Les Claypool Is Out to Sea

Photography by Jay Blakesberg 

Primus frontman.
Solo musician.
Oysterhead.
Documentarian.
Author.
Father.
Fisherman.
Les Claypool is all
over the map.
Relix reels him in.

“Les Claypool is an extraordinary musician. He is a modern-as  primitive, audiophile, shade-tree mechanic and self-made man. He is curious about used cars, fishing, language, amplifiers, unusual sound sources and the arcane minutiae of life. He's a real good egg. Onstage he brings to mind a hopped-up, plugged-in Groucho Marx.” – Tom Waits 

It’s early 1995, and there’s an electric energy inside The  Palladium in Hollywood, California, where hesher heroes Primus are headlining a fundraiser for Rock for Choice— the abortion-rights group founded by members of the all-girl metal band L7. Other performers on the bill include Face to Face (a punk-rock band similar to early Green Day), and No Doubt, a ska group making waves in Orange County and getting ready to release its second album, Tragic Kingdom.

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