Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by Rolling Stone,[2] his playing style mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends, and slapping.

Claypool responded by admitting that he "wasn't the right guy" for the band due to being a self-proclaimed "weirdo"; he said that Hetfield was just "being nice" with his comments.

[13] In 1991, the band was featured in the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, performing "Tommy the Cat" live.

In 1999, he allowed Activision's use of the song "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" in the popular video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

In mid-2003, Claypool reunited with former Primus drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist Larry LaLonde to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People.

Primus continued touring into 2004, performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry as their second set, as documented on the DVD Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004.

In 2017, Primus released The Desaturating Seven, an album that is based on a bedtime story published by Italian author Ul de Rico, which is about a group of rainbow eating goblins.

In 2024, Alexander resigned from Primus "effective immediately," seemingly retiring from music due to a "lost passion to play."

In 1988 Claypool began a short-lived alternative/funk rock band featuring Todd Huth on guitar and Jay Lane on drums.

Also on the album are Mark "Mirv" Haggard, Adam Gates, Jay Lane, Joe Gore, Charlie Hunter, and Henry Rollins.

[citation needed] In April 2000, Claypool collaborated with Trey Anastasio (of Phish) and Stewart Copeland (of the Police) to form a supergroup called Oysterhead.

The band "of the most incredible guys (he) could possibly find" debuted that Memorial Day weekend and played a number of other festivals including moe.down.

Michael Bailey from Bill Graham Presents said to me that it may sound a bit too heavy for the Mountain Aire crowd and to perhaps try something a little different that had to do with the event itself.

[14]The Primus hiatus allowed him to return to his musical roots, playing songs by bands such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and the Beatles.

From a set of October shows recorded at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Claypool released two Frog Brigade live albums, one being a cover of Pink Floyd's Animals.

[16] The Rat Brigade includes Claypool, drummer Lane and keyboardist Chimenti, with guest appearances by saxophonist Kenny Brooks and Bob Weir.

Musicians on multiple tracks for Purple Onion include Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule) Eenor, Mike Dillon, Skerik, Jay Lane, Ben Barnes, and Sam Bass (Dillon and Skerik were both from Critters Buggin; Barnes and Sam Bass were from Deadweight).

A song from the album, "One Better", was used in National Lampoon's TV: The Movie in a fight scene between Preston Lacy and Lee Majors.

They played at The Echo Project, an inaugural ecologically minded 3-day festival in Fairburn, Georgia on the Boukeart family farm.

The set was similar to that of the Fancy Band's tours, culling from Claypool' solo and Frog Brigade albums, as well containing a cover of "One Step Beyond" by Prince Buster and teases of other songs, including several Primus tunes, throughout their improvisational jams.

During the year Claypool also performed several shows with Primus at festivals across America and Canada.Pig Hunt is a film directed by James Isaac released in 2008.

The album consists of expanded material of the music from the Mushroom Men game, as well as the Pig Hunt motion picture, and features a guest appearance by Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz.

On March 28, 2010, Claypool performed a rendition of Rush's "The Spirit of Radio" for their induction into the Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

[27] During the last part of the 2014 Spring Tour, Primus's drummer, Tim Alexander, had a small heart attack rendering him unable to play.

[33] In 2016, Claypool formed a group with Sean Lennon of The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Paulo Baldi of Cake, and João Nogueira of Stone Giant.

In 2017, The Delirium returned with their EP Lime And Limpid Green and released their second album South Of Reality in 2019, this time with Nogueira on keyboards.

[35] The band performed real shows in the California area (such as High Sierra Music Festival) for the filming of the movie.

[37] Claypool is well known for his distinctive bass-playing, which aside from being dominant in the majority of his music also includes the use of several unusual techniques, such as flamenco-style strumming, tapping, slapping, and guitar-like chording.

He has made prominent use of a Kahler "bass tremolo" vibrato system, as well as effects such as fuzz boxes and envelope filters.

[38] Claypool has cited Rush and their bassist Geddy Lee, Larry Graham, Chris Squire, Tony Levin, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Geezer Butler, Bootsy Collins, Stanley Clarke, John Paul Jones, and the Residents as being musical influences.