Thursday 28 August 2014

Book Review: PRIMUS, Over the electric grapevine

This was a tough book to read. I couldn't figure it out, until I began reading, why it was an 'oral' history. I think, if you want to create an oral history you simply do an audiotape or video. It seems to be a lazy way to put together a book. Good authors do research, they support their anecdotes, edit them for clarity, and provide back up information to improve the understanding of the spoken word, organize the book by timelines or themes. We know that musicians are not ones for prose, and they do tell fantastic stories, but this was difficult to make any sense of, since I don't know this California-based band created in 1988.

Written by journalist/author Greg Prato, I can understand question and answer interviews, but the questions aren't even written down. This Rolling Stone contributor may be more familiar with short articles, but I would have liked to have read something about the impact of the band, what the band means to Prato, and some conclusions about their contributions to the music industry.
by Greg Prato

An Oral History of a Legendary Band

Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool
by Primus and Greg Prato


Suck on ThisFrizzle FrySailing the Seas of CheesePork SodaTales from the Punchbowl. Revolutionary for their time, Primus’s albums are now considered seminal alt-rock classics, all from a group that refused to be pigeonholed—one that merged metal, funk, alternative, punk, country, roots rock, and experimental music to create a sound distinctly their own. Now, the history of the band is fully explored and revealed in a fascinating and beautifully curated oral history, featuring nearly fifty interviews from Trey Anastasio to Hank Williams III, a full-color photo insert of rare and never-before-seen images, and more.

They have had their share of awards and/or nominations:

  1. Rock band
  2. Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander. Wikipedia
Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine is compiled from nearly fifty all-new interviews conducted by journalist/author Greg Prato. This star-studded cast of contributors includes: Tim Alexander, Trey Anastasio (Phish), Matthew Bellamy (Muse), Les Claypool, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Chuck D (Public Enemy), Kirk Hammet (Metallica), Larry Lalonde, Geddy Lee (Rush), Mickey Melchiondo (Ween), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Chad Smith (RHCP), Matt Stone (South Park), Tom Waits, and many more.
ISBN 9781617753220


WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM
He also has an Oysterhead itch

2 comments:

Red said...

Sometimes these people have nothing to say.

William Kendall said...

I've heard of the band, but the genre was never really to my tastes.