roaring, diesel-truck bass lines - is just as much an oddity. The band has been described as a punkier, thrashier Rush fronted by Mel Blanc, a funkadelic mix of metal and art rock, and the Salvadore Dalis of hard rock. And as a singer, Claypool has been compared to everything from a carnival-barker from hell to Mr. Magoo. Imagine Hank Williams on acid.
Warped music for a warped world.
Claypool founded Primus in 1984 with guitarist Todd Huth and a drum machine. Originally, the duo called itself Primate, but later changed the name to Primus.
Eventually, a live drummer, Tim Alexander, was added. Huth departed in 1989 and was replaced by Larry Lalonde. That same year, with $3,000 borrowed from Claypool's mechanic father, the group recorded its first album, "Suck on This."
Around San Francisco, Primus developed a loyal following on the club scene. The Primus rallying cry became "Primus Sucks!"
Claypool explained the slogan's origin recently in Stone magazine: "People would follow us around telling us how cool we were and we'd be like, `Nah, we suck.' It evolved, and then it became good marketing."
The band's breakthrough year was 1992, when it landed opening spots on tours for U2 and Rush. The Rush gig was particularly rewarding because the band has always cited Rush as a big influence.
Then last summer, Primus got the prime headliner spot on the Lollapalooza tour.
The band is touring small auditoriums and theaters now. Claypool said they are a welcome change. "Football stadiums are fun, but they are better for scoring touchdowns than they are for music," he said.
He also is happy to have Primus out on its own - not as an opener or as part of the Lollapalooza scene. "You get to see what your value is."
The verdict so far?
"We've definitely become much more popular," he said.
Which means, of course, Claypool can afford to sleep a little later these days.
by CNB