The 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may be the stuff kids’ dreams are made of. But ever wonder what creatures might be at large if Willy Wonka himself had a nightmare?
That’s what Primus drummer Tim Alexander says audiences can expect of the band’s touring performance in support of its latest album, Primus and the Chocolate Factory with Fungi Ensemble. The show comes to Dallas’ Majestic Theatre on November 16.
This release has fans and the media buzzing for several reasons. It’s the first studio full-length with Primus’ original lineup (Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde, and Alexander) in nearly two decades, and the band has incredible marketing behind it, offering things like Primus chocolate bars and five hidden “golden” vinyl records that award the buyer free concert tickets for life.
But interestingly, the album didn’t inspire the show as much as the show inspired the album. For New Year’s Eve last year, Primus planned an off-the-wall performance embodying Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for a crowd at Oakland, California’s Fox Theater. Alexander says the band recorded the tracks to prepare for the show and ultimately decided to release them to the masses.
“Initially we had planned last November to write a new Primus album, but we spent all the time working on the New Year’s show … and that became the new Primus record,” Alexander says.
One listen and it’s evident this is no ordinary cover album, and the show promises to be just as bizarre and intriguing a visual experience:
– Alexander says Primus will play two sets, one in traditional fashion before a set break, and a second Chocolate Factory-themed. The songs will go in order of the movie.
– According to Radio.com, Les Claypool dresses as Willy Wonka. (Could you picture it any other way?)
– Video effects play a key role in immersing the audience in the theme. However, Primus has never been short of other props, and has been regularly posting pictures of oompa loompas out and about in the towns it’s played.
For Alexander, this project has been an outlet in many ways. Firstly, it enabled him to flex his creative muscles. The original Wonka soundtrack had no percussion elements at all, Alexander says, so he built a 360-degree “contraption” with various drums, and even some cast iron pots, which he then had to “make listenable, interesting and playable all at the same time.”
Further, Alexander says this is his first big endeavor since taking a several-year hiatus from playing the drums (not to mention on the heels of open-heart surgery). He’s relieved not to have to live up to his own reputation.
“When I’m playing the Willy Wonka set, I kind of don’t have this pressure on me to be Tim Alexander, the drummer of Primus … I don’t feel any kind of pressure because I’m doing something completely unique,” he says.
You can still stream Primus and the Chocolate Factory on New York Times Press Play. Tickets are currently on sale here for $35.50-48.50 (plus tax).