As part of a triple body blow, Primus has a new tour, a new greatest hits CD,
They Can't All Be Zingers, and a new DVD,
Blame It On the Fish. As I already own all of Primus' released discs, as well as an extensive catalog of their live recordings, I limited myself to seeing the concert and buying the DVD, but if you only want to buy one Primus disc, or just want one to get you started, this is definitely the CD to get. But this review is about the DVD.
Welcome to the wierd world of Les Claypool and the band Primus. Not your ordinary average every day band, you wouldn't expect them to release a average ordinary every day tour DVD. And ordinary it is not. I knew the minute I saw the Zoltron logo on the opening credits that this would be "different." Immediately remminiscent of
Koyaanisqatsi, the groundbreaking film of the 70s by Godrey Reggio, with score by Philip Glass, this is NOT a concert film. Its secondary name, "An abstract look at the 2003 Tour de Fromage," sums it up well.
In fact, "abstract" may not give it enough credit. Adjectives and phrases that came to my mind while watching were "random," "disjointed," and "attention deficit disorder." What you get are slices of songs interspersed with film from the 2003 tour, and interviews with the band tied together with colors and bizarre camera angles and wierd clips from other films. Lots of pics of the band in costumes and masks - I counted Les in at least five costumes just playing "Seas of Cheese" at different venues.
Coming in with the main video at just over an hour, this is a wild, colorful ride that requires no mind altering drugs to elecit the exclamation "Far Out Man - Look at All The Colors!" If you missed the psychedelic 60s, this is your chance to relive them with an updated soundtrack. A must for any Primus diehard, it, like Primus itself, is not really destined for the mainstream.
Extra footage is included in the bonus tracks as well as the complete "Primus 2063" interview that harkens back to an old Belushi bit from SNL that showed him over the graves of all the other cast members as an old man.