Tasty jams: Rush, Primus and Alex Lifeson’s tortilla chip pick
Every so often, bands find kindred spirits in each other, which is undoubtedly true for trios Rush and Primus. After the Canadian outfit burst onto the scene with their fantastical prog in the 1970s with records such as 2112 and A Farewell to Kings, it would expose a new generation to the idea of fusing searing technique with imagination. For the young future Primus leader, Les Claypool, these records would prove pivotal in establishing his own rendering of this notion.
While it would take Primus until the early 1990s to hone their surreal, weed-drenched sound after forming in 1984, when they finally burst onto the scene, they carved out a wacky space that was all their own. Fuelled by Claypool’s strange vocals, percussive slap bass, Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde’s experimental, angular guitar and the complex grooves of Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander, they quickly asserted their status as a power trio. Like Rush, though, they polarised listeners, with people either loving or hating them due to not understanding their blend of rock, funk and metal.
After their major label debut, 1991’s Sailing the Seas of Cheese arrived, producing popular singles ‘Jerry Was a Race Car Driver’ and ‘Tommy the Cat’, Primus grew in prominence. As a result, they would support cultural forces such as Anthrax, Public Enemy, and, surprisingly, U2. However, most importantly for Primus was that they would open for one of their greatest influences, Rush, in 1992. It was a significant time for all involved, and since then, both groups have remained great friends. Even Rush frontman Geddy Lee has named Claypool as a contemporary influence.
In a 2022 interview with Guitar World, when Primus and Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson discussed the Californian outfit’s A Tribute to Kings tour – which saw them play A Farewell to Kings in its entirety – they also reflected on their first tour together 30 years prior. While it was an enlightening chat, their revelation about the weird jams the 1992 run produced was undoubtedly the highlight.
Rush and Primus would jam together between soundchecks, usually in the ‘The Spirit of Radio’ band’s dressing room or a hallway with nice natural reverb. Lifeson recalled: “At one point, the deal was that you had to go out and get an instrument you couldn’t play. Ler, I think you got a clarinet.”
The guitarist said: “I got an accordion and a flute. We all played these instruments we had no idea how to play. We actually recorded these jams. I don’t know what happened to those recordings, but we did them everywhere.”
This range of environments also included jamming on a grassy knoll outside a Berlin venue. For Claypool, though, the most memorable moment was the late Rush drummer, Neil Peart, slamming on the lockers of a sports arena as his instrument; it was the bizarre stuff of dreams. That would have been something that all fans would have loved to see; the clangour must have been immense.
Yet, according to LaLonde, this wasn’t the most outlandish aspect that these crazy jams produced. It was Lifeson using a tortilla chip as a pick, which brings into full view how absurd these convergences between groups were. The Primus axeman said: “I saw Alex using a tortilla chip for a guitar pick one time. That was pretty sweet.” I wonder how long he lasted before the corn triangle shattered under the force of his playing.
Asked to characterise the sound of these tasty jams, LaLonde explained that it was exactly how you would imagine one comprised of people playing random instruments like the accordion might do. Absolutely bonkers.
