How Eddie Van Halen and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Shaped Les Claypool’s Musical Destiny

Les Claypool is one of those rare musicians whose name alone conjures an entire style. As the frontman and bassist of Primus, his quirky, elastic, and thunderously percussive approach has made him one of the most inventive bass players in rock history. But according to Claypool, his sound didn’t come from following traditional bass heroes — it came from trying to fill multiple musical roles at once, inspired by unlikely influences like Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett.

Learning to Be Two Instruments in One

“I think my style evolved from me consciously trying to play bass and rhythm guitar at the same time,” Claypool has said in interviews. While many bassists focused on holding down the groove, Claypool treated the bass as a complete instrument — part foundation, part melody, part percussion.

This approach, with its thumb-slapping, finger-tapping, and machine-gun rhythmic accents, gave Primus its unmistakable edge. Songs like Tommy the Cat or Jerry Was a Race Car Driver sound like an entire rhythm section is packed into one pair of hands.

Eddie Van Halen: The Blueprint of Innovation

Though Van Halen was a guitarist, his fearless reinvention of technique struck Claypool at a young age. Eddie Van Halen’s two-handed tapping, wild harmonic squeals, and boundary-breaking creativity encouraged Claypool to ignore the “rules” of his instrument.

Instead of copying bassists, Claypool took Eddie’s mentality: push the instrument until it sounds like something entirely new. The result was a bass style that felt closer to a lead guitar — playful, aggressive, and impossible to categorize.

Kirk Hammett: From High School Friend to Heavy Inspiration

Claypool also had a direct connection to another giant of heavy music: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. The two grew up together in El Sobrante, California, and even played in early bands as teenagers. Claypool credits Hammett not just as a friend, but as someone who pushed him into heavier, more experimental directions.

When Metallica skyrocketed to fame, Claypool’s own path diverged — but that shared energy and ethos of boundary-breaking riffage stuck with him. Claypool’s bass often mirrors the ferocity of Hammett’s guitar lines, carrying both rhythm and melody in one.

The Birth of the Primus Sound

By combining Eddie Van Halen’s radical guitar techniques with the heavy, thrash-influenced energy he absorbed from Hammett, Claypool arrived at a sound that was utterly his own.

Where most bassists locked into the pocket, Claypool created the pocket — stretching and snapping it in bizarre, funky, and sometimes cartoonish directions. His playing became the backbone of Primus’ surreal, genre-defying identity, and inspired countless musicians to rethink what the bass could do.

A Musical Destiny Fulfilled

Looking back, Claypool’s evolution seems inevitable. Surrounded by guitar heroes, he reinvented the bass to keep up — until it became something far bigger than just rhythm support.

His style, born from the spirit of Eddie Van Halen’s innovation and the raw force of Kirk Hammett’s thrash background, has cemented him as one of rock’s true originals. In his own words, he wasn’t trying to fit into a role — he was trying to be two roles at once. And in doing so, he carved out a destiny only he could fulfill.