Inter-album Interview: Vincent "Perm" Parker

WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:11.599
It's Josh Freaky with a couple of dump shits and.
2
00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:28.920
Hello Primates, you found Primus Traction Graduations. I am doctor
3
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:31.440
Josh Bauld, one of the hosts of Primus Tracks, and
4
00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:35.719
on this episode of the podcast, we are right chuffed
5
00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:41.280
to welcome Vincent perm Parker, that's right, the first drummer
6
00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:45.960
in Primus history. On the podcast, we chatted with Perm
7
00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:48.399
about his childhood and life at deansa High school with
8
00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:52.159
one less Claypool and many other recognizable names, his career
9
00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:57.520
following his inclusion with Primus, and Per reveals two incredibly
10
00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:02.159
interesting connections to Primus drummers that followed him. I'll let
11
00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:04.560
him tell that story. Vince has a few things out
12
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.599
there in the digital world. You can find him at
13
00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:11.760
a V E v e E a clever way of
14
00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:14.760
spelling a v dot com. So check him out and
15
00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:34.280
enjoy the show. Chatter. Do you prefer Vince or Vincent?
16
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:34.959
Does it matter?
17
00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:38.319
You've called me perm because that's what everybody else called
18
00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:38.840
me at home.
19
00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:42.120
That's what I was gonna lead with because in all
20
00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:45.519
the literature, uh, you know, there's a there's a Primus
21
00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:47.719
book out there that tells the story of the band
22
00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.879
there it is right there, you know. Less well in
23
00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:53.840
interviews he talks about the early days and he always
24
00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.439
refers to as perm Parker. How'd that come about?
25
00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:02.400
That's the long story. My hair, it's it's it's it's
26
00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:05.200
really different kind of hair, you know, because I have
27
00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:07.719
a lot of Indian blood in me and a lot
28
00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:10.039
of all kinds of blood in me, so I'm kind
29
00:02:10.039 --> 00:02:14.759
of a mutt. So so one day I went and
30
00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:17.479
you know, my girls friends used to break my hair
31
00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:21.199
before I went to school and stuff. But now I
32
00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.680
went and got this perm one day and it fell
33
00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:27.159
all the way down to my shoulders. But it was
34
00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:30.639
sucked to my head before before then when I walked
35
00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:34.800
into the place, everybody went perm and it stuck to
36
00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:43.199
day for I don't know, he's probably profound thing, but
37
00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:46.120
it wasn't profound. It was just somebody that got a
38
00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.039
kitchen sink perm and his hair fell down to his shoulders.
39
00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:55.039
Oh man, I think we've all had we've all had
40
00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.879
some hair related instances in our lives. I suppose, like
41
00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.120
you know, I had, I had a bowl cut in
42
00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:05.319
high school for crying out loud. So yeah, I don't
43
00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:08.319
I don't like looking at those pictures. But that's great.
44
00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:11.879
That's so, that's so great. So perm Parker is the term,
45
00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:13.879
and so you you embraced it.
46
00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.039
I had to also else I would fight every day,
47
00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:17.360
you know.
48
00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:24.599
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's just like I'm perm. That's
49
00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:28.039
that's great. So did you grow up in in the
50
00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:29.479
Richmond area in California?
51
00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:36.240
There? I did. I'm originally from Arizona. Oh okay, but
52
00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.400
when we moved to California, I ended up at DeAnza
53
00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.439
by way of El High and ended up at DeAnza,
54
00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:46.680
and less was one of the first people I met
55
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:48.919
in mister Johnson's music class.
56
00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:54.039
Wow, okay, so you were you were relatively new to
57
00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:56.560
the area then I was there.
58
00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.280
I was. I went to Warren Crispy Junior High School
59
00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.039
in montab a Manor Elementary school, so it was not
60
00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.719
relative belief, but I think I was. I might have
61
00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.319
been in the area for I guess I got here
62
00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:14.840
when I was seven, So so it's in about nine years.
63
00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:19.040
Oh okay, I misunderstood. All right, So you've so you
64
00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.160
were in in the Richmond El Sauber area for a
65
00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:25.199
while and then uh, of course, as you do, you
66
00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:28.920
go to high school, all right, and so so you
67
00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:30.759
met Less pretty pretty quickly.
68
00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:33.680
Sounds like, yeah, he was a question in high school
69
00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:34.319
when I met him.
70
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.240
Okay were you? Were you a great ahead of him?
71
00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:41.759
Then I was, I was, okay, all right? So uh
72
00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:44.360
it was in mister Johnson's class. Now you mentioned mister
73
00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.399
Johnson when we spoke on the phone previously, and then
74
00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:50.800
Less talks about him a bit in this book too.
75
00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.480
There's a spot I wanted to read to you Less
76
00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.480
as I learned to read music around this time, because
77
00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:01.040
a buddy of mine was a drummer in the jazz band.
78
00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.319
He said, hey, they need a bass player in jazz band,
79
00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:05.560
and I told them about you.
80
00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:10.680
Was that you not sure? Now?
81
00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.279
He did say there were multiple drummers in the jazz band,
82
00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:15.600
so you had to like wait your turn to play, right.
83
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:21.720
I actually took first seat, you know, Oh you were right?
84
00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:26.439
Maybe maybe Brett Kern. It might have been Britt. We
85
00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:27.920
call him Kerr and Kern.
86
00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:31.040
So right, Oh Kern was in the jazz band too, Okay,
87
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:35.079
so oh wow, that's so cool because let's did say,
88
00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:38.079
of course he played with Kerrn as well, so so
89
00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:41.399
you knew Kerrn. You guys were both getting reps in
90
00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.959
I guess playing playing drums. Maybe it was Kern that
91
00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:46.639
referred less to the jazz band.
92
00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:51.319
Then it might have been Kurrent. Okay, but you know something,
93
00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.360
I think we're in different, two different bands in mister
94
00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:57.600
Johnson's class so it might have been me that that
95
00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:00.439
till May we need another bass player over here.
96
00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:06.279
So okay, wow. So actually I'm curious about, and I
97
00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:09.160
kind of skipped over it. I'm curious about what music
98
00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:11.759
you were listening to in your household when you were
99
00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:12.560
a kid.
100
00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:18.519
A lot of R and B, R and B soul funk,
101
00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:23.639
you know. I mean, let's started practicing together every lunch day,
102
00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:27.560
and lunchtime we'd go to mister Johnson's classroom and go
103
00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:31.839
into the soundproof boosts and just stretch out every day.
104
00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:36.920
So it was thirty minutes of thirty minutes of fiery
105
00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:38.279
funk and crip.
106
00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:46.000
Yeah that's awesome. So you guys, man, I don't even
107
00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:47.920
think they'd let you do that now because you have
108
00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:49.399
to be you know, supervised.
109
00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:49.879
But so.
110
00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:54.879
How long had you been drumming up to that point?
111
00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:05.519
I started drumming the time I left Warren Crespy, so
112
00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:09.000
that had to be I was twelve when I got
113
00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:14.439
to Elsa Riedo. Yeah, I started about twelve years eleven
114
00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:17.319
or twelve years old. Oh wow, So you just I
115
00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:21.399
have been wow. Yeah for a while you've been playing.
116
00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:24.560
I had a lot of a lot of like brothers,
117
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:31.560
Johnson sly Stone, Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown, you know those
118
00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:32.959
kind of those kind of people.
119
00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:38.519
Oh, man, you're naming Stone Cold legends too, Like what
120
00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:42.000
a lineup? Wow?
121
00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:44.720
What life slid? Yeah?
122
00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:49.160
So is that what was that part of the way
123
00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.800
I should rephrase that? Is that kind of how you
124
00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:54.800
guys got together as far as you're sharing musical interests?
125
00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:55.600
Isn't that sort of thing?
126
00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.120
Yeah? Plus, I just I just loved the fact that
127
00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:03.639
Less was so he was so, he was brave. He
128
00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:08.879
never he never was embarrassed to anything. Even when we
129
00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:12.639
were playing and it wasn't right, he played wrong, but
130
00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.120
he was proud of it and it sounded good and
131
00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:22.439
I enjoyed it. But I'll tell you what, he got
132
00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.000
it right along the way. Man, he just picked it up.
133
00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.160
And this guy he started hammering the bass, you know,
134
00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.480
And he used to teach me a lot of the
135
00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:36.200
rock rock and roll like Rush and Judas Priest and
136
00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.519
Eagles and he used to tell me the stories and everything,
137
00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.320
and so we used to have fun. And we we
138
00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:49.360
had another band called Euphoria with Chris Osen and less
139
00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:51.320
was playing the base with us on that one. I
140
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:56.840
know he don't write about that one, but we had, Uh,
141
00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:59.879
we had several things going on during that time, and
142
00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.879
in this group called Star in the Jazz Band, and
143
00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:07.200
you ended up going to going to Disneyland and playing
144
00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:09.960
down there with the competitions, and I think we took
145
00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:14.759
first place because I had left before they gave up.
146
00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.919
The Awarrence what Wow.
147
00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:23.840
Yeah, I was hanging out so anyway, but we did win,
148
00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:28.639
I believe, and and we we It was just it
149
00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:33.120
was just it just was. We had a wonderful, wonderful life. Man,
150
00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:35.840
when we were growing up. I mean, we couldn't ask
151
00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:38.120
for a better childhood. Wow.
152
00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.960
Man, I didn't know that. I mean I knew about
153
00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:47.120
Star Sax trubbling at rhythm uh and lessons involvement in
154
00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:49.559
yours as well, but I didn't know you guys were
155
00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:56.159
playing competitions. So you guys were pretty good, well some.
