Claypool recently said he and LaLonde dropped acid before this performance. Saw Primus I think around 5 times now (most recent was the Rush tribute tour last year), and I've always been amazed how great they are. But, being able to trip while playing like this? That's a simple testament to countless hours of playing.
Yeah dude, that's crazy. I used to play the bass. I also took a lot of LSD in high school. I tried playing on acid. It's impossible! The damn strings kept waving. I also have seen Primus live about 7 or 8 times. And I saw the tribute to Rush concert in Philly. Great show! Primus sucks!
Here’s an explanation, it was supposed to be an instrumental but les *Really* wanted to add lyrics to the song, and so he did. Meanwhile he was practicing the hell out of it just so he could sing while slapping, then they used that version and thus the song was born.
sam jose I know - compare it to mainstream today. This would be downright avant garde. It amazes me that wide swaths of the public can embrace unusual challenging music. I hope it will happen again!
I love how in all the live versions of this, Les appears to change the structure of the slap part right after the second verse, but the tone always sounds the same. Amazing to watch him always improvise.
The coolest thing! Check out when Les looks at the MTV presenter (yes the wanyes world chick), he bursts into such a cool riff before hitting back to tommy.
It started in the early days of the band when they would take the stage and Les would say "We're Primus, and we suck!" At that point fans basically took over the phrase.
+Fretless_ness They were. I have the ol' Primus book they released back near the end of 2014. Les states in the book that Ler and himself dropped acid before this paticular show. And they did drugs before a lot of their shows back in those days. I'm not sure if they do anymore though.
Fretless_ness I was thinking that too. But I've never done it so I don't really know if it's possible to get up their and do shit like that. But I've heard lots of stories of musicians who do psychadelics and/or drugs before shows. Maybe you think the effects of acid are more drastic than they really are.
Fretless_ness Trolls Boggle No, you can definitely still do it if you get the dosage right. It's the same as any other drug - you could gig on a shot of Jaegermeister, but probably not on 15 shots! BTW, Trolls - that book is superb, isn't it? You get a real sense of fun from it, and the impression that Les would still be Doing His Thing regardless of whether or not he sold a single ticket/album.
this live performance is by far my favorite version of this song. Everything about it is so flawless. I show friends this video whenever they come to chill and even the ones who don't even know who Primus is in the first place; they all agree this is just sick
Les and the drummer just lays down that Primus funk... the guitarist just jams out, propelling the the overall jam to the next level while still funky. Amazing
@DrummingHero3 Gathering of the Vibes, 2000, I was doing lights for the festival....Les was playing on the second stage w/ the Frog Brigade (I think), and while I was setting up my liquids on the side of the stage, Les was getting his gear up and running...I walk up to, introduce myself and tell him he sucks....he looked at me w/ a blank stare, then smiled and said "why thank you, kind sir"
Tommy the Cat lives with us when he isn't strutting around with his balls swinging beneath his upraised tail, looking for some kitty-cat action in the alley. He's mucho macho, and this song is his.
@TheOneWhoHasNoSkin dude, that's the international Primus fan calling card. It roughly translates as "Primus are fucking awesome" in the Queen's english.
Not really. They all have huge presences on stage, its just that usually people admire Les' bass because it is the lead instrument. But skill wise, Ler and Tim(Jay and Brain too) are all fantastic musicians. In my opinion they are some of the best at their respective instruments. But i kind of understand what you're saying.
+Trolls Boggle I completely agree, I'd say Primus and Rush are the best at what they do especially since they are trio's. Obviously it's pretty hard to compare Rush and Primus but they are all incredible musicians.
I remember watching that in college... the other bands got to play 3 songs... Primus only played 2: Tommy and Jerry... (hmm never noticed that cartoon-esque pair of names) I think because Tommy is already long, they decided to stretch it out. They were also on The Dennis Miller late night talk show that year... opened for Rush the year before... good times!
@hoovboy14 FYI, Les has also played this on a fretted 4 string bass...not quite the same sound (obviously), but still impressive. That version can be found around here somewhere, and also on "SUCK ON THIS", the first Primus album.
