A biography for Les Claypoolhasn’t been written yet.
“From my experience, moving through life, things tend to go in eight- to 10-year cycles. Friends, relationships and whatnot.”
“For me to do a project - I have a pretty successful solo career, so - for me to even want to do Primus, it had to be a creative step forward.”
“The first film I made was when I was 13 and it was called 'The Dogs That Ate Detroit.' It starred my Saint Bernard Barney, and it was a killer thriller with oodles of special effects that were cutting edge for the time.”
“The end of the Nineties was an unhappy Primus camp. I hit a creative stagnation that wasn't helping us forward, and the personal elements, it just was time to stop.”
“New Year's was insane! It was the best show I've ever played for New Year's.”
“I don't really listen to bassists - not anymore. When I was younger, I listened to those guys and was trying to figure out everything they did. Nowadays, I draw inspiration from everybody.”
“Because nobody wanted to play bass, I was instantly in a band.”
“Comedians get jokes offered to them, rock stars get women and underwear thrown onstage, and I get guys that want to take me fishing.”
“I love character actors. If I'm switching channels, and something with Slim Pickens is on, or Walter Brennan, I'm stuck. I have to watch it.”
“I liked the name Frog Brigade because it lent itself to a lot of cool imagery with the whole frog thing.”
“My favorite venues are the 2,000 seat theaters, like the Warfield. If there was a Warfield in every city, I would play it. That's all I would do. I love venues like that.”
“I've never been on the cover of 'Tiger Beat' magazine, let's put it that way. But that's not why you go see Primus. You don't go see Primus to see what kind of new clothing I'm wearing or what my new hairdo is.”
“I've always said the bass just happens to be the crayon I picked out of the box. I'd still be drawing the same pictures... should I have picked trumpet or accordion or guitar, whatever it may be. The sounds in my head are still the same.”
“You don't go see Primus to see what kind of new clothing I'm wearing or what my new hairdo is. You come to see Primus for the musical experience and the visual experience. I think, anyways. Maybe I'm wrong!”
“Music in general is looking for something new overall.”
“You know, there are times when you play a song over and over and over and you get a little tired of it and you let it sit for a while. It's like, you may love eating sushi, but if you eat it every single day, you're going to get a little tired of it.”
“We've all had our thing. I listened to the Monkees when I was little kid.”
“To me, if you're going to talk about funk, you have to go back to George Clinton and Bernie Worrell. Those guys are the giants. I've played with Bernie, and it was unreal. He's the master.”
“I've just always had a soft spot for character actors.”
“I have a very difficult time describing my music. Because I run into people in the hardware store and they go, 'Oh, you're a musician. So what kind of music do you play?' And I go, 'Uh, I've been doin' this for many years - I don't know what to call it.'”