Article Contributed by jbleicher.com
Published on 2026-02-25
Photo credit: Jay Blakesburg
The Claypool Lennon Delirium will return this spring with their third and most outlandish album yet: The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, due May 1st via ATO Records. Reuniting after several years of intergalactic solo missions and sonic side quests, Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon once again combine their mutant minds to deliver an elaborate, 14-song concept record reflecting on morality, mortality, and the warnings of A.I., with a story-world that doubles as a cautionary tale about sustainability and the slippery slope of optimization without empathy.
Available for pre-order on vinyl and CD, the physical edition expands the album’s mythology into a true companion piece: a 2-LP set in a tip-on gatefold jacket paired with a 24 page comic book, with each song mapped to its own illustrated chapter. What began as an ambitious idea for a feature-length animated film ultimately became a fully realized graphic narrative – one that now defines the album’s identity as much as the music itself. Exclusive color variants are available to preorder via the band’s store, at Indie shops and other retail sites where vinyl is sold!
Out today alongside the album announcement is the project’s latest single and official music video, “The Golden Egg of Empathy (feat. WILLOW).” A key moment in the album’s narrative arc, the track introduces WILLOW’s lead vocal as Claypool and Lennon tilt the Delirium’s technicolor theatrics toward something strangely tender, surreal, and human. In the song’s language, the modern world’s glowing conveniences start to look “insignificant,” “devoid of love,” and the search for empathy becomes its own kind of destiny. The video serves as a first glimpse into the album’s elaborate visual universe, animating the rich illustrations and characters that populate the full-length comic companion.
Set in the once-glorious land of Cliptopia, where a sentient A.I. known as Cliptron and his army of robots are resourcing everything, then turning it all into Clipnex brand paperclips, the album follows young artist Hippard O. Campus Jr. as he rebels against his father, Hippard Sr. (owner of the CLIPNEX corporation and creator of CLIPTRON). With help from salty sea-dog Colonel O’Coren, Hipp embarks on a fantastical adventure to stop Cliptron’s cold, chrome heart from converting the world, humans included, into paperclips.
Hipp’s quest leads across the sea to the Isle of Lucidity, where the all-wise Ministry of Manatees guide him to the Great Parrot-Ox, whose Golden Egg of Empathy is the only thing that can bring understanding and emotion to Cliptron.
“The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy is a cautionary tale of what could be in store for humanity if we continue to favor machines over men,” Lennon shares. “It is a tale of a technocracy eclipsed by paperclips; a young man destined to unravel the fabric of his father’s folly, and a sacred feathered Goddess (played by WILLOW), who holds the egg-shaped key to their future.”
It’s a world of distorted fables and absurdist characters, told across 14 songs with classic psychedelic and progressive rock stylings, paired with a fully realized visual universe and comic storytelling.
Recorded at Claypool’s Rancho Relaxo studio in Sonoma County, as well as Lennon’s studio The Farm in upstate New York, The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy pairs elaborate narrative arcs with the band’s signature blend of psychedelic-prog theatrics, absurdist humor, and conceptual invention. Based on the “Paperclip Theory,” the renowned thought experiment about artificial intelligence safety, the album poses a pointed question: in the face of extreme, rampant, single-minded efficiency, can human values and empathy save the day
The album’s story and music were created by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, with artwork by longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale. “Rich Ragsdale is an old friend,” Lennon shares. “He directed the ‘Animals’ video for The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, an animated video for Uni, and the ‘Blood and Rockets’ video for the Delirium,” Lennon explains. “Initially Les and I were imagining a feature length animated film for Parrot-Ox, but we realized there wasn’t enough time to complete such an undertaking, so we asked Rich if he could distill the story into a comic book for us. He did an incredible job.”
“I think we all share a lot of taste and sensibility,” Lennon continues. “The process was really smooth for the most part. I think the Colonel said he’s never been so happy so quickly with that kind of thing. Les and I really belabored the story beforehand, but when it came time for Rich to flesh it out, things went very quickly. Now that the story exists in this comic book form it’s even easier to imagine it becoming a feature some day. And you never know!”
