Episode Details

For the 1,000th episode of Kyle Meredith With..., Kyle sits down with two rock icons—Primus frontman Les Claypool and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan—to discuss their ongoing collaboration and friendship, highlighted by the upcoming "Sessanta Tour." The conversation quickly turns hilarious, with the two bantering about everything from thwarting bank robberies and wrestling bears to recalling their first meeting during the 1993 Lollapalooza. They discuss the challenges of blending their distinctive styles while playing on each other's songs during their live shows, and adding a fishing pond behind the stage for Les during downtime. Les also teases the idea of finally finishing his long-awaited projects with Sean Lennon and Billy Strings, giving fans hope for more boundary-pushing collaborations. In classic Claypool and Keenan fashion, the duo keeps things unpredictable, talking candidly about the creative process, their love of stepping into character, and their dynamic stage presence. Les likens his approach to performing to Halloween—a celebration that allows him to become different personas while entertaining the audience. Maynard, for his part, opens up about his initial insecurities that led him to take on different characters during his performances, noting that doing so still serves as a buffer between himself and the audience, allowing him to focus on entertaining rather than baring all. The conversation also takes a fun detour as Les recounts a surreal acoustic jam session he had with Eric Idle, Weird Al Yankovic, and Puddles the Clown, revealing the kind of unexpected encounters that add magic to his life. The two also recount a story about an amplifier failure at Red Rocks that became an unforgettable moment for the band and audience alike.

Listen to Les Claypool and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan chat about all this and more in the new episode or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.