I have to believe that there will ultimately be a backlash and we'll get back on track, to a place where creativity, innovation and musicianship will not be relegated to the fringes of the music world. I think that in this age of instant gratification and spoon fed entitlement, the majority doesn't invest the time to play or even appreciate this type as music because it's challenging. Kudos to those who do. There are sleeper cells of musical genius out there, and eventually the dam will break.
The most moshing I saw at their concert a while back was during the the really rough bridge in Jerry. Everyone was either jumping in the air or smacking each other around at that point. Mostly just jumping though, I think the Primus crowd has a lot of music fans who are paying attention too closely to start slamming.
I love that Les and Ler dropped acid before this show because they didn't want to be there
Tim Alexander is a complete VIKING. God Bless Preemus.
les' shakey hand gesture fucking cracks me up,hes a funny bastard,and herb iso fluid on the drums
4:24 that fill...
Claypool recently said he and LaLonde dropped acid before this performance. Saw Primus I think around 5 times now (most recent was the Rush tribute tour last year), and I've always been amazed how great they are. But, being able to trip while playing like this? That's a simple testament to countless hours of playing.
Playing really high on edibles are hard enough.... Crazy lol
Yeah dude, that's crazy. I used to play the bass. I also took a lot of LSD in high school. I tried playing on acid. It's impossible! The damn strings kept waving. I also have seen Primus live about 7 or 8 times. And I saw the tribute to Rush concert in Philly. Great show! Primus sucks!
He was seeing tia in ORange vision
the good ole days....i remember this like it was......well yesterday :)
the bassist you see made the theme song to south park smart one.
vocals and all
I will never understand how Les is able to play this bassline in particular AND sing the verses at the same time. Incredible.
Here’s an explanation, it was supposed to be an instrumental but les *Really* wanted to add lyrics to the song, and so he did. Meanwhile he was practicing the hell out of it just so he could sing while slapping, then they used that version and thus the song was born.
He was also dropped acid before the show
It's called practice. He's said in an interview that it took him a long time to be able to sing to this after he wrote it.
In the amount of time it takes to play this song your muscle memeory becomes so good that you can do it.
He was also on acid
I learnt that les and ler were both on acid during this show, and it's quite evident
moshing to Primus seems like one of the most odd yet totally right and amazing things to do in life
Unique style. i do like some of there stuff kinda funky
I cannot believe that once upon, what feels like a very long time ago, THIS was on MTV.
THIS was 'mainstream' in '92. Where were you?
sam jose I know - compare it to mainstream today. This would be downright avant garde. It amazes me that wide swaths of the public can embrace unusual challenging music. I hope it will happen again!
It shocks me to see old clips of when mtv still had TRL & Manson would be on the show or when they had the VMAs and he played..like wtf happened
Unfortunately it was only a couple of months after this that The Real World premiered and everything about MTV changed... drastically.
I love the stare Les is giving to the one that played Cassandra in Waynes World. hes all like "yeah bitch, you know you want meh"
Their cohesiveness and timing is impeccable
All of this band absolutely fucking rock their instruments
This is the single most percussive performance on a bass I've ever seen.
I saw them between 92-93 at Trees in Dallas!!Fun times!
I love how in all the live versions of this, Les appears to change the structure of the slap part right after the second verse, but the tone always sounds the same. Amazing to watch him always improvise.
American had Pringles in 1992? Holy fuck, you guys were living in the future!
the drums are so sick and they meld great with les' crazy ass vocals
The coolest thing! Check out when Les looks at the MTV presenter (yes the wanyes world chick), he bursts into such a cool riff before hitting back to tommy.
2:36 when he's tearing it up with the pringles blimp in the background, that is the epitome of the 90's right there.
How does someone sing and play this at the same time? Unreal, either one is a challenge.
I was in that crowd. Awesome
lucky girl you are!!!!
yeesh you must have been a youngin judging by your pic!
Jadeca Cardoza I don't believe that story.
@yeahman Absolutely lucky. Do I have stories.
chuckobscure I was pretty young 14
Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde were tripping on LSD during this. Les just confirmed this recently
So good. Their drummer is fuckin dope.
It started in the early days of the band when they would take the stage and Les would say "We're Primus, and we suck!" At that point fans basically took over the phrase.
Man, crowds moshing and surfing to this is incredible.
