It seems that Primus might just once again make the long-awaited trip to the recording studio - or at least guitarist Larry LaLonde is hoping that is the case. Since the band reunited in 2003 for the Tour De Fromage after a brief hiatus, LaLonde has said that it was like the trio was never apart. While there has yet to be a full-length CD of new material released, the band has been keeping busy by touring the U.S. and resurrecting that fascinating Primus chemistry in the process.
The band’s latest tour is in support of the
Blame It On The Fish DVD, an “
abstract” look at the 2003 Tour De Fromage, as well as They Can’t All Be Zingers, a best-of-the-singles compilation. While Zingers brilliantly chronicles much of Primus’ career, fans are nonetheless anticipating the day when LaLonde, bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, and drummer Tim Alexander will release the next Primus masterpiece.
LaLonde recently talked with Ultimate Guitar writer
Amy Kelly about the unique connection among the bandmates that has kept the band thriving for so long.
UG: The DVD covers the first tour after a hiatus of several years. What was it like on that first night back on stage?
Larry: You know, it really sort of just felt like it was just like another day of the tour. It was weird because it didn’t seem like it had been that much time. I guess we’ve done so many shows over our lifetime that it really didn’t feel like there was that big of a gap at all. At least to me, it didn’t. Probably the reality is that it’s not as much as a gap. It’s probably a regular gap for most bands, but we were used to just playing nonstop, touring and recording. So it was weird how it just didn’t feel that weird.
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| "You never know with this band. We're not good at planning!" |
Was there one member who was primarily responsible for getting the band back together?
I think it kind of just floated back together, which is usually kind of the way things work for us. I think it was kind of based around when we started putting together the DVD for Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People. It turned into like, “Okay, we want to get all our videos in sort of one place on one disk.” And then that turned into the idea of putting a couple new songs on. So then we got together, starting writing songs, and just kind of fell back into the groove of it.
Have the live shows inspired the band to think about the possibility of recording more songs?
Yeah, definitely. It is for me. Usually a lot more stuff just comes out of our listening to our tapes of jams and stuff, so hopefully after this tour we’ll listen back to some of the tapes or sound checks or whatever. We haven’t really planned anything, but personally I’m hoping that it turns into something. But you never know with this band. We’re not good at planning!
What caused the band to go on hiatus in the first place?
You know, I don’t even know. It was one of those things where the tour ended and just nothing else started back up. People started to drift off and do other things. We just never had like the, “Okay, well, we’re gonna take a break now.” It was just as easy as that. It sort of stopped and then basically came back around again. It’s so weird to say. Luckily it’s not the kind of thing where our band was like, “Okay, we’re done now. We’re gonna break up and that’s it.” We’re definitely a never-say-never kind of band.
When you originally started thinking about putting together the DVD Blame It On The Fish, did director Matt Powers tell you that he was going to do a more abstract approach?
It basically just started where we going to bring him along to sort of film, not for any particular reason, but in case we wanted to have footage for anything. We figured we’d have him come along and just walk around with the camera. Then that turned in to just like, “Hey, why don’t you go ahead and put something together.” As opposed to normally everything we had done we had just put together ourselves. So it’s kind of different perspective with somebody else putting it together.
I saw a little bit of it along the way. I tried to, but it was kind of hard to get around to it. It didn’t give me a chance to really pick through it. So I saw bits and pieces, but not a whole lot.
It’s so different than anything than most band DVDs out there. What was your reaction when you saw the finished product?
Kind of that same thing. It’s definitely different than anything out there! It’s definitely bizarre to where some people may not understand it or get it. But it just kind of made me think of like when I was a kid, getting the weird Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii or something. I mean, I just thought hopefully it would be something that would be really cool and stand out a little bit as something different, and not just another, “Oh, here’s that concert.”
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| "It's definitely different than anything out there!" |
On 2003’s Tour De Fromage, the second set included a performance replaying your Sailing The Seas Of Cheese album in full. Are you doing anything similar on the new tour?
It has kind of been go with the flow. There’s obviously some songs that people always want to hear, so we try to throw a couple of those in. And then we’ll try to like learn 1 or 2 at sound check, and then just kind of keep building off of it. It kind of gets hard. You have to weigh the balance of wanting to change it a lot, but then again realizing that it’s just different people everyday. So you don’t want to play totally obscure songs. You don’t want anybody to be bummed out. “Oh, I wish they would have played this.” We try to walk that fine line.
Are there any completely new songs that people might hear on the tour?
There’s always some things where it could turn into weird things. Then we’ll listen back one day and go, “Oh, that’s actually a cool part for a song!” We may have something, but we don’t know yet.
Are you using the same guitars and amps that you’ve used for most of your years in Primus?
I’ve tried a bunch of stuff. But I definitely just get a little Marshall amp stack. That’s pretty much my trusted thing. I’ve got a couple of Vox I use it for different sounds. But mainly it’s the Marshalls.
Guitar-wise, I went through a long time of just having like 1 or 2 guitars on the road. This time I’ve got like 10. There were like some vintage guitars, an SG and Les Paul.
Is there one guitar that you use if you really want to nail a certain sound in a song?
Yeah, definitely my PRS. I could do the whole show with just the PRS!
Primus has so many different sounds in its songs. Do you use a lot of pedals or effects?
