It was however not popular with Winona Ryder’s then boyfriend David Pirner, who apparently was not aware the song had nothing to do with the actress linked to the actor who was the modern day Willy Wonka. The popularity was surely due to the attention the absurd video got on MTV. This song, which was simply considered filler placed between songs for comic relief, eventually became one of their most popular. The next song was also related to fishing, inspired by Les spotting a giant brown beaver that gave him quite a scare during a starring standoff. I have to admit, a good Poutine is my Kryptonite. This elicited boos from the crowd, proud of our delicacy: The Poutine. Les spoke to us about checking out the JFL festival and almost trying a Poutine, being restrained by Larry who warned of a possible bellyache as a possible side effect. The crowd responded by letting loose in the pit. The song features a great midsection that allows for improvisation and guitar riffs by Larry LaLonde. The avid fisherman, Les Claypool, next sings about the decline of the salmon fishing industry in Northern California with “Last Salmon Man”. As the infectious bass starts, the crowd starts clapping along to the sounds of “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers” off Sailing the Seas of Cheese. The opening band was composed of Larry LaLonde, Tim Alexander and Les Claypool of a sugar-free Primus. After all, this is the band that is so distinct, it has it’s own ID3v1 genre tag! I had yet to see the famed super powered thumb in action, slapping that bass like it did something bad. It was with great anticipation, being surrounded by fans shouting: “Primus Sucks!”, an inside joke started by the band, that I stood waiting to hear that distinctive bass. It turns out that I was not alone in finding this unorthodox sound, as they soon grew in popularity and legendary status.

Finding a band like Primus was a rare treasure, a band one could enjoy knowing that it stood out from all the surrounding factory of pop music. I first heard Primus around the Frizzle Fry years and was attracted to the Zappa-like humor along with that incredible bass and double bass drums.

It was amid this frenzy of activity that Primus & The Chocolate Factory with Fungi Ensemble decided to grace our fine city with their presence. St-Catherine was alive with activity as the Just For Laughs Festival was underway and also the main Montreal festival being the “Road Construction Festival” going on all over the island of Montreal all summer long.

Primus rare songs