Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon Talk New LP, ‘Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy’ (Exclusive)

Out crabbing, Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon sprang a leak. The longtime friends and musical collaborators were taking a break from the studio, from working on their new album, The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy (out today), and water started to fill up their boat. But that’s the fun of life, right? Adventure.

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“It was a little scary,” Claypool tells American Songwriter. “Shiner [his nickname for Lennon] had no clue what was going on.”

“Colonel [Lennon’s nickname for Claypool], we almost sank!” says Lennon.

“We almost went to the bottom of the ocean,” Claypool adds.

Thankfully, they figured out a way to stop the leak (it was something to do with the propeller shaft). But that near-drowning experience wasn’t anything compared to the effort the two undertook for their lush new 14-track concept album.

“This was the hardest record I’ve ever done in my life,” Claypool admits. “Once you decide you’re going to have a narrative, you’ve set parameters.”

The duo’s terrific new record tells the story of young Hippard O. Campus Jr., who is rebelling against his father and the general technological movement afoot. But the album is not a diatribe against computers or AI, per se, Lennon says. Instead, it’s a call for empathy.

“We had never sat down to write a story together before,” Lennon explains. “But we sat down to write a story from scratch for this. It’s a different type of thing.”

While some may read the new album as a blank decry against AI, Lennon says, there’s more to it than that.

“A lot of people say we’re worried about AI waking up and being conscious,” he says. “I’m more worried about it not waking up. Not being able to be aware and have human-like feelings. This cold and indifferent machine is what could turn the world into paper clips.”

Lennon adds, “To me, the thread of this [album] is more about the erosion and the vilification of empathy. That’s what this is about.”

Anyone who knows Claypool’s music, Lennon’s music, or the music they make together understands that each is unique. Singular. But in a digital world of short reels, nonstop videos, lightning-paced trends, and more and more refined pop production, being oneself isn’t always easy.

“Go with what you know,” Claypool reassures. “I think that’s the key to all literary and creative endeavors. Many people walk a fine line, and it’s a dangerous line of talking out their ass and talking beyond their scope and knowledge.”

One reason he and Lennon work so well together is that they’re different. Claypool loves to fish, can fix a carburetor, and grew up in a family that, he says, would have rather him become a lawyer than a bass player. Whereas Lennon is mesmerized by outer space and grew up in a home where art was very much prized, right along with its pursuit.

“If I had tried to be a lawyer,” Lennon says. “My mom would have said, ‘What are you doing! You’ve got to make art!’ But the character in our story is a painter, and his dad doesn’t quite support it.”

Tension makes for good stories. And now that the new work is out, the duo will be heading out on the road as part of the Claypool Gold tour, which will include Primus, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and The Claypool Lennon Delirium.

Both Claypool and Lennon are no strangers to the road. In fact, Lennon says he’s never seen someone quite so equipped at driving a touring van as the bass player.

“Getting on the bus and driving is very much like a hero’s journey,” says Lennon, ever the student of literature. “You jump on the bus and enter an extraordinary world, which is a wild place full of lots of characters you don’t know. I’ve never met anyone as comfortable driving around on tour as Colonel.”

In the end, for the two famous, accomplished gents, all of the effort, all of the imagination, all of the fishing—it’s all for the music. It’s the thing that keeps them going—it provides the reason to work together, to muse about oceans, and to feel the best of what it means to be human.

“Music for me represents a slice of time,” says Claypool. “Hopefully, our music and anybody’s music can represent a positive element in your life.”

“It’s an invisible force that feels like magic,” says Lennon.

Photo by Jay Blakesburg / Courtesy Prospect PR