SATURDAY SONGS TO SSSSSSSSSUCKIT TO: 4 X PRIMUS
Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 10:41am by Kip Wingerschmidt
“BAD MONKEYS!!!”
I swear to god, I’ve been woken up so many fuckin days round here by one of the fast-growing number of MetalNotSoGood staff members uncontrollably exclaiming the above, or a far grouchier expletive….for you see, we are always stepping in shit around here — how could you not when there are so many goddamn monkeys bouncing about, flinging all sorts of rancid poo at each other?
However, it is we who be the monkeys today, and here’s why: I recently made the sad discovery that we have never, ever, ever (never) written a single gosh darn post on the totally nutso and crazily unique seminal band Primus.
For shame!!
I was never a kill-dead-die-hard fan of these guys the way that so many became, but there was no denying the sheer talent and originality oozing from every song the band ever played.
Led by uber-bass-maniac Les Claypool, Primus skated a fascinating line between funk and metal, but ultimately there’s no real categorization to be made — the band has always had a sound unique unto themselves.
Clearly Primus sucks even more than metal does.
Dog will hunt…
PRIMUS – “John the Fisherman”, from Suck on This (1989)
PRIMUS – “Too Many Puppies”, from Frizzle Fry (1990)
PRIMUS – “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver”, from Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)
PRIMUS – “My Name Is Mud“, from Pork Soda (1993)
Note: the above tunes were some of the band’s more popular singles; to truly experience the insanity that is Primus, one must delve deep into the plasma pit that is each album…..don’t be scared!!! You can take a leak right here.
Vids after the jumpjumpjumpjump.
Here is the band rockin “Tommy the Cat” in 1995 in El Obeid, Sudan, for Prince Amhannadjin Rulfonsus’ birthday — now that’s a mouthful!! And yes, obviously that’s what she said.
Or if you’d prefer a glossier multi-camera thing, check out this performance of the same song from Spring Break 1992:
While we’re checking out vids from way back when, here’s a live performance of “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver”:
And just for shits n poopies, here’s Primus playing the intro from a leel song called “Master of Puppets”:
-KW
hell yes! primus rules. i mean… primus sucks
headin down to south park gonna have ourselves a time
hell yah fucking primus!!!
les claypool is a one of a kind motherfucker
Larry LaLonde is one of the most underrated guitarists around IMO.
people often forget his influence on death metal in possesed.
My name is Mud… it’s always been.
Primus is the best. They were all i listened to for like 2 years
I once saw them play acoustic with The Residents in SF. They played banjos – Les even had a bass banjo. Ridiculous.
No “Shake hands with beef”? No “Tommy the Cat”?
Goodbye cruel world. I’ve made an ass of myself for the last time.
BOOM!
I will never be able to hear “My Name is Mud” without thinking of closing time at the strip club, because it used to be my friend Rhiannon’s closing song. Last song of the night…the club mostly deserted…Rhiannon pole-dancing drunk and everyone wondering if the next spin was going to be the one where her drunk-ass finally bit it….
And I’m working on getting the league DJ to play “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” during our roller derby bouts, but I think it’s going to take quite a bit of convincing because our league is trying to go “legit.” *exasperated sigh* Pussies.
Even though I’m not a fan of their music, I have to admit that Jerry Was A Race Car Driver is a good song.
Primus sucks, and not in the cute ironic way.
+1
And might I ask why?
by the way Les Claypool was a member of Blind Illusion one awesome technical thrash metal band.
Find it, listen to it.
Also he auditioned for Metallica’s after Cliff’s death and they told him to go make his own band because he was too good for them (not 100% sure for this, but rumormill)
Larry also played in Blind Illusion. Great stuff.
But yeah, Primus > you.
Blind Illusion’s ‘The Sane Asylum’ (the album with Les and Ler on it) is fucking great.
Good not great. Production is horrible.
You guys do something on Primus and don’t mention their best song?
Where’s “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers” at?!?!?!?!?!
Their too busy runnin’ this here town.
*They’re. Fuck.
Primus + Moshpits = EPIC WIN!
Fantastic band -
i saw primus the first year they brought back lollapalooza back to chicago their bassist is nuts they were easily the best act !!!!!! love their bass!!
