Les Claypool Earns Cool Dad Points From Miley Cyrus

Les Claypool's mastery of the slap bass made the irreverent sounds of Primus cool to fans worldwide, but to his son and daughter he's still just plain old Dad. That said, being a rock star does have its perks, and among them is easy access to impress the kids. Claypool's daughter found this out firsthand. "She got to meet Miley Cyrus one time; that was big brownie points," Claypool tells Spinner. "It was her tenth birthday, so we did that."

Claypool's son got a tenth birthday surprise, too. "We took him to [George Lucas'] Skywalker Ranch. We got to tour an area where they don't really let people go. It's called 'The Barn,' where they keep all of the props and costumes. There's the ark from 'Indiana Jones.' I got to hold [Obi-Wan Kenobi actor] Alec Guinness' original light saber. The Death Star is there. It's really cool."

After hooking his kids up with Miley and 'Star Wars,' Claypool isn't too worried about topping their recent birthday blowouts. "Take 'em to Vegas," he says, laughing. "No, I don't know what we're going to do, but their tastes advance, so now [my son is] getting into Rush. Maybe I'll take him to see Rush -- they're friends of mine, as well."

Claypool definitely has his priorities straight as a dad. "I find as I move through life impressing fans, that's well and good, but impressing the kids is way more important. Maybe not for bill paying but for sanity."