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!
@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 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.
+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.
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.
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
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.
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
Notice now when he plays he says "Say baby do you wanna lay down with me SAY BABY...." and the crowd yells SAY BABY!!! bac then it wasn't that way strange huh? Glad to see Les has come a long way from then and he still kicks ass
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.
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.
Les is totally trying to get the MTV hostess standing over on the side. Hes like "what the hell ya got goin over there?" and looks at her. then starts jamming extra funky to show her that hes super funky.
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.
He was seeing tia in ORange vision
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!
Little known fact les was tripping balls lol
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
Unique style. i do like some of there stuff kinda funky
the good ole days....i remember this like it was......well yesterday :)
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
les' shakey hand gesture fucking cracks me up,hes a funny bastard,and herb iso fluid on the drums
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.
the bassist you see made the theme song to south park smart one.
vocals and all
Their cohesiveness and timing is impeccable
If I ever get a cat, i'm gonna name it Tommy.
This is the single most percussive performance on a bass I've ever seen.
@TheOneWhoHasNoSkin dude, that's the international Primus fan calling card. It roughly translates as "Primus are fucking awesome" in the Queen's english.
So good. Their drummer is fuckin dope.
I think he might be the most high and tripped person alive today. Just listen to Of Fungi and Foe.
It's like the crowd has absolutely NO IDEA what''s going on stage. Classic Primus!
@AdobePhsyko dont forget geddy lee , les claypools master
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.
All of this band absolutely fucking rock their instruments
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....
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"
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.
I saw them between 92-93 at Trees in Dallas!!Fun times!
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.
Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde were tripping on LSD during this. Les just confirmed this recently
insanely talented guitarist, drummer and bass player
back when mtv was cool
Herb has gotta be one of the sickest drummers out there.
Still brilliant in 2022!
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.
les claypool with a bass guitar + tim alexander with a phat set = JAM SESSION
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
Great quality for something recorded on VCR.
That bass line is so tasty.
so nasty!
they hung out with trolls
3:40 part
Ooooffffff
When MTV didn't suck
the drums are so sick and they meld great with les' crazy ass vocals
Rocking the dead shirt in 92 what a time and place.
such a great bassist... the fact he talks jibberish over his advanced playing is just mind blowingly good.. im addicted to watching this guy!
What a time to be alive!!
Primus -
Thank you for existing.
Sincerely,
Cameron
Les' bass playing = LUSCIOUS
Damn best tommy the cat live performance ever, period
No question
thats such an awesome guitar solo
Man, crowds moshing and surfing to this is incredible.
Someday I will see this band.
Such a sweet sounding kit round Herb in this.
Cha I always like his drum drum sound from 89-93
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.
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
Pretty fly for a Primus Guy
... Sorry had to do it :p
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.
How does someone sing and play this at the same time? Unreal, either one is a challenge.
this is better than the recorded version
lmao i love the thing les does with his hand
Tim 'Herb' Alexander, one of the most solid drummers on the face of this earth.
This is very true, I'm all to used to people trying to tell me otherwise. What a nice change of pace.
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
the interactive transcript is one of the funniest things ive ever seen
I read the book, where he said, that Ler and Les were on LSD during springbreak 92' gig
I wish I could go back in time to be here.
1:25 silent bob has to be around there somewhere
Les claypool could end any world crisis by hitting it with his thumb
He can slap that bass like nobodys business
Notice now when he plays he says "Say baby do you wanna lay down with me SAY BABY...." and the crowd yells SAY BABY!!! bac then it wasn't that way strange huh? Glad to see Les has come a long way from then and he still kicks ass
LOL, Tim tricked larry on that last beat at 5:28!
i love that bass.
Anybody else want to be the owner of the Pringles blimp in the background?
Classic performance
I love the way the bass and drums start trading off licks at 3:46
the hat les is wearing says gotcha...thats the best damn hat ever
4:11 is a cover of the breakdown part of lakeside's "fantastic voyage", thanks san andreas!
That's why I said "they're there only for reference but they're not really frets"
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.
He had a drum set similar to his idol, Stewart Copeland of The Police. You can check the drum set at the Tama website.
Tim Aaaaaaleeeeeeexaaaandeeeeerrrrrrrr!
Hard to believe that just a few short years before this Larry LaLonde was playing in Possessed.
amazing...
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.
I didn't know Mr. Crocker played bass
Captures an era they rocked at woodstock 1994
I don't think people realize how ground breaking this music was....still is really.
The world needed this video
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.
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
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?
Best Version ever!
I laughed my arse off at the improv from 3:13 to 3:50! Soooo epic! I love Primus and Les Claypool!
this is what i call... poetry
Larry Lalonde
Extremely Kick ass mic stand slide.
Les Claypool is the Groucho Marx of 90's alternative.
Les is totally trying to get the MTV hostess standing over on the side. Hes like "what the hell ya got goin over there?" and looks at her. then starts jamming extra funky to show her that hes super funky.
yo is that the chick from waynes world at the end?!
Yes, that is Tia Carerra
Cassandra. Schwing!
20 years ahead of their time!
@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
American had Pringles in 1992? Holy fuck, you guys were living in the future!