Sometimes, Primus Tracks listeners have questions that we cannot answer, and that's when we fire up the Soya Signal for a round of your queries. Soya joins from yet another hotel room, this time teching for Oasis, and if you've seen their tour schedule, you know the man has some time to fill. Questions this time range from Primus lyrics to beer to skateboarding to perms and Taco Bell.

Do you have a question for Tim Soya? Leave a voice mail or send a text to 337-514-7692 - it's an unmonitored number, so there's no chance anyone will actually answer. Get your question in early for the next round. 

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Tim Wright drummed in Primus from 1986-1988 as Primus gained a larger following in the Bay Area, and played a key role in helping advance the band's fortunes via endless practice and rehearsals and a grinding gigging schedule. Tim shares sme wild stories from that time period, the origins of his nickname, and some watershed moments from his own band, Curveball. Thanks to Tim for taking the time. Great talk!


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Jordan Kravitz recently joined the Primus crew to photograph some 2024 dates, including New Year's Eve. He's currently out capturing the band on numerous dates of the 2025 Onward & Upward tour, bringing us our first comprehensive look at John Hoffman in the Primus drum chair. Jordan disucsses how he got the gig, his approach to capturing the energy and presentation of the music, dealing with dim stage lighting, and how being a fan of the music impacts his shots.

Find Jordan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevicariousobserver/
and his website: https://www.jhkcreativephotography.com/

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Dave Kloc is a prolific artist who designs posters for a wide variety of artists, but when PRIMUS comes calling, he ups his game. Enjoy a peek behind his creative process and unique approach to making these lasting images. This episode is best experienced on video at patreon.com/primustracks

Find Dave at www.davekloc.com and @davekloc on the socials. 

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We conclude our Of Whales And Woe coverage with this sendoff instrumental that airs a bit of mystery with its abrupt conclusion and sound samples/field recordings. We take a stab at what it might all mean, but perhaps it's just a bit of wordplay. Final thoughts on OWAW, and a preview of what's to come.

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Sam Stewart of Flagman returns to discuss Filipino Ray, an acrobatic bass jaunt that comprises the penultimate track of Of Whales and Woe. The bass lines go hard, but there is a lot of open space as well, which can be tricky for many musicians. Sam helps us with those intricacies, and regales with his own tales of whales and woe around procuting and hearing this record for the first time. We also share what we know about Ray Wing, the lyrical subject of the song, who Les played with in the Tommy Crank Band in the 1980s. Plus, can we borrow your old iPod cable? Thanks. 

Find Sam @salmonsamstew and @flagmanband on Insagram.

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We all know about the South Park theme, but were you aware that Les Claypool wrote and performed the theme to Robot Chicken, another long-running animated television program? Probably. We discuss his involvement in the show theme, its inclusion on this record, and Frankie takes the "miscellaneous instrumentation" quiz. 

Bob with keyboards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raehRGepI4w&t=6546s

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The hips of the record have arrived! This utterly accessible, catchy track doubles as a slice-of-life study of a commercial fisherman, whose solace is the sea, despite its diminishing economic returns. We weigh how officially unofficial this track stands as a Fisherman's Chronicle, and and explain why it's the most-performed track from the record, although that's fairly clear to aficionados. 


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The great Kello Gonzalez returns to the podcast on short notice to discuss Nothin' Ventured, which we interpret as our version of a Les Claypool motivational speech, particularly because the spirit of the song (bass solos) and lyrics (taking risks to achieve something) mirrors what LEs did with his career path. IT's also chock-full of cultural idioms amd a sneaky masturbation joke; everyone's favorite Claypoolism. 

Kello demonstrates the "five minute" interpretation of the bass line, and we dig into taking risks, the rewards, and why it matters. 

Find Kello on Youtube and Instagram. 

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Les Claypool's ode to his wife, Chaney, starts side two of Of Whales and Woe, and there's certainly no woe to be found in this joyous track, which reflects the irrational emotional highs of fulfilled love, through the Claypool lens. Josh, a native Iowan, sheds some light on the lyrical references and discusses agricultural exports, because that's all Iowans talk about aside from the weather. 

We also play an excerpt from Les's book tour in Iowa City. That evening was captured by the radio program Live At Prairie Lights and is archived here: https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/node/797265

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