Hear the Claypool Lennon Delirium’s Outlandish Debut
“A musical interaction or jam is a conversation, and the best conversations are the ones that flow freely,” Les Claypool told Rolling Stone via Skype recently, sitting next to current collaborator Sean Lennon. “When Sean and I started playing, there was a good volley of ideas.”
It’s not hard to see why the two artists hit it off. For more than three decades, Claypool has explored the outer reaches of alt-rock in Primus. Lennon, meanwhile, has been a mainstay of pop’s fringe, from his work with eccentric Japanese act Cibo Matto in the Nineties to the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, his long-running psychedelic project with girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. In 2015, GOASTT opened for Primus, leading to a backstage jam.
The pair kept in touch, and Lennon later decamped NYC to crash at Claypool’s guest house Sebastopol, California. In addition to his myriad musical side projects, Claypool is also a winemaker, and over copious amounts of vino and a fortuitous viewing of the Monkees’ big-screen freakout Head, a musical and personal bond was solidified, tellingly dubbed the Claypool Lennon Delirium.
RS reached Claypool and Lennon at an NYC studio as they prepped for the June 3rd release of their debut album, Monolith of Phobos – streaming in full below – and a lengthy summer tour that kicks off in Tampa, Florida, the following night. The conversation veered from surreal to unexpectedly heavy as the duo discussed tiny space moons, the OxyContin epidemic and other influences on the new LP.
When you two first started jamming, did the collaboration flow naturally, or was there a period of adjustment?
Lennon: It was comfortable but I was a little nervous, basically because I’m a nervous guy. Les was also someone that I’ve been a fan of since I was young. From my perspective, it was pretty natural. We have similar taste in notes. We tend to like the notes that other people hate. We also got along well. That’s the most important thing when you’re going to be on a tour bus with somebody. Les gets to work with a lot of great musicians, and he works with people that he likes.
Claypool: I use the metaphor that a musical interaction or jam is a conversation, and the best conversations are the ones that flow freely. It’s an exchange of ideas as opposed to dictation. When Sean and I started playing, there was a good volley of ideas and it was like an interesting conversation.
How did you approach the lyrics to Monolith of Phobos?
Lennon: Les is very good with lyrics and very steadfast about it. He’s always working. I was influenced positively by his work ethic. He would show up every morning with a full written song. I was like, “Damn, I gotta work harder at night.” He’s a real writer and has a real flow with words. When I work on my mine, I’ll spend months without penning the second verse.
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