156
00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:58.559
People thought so. We had a lot of fun in
157
00:09:58.679 --> 00:09:59.279
the time.
158
00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:03.080
Because we we basically we basically played what we liked
159
00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:07.480
and I really enjoyed myself, and when we did the
160
00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:10.960
rock and roll stuff, when Less was teaching me the
161
00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:12.960
rock and roll stuff and I was showing him some
162
00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:15.720
of the funk stuff, and then it ended up coming
163
00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.120
up ended up in our later years.
164
00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:21.200
For me. Over the years, I played with a lot
165
00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:26.720
of different bands, I mean, including HR and Bad Brains,
166
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:31.480
some of those Bad Brain boys, and Banks and Black
167
00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:33.960
Trash what we call Black Chrash but his name is
168
00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:37.200
David Jordan, of course, and a couple of other members
169
00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:41.840
of the Jackson family and the Old Jays. I played
170
00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:47.639
with a lot of different people, and I bet that
171
00:10:47.799 --> 00:10:50.279
was a lot of inspiration from Less two. I mean,
172
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:53.559
he he was my he was my he was my muse.
173
00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.559
So you guys, it sounds like you guys served as
174
00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.200
conduits for one another. And when I beaten by that is,
175
00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.720
you know, you showed him a lot of R and B,
176
00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:06.840
funk and soul, and he was showing you a lot
177
00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:11.279
of rock stuff. And so you guys were then getting
178
00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:17.080
grounding in multiple styles and approaches, which clearly served you well,
179
00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:17.960
both of you guys.
180
00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:22.159
Man, it helped me paid a rent so many times.
181
00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:25.759
I could never ever done what I've done, unless it
182
00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.960
started right there mister Johnson's class.
183
00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:33.759
Wow, well, let's talk about mister Johnson's class. Let's let's
184
00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:37.000
talk about his class, because you guys met in there,
185
00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:40.759
and you know, less learned to read music there that
186
00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:43.960
he tells the anecdote that mister Johnson was taken aback
187
00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.320
that he didn't know how to read music. And I
188
00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.679
assume you guys, when you were drumming, you were reading charts.
189
00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:53.960
First of all, I've I've been a public educator for
190
00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.519
twenty years, so I love hearing about you know, teachers
191
00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:00.399
who inspire kids or you know, help kids all up
192
00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:03.360
talents and interest in that sort of thing. So what
193
00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:05.440
was it like being with mister Johnson.
194
00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.320
He was a funny guy, That's all I can say.
195
00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.399
He was a he was a great educator. I'm not
196
00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:14.879
sure if he's still alive, but I know if he is,
197
00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:20.120
this guy has turned of some good musicians and basically
198
00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:23.559
he gave us room to grow. And I think I
199
00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:26.600
think that's that's the world. The best thing that you
200
00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.639
could do for a young mind is to let him grow,
201
00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:33.879
just give him some guidance, and and just just let
202
00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:37.080
him go, because you know, being in the music business.
203
00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:40.279
It's a hard business. It's not it's not it's not
204
00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:43.879
something that you're going to get life insurance and health
205
00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.759
insurance and all these different things like that. You you
206
00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:51.480
have you have to love what you're doing. And in
207
00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:54.559
mister Johnson's class, and a couple of music teachers I
208
00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:58.639
had over the years, like Ivan bird Low. He was
209
00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:01.840
one of my first drum teas and he was He
210
00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:04.759
just passed away about maybe three weeks ago and I
211
00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:08.679
miss him dearly. But he was the biggest influence on me.
212
00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:14.120
And mister Johnson. He definitely let us develop our own
213
00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:17.320
styles and he didn't interfere with us a lot. He
214
00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:21.039
let us. He gave us room to grow and learned
215
00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:24.480
to love music. Because I say, I tell kids all
216
00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:26.799
the time now they come over for lessons and stuff,
217
00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:28.919
and I tell them all the time, if you don't
218
00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:33.080
love this thing that we're doing, you find anything else
219
00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:35.799
and go do it because this is this is not
220
00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:42.159
for you. So you have to love this. Wow, I
221
00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.360
take I take my head off of mister Johnson, but
222
00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:49.159
the educators that dolytic children learn, you know, yeah, he
223
00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:50.440
cracked the whip sometimes.
224
00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:53.799
Well, yeah, you have to do that every once in
225
00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:55.879
a while. But yeah, it sounds like he gave you
226
00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:59.679
guys opportunity that and you took the opportunity. And I
227
00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:05.480
think that's that's commendable on his part, especially with a
228
00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:08.840
music class or conducting the jazz band or or something
229
00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:12.039
like that, because that's that's a lot of kids to wrangle,
230
00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:17.919
So good for him.
231
00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:23.720
Man. Kurt Hammond was there also, Lars. There's a guys
232
00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:31.039
like Dan Watson, uh Britt Britt Kern and I forgot
233
00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:35.039
the other guy that plays for Mark beat him when
234
00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.120
he was a guitar player. And and like I said,
235
00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:40.559
Kurt Hamond, he was playing with this group called Exodus
236
00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.399
and they used to play everything fat than him and Dan.
237
00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:47.120
But I used to love him all the time, you know.
238
00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:52.240
And a lot of influences that that that, I mean,
239
00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:55.919
the Bay Area just such an influence went with place.
240
00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:03.960
It's yeah, it's remarkable just DeAnza High in those years
241
00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:09.360
you were there, that you're there with uh Less and
242
00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:10.480
Kirk Hammett.
243
00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:14.720
I think Jeff Bessera Possessed was there at one point.
244
00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:21.159
Biedermann was there, man. So you guys all knew each
245
00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:23.559
other obviously, right, and and hung out.
246
00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:28.840
Yes, we hunt out somewhat. We hung out somewhere. We
247
00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:31.440
always look at each other's bad and go, wow, I
248
00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:33.720
wish I was doing that. Well, you know when you
249
00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:35.679
get on the stage, go wow, I wish I was
250
00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.919
doing that. We just had fun and so we inspired
251
00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:39.399
each other.
252
00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:43.679
So oh man, okay, great, because you know, sometimes what
253
00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:48.279
happens is there's there's a sense of unhealthy competition. But
254
00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:50.799
it sounds like you guys all got along and were
255
00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:54.720
excited for one another and the paths you were striking.
256
00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.679
Well, no, I know, like I said, less was fearless man. Yeah,
257
00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:02.879
if he liked if he liked it, he played it.
258
00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:06.320
He didn't care what nobody else thought. You know, if
259
00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:10.039
I like this, he played it. And I pretty much
260
00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.080
liked what he was playing, So I played what he
261
00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.720
was doing. So I'd play off of him, and he
262
00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:17.480
play off of me. And it was just fun. So
263
00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:21.240
it was just growing up. I think we were just young.
264
00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:23.639
That's probably the main thing. We were young.
265
00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:26.960
Yeah, yeah, not knowing any better to a degree. But
266
00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:31.840
that fearlessness, I think is something that he took with him,
267
00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.320
you know, as Primus gained a lot of momentum and
268
00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.960
so on and so forth and that I think has
269
00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:40.960
served him really well. Is that something you took into
270
00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:42.039
your career as well.
271
00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:47.480
I just I just enjoyed playing I mean more than
272
00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:51.039
anything else. I love playing. I love playing music. I
273
00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.480
mean I had I had an opportunity to play Major
274
00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:57.200
League Baseball and a couple other things, but I always
275
00:16:57.320 --> 00:16:59.960
came back to the music all the time.
276
00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.240
Oh wow, wow, you.
277
00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:07.680
Know that's that was and that that loves just started from.
278
00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:15.279
I keep saying, just being funky, man, be funky.
279
00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:18.559
Excellent, that's great advice. There, you go, be funky.
280
00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:21.920
I like it. I'll tell you what. Drums is the
281
00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:25.519
hardest instrument to start playing to learn. But once you
282
00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:27.759
learned and you got it, and if you if you
283
00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:31.119
started today, in ten years from now, you will be
284
00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:33.960
you have been playing for ten years. It's just you
285
00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.640
gotta start doing it and just be funky.
286
00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:38.839
There you go, Frankie, be funky.
287
00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:40.519
Be funky.
288
00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:48.599
I like it. I'm gonna I'm gonna Frankie's funky forehead.
289
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.400
That's what that is right there. I'm gonna take that
290
00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:56.720
advice with me that just be funky. It seems like
291
00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:59.359
the unless it's told this story and you you mentioned
292
00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:01.480
a couple of these things that he was. He was
293
00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:05.079
just worshiping Gedty Lee and Rush and he said, at
294
00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:08.079
some point somebody told him, yeah, Getty's cool, but you
295
00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:11.759
got to check out Larry Graham and Stanley Clark. You
296
00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:16.720
were already familiar with Larry Graham certainly. Oh yeah, you're
297
00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:20.200
being an accomplished drummer. When you hear somebody like Larry
298
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.799
Graham laying it down on bass, I mean you probably
299
00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:26.000
I would. I wouldn't be able to help it. I
300
00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:28.759
would just start drumming along with him because he's He's
301
00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:30.240
just that damn good.
302
00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:35.079
Yeah, man, I mean that's that's one of my superheroes.
303
00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:39.559
I mean, Larry Graham. I think he was one of
304
00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:43.200
one of the most my most inspiration from him, you
305
00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:48.000
know him and that whole slide in family song Click man.
306
00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:52.279
I used to love them. And the Isley Brothers. Yeah,
307
00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:57.839
also the brothers Johnson, Lewis and Lewis Justin he was
308
00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:00.240
a crazy bass player that we used to listen too.
