In the works: March (green) madness and Les Claypool art

As the month of March treads on, I will continue to work on a series of designs for a mock "eco-freindly" company. The idea is to create a print ad campaign that conveys this message ...without using green, as I feel it is overused and there are other ways of creating a sense of efficiency.

This is in the works so stay posted.

In addition I have decided to devote myself rather whole-heartedly to creating artwork inspired by Les Claypool for his Web site.

An example of fan art from Les' Web site

Before I get into more of the details about the artwork, a little about bassist Les Claypool:

I beleive Les Claypool to be the most expressive and creative musician going. He is a self-proclaimed and notorious goofball, but listen to him in an interview and you'll realize that not only is he a genious musician, but he also is devoted to his music and spreads himself thin with side projects. He is also much loved and respected by fellow musicians.

Les Claypool

How to describe his recognizable style? ... hmmm. How about, "his bass lines will rattle your skull and his lyrics will turn your brain to mush ..."

Now I was never, nor am I, a huge Primus fan, but I love Les' Frog Brigade (saw them once with Trey Anastasio sitting in opening for Phil and Friends at SPAC in, oh 2001 I think).

But I didn't really buy-in until I got my hands on his live album "Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade: Live Frogs Sets I and II." Set one offers a mind-blowing rendition of King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and other originals and set II covers Pink Floyd's "Animals" cover-to-cover.

I know what you're thinking, "Yeah but he didn't get the job playing bass for Metallica after Cliff Burton died ..." and this is true, Les did audition and was turned away by Metallica. He wept for days following the rejection from high school pal Kirk Hammet (listen to his story about the snub on his Web site - scroll down to videos.

I believe Kirk saw that Les was destined for other things.

"Other things" is an understatement in Les' case. He has ammased a following that I wouldn't call loyal but more "local." He has also created a surreal persona and peculiar realm that surrounds his music. Everything Les is associated with is as it would be after eating hallucinogenic mushrooms (which is why it is fitting that Les wrote music for a video game just released on Wii called "Mushroom Men" where you are a mushroom, given life by alien meteor dust, battling evil - poisonous aminitas and other backyard vermin. Check it out here).

Now, to the point. When you enter his news site, fan art as well as album art is featured in the banner. Some is great, all of it is good and I just noticed that you can submit artwork, which is what I will do.

I have decided the medium will be acrylic but haven't decided on the subject. Whatever it is it will be absolutely bizarre; from there we'll see if it ends up on the site.

Stay tuned (with the sound of frogs cricketing in background) ...

-J