The Plot:
After the release of their 1999 album Antipop, Primus appeared ready to reclaim their throne as indie icons. After a decade defying the odds, creating landmark albums such as Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Pork Soda, and Tales from the Punchbowl, the band was well known and well loved. But then internal tensions drove the distinctive elements of the group apart. Lead singer and bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool took the act out on the road, and then defied convention by placing it on extended hiatus. While he fiddled away with side projects, the remaining members of the group – guitarist Larry Lalonde and drummer Tim Alexander - went their separate ways, wondering if Primus was done forever. Luckily, the break was brief. In 2003, Claypool announced the "Tour de Fromage", a reunion of sorts and a chance for fans to see the classic line-up once again. With nothing more than a desire to play, and no promise of future interaction (though rumors now include a possible album from the trio in 2007), the threesome embarked on their cross country cavalcade – and carried along fan/filmmaker Matthew J. Powers to document it all. The result is entitled Blame It on the Fish and is a self-described "abstract look" at life on the road and as a member of Primus. And how!

The DVD:
Like a series of sketches woven together by segments of their amazing music, Blame It On the Fish is not your standard tour documentary. There is no celebration of the band being back, no long, involved dissertations on Primus coming together to recreate their past performance magic. Instead, filmmaker Matthew J. Powers compiles live footage, backstage antics, radio Q&As and a few fictional moments to manufacture a look at Primus the enigma vs. Primus the entertainment empire. It would have been easy to stick Claypool and clan along an unusual backdrop, feed them a lot of loaded questions, and hear them pontificate on issues both musical and meaningless. Then, just for kicks, show them putting it down in concert. Instead, Powers finds the right combination of tour ennui, overall band legacy, and telling onstage moments to make a case for Primus as sort of a special sonic cyclone. Within their extraordinary approach to rock and roll (complex bass leads, thumping rhythms, angular guitar counterparts) comes something so fresh and so powerful that their recent absence has only made the hearing heart grow fonder. Granted, Fish is indeed strange and surreal, but it's also proof of the group's talent as artists and as musicians.

Primus has always been, arguably, one of the greatest aural acts of all time. The unique style of music they make, a combination often likened to Rush on crack, draws on elements as diverse as The Beatles, early New Wave, the more arcane facets of prog, and even a few badass bass slaps in the direction of funk and soul. But there is much more to the trio than remarkable musicianship and a surreal sense of humor. There is an edge of inescapable strangeness to the act, a desire to dress up in duck costumes and hide behind a pretense in order to make their magnificent noise. Some of this surely comes from Claypool. As part of this presentation, he dons decent old age make-up to play his counterpart in the far off, distant future. As an aged rocker, reduced to a life confined in a nursing home, the band leader obviously wants to acknowledge his time away from Primus while emphasizing that, at some point, the group will be gone for good. But this message is mangled up in dirty jokes, outright rants, and a purposeful desire to confuse the viewer. Some could argue that this is the same approach Claypool uses in his songwriting, mixing musical ideas and lyrical metaphors to discuss subjects both scatological and sinister.

All throughout this abstraction, mixed in among the montages and split screen double exposures, are behind the scenes moments that expose Primus for what they really are – incredibly hard working performers. Claypool's costumes may run the gamut from redneck reject to insane carnival barker, but he is a virtuoso when it comes to his instrument. Similarly, Larry Lalonde and Tim Alexander are not just sidemen. They are essential ingredients in the band's success, the yin to Les' yang, the lucidity to his lunacy. Together they meld in a way that shouldn't work, creating a sound unlike anything in popular music. While often pointed to as the purveyors of funk punk, the metal machine music made villainous by such bands as Limp Bizkit, such a heritage actually harms the band. Primus is so much better than those they supposedly inspired, a rare combination of cacophony and classicism, that they truly defy easy description. Fans will foam over the chance to see snippets of the Tour de Fromage (so named because of the groups decision to play their album Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety) while those with only a casual interest will wonder why a so-called concert document wouldn't feature more music. Just like everything they do, however, Primus isn't about to play by the rules. That's what makes them unique. That's what makes them great.

The Video:
Presented in a non-anamorphic 1.33:1 letterboxed presentation, Blame In On the Fish is a mixed media presentation with only a few true transfer issues. There are moments of flaring, occasional grain and color bleeding. This mostly occurs during the live material, since the cameras used are obviously unprepared to handle the harsh lighting and visual shifts of such a situation. There are also moments of great optical clarity here. There are even times when the excuse of amateurism fails to explain the home movie mannerisms. That's all right, since all in all, this is a decent DVD image.

The Audio:
Another batch of criticism is bound to follow the discovery that this disc is mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 only. It seems the minute you mention the combination of rock band and DVD, tech geeks go goofy, demanding the product contain certain sonic elements. Granted, if this was a full length concert, complete with multi-channel mixing, a 5.1 or DTS track would be mandatory. But there is more talking than tunes here, and a distinct reliance on the camcorder's internal microphone. So why should a backstage conversation be reconfigured to fit a several speaker layout? In any case, the aural issues here are varied but acceptable, with discussions discernible and the occasional musical moments bright and lively.

The Extras:
What fans will really cheer about is the massive amount of added content included in this presentation. Almost all the material utilized for the film itself is presented – unedited – for your enjoyment. Want to see the entire elderly Claypool piece? It's here. The rest of the footage can be found under the label "Fish On" and is accessible as a whole (sort of like another film at almost an hour) or via specific scenes. As part of this presentation you can witness several soundchecks, more interviews and appearances, and generally, the standard reunion randiness you'd expect from the guys. Along with a three minute trailer for the documentary itself, this is a nice little souvenir of a very atypical comeback.

Final Thoughts:
Primus fans, take note. This is not a regular live performance presentation. Instead, it's like opening up the head of Les Claypool, Larry Lalonde, and Tim Alexander and peeking inside. It's a backstage pass on peyote, a combination concert and collage meant to make the bad simultaneously accessible and aloof. If you only know the group from their South Park intro, or remember a cool song they once had in heavy rotation on MTV, then avoid this almost indecipherable DVD. This is for people who appreciate Primus beyond the basic recognition factor. As a result, it easily earns a Highly Recommended rating from this longtime devotee. Leave it to a band who regularly covers The Residents, XTC and Charlie Daniels to dream up a way of being even more elusive to the mainstream music majority. It would be easy to blame the band's allure on any number of aesthetic factors, but if Primus had their way, a certain sea creature would top the list of usual suspects. Unfortunately, our evolutionary brethren have very little to do with this band's amazing musicianship. It's this feature that keeps Primus poised as one of the greatest bands of all time.

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