309
00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:05.000
There was a Bay Area band called Pleasure, and I
310
00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:10.000
still hear some of the songs Let's play today. I
311
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:14.359
hear some of the influences from Pleasure. I can I
312
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:19.000
can feel it like, uh, is that Jerry Card or
313
00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:25.920
that tummy Kat. Anyway, they remind me of flashes of
314
00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:29.839
the Pleasure Band. That band was so cold, man, and
315
00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.119
we used to love to play those guys. They had
316
00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:36.119
the song called Glide, Yeah, and we used to used
317
00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:39.440
to screw around with it in the practice bands.
318
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:42.200
Less Less teases death all the time.
319
00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:49.319
Yeah, yeah, he still throws it out there. It's so great, man.
320
00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:54.440
I wish I would Lesson play with him again. But yeah,
321
00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:57.799
I'm doing different things these days. I've been playing keyboards
322
00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:02.440
and oh okay, doing some other Yeah. No, I'm just
323
00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:07.599
I'm just inspired by by the Larry Graham and all
324
00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:10.240
those different Bay Area musicians there were. There were just
325
00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:14.680
some great players, you know, Fleetwood, Mac and all everybody.
326
00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:16.559
I mean, they were just great players.
327
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:20.400
Yeah, oh my gosh. And in this in this Primus book,
328
00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.000
Less relates that I think it was around twenty thirteen
329
00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.920
he actually finally got to meet Larry Graham. And I'm
330
00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:30.759
gonna paraphrase, and he said it was some radio station
331
00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:33.599
event and he and he said, and Larry Graham is
332
00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.480
standing there playing his bass four feet in front of me,
333
00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:40.720
and unless his words. He says, he's just kicking the
334
00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:45.039
shit out of everybody. Like like Larry just brings it.
335
00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:48.319
And you know the Larry Larry Graham. I've listened to it.
336
00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.519
It just blows me away. So just to have that,
337
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:54.279
you know, kind of influence. And he was, you know,
338
00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:56.599
Larry Graham was an out of the box thinker. And
339
00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:01.079
I think that's another one of those hallmarks of of
340
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.680
you guys in those in those useful days, it seemed
341
00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:07.799
like you were looking for people who were maybe I
342
00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:11.200
wouldn't say against the norm, but certainly doing their own thing.
343
00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:12.319
Does that sound accurate?
344
00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:16.880
That's it. Do your own thing, man, do your own thing,
345
00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.720
and sooner or later something's gonna dig it. Be fearless,
346
00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:24.880
Always be fearless. Like you're just starting to play the drums,
347
00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.319
play everything that you can get that you hear that
348
00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:30.240
sounds good. I don't care if it's if it's uh
349
00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:35.440
Ziggy and the violinists in their crew, just just if
350
00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:37.119
it sounds good, play it.
351
00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.000
Yeah, so you get And that's that goes back to
352
00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:43.440
that fearlessness too. You guys were just probably because I
353
00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:46.079
you know, I as a teenager the I think I
354
00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.960
was thirteen, and somebody showed me a Primus song, and
355
00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.920
I think it was that fearlessness that drew me in,
356
00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:56.160
and it was so different. So it's you know, it
357
00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.160
doesn't matter the music or the musician. I think you
358
00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:03.240
can hear it in the musician, I suppose, And maybe
359
00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:08.960
that's what drew me into. Speaking of fearlessness. You you
360
00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:11.759
you related to me, and I would love to know
361
00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:14.200
more about this with with Star.
362
00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:15.759
Uh.
363
00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:18.880
You guys played at in the cafeteria, Is that right?
364
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:21.079
You said that you helped avert a riot somehow.
365
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:25.359
Yeah, I mean, I mean this this was during the
366
00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:32.200
Roots era and it was kind of it was the
367
00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.680
people were crying to split off some these little groups,
368
00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:38.440
you know, and we just men, Me and my boys.
369
00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.680
We always we were together. So they used to call
370
00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:43.640
me rock and roll brother, and they used to say
371
00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:48.200
funky white dude. So it's used to We used to play,
372
00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:53.359
and we ended up playing that day. You know, his
373
00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:56.960
name was Principal. I think his name was Darden. I
374
00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:00.640
can't remember you, but he said, we have some problems
375
00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:03.400
with everybody. Man. If you guys can play, make sure
376
00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:06.039
you guys do it, you know, And we just came
377
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:08.480
out there and played. You know, I didn't tell everybody
378
00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.759
about it. But but I didn't want to make anybody afraid.
379
00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:15.759
I just wanted us to play. And we ended up playing.
380
00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:17.759
And the next thing I know it, after we got
381
00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:20.720
through playing, I looked around. Everybody was hugging and dancing
382
00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:26.200
and jamming, and I was like, oh yeah, yeah, man.
383
00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:29.240
And a lot, like I said, a lot of musicians
384
00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:32.480
that were there, they were all there too, because we
385
00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:37.039
didn't have any egos problems maybe when I was playing baseball,
386
00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:40.279
but not not playing music. I never had a music ego,
387
00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:43.920
you know, always like Curtain, those guys used to play
388
00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:47.559
everything fast, and a couple of other bands. I used
389
00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:50.480
to rehearse a Die at my mother's. She used to
390
00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:56.079
run a government a government agency down in Seaside, and
391
00:23:56.119 --> 00:23:59.400
they used to practice down there. And all of the
392
00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:02.039
bands we just we just love to play. We used
393
00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:05.000
to do a lot of keg parties and stuff like that,
394
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:10.440
but that was all a part of just learning, just learning,
395
00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.359
and we just wanted to be a part of some
396
00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:14.599
I mean, we didn't know that we was going to
397
00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:19.039
be part of the Bear Musicians, but we ended up
398
00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:21.799
being a part of the Bear and musicians. And and
399
00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:24.079
when I when I I played with a lot of
400
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:27.200
different bands that that would talk about me. They talk
401
00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.519
about me being a bear musician, and it makes me
402
00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:37.519
not proud. I'm say, I'm well pleased with myself when
403
00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:40.440
I think of calling me a mayor musician, because when
404
00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:43.799
you when you name bear musicians, you name it some bad,
405
00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.079
bad boys and girls.
406
00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:50.480
Yeah, man, you're in the club with all the heavies.
407
00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:57.440
Yeah, that's what they say. I had had fun.
408
00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:57.720
Man.
409
00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:00.000
I wish I could do it another day. But if
410
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:03.160
if it was only one person out there are ten
411
00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:06.279
thousand people out there, Like when we were playing at
412
00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:10.279
the New Orleans Jazz Festival. As a matter of fact,
413
00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.400
I ran into Less Claypool. He was open enough for
414
00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:15.079
government mule.
415
00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.079
Yeah.
416
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:19.880
And I was playing the New Orleans Jazz Festival and
417
00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:23.240
he was and he was called something kind of I
418
00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:26.200
can't remember what he was calling it, but anyway, I
419
00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:30.160
ended up on stage with him and sitting in the back,
420
00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:33.920
you know. And uh, I ended up meeting Bella Fleck
421
00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:38.519
and the Fleck Tongs and another great basement Victor Wooden. Yeah,
422
00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:42.880
and a Less was he was. He was in rare
423
00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:44.920
form that night. He was cranking it. Man. You know,
424
00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:48.680
I was like Man. So I'm so well pleased with
425
00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:52.039
less Man. All I can do is speak speak kind
426
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:57.000
words over Man because he was he was grounded, and
427
00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:00.079
I loved the way he played, you know, and I
428
00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:02.319
just voice we would have got a chance to play again,
429
00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:05.759
but unfortunately my time kind of ran out on me.
430
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.119
So yeah, got Frankie went. Would that had been New
431
00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:11.319
Orleans Jazz Fest? Was that early odds?
432
00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:17.160
Yeah? We were playing with a band called Casper and
433
00:26:17.319 --> 00:26:19.519
my band was called a six or two band out
434
00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:24.079
of Arizona. Hope he Land, he's a Hope and a
435
00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:27.640
couple of members from Bad Brains was in the band,
436
00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:34.000
and myself and who else was playing? A guy named
437
00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:39.279
Scott Elliott. He was playing keyboards, and I mean everybody,
438
00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:42.880
everybody in that band was really really some a couple
439
00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:47.079
of musicians, and I love playing with those guys.
440
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.359
Also, right on, that's excellent, man. It's so cool that
441
00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:54.759
you ran into West too. Of course, that's great because
442
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:57.519
you guys both are you know, criss crossing the country
443
00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:00.640
touring and gigging and all that stuff, So what are
444
00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:03.200
the odds? That's great.
445
00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:05.440
I ran into him a couple of times, but I
446
00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:07.920
just couldn't stop and play with him, because every time
447
00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:09.839
I had to go, I had to go and make
448
00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:11.759
sure that my gear got with this place where it's
449
00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:13.960
supposed to be had. I had to have somebody to
450
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.319
go do this, and I had to leave, so I
451
00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:18.400
had to go play somewhere else and didn't get to
452
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:22.240
play with Less anymore. So but I always wanted to.
453
00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:25.240
I just just I just was busy at the time,
454
00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:27.960
so I never got a chance to do it. Man
455
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:28.960
him and Larry You.
456
00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:32.720
Know, yeah, Less, if you're listening, here you go, here's
457
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:33.200
your chance.
458
00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:42.119
This new drummer I forgot his name. His name was.
459
00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:44.599
I used to play with his dad.
460
00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.519
You well, John Hoffman, you played with his dad? I
461
00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:52.200
did no way tell me about that.
462
00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:02.720
In several different bands stan Stan Hoffman. Yeah, no, yay.
