Rounding out our salute to Primus this week, part of what has made them such a distinctive and entertaining band over the years is that they have a world-class weirdo behind the mic and bass. And we mean that affectionately, of course, as Les Claypool’s quirky eccentricities are what make Primus, well, Primus. There have been many examples of that over the years, but this performance of “Tommy the Cat” from the Dennis Miller Show is indeed a prime one. And since today is the 34th anniversary of Sailing The Seas of Cheese, what a better way then to go down that cheesy avenue,
Granted, just the nature of the song alone lends itself to weirdness, but Claypool’s performance here feels particularly peculiar. He’s fully locked-in and in-character (gotta love that extended “heeeeeeeeeeeeee” midway through the performance), and it’s a beautiful thing to behold. Throw in a random fan crashing the stage as the credits roll, and it all adds up to a classically bizarre performance that captures Primus doing what they do best: being weird. Enjoy:
