Kyle Meredith With... is celebrating its milestone 1,000th episode (!!) with an incredible two-guest episode. Host Kyle Meredith sits down with two of rock’s most unique minds, Les Claypool of Primus and Maynard James Keenan of Tool/Puscifer, for a conversation that quickly veers off into the kind of absurdity you might expect. The two rockers talk about thwarting crimes, performing in costumes, and sticky note "message boards" from the early Lollapalooza days. Listen now.
Les and Maynard don't hold back on their shared history, recounting how their friendship began in the chaos of the '90s alternative rock scene, where bands like Primus, Tool, and Soundgarden rose as the "alternative" to the mainstream hair metal acts that dominated the airwaves. Their latest collaboration, the "Sessanta Tour" (get tickets to 2025's "Sessanta V2.0 Tour" here!), sees Primus, Puscifer, and Keenan's other band A Perfect Circle sharing the stage all at once. The frontmen joke that playing each other's songs sometimes feels like covering another band — one that comes with a steep learning curve. “It’s like we’re playing each other’s cover songs,” Maynard laughs, adding that the challenge of integrating into someone else’s music keeps them on their toes.
As for what’s next, both musicians hint at new projects on the horizon. Claypool is still working with Sean Lennon on another Claypool Lennon Delirium album and has a half-finished project with bluegrass phenom Billy Strings. Keenan, ever elusive, mentions that he’s juggling multiple ideas, but as usual, it’s a matter of timing.
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.