Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by drummer Jay Lane, though the latter two had departed the band by the beginning of 1989, and were replaced by LaLonde and Tim "Herb" Alexander respectively.

Caroline also released Primus' debut studio album Frizzle Fry (1990), which was critically well received, and its underground success led to interest from major record labels.

[1] Primus repeated its success with their next two albums, Pork Soda (1993) and Tales from the Punchbowl (1995), both charting in the top ten on the Billboard 200,[2] and being certified platinum and gold respectively by the RIAA.

[7] Primus is characterized by its irreverent, quirky approach to music distinguished by Claypool's bass-centric songwriting and eccentric lyrical themes.

"[8] In 1984, singer and bassist Les Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth began playing together in El Sobrante, California, under the name Primate.

[9][10] The duo were initially accompanied by a LinnDrum drum machine as they had trouble finding a drummer, until Claypool's friend Vince "Perm" Parker returned home from a stint in the army.

[14][16] By 1988, Primus had found success in the Bay Area music scene; it was to the point where they were "getting pretty popular [...] selling out at Berkeley Square", when they "[got] rid of" Wright.

[13] Bryan "Brain" Mantia is said to have briefly joined to play drums during this period after Lane's departure, until a broken foot forced him to leave.

[13][18] At this time in 1988, Claypool had been "moonlighting" in his words,[18] playing bass for his former band, Blind Illusion, which also featured guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde.

[13] This lineup of Blind Illusion recorded the album The Sane Asylum before Claypool and LaLonde left the band in late 1988 to reform Primus.

[13][18] The band also sent copies of the album to college radio stations across the United States, many of which gave it significant airplay, and it quickly gained traction.

The band would subsequently record all of their albums at Claypool's home studio called Rancho Relaxo (a Simpsons TV show reference).

The song was accompanied by a video with the band members dressed up in cartoonish plastic cowboy costumes (similar to the suits worn in the then-current Duracell battery commercials).

Antipop was released in 1999, and featured production and guest appearances from James Hetfield of Metallica, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Matt Stone, one of the creators of South Park, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Jim Martin of Faith No More, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit.

The band released a music video for the album's only single, "Lacquer Head", which was banned from MTV because of references to and depictions of drug use, despite the song's anti-drug message.

"[31]During this hiatus, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with Blue Man Group, A Perfect Circle, and Born Naked, among others.

Released alongside a DVD containing the band's music videos and clips from live performances, the resulting package was titled Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People.

The band staged a two-month tour performing two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety.

A May 10, 2006 article on IGN revealed that Primus had signed on with RedOctane to allow the master recording of "John the Fisherman" to be used in Guitar Hero II, a game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.

[35][36] The press release for the tour revealed that the band were looking to "refine their chops before heading into the studio to record their first album of brand new music since 1999's Antipop.

[44] On August 17, the track "Tragedy's a' Comin'" was made available to stream via the Spin magazine website,[45] followed by "HOINFODAMAN" on September 1 via the Rolling Stone site.

[46] On September 8, the TV show South Park made the entire album available for streaming to anybody who "likes" their Facebook page, including "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" as a bonus track.

They then returned to the U.S.A. to play a few more music festivals leading into early August, including a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado with the Flaming Lips, before embarking on a "major fall tour" in support of the new album.

[50] In December, Alexander revealed that the band had been "in Les's studio working on stuff for the new year's show but I don't know if there are any plans for releasing that."

For their second set, Primus were joined by "the Frog Brigade Ensemble", consisting of saxophonist Skerik and percussionist Mike Dillon, as they performed the soundtrack from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in its entirety.

In late October 2015, the band released the first music video from their Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble album, for the track "Candyman".

[56] Primus – alongside Ministry and Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals – also opened for Slayer on the final North American leg of their farewell tour in November 2019.

"[60] In March 2022, Claypool revealed that the band was planning to release a new twelve-inch single featuring a 13-minute track called "Conspiranoia" and two songs as its b-sides.

[71][72] Kirk Hammett, guitarist of Bay Area band Metallica, remarked in a 1991 interview that Primus are "unique, they're a square peg in a round hole".

[92] Despite the seemingly upbeat, quirky music, Primus lyrics have often dealt with darker subject matter such as murder ("My Name is Mud"), accidental death ("John The Fisherman", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver"), drug addiction ("Jilly's on Smack", "Lacquer Head") and suicide ("Bob", "Coattails of a Dead Man"), along with seemingly mundane observational comedy ("DMV").