463
00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:05.960
I played was standing a couple of times. Man A small,
464
00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:10.680
small world. Yeah it is. Also the guy that took
465
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.519
my place's name was the drummer.
466
00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:17.000
His name was, Oh oh, that that's Tim Alexander.
467
00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:22.079
Tim Alexander he used to play with. I used to
468
00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:26.920
put in a band with Tim. Tim knew the ben
469
00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:30.000
that I was working with, the Jackson's was called the
470
00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:33.359
tud band. And I'd watched Tim and those guys play,
471
00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:35.920
and I watched and Tim used to watch me play,
472
00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:40.519
and we used to criss crossed around the country. So yeah, Tim,
473
00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:43.319
he was a pretty solid drummer too. I liked Tim.
474
00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:48.440
Yeah, Oh my gosh, these these connections are blowing me away.
475
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:51.839
I had no idea you played with Hoffer's dad and
476
00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:54.680
and had uh a cross paths with Tim Alexander, Get
477
00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.599
out of here. That's crazy.
478
00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:00.319
Also, the boys from Bad Brains, I mean there was
479
00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:03.000
some crazy music. Have you ever heard of Bad Brains?
480
00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:04.960
Are the HR? Oh?
481
00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:08.599
Yeah, yeah, Bad Brains.
482
00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:12.039
Bad Brains? Them boys playing man and they used to
483
00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:14.279
drive me crazy, man to playing with those guys. Man,
484
00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:18.039
But I loved him to this day. I love black Trash,
485
00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:23.720
I love Billy Banks. They they they're excellent social inspiration.
486
00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:27.400
I don't want to talk about my other things. That's
487
00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:30.000
an inspiration. We spoke about that earlier bit.
488
00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:35.000
There's a there's a Bad Brains fiftieth anniversary celebration coming
489
00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:40.880
up here in l A. I don't get talking to
490
00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:43.839
Oh were you talking about it?
491
00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:48.559
Yeah? You know I played with HR a couple of
492
00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:53.039
times and different kind of brother, but you know, he
493
00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:56.279
was he was doing his thing, and I loved it. So,
494
00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:01.319
like I said, it's just folky, bro smoky wherever we're at.
495
00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:05.039
So I just have fun all the time.
496
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:10.400
Man, that's great. Uh, thank you for sharing those details.
497
00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:12.200
I had no idea if that's so cool.
498
00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:20.039
So that's that's that's his baby.
499
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:25.240
Yeah. Man, that's kind of a full circle thing in
500
00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:26.000
in a way.
501
00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:31.200
It's funny. It's just funny from Alexander all the guys.
502
00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:33.119
Just just funny man.
503
00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:34.559
Man.
504
00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:35.799
Yeah.
505
00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.799
So speaking of that, like, because we've been talking about
506
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:43.279
your high school years and then you joined the army
507
00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:46.960
correct or the military. I don't know what branch I
508
00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:50.319
joined the army correct Okay, so you did. How long
509
00:30:50.359 --> 00:30:51.160
were you in the army?
510
00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:55.200
I was in the army for three years?
511
00:30:55.640 --> 00:30:59.799
Okay. Was did you expect to go to the army
512
00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:01.440
out of high school? I'm curious about that.
513
00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:09.640
Well, I had a couple of bad turns and a
514
00:31:09.720 --> 00:31:12.440
couple of my friends going. Matter of fact, my teacher,
515
00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:17.359
even low I was telling you about. He was like, well,
516
00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:20.000
I'm getting ready to go to Germany events. Since you
517
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:23.079
since you, since you you not got a dead end,
518
00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:25.279
why don't you enjoin on me too? And I thought
519
00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:29.839
about it. I said, that's a good idea, dude. He said,
520
00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:31.960
we're gonna go to the old ladies man, and you
521
00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:35.279
can play music everywhere. I said, okay, I think I
522
00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:38.279
can try that. And I did you know what, I said,
523
00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:39.799
I can do it. I'm gonna try to see how
524
00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:41.680
it goes. I gave him three years and then I
525
00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:47.240
got out. So but it was and I think it
526
00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:50.160
was fun because I was young. Again, just to say
527
00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:54.119
it again, it was because I was young. Yeah, I
528
00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:59.359
did give three away. So okay, and lets let's when
529
00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:01.119
I got out of the military. I was. I was
530
00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.559
when he called. He yes, he called to say, bess
531
00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:06.319
what you're doing. I was. I was like, I was
532
00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:11.960
in Texas and I was thinking about reading up. It
533
00:32:12.039 --> 00:32:16.839
was gonna fly hiccups. I had took a test and
534
00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:20.279
I passed the test. It was an aviation test to
535
00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:23.480
fly those brand new helicopters with the sights that your
536
00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:26.200
eyes go this way, the guns that go that way.
537
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:33.279
But I didn't want to be a puppy, so you know, yeah, yeah,
538
00:32:33.359 --> 00:32:36.160
so I didn't. I didn't. I came home, Wow and
539
00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:39.240
joint prim Yeah, primate.
540
00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:43.200
At primate at the time, Yes, it sounded like les
541
00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:45.119
was waiting for you to get out of the military,
542
00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:48.640
because you know, you guys had played uh and been
543
00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:51.160
good friends in high school and played a lot and
544
00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:56.400
kind of knew each other musically. Uh and so so primus, well,
545
00:32:56.480 --> 00:33:02.880
I should rephrase Primate starts in earnest. Then when you
546
00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:08.799
come back to California, what were some of those early days, like, like,
547
00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:13.000
we've we've heard the Primate demo tape and I sent
548
00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:17.279
you that link so hopefully you got to listen to it. Excellent.
549
00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:19.880
What was yeah, what was it like getting together with
550
00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:24.039
Lesson Todd and making some freaky sounds.
551
00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:27.440
And it was great? It was really great. I mean
552
00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:33.200
it was different. It was different because less always less
553
00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:37.319
he says himself. He was he's never been a virtuoso singer,
554
00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:45.519
but he believed in himself. So I believed in it.
555
00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:48.079
I think this half the battle. If you can get
556
00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:50.519
somebody to believe in you know, that's the whole thing.
557
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:54.319
And his dad, Lynn is an excellent he's an excellent
558
00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:58.240
guy too, So it's it was all there. Everything was.
559
00:33:58.400 --> 00:34:00.559
It was just all he had to do, stick with
560
00:34:00.599 --> 00:34:03.720
it and the stuff was playing. It was gonna get
561
00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:08.480
the world's gonna catch up. That's all. Yeah, unless never.
562
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:12.599
He never backed down for anything. And I still see
563
00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.360
why I watch some of the videos now because I
564
00:34:15.400 --> 00:34:18.000
haven't been I haven't been really keeping up with his career.
565
00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:21.519
But lately since I've been home, not to touring all
566
00:34:21.559 --> 00:34:24.320
the time, I had a chance to catch up some
567
00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:27.920
some of the songs that he's playing and stuff he's been.
568
00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:31.360
He's been true to himself, man, and always was. He
569
00:34:31.480 --> 00:34:34.000
was a hustler. Man. He was a hustler when when
570
00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.440
we made the Prime stuff, the Too Many Puppies that song,
571
00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:41.639
and well Prelude to Fear we did that one too also,
572
00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:45.920
and it was it was they were different. You know,
573
00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.280
people are gonna go Prime it sucks and this and
574
00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:50.119
that next next. I know what I seen the album
575
00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:55.199
says suck this. Yeah, I say, hey, listen, listen, suck
576
00:34:55.280 --> 00:34:58.599
this sounds like less, you know, so like he's standing
577
00:34:58.599 --> 00:35:04.760
there with the s on his chest. And I just
578
00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:08.840
laugh every time. I was watching this story, this movie
579
00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:12.119
with me and my girl who ended up being my wife,
580
00:35:12.599 --> 00:35:19.039
name is Nicole, and we were watching this stupid movie man,
581
00:35:19.280 --> 00:35:21.679
But you know it was it was like smoking a
582
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:25.639
lot of weed and stuff like that back then, and
583
00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:28.039
and I was watching him. Pam Grid was in this movie.
584
00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:30.760
She was introducing the Battle of the Bands and she
585
00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:37.719
said ladies and gentlemen primus, and Less came out about, Hey, hey, baby,
586
00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:39.920
look this, let's least that's my old man. I told
587
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:43.320
you about him, you know. And they were on there
588
00:35:43.320 --> 00:35:49.239
playing now Tummy Tummy cat. Yeah. It was so funny. Man,
589
00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:51.920
I couldn't have believed, but I seen that, and I
590
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:55.639
was so so well pleased with Less when I seen that,
591
00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:59.440
because he's still stuck in it no matter what nobody does.
592
00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:01.199
He always sticks in there. Man.
593
00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:05.760
That's so surreal to see your old buddy in a
594
00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:08.159
in a goofball movie like Bill and Ted.
595
00:36:10.440 --> 00:36:14.719
That was a crazy movie too. Anyway, when I see
596
00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:18.360
him at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, all right and
597
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:21.199
unloading the gear, you know, I had these dreads and
598
00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:23.320
my beer was up to my ankles. You know, he
599
00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:26.000
couldn't really tell who I was. So I was going,
600
00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:33.599
mister Claypole, can I have your autograph? He's like one
601
00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:35.199
of the things then that I was doing together. Say
602
00:36:35.320 --> 00:36:38.199
mister Claypole, can I have your autograph? And he turned
603
00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:43.880
to run, said perm. So it was so funny and
604
00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:46.920
it just I was just well pleased to see him.