Yeah, I’ve got a ton of effects that I like to goof around with it. But I’ve found that just being on the road, having what I need is the best. The worst is having stuff break. It’s pretty standard. Just a good old Boss digital delay, a chorus, a flanger, and like a tremolo and a wah pedal. I’ve got all the basics!
You also play banjo in some songs. When did you first pick the banjo up?
To be honest, I’m cheating. It’s a 6-string banjo! I was at a pawn shop one day in San Francisco and there was a 6-string banjo. So basically it’s like playing guitar.
Have you ever tried a 4-string or 5-string banjo?
I tried. It’s totally impossible! Yeah, I can’t lie about that one. I’m cheating.
How much time do you practice the guitar each day? Or do you consider the live show practice in itself?
For the most part I do. But especially like the last tour we did, where we were the only band with 2 sets, there’s almost not enough time between sound check and the show to practice. But I’ve been really trying to make a point of practicing before the show.
Is it true that you took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani?
Yeah, for probably about 3 years. I lucked out so big time! I can’t tell you how much I learned from him.
How old were you when you started taking lessons from him?
I think I was about 17.
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| "To be honest, I’m cheating. I use a 6-string banjo." |
Do you think he had a big influence on what you sound like as a guitarist today?
Yeah, a huge influence. He really took the attitude of, “It’s just a piece of wood with strings. You can do whatever you want with it.” There are rules and ways that things work - not necessarily rules, but the way the thing does work together and everything. But he definitely gave me the confidence to try to go as far as I could with it and try any combination. Just try to get the most out of it.
There’s a great quote from you on the DVD where you say, “I never thought the band would go anywhere because the music was just too bizarre.”
Yeah! Well, when you’re 19…
Do you think the bizarreness is a direct result of the band chemistry?
I think it just happened for us. The 3 of us just happened to bring it out because we’re not telling each other what to do. Like, “Here’s a song I wrote.” Everyone kind of brings their own part to it. That definitely adds to it because it’s coming from 3 different people. It’s kind of blending in a unique way.
Has there been any song you’ve written that you’re particularly proud of?
Well, for me, the song “The Heckler” is one, with the weird sounds. For me, that was really like, “Oh, wow! These tricks can make songs.”
Was that song created in a jam session?
Yeah, it probably just came out of jamming one day, picking parts, and finding things that worked.
Are there any bands out today that you think are coming out with creative and original records?
You know, there probably are, but I’ve been so lazy as far as like keeping up on new bands. It seems like there are so many new bands. You hear all these names and different things. A lot of times, I’ll get around to checking it out to hear how awesome it is, and it’s just like some stupid rock thing that sounds like Bon Jovi - but they look punk rock. You’re like, “What the hell is this?” So it’s so discouraging. I’m like, “You know, forget it. I’ll go listen to Zappa.”
But it does seem to be leading towards where people are playing attention to the guitar. You’re actually reading about people in a band that play guitar. Hopefully it will bring something good.
On the compilation CD They Can’t All Be Zingers, the bonus edition includes the Woodstock live version of “My Name Is Mud.” I hear it was pretty chaotic and muddy when you played that song.
Yeah. It was definitely a muddy, crazy day for my guitar playing. Some guy was just throwing pieces of mud and grass. It was pretty crazy! A guy kicked it off and then it kind of tapered down from there.
Did you hear that Primus was named #97 on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock?
Oh, really? I’m pleased to hear we’re actually on it because usually we’re on the “Worst Bands” list! That’s cool. I hadn’t even heard about that.
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| "I lucked out so big time taking guitar lessons from Joe Satriani!" |
What goes through your head when you see Primus on the “Worst Bands” list or hear people criticize your music?
When I was growing up in high school, some people were like, “The Dead Kennedys and Frank Zappa are a joke.” A lot of people don’t care to venture that far into crazy things. But a lot of times, too, like as far as reviews or how we’re perceived by a lot of magazines, they don’t really care to take time to listen to what it is or anything. So they just go, “Oh, we don’t like it.” So I guess it makes us feel better that they’re dorks because they don’t understand it!
During the hiatus from Primus, you did a side project called No Forcefield. Was your approach to the music a lot different with that band?
It was mainly just about trying out crazy, electronic music. It was mostly based on turntables and scratching with the guys from Invisibl Skratch Piklz. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the guy Alec Empire. We were trying to go for that. Just kind of crazy, chaotic music that was very obvious that wasn’t made for commercial potential. It was really fun. It was easy because it was people coming over to my house and hanging out and having fun. We were amazed it actually came out. We were all like, “No way!”
So what are the chances of Primus going into the studio to record a full-length record in the next year?
I hope it is super possible. I’m hoping that it’s definitely something that happens. I don’t know if it will be in the next year. I don’t want to say that it will and then have everybody going, “You said you guys were going in the studio!”
Have you gotten the impression that Les and Tim are hoping to record another album as well?
I’m hoping they’ll be. It’s hard to get a read on it for sure. But we’ll definitely get things happening one day at a time.
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although haven't they dropped the whole "primus sucks" thing?
Can't wait for the new album. Definitely one of the best most unique bands out there.
(and goddamn it mods don't ban me again, primus sucks = their slogan; www.primussucks.com