Still brilliant in 2022!
insanely talented guitarist, drummer and bass player
the interactive transcript is one of the funniest things ive ever seen
It's like the crowd has absolutely NO IDEA what''s going on stage. Classic Primus!
@AdobePhsyko dont forget geddy lee , les claypools master
Herb has gotta be one of the sickest drummers out there.
He had a drum set similar to his idol, Stewart Copeland of The Police. You can check the drum set at the Tama website.
insanely talented bass player!
Pudsy440 Nah he SUCKS
Mr. Krinkle
True!
The bass line itself is not too difficult to play (well for me anyway), but the rapping and playing is just ridiculous. I can't do it at all.
Bdoubletho Haha. I don't bow down to fellow musicians. ;p I shake their hands.
+Ianthebassist you should shake hands with beef....
Great quality for something recorded on VCR.
such a great bassist... the fact he talks jibberish over his advanced playing is just mind blowingly good.. im addicted to watching this guy!
les claypool with a bass guitar + tim alexander with a phat set = JAM SESSION
This, famously, was the gig at which Les and Ler dropped acid before going on.
Peter Falconer That might explain 3:56.
+Merlyn White-Aldworth Hey what the hell ya got goin on over there!
+Fretless_ness They were. I have the ol' Primus book they released back near the end of 2014. Les states in the book that Ler and himself dropped acid before this paticular show. And they did drugs before a lot of their shows back in those days. I'm not sure if they do anymore though.
Fretless_ness I was thinking that too. But I've never done it so I don't really know if it's possible to get up their and do shit like that. But I've heard lots of stories of musicians who do psychadelics and/or drugs before shows. Maybe you think the effects of acid are more drastic than they really are.
Fretless_ness Trolls Boggle No, you can definitely still do it if you get the dosage right. It's the same as any other drug - you could gig on a shot of Jaegermeister, but probably not on 15 shots!
BTW, Trolls - that book is superb, isn't it? You get a real sense of fun from it, and the impression that Les would still be Doing His Thing regardless of whether or not he sold a single ticket/album.
I wish I could go back in time to be here.
Damn best tommy the cat live performance ever, period
No question
this live performance is by far my favorite version of this song. Everything about it is so flawless. I show friends this video whenever they come to chill and even the ones who don't even know who Primus is in the first place; they all agree this is just sick
Rocking the dead shirt in 92 what a time and place.
Such a sweet sounding kit round Herb in this.
Cha I always like his drum drum sound from 89-93
no. because he often plays alot of cool stuff, which is pretty technical. that riff is simple and heavy at the same time- and i like it
Primus -
Thank you for existing.
Sincerely,
Cameron
20 years ahead of their time!
Les and the drummer just lays down that Primus funk... the guitarist just jams out, propelling the the overall jam to the next level while still funky. Amazing
I think he might be the most high and tripped person alive today. Just listen to Of Fungi and Foe.
Damn, that drummer is unbelievable... He can do more with a hi-hat, snare, and kick than most drummers can do with a monster kit!
You can always count on Primus to have great musicians at every instrument.
Hard to believe that just a few short years before this Larry LaLonde was playing in Possessed.
this is better than the recorded version
If I ever get a cat, i'm gonna name it Tommy.
I read the book, where he said, that Ler and Les were on LSD during springbreak 92' gig
@MiseryFields That and all the breaks Les Claypool takes for his side projects and touring inconsistency. They were HUGE in the 90s.
That bass line is so tasty.
so nasty!
they hung out with trolls
3:40 part
Ooooffffff
Captures an era they rocked at woodstock 1994
@DrummingHero3 Gathering of the Vibes, 2000, I was doing lights for the festival....Les was playing on the second stage w/ the Frog Brigade (I think), and while I was setting up my liquids on the side of the stage, Les was getting his gear up and running...I walk up to, introduce myself and tell him he sucks....he looked at me w/ a blank stare, then smiled and said "why thank you, kind sir"
Tim 'Herb' Alexander, one of the most solid drummers on the face of this earth.
i love how Les always wears Dead shirts =D
Tommy the Cat lives with us when he isn't strutting around with his balls swinging beneath his upraised tail, looking for some kitty-cat action in the alley.