605
00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:49.119
I wanted to hang out, but I had to go
606
00:36:49.320 --> 00:36:52.840
myself and get some stuff together for the show the
607
00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:56.840
next day at the at the Jazz Festival, and he
608
00:36:56.920 --> 00:36:59.440
was playing with governmental that night, so he gave me
609
00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:02.079
a couple of tickets to get in and uh, and
610
00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:07.280
I really stretch out. I enjoyed myself that day. Whoa,
611
00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:09.519
whoa one of the heights of my of my career.
612
00:37:10.480 --> 00:37:11.639
That's actually watching.
613
00:37:13.880 --> 00:37:18.880
Man. Yeah, I'm curious about this, this this Primate demo.
614
00:37:19.639 --> 00:37:22.239
I'm curious about this Primate demo because there's four tracks
615
00:37:22.280 --> 00:37:26.199
on it, and and the Linen drum Machine is the
616
00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:29.519
unofficial first Primates drummer, right, So the lind drum machines
617
00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:33.800
on there, but it sounds like it sounds like puppies
618
00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:37.760
and preu defear those sound like the drum machines on those.
619
00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:41.039
Did you drum on the other two tracks, Chattering Song
620
00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:42.760
and uh Creating?
621
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.079
I'm so sorry. I'm not sure how many songs that
622
00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:52.239
I've drummed on't But I was playing along with the
623
00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:55.519
lenn drum machine too, because I was playing right along
624
00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:58.440
with it, like a click track. So and then it
625
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:02.599
ended up telling me a couple of jobs. Man, oh,
626
00:38:02.719 --> 00:38:05.559
because they knew that I could play with because they learned.
627
00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:07.840
They never learned that I could play with the drum
628
00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:11.119
machine and the click track. This was before people started
629
00:38:11.119 --> 00:38:13.599
doing it. I mean people doing it now. They get
630
00:38:13.800 --> 00:38:17.159
a lot of them do it now, but then nobody
631
00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:19.079
was doing it. It was me and a couple of
632
00:38:19.079 --> 00:38:22.239
other people. Nobody could really lock into a drum machine,
633
00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:24.840
you know, but I was one of those that could,
634
00:38:24.880 --> 00:38:29.639
and I guess I got on. I was happy.
635
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:35.440
That's fascinating to me because you know, just like getting
636
00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:38.320
into drums and that sort of thing. There's you know,
637
00:38:38.360 --> 00:38:40.880
there's all kinds of attitudes about playing to a click
638
00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:44.679
but because you are, that's so interesting. Because you were
639
00:38:44.719 --> 00:38:48.360
playing along to what was programmed into the Linn drum
640
00:38:48.400 --> 00:38:51.559
machine for these primate songs. You were able to just
641
00:38:51.760 --> 00:38:56.119
fine tune that timing and it got you gigs and
642
00:38:56.199 --> 00:38:58.400
that's what were Do you remember what those gigs were?
643
00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:03.440
Yeah? One was with this band called the Band and
644
00:39:03.480 --> 00:39:06.960
they needed a drummer that well with with a drum machine.
645
00:39:07.559 --> 00:39:11.199
And I was really against it, but rent had to
646
00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:15.000
be paid, so I enjoyed. I joined and they were
647
00:39:15.039 --> 00:39:19.199
the best band in Arizona. Nice and I got that gig.
648
00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:22.519
And then I did some some drumming for Joe Jackson,
649
00:39:22.639 --> 00:39:28.480
Michael Jackson's father. He had a couple of bands that
650
00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:31.519
they wanted me to play with them. They had to
651
00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:33.639
I had to follow a click track, but they wanted
652
00:39:33.639 --> 00:39:36.320
to make it a little live, give it a live fill.
653
00:39:37.880 --> 00:39:42.119
And those were some of the gigs that I got.
654
00:39:42.519 --> 00:39:46.079
Uh jj fadd we were playing, uh, we're playing the
655
00:39:46.239 --> 00:39:49.480
click track for them, and they were one of Joe
656
00:39:49.559 --> 00:39:56.159
Jackson's groups. Also there was a group called Neutrons, some
657
00:39:56.239 --> 00:39:58.280
young rappers, and I did They don't wanted me to
658
00:39:58.280 --> 00:40:01.280
play with that. So because when they did this, uh
659
00:40:01.719 --> 00:40:06.039
the showcases at the at the Roxy, I ended up
660
00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:08.760
playing on those those parts you know, and I mean
661
00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:12.519
all the record producers and record coming through there. So
662
00:40:12.599 --> 00:40:15.920
I ended up playing with those and and and made
663
00:40:15.960 --> 00:40:20.519
those bands sound better and they paid me. I paid
664
00:40:20.519 --> 00:40:22.239
the rent. Hey cool, all right?
665
00:40:24.599 --> 00:40:27.960
That And that sounds like a specific skill because it
666
00:40:27.880 --> 00:40:30.360
it and and it must be because to play to
667
00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:32.639
a click or along with a click or however you
668
00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:36.239
want to phrase that, as opposed to I don't know,
669
00:40:36.280 --> 00:40:41.599
playing free or without one what is to you, what's
670
00:40:41.679 --> 00:40:44.840
the what's the major difference or what how do you
671
00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:48.719
how do you play along with a to a click?
672
00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:50.559
I suppose that's my question to you.
673
00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:56.119
Well, when I first started doing it, when I heard
674
00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:58.360
the snare, if the snare is on two and four,
675
00:40:58.719 --> 00:41:01.039
you make sure you lock in with you there, and
676
00:41:01.079 --> 00:41:04.599
lock into your bass player because your bass player he's
677
00:41:04.599 --> 00:41:08.119
got he's got the other thing going on with the
678
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:11.159
with the bass, you know, like uh like if the
679
00:41:11.239 --> 00:41:13.480
bass goes, if a bass player blues a triple it,
680
00:41:13.599 --> 00:41:18.880
you know, I'll do you know, and just keep that
681
00:41:19.320 --> 00:41:28.800
pal pale going. You have two four h town, you know,
682
00:41:28.920 --> 00:41:33.239
like a different times and different and different well not
683
00:41:33.360 --> 00:41:36.039
key signatures, but different times. You know, you just lock
684
00:41:36.119 --> 00:41:38.280
into that situation and you just go with it, man,
685
00:41:39.320 --> 00:41:40.599
and just keep it funky.
686
00:41:40.760 --> 00:41:44.320
Okay. That makes sense to me, And it actually kind
687
00:41:44.320 --> 00:41:47.719
of reminds me of some of what we hear in
688
00:41:47.719 --> 00:41:50.719
in the in that Primate demo, especially something like pre
689
00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:53.280
League to Fear, because there are some big pals in there,
690
00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:54.920
for sure.
691
00:41:54.719 --> 00:41:55.079
You guys.
692
00:41:55.320 --> 00:41:57.760
It's it's what's really impressive to me about that demo,
693
00:41:58.679 --> 00:42:02.000
uh is you guys got a really big sound and
694
00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:04.239
and I know that making a demo tape was tough
695
00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:08.159
to do in the eighties. You know, everybody has a
696
00:42:08.199 --> 00:42:13.280
home studio now. But but then, you know, if time
697
00:42:13.400 --> 00:42:16.719
was money and tape was expensive and getting in there
698
00:42:17.679 --> 00:42:21.320
all that stuff. So it's it sounds great and and
699
00:42:21.360 --> 00:42:23.719
I love I love listening to it because it's, uh,
700
00:42:23.800 --> 00:42:26.280
you know, I've kind of turned at primordial primus to
701
00:42:26.320 --> 00:42:29.320
a to a degree, but really these songs, songs were
702
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:32.519
pretty well developed, so maybe that's a misnomer, but he
703
00:42:32.679 --> 00:42:36.000
what do you remember about putting that demo together? And
704
00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:37.719
it sounds like you guys just had a lot of
705
00:42:37.719 --> 00:42:38.280
fun with it.
706
00:42:39.800 --> 00:42:42.360
Well, I know, let's let's made a lot of sacrifices
707
00:42:42.440 --> 00:42:45.559
like his car, and yeah, probably a couple of girlfriends
708
00:42:45.599 --> 00:42:50.719
and everything else. But yeah, he he, he was the
709
00:42:50.800 --> 00:42:55.159
main driving force. He was. He knew that if we
710
00:42:55.400 --> 00:42:57.800
if he get that, if he got that sound right,
711
00:42:58.280 --> 00:43:01.519
that things is going to happen. Informed he was one
712
00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:04.719
of the people that believed it. Everybody I knew they
713
00:43:04.760 --> 00:43:08.400
didn't believe it. But me, I just said, well, if
714
00:43:08.519 --> 00:43:12.679
anybody can do it, less can So I just just wait.
715
00:43:13.320 --> 00:43:16.199
Man, Yeah, you saw that in him early. That's really cool.
716
00:43:17.159 --> 00:43:20.800
Uh, and then he was yeah.
717
00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:24.280
So and then as the story goes, uh, somebody who
718
00:43:24.679 --> 00:43:28.159
knew somebody who knew Big Rick Stewart slipped that tape
719
00:43:28.159 --> 00:43:30.760
to him, and then you guys were all of a
720
00:43:30.760 --> 00:43:31.679
sudden on the radio.
721
00:43:33.559 --> 00:43:35.199
I had left the band by that time.
722
00:43:35.400 --> 00:43:37.599
Okay, So by the time that the tape makes it
723
00:43:37.639 --> 00:43:40.159
on the radio. Okay. One thing that wasn't clear to
724
00:43:40.199 --> 00:43:44.320
me was was gigs? Did you Did you do any
725
00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:45.280
primate gigs?