The only thing I can say is… fuck yeah.
I was a HUGE Primus fan in the 90’s.. discovered them shortly after I picked up the bass on a recommendation from a friend. So glad I checked them out. I was able to see them live several times during the Sailing the Seas/Pork Soda/Miscellaneous Debris era… Sick live band and I’m glad you guys posted them for the Saturday song.
Suggestion for a future week… Infection Grooves… good back story and some sick tunes.
ok… Infectious Grooves…
it’s time for me to go to bed.. I officially can’t spell and or type
FUCK. YES.
Primus is my favorite band of all time, even more so that Metallica. They put on the best live show that I have ever seen. Les Claypool is god. Wrds cannot describe how happy I am to see this post.
Primus is fucking awesome. Every album had something great to offer and remain one of the most underrated bands ever. Unfortunately, a good portion of the MS readers probably don’t “get” Primus.
It’s pudding time children.
Heh… looking at the posts here, you may be wrong about the readers.
Shit, I HOPE I’m wrong about that. But I guess the point I meant to make is that there is probably a waay higher percentage of idiots here who would pass over Primus and choose to label Slayer as a “unique” and “good” band, among other laughable and incorrect things.
But I digress. Bottom line; Primus=criminally underrated among the metal crowd.
OK, you’ve mentioned Les as being in Blind Illusion, but no mention yet of Larry playing in Possessed? Arguably one of the first true American death metal bands??? In 1983?
I’ve always appreciated Primus on a musical level, although I really can’t stand more than a song or two of theirs in a row, but their metal pedigree is untouchable.
Man, this brings back memories. Thanks for putting this up here, I actually had almost forgotten about these guys. Gonna go burn a copy of Frizzle Fry right now…
System of a down completely ripped off “South bound pachyderm” in one of theie earlier songs. Plus, Primus was heavier than any of those nu-wigger bands!
FUCK YEAH PRIMUS!
One of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. Also, when I was looking to adopt a cat, I said to my g/f, ‘I have to find a Tommy. I’ll know him when I see him’, and I found him! In fact, he’s sitting here now, waiting for me to feed him (he’s not exactly the ‘urban predator’ I thought he’d be)….
Fuckin’ A. I saw Primus at Rothbury last year and Claypool at both Wakarusa and Rothbury this year. That man can slap a bass guitar like no other. Just the right blend of really weird and heavy.
Sailing the Seas of Cheese is one of my all time favorite albums. Fish On is a frigin’ epic song.
One of my all-time favorite bands.
“Sailing the Seas of Cheese” was a life-changing album (”American Life” – best song).
See them live. You will not be disappointed.
I think the Brown Album was underrated. Usually people talk about Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese. I discovered Primus when I bought a lot of CDs off eBay and Pork Soda happened to be one of them. Sometimes we discover good stuff amongsts other good stuff (also discovered Nirvana via that lot).
In my top 5 bands ever !!!!
Ah, lovely!! I will now dance around the house like Nature boy!
The video for Mr. Krinkle has never been touched in sheer awesomeness.
Fuck yeah Primus!! Les did his best work in that band, his recent collaborations have been too strange and to “Floydian” for me. Too Many Puppies! (best song about war evar!)
Primus the beer is not that good though…
Primus Sucks! I saw Les Claypool on his solo tour back in ‘07, and he was amazing. He was a huge inspiration to me as a bass player, and that clip of Primus covering the first minute of “Master of Puppets” at Woodstock always brings a smile to my face.
Primus! Hell yeah. Great band, still listen to them. Still follow Claypool too, though most of his solo/non-Primus stuff doesn’t quite kick as much ass as Primus. Check out ‘South of the Pumphouse’ for a fun little fucked up read from Mr. Claypool himself.
I remember back in the 80’s when they used to play for a few bucks at Cotati Cabaret and the River Theater in Guerneville. I also remember when they did that video at the Phoenix, in Petaluma. They were one of the hottest bands around at the time. They actually got weirder as they progressed. Miscellaneous Debris is a great EP of cover tunes.
I like Primus for the most part, their is no denying they are talented musicians. But I can not listen through a entire album. Truthfully I only like a handful of their songs.