He's mucho macho, and this song is his.
What a time to be alive!!
1:25 silent bob has to be around there somewhere
Les' bass playing = LUSCIOUS
Top 5 bass player...
Him
Geddy Lee
Cliff burton
Jon Paul Jones
Flea
...in no particular order. (IMO)
No complaints with your list. Very spot on.
420 Blaze Master Close I got Geddy Lee#1 Les looked up to Geddy.
Oooo may have to include Duff as your 6th.
Narai Mc Jaco Pastorius?? He’s not Geddy Lee. Good bassist, but Geddy is better.
@@JB-po4ue Very true imo. However, Jaco is probably the king when it comes to jazz. Geddy even owns a Jaco jazz bass replica.
When MTV didn't suck
Anybody else want to be the owner of the Pringles blimp in the background?
That's why I said "they're there only for reference but they're not really frets"
4:11 is a cover of the breakdown part of lakeside's "fantastic voyage", thanks san andreas!
i love that bass.
LOL, Tim tricked larry on that last beat at 5:28!
@TheOneWhoHasNoSkin dude, that's the international Primus fan calling card. It roughly translates as "Primus are fucking awesome" in the Queen's english.
I love the way the bass and drums start trading off licks at 3:46
Someday I will see this band.
He can slap that bass like nobodys business
@grimripper777 that particular bass is the Rainbow Bass, a one of a kind made by Carl Thompson.
Tim Aaaaaaleeeeeeexaaaandeeeeerrrrrrrr!
Little known fact les was tripping balls lol
you might not like claypool, but if you don't think he can play bass, i don't know what to tell you.
You could start by calling them dumb
Herald Hendrix who's your top 5 bass players?
What’s not to like?
This is very true, I'm all to used to people trying to tell me otherwise. What a nice change of pace.
Sometimes I feel bad for Larry and Herb. They always get upstaged by Les.
Not really. They all have huge presences on stage, its just that usually people admire Les' bass because it is the lead instrument. But skill wise, Ler and Tim(Jay and Brain too) are all fantastic musicians. In my opinion they are some of the best at their respective instruments. But i kind of understand what you're saying.
+Trolls Boggle I completely agree, I'd say Primus and Rush are the best at what they do especially since they are trio's. Obviously it's pretty hard to compare Rush and Primus but they are all incredible musicians.
thats such an awesome guitar solo
amazing...
I remember watching that in college... the other bands got to play 3 songs... Primus only played 2: Tommy and Jerry... (hmm never noticed that cartoon-esque pair of names) I think because Tommy is already long, they decided to stretch it out. They were also on The Dennis Miller late night talk show that year... opened for Rush the year before... good times!
yo is that the chick from waynes world at the end?!
Yes, that is Tia Carerra
Cassandra. Schwing!
Classic performance
I didn't know Mr. Crocker played bass
Extremely Kick ass mic stand slide.
I laughed my arse off at the improv from 3:13 to 3:50! Soooo epic! I love Primus and Les Claypool!
@hoovboy14 FYI, Les has also played this on a fretted 4 string bass...not quite the same sound (obviously), but still impressive. That version can be found around here somewhere, and also on "SUCK ON THIS", the first Primus album.
@DeinVorbild95 You just described my entire opinion on this..
Thank you for making it easier.
I salute you.
Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well.
Last person I ever expected to see here
I have to believe that there will ultimately be a backlash and we'll get back on track, to a place where creativity, innovation and musicianship will not be relegated to the fringes of the music world. I think that in this age of instant gratification and spoon fed entitlement, the majority doesn't invest the time to play or even appreciate this type as music because it's challenging. Kudos to those who do. There are sleeper cells of musical genius out there, and eventually the dam will break.
Larry Lalonde
lmao i love the thing les does with his hand
Les Claypool is the Groucho Marx of 90's alternative.
The most moshing I saw at their concert a while back was during the the really rough bridge in Jerry. Everyone was either jumping in the air or smacking each other around at that point. Mostly just jumping though, I think the Primus crowd has a lot of music fans who are paying attention too closely to start slamming.
I don't think people realize how ground breaking this music was....still is really.
Holy balls batman, can you believe this was on MTV? This kicks some major A$%