726
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:49.679
No? I did the recording with him, Okay, so I
727
00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:52.079
didn't start on all the gigs. I ended up leaving
728
00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:54.960
and playing with the band that ended up doing stuff
729
00:43:54.960 --> 00:43:58.519
with the Jackson's and okay, a couple of other musicians.
730
00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:02.519
So I ended up going at I want to say
731
00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:06.719
selling out. I wasn't selling out, It's just less was
732
00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:08.920
going in a different direction and I was going in
733
00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:13.079
another one. Yeah. But he got he'd got what he
734
00:44:13.159 --> 00:44:15.559
needed to get to get what he wanted.
735
00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:20.840
Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, you guys, So what
736
00:44:20.840 --> 00:44:24.840
what's really cool is then this tape, Uh, it got
737
00:44:25.119 --> 00:44:27.800
it got you on your path, and and it got
738
00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:30.840
Lesson Todd on their path, and you all benefited from
739
00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:34.000
it and I'm and I'm sure it was amicable when
740
00:44:34.039 --> 00:44:40.079
you when that's great man, it's and I and I
741
00:44:40.119 --> 00:44:41.719
we talked about this on the phone the other day.
742
00:44:41.719 --> 00:44:45.599
That and Frankie, you know, I we've talked about this too,
743
00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:48.840
Frankie that when I was when I was a teenager,
744
00:44:49.400 --> 00:44:52.559
you know, in the mid nineties to late nineties, and
745
00:44:52.840 --> 00:44:55.400
looking up all the info on Primise I could on
746
00:44:55.480 --> 00:44:58.239
the internet right, just just eating it up because I
747
00:44:58.280 --> 00:45:01.599
was just obsessed with this band. I would see these
748
00:45:01.719 --> 00:45:04.119
names of previous drummers and I was like, who, I
749
00:45:04.119 --> 00:45:06.440
don't know who Jay Lane is, Robbie Bean.
750
00:45:08.239 --> 00:45:08.280
Is.
751
00:45:08.440 --> 00:45:11.480
Yeah, so I'm like this this like these these names
752
00:45:11.519 --> 00:45:13.480
sound made up? Robbie Bean, who's that?
753
00:45:13.719 --> 00:45:15.920
You know? Like market people?
754
00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:17.360
And what do they look like?
755
00:45:18.039 --> 00:45:21.320
What? What the world were they doing? Yeah? So so
756
00:45:21.440 --> 00:45:24.840
just and then I saw that name Perm Parker, and
757
00:45:24.840 --> 00:45:26.960
and of course Per I didn't know at the time
758
00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:31.320
Perm was a nickname, So like, what who is this guy?
759
00:45:31.440 --> 00:45:34.280
I gotta know more? And I didn't. And you were
760
00:45:34.920 --> 00:45:37.360
a mysterious figure for so long.
761
00:45:38.760 --> 00:45:44.119
Well, Parker, I'm at the root. So that's part of
762
00:45:44.159 --> 00:45:46.559
the tree, you know. I ended up in the roots
763
00:45:46.599 --> 00:45:49.639
and we were playing in high school. And then the
764
00:45:49.639 --> 00:45:54.199
rest of them was the tree, the leaves and the branches. Yeah.
765
00:45:54.239 --> 00:45:54.760
I love that.
766
00:45:57.039 --> 00:45:59.880
Yeah, man, the roots of the family tree. I love that.
767
00:46:01.119 --> 00:46:05.599
Yeah. I And I asked the roots.
768
00:46:05.880 --> 00:46:06.440
I wanted to.
769
00:46:06.800 --> 00:46:11.679
I wanted to ask perm because there's a quote by
770
00:46:11.800 --> 00:46:15.000
this in the press release for Seats of Cheese where
771
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.119
he says that Sergeant Baker is kind of an amalgamation
772
00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:22.800
of a lot of stories friends told him about the army.
773
00:46:23.039 --> 00:46:24.440
So I'm wondering if you.
774
00:46:24.519 --> 00:46:27.440
Relate tales to him when you came back from the army,
775
00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:30.639
and if you have heard the song Sergeant Baker by
776
00:46:30.679 --> 00:46:32.920
Primus No.
777
00:46:32.920 --> 00:46:36.199
No, we talked when I first got out the military.
778
00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:41.159
We talked about some of the stories in the military,
779
00:46:41.239 --> 00:46:46.679
but and I know too many puppies, was basically about
780
00:46:47.639 --> 00:46:51.159
soldiers and stuff. But he he made he probably put
781
00:46:51.199 --> 00:46:53.440
it all together and like you said, made an amalgination
782
00:46:53.599 --> 00:46:58.239
out of it and ran with it. So and like
783
00:46:58.320 --> 00:47:01.800
I say, he stayed funky. You just keep it funking
784
00:47:01.840 --> 00:47:06.159
that and whatever it is. He never faked the funk.
785
00:47:06.239 --> 00:47:08.400
So you know, that's that's what Jorge Clinton said. If
786
00:47:08.440 --> 00:47:11.400
you fake the funk, your nose a girl. But his
787
00:47:15.320 --> 00:47:22.639
in trouble. So yeah, yeah, Frankie, I believe I believe
788
00:47:23.400 --> 00:47:26.199
some of those stories might get made into the list
789
00:47:26.239 --> 00:47:28.840
because I had a million stories and I can't buy
790
00:47:28.880 --> 00:47:37.000
someone on the But yeah, it's.
791
00:47:36.920 --> 00:47:40.760
It's cool though, that your experience has helped helped him
792
00:47:40.880 --> 00:47:44.800
form this character for this this song that is this
793
00:47:44.960 --> 00:47:48.000
search a Baker song for sure, but certainly puppies as well,
794
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:52.440
you know, given your military experience, So you helped inform
795
00:47:52.480 --> 00:47:56.559
a couple of tunes there. That's pretty rad.
796
00:47:55.840 --> 00:48:00.320
And we we we He he did it all, can't.
797
00:48:00.440 --> 00:48:03.519
I can't tell any credit for anything less it's done.
798
00:48:05.199 --> 00:48:09.079
He's always been less Man, and I kept I keep
799
00:48:09.199 --> 00:48:13.440
saying to this day, just like when when God spoke
800
00:48:13.519 --> 00:48:15.840
up with Ice, he said, this is my son, and
801
00:48:15.920 --> 00:48:19.719
I'm well pleased. I am well pleased with less Claypool Man.
802
00:48:19.760 --> 00:48:23.679
I always have been, because he has never faked a funk.
803
00:48:24.280 --> 00:48:29.199
Just keeping funky, Vince, keeping funky, That's what he always told,
804
00:48:29.360 --> 00:48:34.280
Just just played what you feel, man. And I love
805
00:48:34.360 --> 00:48:37.079
the way he thought. I still love the way when
806
00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:42.000
I seen I watched when they were showing them. One
807
00:48:42.039 --> 00:48:47.639
of the kids that I gave him his name was
808
00:48:49.199 --> 00:48:51.400
he I used to play with his dad. Also, he
809
00:48:51.480 --> 00:48:57.039
his name was Miles. He was named after Miles Davis.
810
00:48:57.440 --> 00:49:02.280
He sent me the the videos of all of the
811
00:49:02.360 --> 00:49:04.119
drummers that Less was looking at.
812
00:49:04.519 --> 00:49:07.719
Oh yeah, it was like Interstellar drum Derby.
813
00:49:07.400 --> 00:49:15.599
Yeah the drum Derby. Hey man, you know, said hint
814
00:49:15.679 --> 00:49:18.920
that it is. And then they showed they show, they
815
00:49:18.960 --> 00:49:20.960
showed Stan had his little dreads and everything.
816
00:49:20.960 --> 00:49:23.800
He was singing on keyboard. I was like wow. And
817
00:49:23.840 --> 00:49:25.719
he ended up getting the job. And I was like
818
00:49:25.880 --> 00:49:29.039
laughing so hard, man, Like I just couldn't believe it.
819
00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:33.239
The young man I was getting.
820
00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:37.599
Ready to play in this draft drum contest for a
821
00:49:38.519 --> 00:49:43.519
guitar center and I couldn't because I had to hit
822
00:49:43.559 --> 00:49:47.199
the road and go somewhere else. And Scott ended up
823
00:49:47.280 --> 00:49:53.159
winning the drum contest and one of the new drum
824
00:49:53.239 --> 00:49:56.840
set and oh wow, and all that I was. I
825
00:49:56.920 --> 00:49:59.559
used to laugh at all this, man, because it's just
826
00:49:59.639 --> 00:50:04.519
been a a big, a big, long beautiful ride. Man.
827
00:50:04.719 --> 00:50:08.679
It's just been a long and a lot of beautiful people. Man. Yeah,
828
00:50:08.719 --> 00:50:11.719
And I tell you, man, it's just it's just been great.
829
00:50:12.360 --> 00:50:15.480
And man, if I could do anything different, I wouldn't
830
00:50:15.559 --> 00:50:17.679
change a thing. Yeah.
831
00:50:17.719 --> 00:50:21.400
Well, you've had a long successful music career man, and
832
00:50:21.440 --> 00:50:24.320
that and that you know it's hard to do. And
833
00:50:24.360 --> 00:50:27.760
so first of all, congratulations to you for sticking with
834
00:50:27.800 --> 00:50:30.280
it and and doing the work that needed to be
835
00:50:30.360 --> 00:50:33.880
done to make it happen, because it's it's exceedingly difficult
836
00:50:34.360 --> 00:50:37.239
and pretty much I'm sure pretty much anybody in the
837
00:50:37.280 --> 00:50:41.599
business would say the same thing. But you know you've
838
00:50:41.800 --> 00:50:43.519
so certainly hats off to you.
