Todd Huth, who’s known Les Claypool since they were kids, co-founded Primus and wrote many of the guitar parts Larry LaLonde executed on early records Suck on This, Frizzle Fry, and Sailing the Seas of Cheese. His approach came from geeking out on Mozart and Bach while he studied music theory in college. “I got this idea of mashing symphonic theory with everything I’d learned before,” Huth says. “That was pretty much the base for the early Primus guitar parts.”
Huth left the band and was replaced by LaLonde in 1989. But he stayed close with Claypool, as a member of Sausage and the Fearless Frog Brigade. “If I had to narrow down our chemistry, it would be that Les and I are always looking to expand out of the norm,” he says.
As for how Primus might have sounded had he stayed, he guesses: “The music would probably be more abstract but tuneful. I haven’t really thought about it that much. I’m not positive that if we hooked up now it would gel – it probably would, though.”
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How did you meet Les Claypool?
We went to the same school in seventh grade, and in high school we hung around the same music circles. I believe he’d seen me play guitar in a seventh grade talent show and was so unimpressed that he decided to play bass. Glad I could help.
Was the musical and personal connection immediate?
Someone told me he was starting a disco band and was looking for a guitar player. When we first got together I don’t think either of us was expecting much – I didn’t want to play disco and he didn’t want just another rock guitar player.
I drove over to Les’ apartment in El Sobrante, and he broke out a drum machine and three tunes: Pinstripe Suit, March of the Leprechauns, and Too Many Puppies. He wasn’t playing disco. Something clicked.
We got five songs together – Prelude to Fear, Creating, Chattering Song, Too Many Puppies, and something called What’s a Primus – and went into the studio with Vince Parker on drums.
After that 24-hour session, we were sitting in the bed of Les’ car and I mentioned starting a band. Les had had his fill of “bands”, but he reluctantly gave it a try.
He’d been kicking around the name Primate for his own project, but someone sent him a cease-and-desist letter. So, we looked in the dictionary around Primate, and Primus was born. We pulled together some good songs at that time – John the Fisherman, To Defy, and about 20 others.
What gear were you working with?
In the beginning, the songs were written on an aluminum-necked Kramer and a Les Paul Custom through a Peavey Musician amp. I bought a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+, which to this day is my favorite amp. Incidentally, the act of me buying that amp caused my fiancée to dump me, but I needed the amp more than whatever she wanted to spend my money on.
I paired the Boogie with a belt-sanded ’57 Fender Telecaster, which cost me $250. I got it signed by Joe Perry at Woodstock. Les was playing his Carl Thompson through my Peavey head.
What was songwriting like?
Les would bring in a bass line he was working on, and I would take an idea I was kicking around and make it work with his part. For example, in John the Fisherman, I’d been tweaking around with backward sliding and diminished patterns.
Les would usually arrange the tune and I’d put in my two cents. Sometimes we’d rehearse a song one or two times, then, surprisingly, Les would put it on the next show’s playlist. It taught me how to gracefully stumble through a song.
Can you track Primus’ rise around the Sausage demo tape?
We played every show we could get, from dive bars to opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’d say one out of three people in the crowd liked us and the other two thought we sucked. Hence, “Primus Sucks” – it was pretty clever for Les to come up with that idea of saying that on stage. You might as well say what most of the audience was thinking.
We slowly accumulated a following, but again, we found ourselves drummerless. Since we were down, Les went on tour with Blind Illusion and tried out for Metallica. Because of that, I was thinking of moving on myself. In popped Jay Lane, and it breathed new life into the band.
It was a difficult decision to leave because of what I put into it – and I knew where it was heading
Our crowds were growing and our tape was selling well. Les and Jay are one of the best rhythm sections I’ve played with. But, boom – Jay had some scheduling conflicts. We put a “drummer wanted” ad in BAM magazine and started trying out drummers while still finishing out shows with Jay.
Les seemed a bit disillusioned with drummers, and bummed both that Jay left and by the fact that we just tried out 20 prospects, so he deferred the choice to me. I liked Tim Alexander from the start. He’s a creative tactician, and his heavy groove is one for the archives.
What led you to leave Primus and be replaced by Larry?
I never really got to play with Tim. I’d had a kid and I was working as a pipe fitter, and Primus were playing a lot. I was exhausted and had less and less say over the scheduling. It was a difficult decision to leave because of what I put into it – and I knew where it was heading. But I wanted to see my kid, Elmo, grow up. By the way, Suck on This is dedicated to Elmo.
You wrote most of the guitar parts in Suck on This, Seas of Cheese, and Frizzle Fry. Was it disappointing seeing Larry play your parts?
Les asked to use my guitar parts, and I didn’t want to leave him in the lurch. So I sat down with Larry and taught him my parts. I have to say it wasn’t easy to see someone else get credit for parts I wrote; but overall, I still think leaving was the right decision.
How might those albums have taken shape had you stayed ?
Never thought about it. The only thing I could say for sure is that the guitar parts would have been played differently. Larry and I are different in style and approach.
What led you to reconnect with Les and Jay to form Sausage?
A couple of years after Primus, I started a band with Dave Ayer from Sam I Am and Chris Frey from Today Is the Day. We recorded a self-titled album called Porch. While we were touring, Les gave me a call; he wanted to record with Jay Lane and I, mostly songs we’d been working on when I was in Primus. We went into Les’ rehearsal studio in Berkeley and recorded Riddles Are Abound Tonight.
What gear did you use then?
Most songs on Riddles were done on a Les Paul Custom through a Boogie Mark IIC+. Some songs were done on the ’57 Telecaster. We recorded the whole record in a couple of days. I remember having a good time mixing with Les. There’s a singing part in Here’s to the Man that he was talking about taking out, but it made me laugh so hard that I begged him to leave it in.
Primus were taking off at the time – is that why Sausage didn’t continue?
At one time, Porch, Sausage, Jay’s projects, and Les’ projects were overlapping. There was a show at Bimbo’s in San Fransisco, where Sausage were headlining and Porch were opening. I was overscheduled, so I’d been living off coffee for four or five days, so I decided to take a nap in my car before the show.
When I went out with Frog Brigade I probably could have sat off the stage for half the show
I woke up in a coffee-induced psychosis, not knowing where I was or if the show had started. I stumbled towards the club, and it just so happened that Les, Kirk Hammett, and some other heavy hitters lined up to take a picture. I heard, “Hey, Todd, get in the pic!” I’d like to find that pic because I know I look like a lunatic.
In short, Sausage were stalled because of scheduling conflicts.
Later, you and Les regrouped again in Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.
Dave left Porch after the first record. That’s when I went out with Frog Brigade, Les’ concept band – a great bunch of musicians. I was curious how I was going to fit in the band; the Pink Floyd covers were straightforward, but I probably could have sat off the stage for half the show. I mostly stood in the dark playing rhythm drums on guitar while bouncing off Jay.
Do you regret leaving Primus, given the large-scale success they had?
The success that I wasn’t a part of doesn’t get me down. As far as the part I played on the overall sound of Primus, I’ll leave that to y’all to speculate.
What’s next?
Lately I’ve been recording with Everyone Under the Sun. I’m about to release a self-titled album with eight other musicians. Tim Alexander is playing one of the songs. Others include Trevor Dunn and Jay Lane. I’m also doing a project called La Beut, and I have another project that I’m really excited about. It’s called Green Hammer and it could be described as “crazy ass punk.” My son Elmo will be on vocals. Coming soon…
