Les Claypool faces off with Metallica’s Robert Trujillo in a bass-slapping duel in new short film Precious Metals

Les Claypool has unveiled a short film, Precious Metals, which finds the Primus legend co-starring with Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo in a bass guitar battle for the ages.

The film, directed by Claypool’s son Cage and presented by EMG pickups – which recently unveiled new models for both players – plays on old-timey Western tropes, with Les digging for gold in the hot Northern California sun before being confronted by Trujillo, who brandishes his own precious item: a set of EMG pickups.

The two face off in an old-school shootout, but eventually settle their differences with a friendly, and ridiculously awesome, slap-bass duel. All’s well that ends well!

You can check out Precious Metals above.

“As a veteran music video director and wannabe filmmaker, it swells my chest with puffy pride to see my son Cage delve into the world of cinematography and excel at it,” Claypool said in a statement. 

“He blows me away with his skill set, perspective, work ethic and ease of collaboration. That’s my boy!!”

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.