839
00:50:44.079 --> 00:50:44.320
Uh.
840
00:50:44.360 --> 00:50:47.880
And I don't know if DeAnza High has high school reunions,
841
00:50:47.880 --> 00:50:50.880
but like you know, if you're to get you and
842
00:50:51.039 --> 00:50:55.280
Less and uh, Kirk Hammett and Brian Kehoe and Flounce
843
00:50:55.320 --> 00:50:58.039
and Fred and all those dudes, I'll get all you
844
00:50:58.079 --> 00:51:00.519
guys in the same room man alive. That would be
845
00:51:00.760 --> 00:51:01.639
that'd be a blast.
846
00:51:02.960 --> 00:51:08.480
Brian Kehole, that's that's another name from the past. Wow.
847
00:51:08.880 --> 00:51:11.679
Yeah, key hoo's doing it too. He's he's working for
848
00:51:11.760 --> 00:51:14.159
Jim Dumlop and he's got a bunch of bands. He's
849
00:51:14.360 --> 00:51:16.159
he's still doing it. It's great.
850
00:51:16.920 --> 00:51:21.400
Wow. Wow, I never knew that. I never knew that.
851
00:51:21.760 --> 00:51:24.079
And then and then he and Less actually Kejo and
852
00:51:24.199 --> 00:51:26.840
Less did a thing called Duo de Twang. And so
853
00:51:26.880 --> 00:51:30.199
it's just the two of them, like country frying, some
854
00:51:30.199 --> 00:51:33.400
some of their own songs and some uh some covers.
855
00:51:33.880 --> 00:51:35.800
So those guys ended up doing stuff together.
856
00:51:36.719 --> 00:51:40.639
Man, that is that is wonderful. Man less, let's never
857
00:51:40.719 --> 00:51:44.440
forgotten anybody. I'm so glad he did that. So I
858
00:51:44.440 --> 00:51:47.679
guess he's getting the guys from from DeAnza and El
859
00:51:47.719 --> 00:51:50.760
Crito and all these different places. And well, guys, I
860
00:51:50.760 --> 00:51:55.360
always played with Elo Leva Spiz. He ended up playing
861
00:51:55.360 --> 00:51:59.840
with Prince oh Ricky Hill. He played with everybody. Leva Spence,
862
00:52:00.199 --> 00:52:03.360
he plays. He's a guitar player for Prince, and she
863
00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:07.920
played base with she and guitar for her. And a
864
00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:11.320
couple of musicians like this is this drummer that I
865
00:52:11.400 --> 00:52:13.679
used to always have to every time he came and said, man,
866
00:52:13.679 --> 00:52:17.199
get off the drums, tell this get finished, because he
867
00:52:17.320 --> 00:52:21.480
was he was that incredible drummer, you know, he was
868
00:52:21.599 --> 00:52:26.360
that drummer. So I used to love to to all
869
00:52:26.400 --> 00:52:28.360
of those musicians down and I take my hat off
870
00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:30.159
to her. And now I wish I could see some
871
00:52:30.280 --> 00:52:33.159
of them now, Eli and all of those guys. Man,
872
00:52:33.199 --> 00:52:37.480
I haven't seen him in a long time, but I've
873
00:52:37.519 --> 00:52:40.519
been noticing back in the day that there there was
874
00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:45.039
albums that were made that these musicians were on, and
875
00:52:44.519 --> 00:52:50.119
I always in Pebbles, She married baby Face and La
876
00:52:50.280 --> 00:52:52.360
Reid and all of that, et cetera, et cetera.
877
00:52:53.920 --> 00:52:58.079
Yeah, I know Frankie. Frankie probably knows some of those
878
00:52:58.159 --> 00:53:02.360
names from because he's a big prince. So yes, man,
879
00:53:02.760 --> 00:53:06.199
And you mentioned like, I can't imagine a more nerve
880
00:53:06.280 --> 00:53:10.079
racking situation than auditioning to be Prince's guitar player.
881
00:53:11.920 --> 00:53:17.039
Wow, well you know he he He actually was auditioning
882
00:53:17.199 --> 00:53:20.440
she le E because Levi was playing for she Ly
883
00:53:20.760 --> 00:53:25.039
at the time, and he ended up ended up right
884
00:53:25.119 --> 00:53:28.559
along with that situation. And I remember Levi. He used
885
00:53:28.559 --> 00:53:30.960
to used to ride the bus with us to Elsto,
886
00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:34.239
like they used to call the seventy two p And
887
00:53:35.119 --> 00:53:37.400
he was just this really cool guy man. He had
888
00:53:37.400 --> 00:53:41.199
a he had a great disposition about everything in the
889
00:53:41.239 --> 00:53:44.760
way he studied music. And he ended up playing with
890
00:53:45.719 --> 00:53:48.719
she lely E and I ran into him one night
891
00:53:49.679 --> 00:53:52.440
in Arizona. He was playing at the Civic Plaza with
892
00:53:52.519 --> 00:53:57.360
Sheilely and they were they were, they were, they were
893
00:53:57.639 --> 00:54:01.280
incredible that night and I was gonna go hang out
894
00:54:01.280 --> 00:54:03.800
with him that night, but Unfortunately I had to go
895
00:54:04.280 --> 00:54:07.679
and get ready for the road so I could hang
896
00:54:07.679 --> 00:54:10.159
out with him that night every time, every time some
897
00:54:10.239 --> 00:54:13.039
of the people I knew, I couldn't be with him
898
00:54:13.079 --> 00:54:15.400
because I was doing my own things at the time,
899
00:54:15.559 --> 00:54:20.440
So right again, you know, and I missed a lot
900
00:54:20.480 --> 00:54:23.639
of the things that Eli did. I'm sorry. I was
901
00:54:23.639 --> 00:54:29.320
talking about Levi, right, Spence, Yeah, he I didn't get
902
00:54:29.320 --> 00:54:32.159
a chance to see him a lot. And then him printing.
903
00:54:32.199 --> 00:54:34.760
Those guys took off. I knew. They started playing with
904
00:54:34.840 --> 00:54:38.679
this group called O'Brien on the Soul Train, and they
905
00:54:38.719 --> 00:54:41.199
had a group called a Soul Trained Gang or something
906
00:54:41.239 --> 00:54:44.320
like that, and Levi was wanted the guitar players that
907
00:54:44.480 --> 00:54:50.239
was playing with with with that crew, his name was
908
00:54:50.280 --> 00:54:53.719
O'Brien the bands, his name was O'Brien, and he he
909
00:54:53.760 --> 00:54:56.119
had like four guitar players and he was one of them.
910
00:54:56.400 --> 00:54:58.920
And this guy was so cool and smooth man. Every
911
00:54:58.960 --> 00:55:00.880
time I seen it, he was just he was just
912
00:55:00.920 --> 00:55:06.679
a great guitarist man. And I just never got a
913
00:55:06.760 --> 00:55:10.360
chance to play with him either. Once we started playing professionally,
914
00:55:10.440 --> 00:55:13.159
I missed my call because every time I tried to
915
00:55:13.159 --> 00:55:16.039
go play with somebody, I'd have to go play with somebody.
916
00:55:17.239 --> 00:55:18.599
I can't play, I gotta go play.
917
00:55:19.719 --> 00:55:23.920
But I didn't. Like I said, I got the chance
918
00:55:24.000 --> 00:55:26.760
to hang out with Less one night, and it was
919
00:55:26.800 --> 00:55:29.199
in New Orleans and it was one of the great
920
00:55:29.880 --> 00:55:33.000
great things that It was a packed house that night
921
00:55:33.400 --> 00:55:35.320
and then the next morning. I didn't know if he
922
00:55:35.400 --> 00:55:38.480
was in the crowd, but I gave him tickets and
923
00:55:38.559 --> 00:55:40.239
left him at the wheel. Call him and if he
924
00:55:40.320 --> 00:55:43.519
did show up, we were in rare form that day.
925
00:55:43.599 --> 00:55:46.480
So if he didn't see it, he missed out on
926
00:55:46.519 --> 00:55:49.760
a really good show, because, like I said, a couple
927
00:55:49.760 --> 00:55:52.119
of people that was in bad brains. We were playing
928
00:55:52.159 --> 00:55:55.719
in that man, and we were killing it that night.
929
00:55:55.800 --> 00:55:57.800
It was I mean, we left mud on the float
930
00:56:00.119 --> 00:56:03.599
was coming on after us, and you know, she had
931
00:56:03.639 --> 00:56:07.119
to she had to do her best because we had
932
00:56:07.159 --> 00:56:09.599
put so much mud on the floor by the time
933
00:56:09.719 --> 00:56:12.480
she got there. She had she had to stretch out
934
00:56:12.599 --> 00:56:14.880
and she did too. Man, I take my hat to
935
00:56:15.519 --> 00:56:19.119
the late great Tina Maria. She was. She was a
936
00:56:19.239 --> 00:56:23.800
great performer. That band was smoking too. Man played with
937
00:56:23.840 --> 00:56:27.000
Ohio players and Rogers that and I wish Less would
938
00:56:27.079 --> 00:56:30.519
have been there because he would have loved that. That
939
00:56:30.599 --> 00:56:34.840
band Rogers, the late great Roger Troutman. Oh my god,
940
00:56:35.599 --> 00:56:39.199
that band was so funky. Man, oh Man, I can't
941
00:56:39.280 --> 00:56:43.559
believe how fun it was. And the Ohio players before
942
00:56:43.559 --> 00:56:47.559
the late great Sugar Food passed away and he was there,
943
00:56:47.840 --> 00:56:51.719
they were incredible for the people.
