Primus have released the official music video for “The Ol’ Grizz,” a song from the A Handful Of Nuggs EP and one of the band’s first studio recordings with John Hoffman behind the drum kit. The visual was directed by Cage Claypool, the son of bassist and vocalist Les Claypool and a previous creative collaborator with the band.
Originally released in May 2026, A Handful Of Nuggs offers a concise document of Primus’ current period. The release brings together a new original song, a Dio cover, a collaboration with Puscifer and a live recording drawn from the band’s catalog. Although its four tracks come from different contexts, each one helps document the transition toward the lineup of Les Claypool, Larry “Ler” LaLonde and Hoffman.
“The Ol’ Grizz” is built around the rhythmic vocabulary Primus have developed for more than three decades. Claypool’s rapid bass lines form the center of a composition that repeatedly changes direction, while LaLonde adds dissonant and psychedelic textures without assuming the role of a conventional rhythm guitarist. Hoffman completes the arrangement with a performance that is explosive and precise, yet flexible enough to respond to the movements of his bandmates.
The involvement of Cage Claypool continues the family connection behind several of Les Claypool’s recent projects. Cage previously created the video for “Conspiranoia,” the title track from Primus’ 2022 EP Conspiranoid.
His return is consistent with a band that has historically placed considerable importance on visual language. From the videos accompanying “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” “My Name Is Mud,” “Mr. Krinkle” and “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver,” Primus have used animation, costumes, absurd humor and grotesque characters to extend the stories contained within their music.
That aesthetic helped the group occupy a singular space in alternative MTV programming during the 1990s. Rather than adopting the dominant image of grunge or metal at the time, Primus established their own iconography, filled with marginal characters, distorted environments and deliberately uncomfortable situations. The “The Ol’ Grizz” video continues that tradition through the perspective of a new generation of the Claypool family.
John Hoffman and the Outcome of the Interstellar Drum Derby
John Hoffman joined Primus following the departure of Tim “Herb” Alexander, who left the group again in October 2024. Alexander had been central to several chapters of the band’s history and performed on essential albums including Frizzle Fry, Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, Pork Soda and Tales From The Punchbowl.
To find a permanent replacement, Primus launched a global audition process called the Interstellar Drum Derby. More than 6,100 drummers submitted applications for the position. The search was documented through a video series in which Claypool and LaLonde evaluated not only technical ability, but also personality, creativity and each candidate’s response to the unpredictable nature of Primus’ catalog.
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Hoffman ultimately earned the position through his deep rhythmic pocket, unconventional musical instincts and immediate chemistry with the two permanent members. Primus confirmed his addition in February 2025 and later documented the final stages of the process, including his musical confrontation with Hungarian drummer Gergő Borlai.
Hoffman’s first official recording with Primus was “Little Lord Fentanyl,” released in May 2025 with vocals by Maynard James Keenan, the frontman of Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer. The track emerged during the Sessanta V2.0 period and formally opened a chapter in which Hoffman moved beyond being introduced as the winner of an audition and became an active member of Primus.
A Handful Of Nuggs Captures Several Sides of the Band
In addition to “The Ol’ Grizz,” the EP contains a version of “Holy Diver,” written by Ronnie James Dio and originally released as the lead single and title track of Dio’s 1983 debut album. Primus recruited Puddles Pity Party, the singing-clown persona created by Michael Geier, to perform the vocals.
The collaboration fits Primus’ longstanding interest in transforming familiar material from an eccentric perspective. Throughout their career, the band have reinterpreted songs by XTC, The Residents, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Metallica and Rush, among others. Their covers rarely operate as faithful reproductions; they instead transfer each composition into the instrumental logic of Claypool and LaLonde.
The EP also includes “Little Lord Fentanyl,” credited as featuring Puscifer and fronted vocally by Keenan. Its winding rhythm and oppressive atmosphere reveal a different side of the new lineup than the speed of “The Ol’ Grizz,” while documenting some of the first sessions involving Hoffman.
The final track is a live performance of “Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread)” recorded at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. The original appeared on 1997’s Brown Album, which featured Bryan “Brain” Mantia on drums. Its inclusion connects the Hoffman era with an earlier period in which Primus were also forced to reconstruct their musical identity following Alexander’s departure.
