Have you spent endless sleepless nights wondering, "What does a Romanian dictator have to do with Oysterhead?" Friend, we understand, and will assuage these existential worries with an exploration of Stewart Copeland's lyrics and the underlying groove of the music. BARBER... Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

Birthday Boys is a little ditty that celebrates the accident of adjacent birth for two of the band's members, right? RIGHT? There's a bit more to it, and Les Claypool has hinted at some of the details over the years, which lend a tawdry bent to the lyrics, contrasted with the wholesome-sounding music. Rumors and innuendo swirl around Birthday Boys. Join in the intrigue! Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

We are thrilled to welcome Tim Alexander to Primus Tracks! The longtime Primus drummer has stretched his rhythmical and compositional skills through numerous projects over the years, and he is ready to share what he's learned throughout his career. We discuss his newly-founded Stick Academy, the foundations of his drumming, his abstract visual art, and what it means to be back in the Bay Area. Reminder that PT Patrons get episode video - this is one you don't want to miss! Find Tim: https://www.stickacademy.com/ https://timalexanderabstract.com/ https://www.instagram.com/timalexander65/ Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

It seems antithetical to describe anything Claypool-related as pleasant, but that's the word which comes to mind for this jaunt. The vocal layering is a highlight here, as well as the imadery produced by the lyrics. Feel the gravel between your toes and dance your way through this episode of Primus Tracks! Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

The title "Rubberneck Lions" suggests a strange word soup, but there's some kind of meaning underneath the opaque lyrics, and they trend towards familiar territory for Les Claypool and Trey Anastasio. We closely inspect this track, which is one of four that survived Oysterhead's initial performance in May 2000. Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

Army's on Ecstasy, or as I call it, Military on Molly, is a an uptempo, art-rock exploration of musical compormise. That is to say, with three strong-willed musicians in the room, something has to give, and this is what we get. It's sort of poppy, sort of jammy, and sort of weird, but undeniably a product of Les, Stew, and Trey. We get into these unique Claypool lyrics, their source material, and hypothesize on how this tune came about. We also ponder the uncredited voices in this track, and just what makes it a product of compromise. Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

We can all breathe and drift away after the heavy subject matter and oppressive aura of Shadow of a Man, and perhaps it's a relief that the music of Radon Balloon is light and airy, and the lyrics make zero sense. Either way, please have your basement tested for radon, the silent killer, and then drift away as Josh and Frankie talk about the only Oysterhead track credited solely to Trey Anastasio.

Despite being an Oysterhead track, we suspect this is a tune that Les had at least formulated during the Primus Antipop cycle, and was revived for the Oysterhead record after some time on the shelf. The only track solely penned by Claypool on The Grand Pecking Order, this one is a quintessential Les track, and we discuss the for such an assertion, while embracing the darkness of the lyrical experience. It gets grim. Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

For the mighty thematic track underpinning the formation of Oysterhead and the purpose behind its record, we turn to a favorite, Kello Gonzalez, to discuss the structure and freedoms that both exist within Mr. Oysterhead. It's rare that Les pens such confident lyrics about himself and his music, but when you're flanked by Stew and Trey, I suppose one might be feeling their oats. Kello provides info about Les's effects setup for this track, in particular how Les uses the envelope filter. Find Kello playing lots of bass and his three(!) forthcoming records on https://www.youtube.com/c/KelloGonzalez Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 mailto:primustrackspod@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks

Who is Oz? Why is he floating? What does this have to do with John C. Lilly? We tackle all of these questions and more to gain an understanding of the second track from Oysterhead's The Grand Pecking Order, a compact number that tangentially broaches the metaphysical. Plus, song history, live tracks, and Josh helps you avoid cults, FOR FREE. Get involved: https://www.instagram.com/primustracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071135287621 https://gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/primustracks