The animated “Golden Egg” video marks the first time that world moves beyond the page, offering a preview of how deeply intertwined the story, artwork, and music are across the entire project
“The Great Parrot Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy was over three years in the making and was the most labor intensive recording I have ever been involved in,” shares Claypool. “The results are something Shiner and I are very proud of; a relevant concept piece accompanied by a colorful, phantasmic comic book.”
The album announcement follows the January release of first single “WAP (What a Predicament),” which opened the Delirium’s next chapter with a warped meditation on AI, morality, and what happens when empathy gets optimized out of existence
Beyond the Delirium, Claypool has remained relentlessly prolific, reuniting his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, celebrating his solo legacy with the Adverse Yaw: The Prawn Song Years box set, and launching Primus’ Interstellar Drum Derby, the global open call that drew over 6,200 applicants and culminated in the addition of drummer John Hoffman.
Lennon has likewise stayed active across disciplines, performing in an improvising trio with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson, releasing his experimental instrumental album Asterisms on Zorn’s Tzadik label, producing Temples’ Exotica, earning a Grammy in 2025 for his design of John Lennon’s Mind Games boxed reissue, and writing and producing the animated short inspired by John & Yoko’s “War Is Over,” which earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Following the album’s release, Claypool will hit the road with Claypool Gold, a full-evening tour that brings together Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade in one surreal, genre-defying night, with each band performing a full set. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.primusville.com.
The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy x Tracklist
1. Pro-Log
2. WAP (What a Predicament)
3. The Wake Up Call
4. Meat Machines
5. Troll Bait
6. Simplest of Deeds
7. Heart of Chrome
8. Through the Horizon
9. Mantra of the Manatee
10. The Golden Egg of Empathy feat. WILLOW
11. Cliptopia
12. Cliptron Scuttle
13. Melody of Entropy
14. It’s a Wrap
Claypool Gold 2026 Tour
Wednesday, May 20 – Reno Events Center – Reno, NV
Friday, May 22 – Hayden Homes Amphitheater – Bend, OR
Saturday, May 23 – Marymoor Live – Redmond, WA
Monday, May 25 – KettleHouse Amphitheater – Bonner, MT
Tuesday, May 26 – The Lot at the Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, May 28 – Starlight Amphitheatre – Kansas City, MO
Saturday, May 30 – The Factory – St. Louis, MO
Sunday, May 31 – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre – Rochester Hills, MI
Tuesday, June 2 – Jacobs Pavilion – Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, June 3 – Salt Shed – Chicago, IL
Friday, June 5 – The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater – Pelham, TN
Saturday, June 6 – KEMBA Live! Outdoor – Columbus, OH
Tuesday, June 9 – Thompson’s Point – Portland, ME
Wednesday, June 10 – Leader Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA
Friday, June 12 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
Saturday, June 13 – Stone Pony Summerstage – Asbury Park, NJ
Sunday, June 14 – All Good Now Festival – Columbia, MD
Tuesday, June 16 – The AMP Ballantyne – Charlotte, NC
Wednesday, June 17 – Firefly Distillery – North Charleston, SC
Friday, June 19 – St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
Saturday, June 20 – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park – Atlanta, GA
Monday, June 22 – Walmart AMP – Rogers, AR
Tuesday, June 23 – ACL Live at Moody Theatre – Austin, TX
Thursday, June 25 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX
Saturday, June 27 – Dillon Amphitheater – Dillon, CO
Sunday, June 28 – Dillon Amphitheater – Dillon, CO
Tuesday, June 30 – Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
Wednesday, July 1 – Gallagher Square – San Diego, CA
Friday, July 3 – Long Beach Amphitheater – Long Beach, CA
Saturday, July 4 – Meritage Resort & Spa – Napa, CA
