Customer Reviews

South of the Pumphouse

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I see this book being made into a movie, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The part of Donny played by Steve Buscemi. Speaking as a gal, I have to qualify this book as a "guy book." Much toilet humor, female characters poorly drawn. But if you can get pass the incredible amounts of fecal matter, it's an enjoyable read. Now maybe I'm not too terribly objective. As a musician and an admirer of Claypool's going on nigh over a decade, I was too curious to see what he would come up with by way of a novel. But I was pleasantly surprised. I think with a little fine honing, he could be something notable in the world of literature. Not to get all "aeolian cadenza" on anyone, but this work was a good sociological study into that cross section of society, known as the "good ol boy" network. His style of writing struck me as something of a cross between Tom Robbins & Nick Hornby. A good first effort & I look forward to the next.

Claypool has always used psychedelic and mythical imagery in his twisted tales in Primus. He takes his storytelling lyrics to a new level with this short novel about two brothers going fishing. The advertisements notice twisted comparisons to Old Man and the Sea and while it may be true that they are somewhat alike--claypool modernizes and twists the entire tale. The novel is certainly not one of extreme literary quality but is an entertaining read (as it was for me) on a thurday afternoon. The novel does touch on certain "universal themes" as the reviews suggest, but does not elaborate on them much, choosing instead to rely on humor, beer, and psychedelic drugs. As for the "Hunter S. Thompson" part of the description--the main character does use psychedelic drugs and there are some trippy passages. Les effectively narrates a conversation between bait and man at one point that is highly entertaining. Though I would certainly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys witty little stories--if your looking for wacked out psychedelia or profound literature look to Thompson or Hemingway respectively. All in all, Claypool proves to his audiences that he can indeed expand on his songs based on an array of eccentric characters.

One can't help getting a little nervous when we see our favorite musicians or athletes venture into the slippery slope that is fiction. However, Les Claypool really does seem to have a valid talent as a writer. He develops his characters remarkably well and although his voice is a little stiff, he sort of pulls it together 3/5's of the way into the story. It is very clear that he is drawing from his childhood growing up in the SF Bay Area for material, however, he does deliver a very clever, readable book. He shows more than a little promise as a writer of fiction, as long as he doesn't rely too heavily on autobiographical material. For example, he has chronicled the rather unique experience of Strurgeon fishing in San Pablo Bay in many of his lyrics of his songs, and as much as it's interesting, I can't imagine the readers of this book, who are undoubtedly Primus/Claypool fans not sensing a bit of repetition in his choice of subject matter. I too reside in the general area that this book is set in, and aside from the fact that El Sobrante is hardly a "redneck" community, Les Claypool depicts the East Bay rather precisely, which I'm not sure is a good thing. It causes me to question the depth of his gift.

Les Claypool can do anything with a bass guitar. For those who don't know, Les fronted his amazing band, Primus, all through the 90s and beyond. And I'll admit I'm a big fan of his music, but I also read loads of horror and bizarre fiction, and I can tell you Les Claypool can really write.

The worst thing you could do, would be to write this book off as one that got published only because a world famous bass player penned it. This isn't as bizarre as the lyrics Les writes for his side projects and Primus. It's not a bunch of abstract sentences strung together that don't make sense, either.

Les doesn't hold back with his characters; drugs, sex, and violence are a part of this book, but people need to understand that when a writer starts a story, the characters take on a life of their own. So, it would be very wrong to say Les just sat down and wrote a bunch of garbage that he planned beforehand.

This book would appeal not only to fans of the music Les creates, but to anyone into strange fiction that makes for a really good read. There's no shortage of humor in this tale either; anyone who knows Primus, knows Les has a weird sense of humor.

I opened this book expecting to read about 30 pages and then move on to some other books I was reading at the same time, and the next thing I knew it was hours later and I was more than half way through the book. Les definitely mastered his flow of words and found his own distinctive writing voice. I really hope this isn't the last strange tale that he decides to publish. I'd like to see him become as known for his writing as he is for reinventing the bass guitar.

If you like the kind of fiction that stirs your mind deep into the night and roams around your mind long after, then make sure you read South of The Pumphouse before it goes out of print and you have to spend a lot of $$$ trying to obtain a used copy.

Big time kudos to Les for creating this one.

South of the Pumphouse wasn't what I expected, however I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it shows Les has a real potential for fiction writing. It's barely a "novel", which makes for a quick read, almost like an exquisitely detailed and fleshed out Primus song (go figure). I read it in about a day. I'm not sure where all the Old Man and the Sea and Hunter Thompson comparisons came from, though. I didn't really get that impression at all. The story and prose is much more reminiscent of a short story Stephen King would write minus any supernatural aspects.

The plot is very straightforward and simplistic, and although I could usually see around the corner more than Les probably wanted, there are a couple twists in there that surprised me. As far as the subject matter, it tackles many of Les's typical subjects - hard drugs, redneckery, the ugly side of the human experience, and humor.


The humor in the book is dark, and I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times, particularly when the fishing trip really gets going. The entire middle section of the book is dedicated to the fellas out on the boat BSing, telling jokes and old stories, and arguing. Those chapters are broke down by conversation topic - bait the hook, throw it out, tell a story/argue/joke for a couple pages, repeat.

Like I said, it's a simple albeit disturbing story, but very enjoyable, and a great first book for the great Les Claypool.

As a long time Claypool fan I have been eagerly anticipating this book. I have always enjoyed Les' incredible gift for story telling and always felt that he would be a wonderful author. I'd rate his first book as "pretty good", but it's nothing great. The plot twists are fairly obvious, and the character development is nil.

I fail to see the similarities between this book and Hunter S. Thompson other than the drug use and some cyncal views on the degeneracy of America that are a far cry from reaching the level of sophistication that Thompson achieves. I feel that comment on cover is there to simply try to cash in on the late author's name and that it is almost an insult to the great Gonzo master. However, that comment was not made by Les (at least I hope not) and should simply be ignored.

I did very much enjoy reading the book. The story is good (if not predictable), the dialogue between the 3 anglers is very well done and often quite funny, and the flow of the novel is spot on. It's a great afternoon read. I'd suggest it to anyone who, like me, enjoys Les' twisted lyrics and dark world view. I hope he writes another novel as I am sure his writing skills will only improve. But if you looking for a Hunter S. Thompson-esque book, I think you would be disappointed by this book's simplicity.

A pleasantly twisted tale. Sure it is a little formulaic at times, but it is still a fun little read. Oh, and this is a short story. Putting it into a much larger font then necessary doesn't turn it into a novel.

This a great book especially for a first one. Les has a certain way with words. I've read this book so much that its starting to fall apart.

Bought this book because I worship Les as a musician. He has a pretty strong and interesting character that always poured through his music, and I figured if he was any good at getting that into his writing then his book would be an entertaining read. He isn't the best writer, but the book does have his voice in it, and that makes it awesome, especially if you're a fan. Pretty grungy and dirty, yet emotional and with a good story. It can be slow getting to the climax and spends a lot of time familiarizing you with the characters and their relationships to one another. Stayed pretty interesting through the whole thing though, kept me interested enough that I read it in a day. There is a decent amount of drug use mentioned (Mainly crank and psychedelic mushrooms), racism (the main character being opposed to racism), and sex/bathroom humor.

TL;DR: Good read. Les is an alright author. Would recommend, especially if you're interested in his other work.

Its almost like you can hear Les reading it to you. Definitely his strong voice, full of creative imagery, and well written.