944
00:56:53.719 --> 00:56:55.559
Uh sounded like you had a question.
945
00:56:56.199 --> 00:56:58.119
I just wanted to say, firm, I think you would
946
00:56:58.199 --> 00:57:04.039
really enjoy listening to some live recordings of Les Cleepel's
947
00:57:04.079 --> 00:57:06.559
bucket of Bernie Brain's when they were on tour in
948
00:57:06.559 --> 00:57:10.079
two thousand and four, because they were playing some incredibly
949
00:57:10.280 --> 00:57:11.159
funky stuff.
950
00:57:12.840 --> 00:57:15.000
Man, I sure would, because I always wanted to play
951
00:57:15.039 --> 00:57:18.719
with Bernie Burrel. I can't believe I didn't get with Bernie.
952
00:57:18.719 --> 00:57:21.000
Oh yeah, they had.
953
00:57:20.320 --> 00:57:24.440
They had from Cadelic covers on the tour, a Bad
954
00:57:24.519 --> 00:57:26.039
Brain cover as well.
955
00:57:26.159 --> 00:57:28.199
So it's really fantastic stuff.
956
00:57:29.719 --> 00:57:31.760
Man. I will go back and listen to So Bad
957
00:57:31.800 --> 00:57:36.840
because you know so frank if you can please send
958
00:57:36.880 --> 00:57:39.559
me some of those links that you're talking about, if
959
00:57:39.599 --> 00:57:44.760
you will do any get my email and send it
960
00:57:44.760 --> 00:57:45.079
to me.
961
00:57:45.239 --> 00:57:52.400
Man, definitely. Well, Frankie gave you a recommendation, and I'm
962
00:57:52.400 --> 00:57:55.880
going to ask you for one events, which is you
963
00:57:55.920 --> 00:57:59.639
know you mentioned Parliament, Funkadelic, Larry Graham, sly Stone, James Brown,
964
00:58:00.159 --> 00:58:03.960
on down the Line, Pleasure, all fantastic acts, the Reddings,
965
00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:08.159
and and and so on. For me, I've got that basis.
966
00:58:08.880 --> 00:58:11.920
If I was gonna dig deeper. What other artists would
967
00:58:11.920 --> 00:58:16.039
you recommend I check out? To really get into the
968
00:58:16.039 --> 00:58:16.800
funk and R and B.
969
00:58:18.559 --> 00:58:23.400
Man, you have to go to the godfather man, James Brown.
970
00:58:25.119 --> 00:58:31.119
You know Paul Stubblefield, his drummer. One night I was,
971
00:58:31.280 --> 00:58:35.599
I was playing at this club right in Arizona. I
972
00:58:35.679 --> 00:58:38.440
was kicking, you know. I was in rare form that
973
00:58:38.559 --> 00:58:40.960
night too myself, and I was throwing you know, everybody
974
00:58:41.039 --> 00:58:43.079
threw my sticks. They hit it okay, right where I
975
00:58:43.159 --> 00:58:44.840
wanted to. You know, this is one of them nights,
976
00:58:44.840 --> 00:58:47.800
you know. And this this old guy came up to
977
00:58:47.840 --> 00:58:49.800
me and say, hey, man, you do me real good?
978
00:58:51.440 --> 00:58:52.119
I said, what.
979
00:58:53.679 --> 00:58:55.119
You do me real good?
980
00:58:55.480 --> 00:59:00.159
He said, my name is Paul Stubblefield. It was like
981
00:59:00.519 --> 00:59:02.559
stumble feel. I say, a man, I've been pro trying
982
00:59:02.599 --> 00:59:07.000
to do you my whole life. I didn't have another
983
00:59:07.119 --> 00:59:10.760
drummer name, but pretty have you ever heard of him?
984
00:59:11.079 --> 00:59:12.760
I think I've heard that guy.
985
00:59:13.400 --> 00:59:17.159
He's a crazy drummer. He came up on my on
986
00:59:17.199 --> 00:59:21.039
my stage, and I used to pride myself but not
987
00:59:21.119 --> 00:59:23.639
tuning my drums right and get some sound out of them.
988
00:59:23.960 --> 00:59:28.880
And nobody could play my drums. And I used to
989
00:59:28.920 --> 00:59:32.400
pride myself because nobody could play my drums. But he
990
00:59:32.519 --> 00:59:36.000
got on my drums and he played my drums. I
991
00:59:36.039 --> 00:59:38.960
mean I never tuned him. You know, some guys have
992
00:59:39.079 --> 00:59:42.400
to tune it like this and tune it like the ad. No.
993
00:59:43.000 --> 00:59:45.039
I used to hit it and get that sound out
994
00:59:45.079 --> 00:59:47.800
of it because I used to rim shot everything. They
995
00:59:47.920 --> 00:59:52.440
used to call it Banks. Jerome Banks used to tell
996
00:59:52.480 --> 00:59:55.440
me from bad brands. He say, oh, Vince playing that
997
00:59:55.519 --> 00:59:59.960
fat back. He's called fat back, and that's that's that's
998
01:00:00.039 --> 01:00:05.440
where the funk came from. And this up, it's like
999
01:00:05.440 --> 01:00:08.239
you hit the realm and you get the sound of
1000
01:00:08.280 --> 01:00:11.840
the of the snare head. So you didn't have to
1001
01:00:11.920 --> 01:00:14.400
tune your drums if you get that rim and hit
1002
01:00:14.440 --> 01:00:18.239
it right in the right spot every time. And boy,
1003
01:00:18.280 --> 01:00:23.079
if you keep that kick drum pumping boom, you get
1004
01:00:23.079 --> 01:00:25.480
there what he called They used to call me, are
1005
01:00:25.519 --> 01:00:28.119
you a fat bag drummer? And then they started calling
1006
01:00:28.159 --> 01:00:30.280
me a reggae drummer because I ended up playing with
1007
01:00:30.480 --> 01:00:34.599
Bernie Spear and playing We're doing shows with Bernie Spear,
1008
01:00:34.719 --> 01:00:38.000
the Whalers, uh, the Sagittari's Bend. I actually played with
1009
01:00:38.039 --> 01:00:42.559
the Sagittarian band bass player. His name was Man. This
1010
01:00:42.719 --> 01:00:45.000
dude is cold bloody whoa. He's one of the best
1011
01:00:45.000 --> 01:00:49.440
bass players I played with. His name was I can't
1012
01:00:49.480 --> 01:00:52.079
remember his name. He's one of the great bass players
1013
01:00:52.320 --> 01:00:55.639
fly blah hoh with Burnie Spear. I never got to
1014
01:00:55.679 --> 01:00:58.920
meet a couple of drummers I wanted to meet, but
1015
01:00:58.960 --> 01:01:01.119
I didn't. Yellow Man. I played with Yellow Man a
1016
01:01:01.119 --> 01:01:05.280
couple of times, and Frankie Paul and all of those
1017
01:01:05.320 --> 01:01:08.719
reggae drummers. Man it was, and all of a sudden,
1018
01:01:09.039 --> 01:01:14.119
I became what they call the reggae drummer first and
1019
01:01:14.239 --> 01:01:16.559
first I was the rock and roll brother. Then I
1020
01:01:16.639 --> 01:01:20.320
was the funk man, and then I turned to the
1021
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:23.920
reggae drummer, and I was all along. I just always
1022
01:01:24.000 --> 01:01:27.039
just said, okay, that's cool. At least I'm not faking it.
1023
01:01:27.280 --> 01:01:31.280
That the real. So I just I just played well,
1024
01:01:32.199 --> 01:01:36.119
like like when we begin and at DeAnza, we just
1025
01:01:36.280 --> 01:01:39.719
kept it real and we kept it funk man. That's
1026
01:01:39.760 --> 01:01:42.199
all we did. Yeah, that's all we did.
1027
01:01:42.440 --> 01:01:44.280
Served you for decades.
1028
01:01:44.840 --> 01:01:47.760
For decades, man, it paid the red.
1029
01:01:48.079 --> 01:01:51.360
That's right. I'll tell you what, Vincent. It has been
1030
01:01:51.400 --> 01:01:54.800
fantastic to talk to you. I can't thank you enough
1031
01:01:55.679 --> 01:01:58.519
for your time and and for telling us you know
1032
01:01:58.599 --> 01:02:01.800
about about yourself and your experience is less but also
1033
01:02:01.920 --> 01:02:06.039
your your musical uh career in journey. I hope all
1034
01:02:06.079 --> 01:02:07.920
these guys that you're missing you get to see them
1035
01:02:07.960 --> 01:02:08.599
again sometime.
1036
01:02:09.760 --> 01:02:12.679
I do too, Man, it would be it would be
1037
01:02:12.880 --> 01:02:16.679
a pleasure just to just to sit and trade stories,
1038
01:02:16.719 --> 01:02:19.880
you know about some of the horn players and the
1039
01:02:20.280 --> 01:02:23.559
horn player was the crazy ones, and the tours and
1040
01:02:23.960 --> 01:02:26.119
the falls from the tours. I would just love to
1041
01:02:26.159 --> 01:02:30.400
sit down and just talk. And I would love to
1042
01:02:30.400 --> 01:02:32.559
sit down and play. Maybe I can play the drums
1043
01:02:32.599 --> 01:02:35.199
as much, but I can took the libraries a little
1044
01:02:35.199 --> 01:02:38.000
bit so I can steal jam
1045
01:02:38.239 --> 01:02:40.840
Act I'm still with on