Profile of Les Claypool on Famous Like Me

Leslie "Les" Edward Claypool is a bassist and lead singer, best known for his work with the alternative rock band Primus. Born on September 29, 1963, in Richmond, California, Claypool's mastery of the electric bass has brought him into the spotlight with his funky, creative playing style. Though he cites bass virtuoso Geddy Lee of Rush as his greatest influence, Claypool mixed heavy metal finger-tapping, along with a Larry Graham-like slap technique to develop his own unique style. Claypool, himself, has become an influence on younger bassists in recent years.

Biography

Les Claypool was born on September 29th 1963 in Richmond, California, but was raised in El Sobrante, California in a working class family.

As a teenager, Claypool was turned on to rock music such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix by classmate Kirk Hammett (of Metallica fame). After picking up the bass at the age of fourteen and developing his chops in the school jazz band, Claypool played in a local cover band called the Tommy Crank Band where he was able to develop his slap technique through listening to Stanley Clarke and Larry Graham. He also bought his first Carl Thompson bass, his trademark four string piccolo. (He now owns six, including a multi-wood $10,000 fretless 6-string called the Rainbow Bass.)

In 1983, Claypool auditioned to play bass for Metallica, though Claypool didn't get the position because his style was considered "too funky". In the late 80s, Claypool played in the band Blind Illusion with future Primus guitarist Ler Lalonde. Primus began as Primate with Claypool's friends Todd Huth and Jay Lane in 1989, though Huth and Lane left shortly thereafter to pursue other projects. Claypool replaced them with metal guitarist Lalonde and eclectic drummer Tim Alexander. Primus began selling out local clubs with their out-of-control live act and irreverent approach to music (their catchphrase was - and still is - "Primus sucks!").

From 1989 to 2000, Primus steadily became the weirdest band to gain significant mainstream airplay, headlining Lollapalooza in 1993, appearing on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien in 1995, and even making an appearance at Woodstock '94 where they performed their Pork Soda hit "My Name is Mud" with predictable results (Claypool claims to still have mud in his speakers).

The year 2000 saw Primus on indefinite hiatus, leaving Claypool to form Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, a jam band in the vein of Phish or String Cheese Incident. This allowed him to return to his musical roots, playing songs by bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and the Beatles. Claypool has called the Frog Brigade his "mid-life crisis band." In addition to two live albums (one being an exact cover of Pink Floyd's Animals), the Frog Brigade has released one studio album, 2002's Purple Onion. Claypool has also collaborated with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland in jam-rock project Oysterhead.

Claypool also collaborated with virtuoso guitarist Buckethead, funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and former Primus drummer Brain under the name Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, whose concerts pushed the improvisational envelope by preparing no material and not rehearsing beforehand. At one of their shows they prepared sandwiches onstage for the audience members to eat.

In late 2003 Claypool reunited with former Primus drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist Larry LaLonde to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. They continued touring into 2004, even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety.

Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains re-united in 2004 to record The Big Eyeball in the Sky, an album with equal parts instrumental and vocal songs. The band began an 18-state tour of the US on September 24, 2004. The album features only one guest, the child-like multi-instrumentalist Gabby La La (noted as Gabby Lang on Les Claypool's Frog Brigade's Purple Onion) on vox and sitar. She also opened, to poor reviews, on every show during the 2004 tour as a solo act with sometimes members of Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains.

Claypool recently alienated many of his fans when he produced and performed on Gabby La La's first album, Be Careful What You Wish For.... He's also performed select shows with her (including the 2005 edition of the Bonnaroo Music Festival where he made his only appearance that year) and has added her to his new touring band, Les Claypool & His Fancy Band (also featuring Skerik on saxaphonics, Mike Dillon on percussion, and Jay Lane on drums). Gabby La La is the first artist Les has signed to his label since Charlie Hunter in 1993.

Currently, Claypool is working on his first attempt at film, Electric Apricot. The movie is to be a spoof of the jam band scene centered around the fake band, Electric Apricot, in the mockumentary tradition of Spinal Tap. The band was originally rumored to include Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Ratdog on guitar but those rumors were slowly put to rest after their first low-key show. The group is currently still performing low-key shows in the California area (most recently High Sierra Music Festival for the filming of the movie. The members of the band go by the assumed names (real identities in parenthesis) of Steve Hampton Trouzdale (Bob C. Cock) on bass and vocals, Steve "Gordo" Gordon (Brian Kehoe) on guitar and vocals, Herschal Tambor Brillstien (Jonathan Korty) on keyboards and vocals, and of course Lapland "Lapdog" Miclovik (Les Claypool) on drums and vocals. There is currently no release date for the film but you can find their fake profiles on its website, http://electricapricot.com.

Claypool is currently working on the long-awaited 8th full length Primus album set for a release in spring or summer 2006. He lives in El Sobrante, CA with his wife, son and daughter. His home is called "Rancho Relaxo", he records most of his music at his home too.

Discography

• The Sane Asylum (1988, Blind Illusion)
• Suck on This (1989, Primus)
• Frizzle Fry (1990, Primus)
• Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991, Primus)
• Miscellaneous Debris (1992, Primus)
• Making Plans For Nigel: Cheesy EP 1 (1992, Primus)
• Making Plans For Nigel: Cheesy EP 2 (1992, Primus)
• Bone Machine (1992, Tom Waits featuring Les Claypool on bass on 1 track)
• Pork Soda (1993, Primus)
• The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience (1993, Primus, one original track.)
• Riddles Are Abound Tonight (1994, Sausage)
• Tales from the Punchbowl (1995, Primus)
• Mrs. Blaileen (Single) (1995, Primus)
• Wynona's Big Brown Beaver (Single) (1995, Primus)
• Highball with the Devil (1996, Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel)
  
• Brown Album (1997, Primus)
• Monsters & Robots (Buckethead, Les Claypool and Brain play on select tracks)
• Boggy Depot(1998 Jerry Cantrell) Les played bass on the last two tracks
• Chef Aid (1998, a South Park soundtrack featuring Primus doing the South Park theme song and one other original track)
• Rhinoplasty (1998, Primus)
• Antipop (1999, Primus)
• Garage Inc. (1998, Metallica, Les Claypool plays bass on track 10)
• Mule Variations (1999, Tom Waits featuring Les Claypool on bass on 1 track)
• Live Frogs Set 1 (2001, Col. Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade)
  
• Live Frogs Set 2 (2001, Col. Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade)
  
• The Grand Pecking Order (2001, Oysterhead)
• Purple Onion (2002, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade)
• Crank It Up (2002, Les covered the Commander Cody classic 'Hot Rod Lincoln')
• The Deep End Vol. 2 (2002, Gov't Mule featuring Les Claypool on bass and vocals on 2 tracks)
• The Deepest End (2003, Gov't Mule featuring Les Claypool on bass and vocals on 2 tracks)
• Promo De Fromage: Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People (2003, Primus)
• Animals Should Not Try to Act like People (2003, Primus)
• The Big Eyeball in the Sky (2004, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains)
• Real Gone (2004, Tom Waits Featuring Les Claypool on bass and Brain on Drums on select tracks)
• Attention Dimension (2005, Jack Irons Featuring Les Claypool on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond)
• Side One (2005, Adrian Belew featuring Les Claypool and Danny Carey)
• Be Careful What You Wish For... (2005, Gabby La La featuring Les Claypool on all other instruments)
• 5 Gallons Of Diesel (2005, Les Claypool DVD)
• (Unititled) (2006, upcoming Primus album)

TV Theme Songs

• South Park (1997 thru present, Primus)
• Robot Chicken (2005, Les Claypool)

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