Primus

Rip It Up, Issue 201, 1 May 1994, Page 18

Primus

Primus specialise in queasy album titles (Pork Soda anyone?) and the musical no-comfort zone. Their sound is totally dry, discordant, a-rhythmical and bass driven — progressive with a capital P. One critic called them a younger, more twisted version of Rush (a band you have to have been an American teenager in the 70s to appreciate). But you don’t have to be an American in Berkeley to see Primus because they’re coming here for two shows — at Victoria University on May 17 and at the Auckland Town Hall on May 18. I talked to guitarist Larry Lalonde over the phone and even he said Primus was an acquired taste. We know bass player/singer Les Claypool is inspired by Loony Tune cartoons but where is Larry coming from musically? Well, he took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani in Berkeley ten years ago (just signed up for ’em from a notice in the local music store and trotted off to Joe’s place where he learnt “tons of amazing things, he was a great teacher"). Now Larry plays in a Frank Zappa covers band in his

spare time (“Ray White played with us once”) and listens to his massive Zappa and King Crimson record collection. He plays the six-string banjo too but the nearest he gets to digging country music is listening to the Grateful Dead. Yes, he was a

Deadhead once but he also played in a death metal band pre-Primus, which he describes as “pretty loud and we wore a lot of black”. And what do you wear now Larry? “A lot of blue.”

DONNA YUZWALK

The first thing you notice about the cover of the new Luna album Bewitched is that the tiny '2' abbreviation - so you didn't confuse Luna with a little-known female cabaret artist (as if) — has disappeared. So what's the story, has she died or have Luna tossed her in the East River?

"Yeah in concrete shoes! No, we had to pay her to leave us alone. It cost us five grand, she wanted 40." Dean Wareham, lead singer and ex-pat kiwi is at home in New York City gearing up ("buying socks") for a North American tour, and while he's occupied on the phone his dinner is waiting at the table. Bewitched is an album that "accidentally came out very quietly", overflowing with textures, beauty and at times even noise. And whilst the band are collecting critical platitudes from all round the globe, surely they're tired with the never ending Velvet Underground comparisons? "Well it's an obvious reference point but the ones that do [sound like VU] on the new record, Sterling Morrison is playing on." Although Wareham is not looking forward to the bump and grind of life on the road, there’s respite on the horizon. Luna have joined the ranks of the rock 'n' roll golfers.

“I haven't been able to do it much lately. But we've organised some games on tour. I've only been playing two years and I'm pretty bad at it. My handicap? Did I mention my dinner's getting cold?"

JOHN RUSSELL