My Name Is Mud – Primus

Primus is far and away one of the stranger bands that I’ve been checking out lately, and I haven’t gotten super into them, but my surface level impressions are reminiscent of a less serious but equally as talented Tool. Music for nerds, I’m sure some people would say.

Les Claypool is one of my favorite musicians to watch perform live, and I don’t think anyone would argue his inclusion in the “greatest bassists of all time” conversation. Before I was aware of Primus, I was aware of Les because of how revered he is as a musician. I think that even if Primus is not your cup of tea (their music is certainly not for everyone), most can appreciate his creativity and talent. The first time I heard “Jerry Was A Racecar Driver,” I couldn’t fully comprehend how a bass was making those sounds. (This was way before the name Jaco Pastorius meant anything to me.)

Musically, “My Name Is Mud” has an attitude to it that fits perfectly. Give this one a shot next time you’re frustrated with something or just in a pissy mood. For me, it’s a bit different from listening to something heavy that I normally would, because as much attitude as it does have, it lacks the anger that, say, a “traditional” metal song would have.

As far as lyrics go; this is a story about tweakers. If you’re from a small town, you’re probably familiar with those copper stealing sons of bitches. According to Claypool, “the whole notion of the … song is basically about a couple of tweakers who are hanging out, and they get in a fight over something stupid, and one of them kills the other one. Kind of a “River’s Edge”–type vibe.

A cool anecdote I read about today; before Primus, Les was actually asked to audition for one of my favorite bands, Metallica, after the untimely death of Cliff Burton. (RIP) It actually sounds painfully awkward, and Les had been working as a carpenter up until this point. “Back in 1986 I was a carpenter and would have joined any band that paid me! At the time I think it would have been a fantastic, fun thing to do, but I’m incredibly glad it didn’t happen. Kirk Hammett’s an old high-school friend of mine, so he called me. He used to give me guitar magazines and was the guy who turned me on to Hendrix.” (how cool, small world) If you ask James Hetfield about the audition, he’ll tell you that Les was simply put, “too good” for Metallica. Les, gives us a more in depth perspective,  “No, it wasn’t that – I just didn’t fit in. I had a blonde Mohawk and baggy skater pants and two different colored tennis shoes – and this was back when they had long hair long hair and tight pants. I was talking to James a few years ago, and he’d said in this Behind The Music documentary on Metallica that I was too good. I told him he was full of it, and thought I was a freak! That was why he didn’t want me! And he just laughed, because it was true. I wouldn’t have fit. They’re not dumb.” It’s hard to imagine what Metallica’s sound would have been with Les, or perhaps, it’s even harder to imagine how Les would’ve evolved as a musician if he was constrained to a certain style early in his career.

This sort of worked out perfectly with me posting about Jerry Reed yesterday as well, as they do a pretty fun and shockingly straightforward cover of Amos Moses.

Link to My Name is Mud – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH2BwJSXGBM

Me llamo Mud (released in 2010 by Primus, it’s exactly what you think it is) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a8rUk3BrSs

Link to live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHQ8JYcoZH8

Link to bass cover, just thought it was cool to see the technique up close – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV25ZuGvpuE

Link to Primus Amos Moses – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8eLl-TbxZ8

Link to Jerry Was a Racecar Driver – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBQ2305fLeA