The Claypool Lennon Delirium are back with their most ambitious project yet: The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, set for release May 1 via ATO Records. Reuniting after years of solo adventures, Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon have crafted a sprawling 14-song concept album exploring morality, mortality, and the perils of artificial intelligence – all wrapped in their signature psychedelic-prog theatrics.
The album’s narrative follows young artist Hippard O. Campus Jr. as he battles the sentient A.I. Cliptron, whose obsession with efficiency threatens to turn the world into a paperclip dystopia. Guided by the mystical Ministry of Manatees and aided by the Great Parrot-Ox, Hipp seeks the titular Golden Egg of Empathy – the key to restoring humanity’s emotional core
Lennon explains: “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.”
The album’s physical edition expands the story into a 2-LP gatefold with a 24-page comic, each song mapped to its own illustrated chapter. The animated video for lead single “The Golden Egg of Empathy (feat. WILLOW)” brings the comic’s vibrant world to life, blending Claypool and Lennon’s surreal humor with moments of unexpected tenderness.
Claypool, speaking on the effort, adds: “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… a relevant concept piece accompanied by a colorful, phantasmic comic book.”
Meanwhile, Lennon highlights longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale‘s work on the comic: “Initially Les and I were imagining a feature length animated film… so we asked Rich if he could distill the story into a comic book for us. He did an incredible job.”
Recorded at Claypool‘s Rancho Relaxo in Sonoma County and Lennon‘s The Farm in New York, the album fuses elaborate storytelling, classic psychedelia, and conceptual invention. It follows the January release of first single “WAP (What a Predicament),” further teasing the duo’s AI-driven, morality-laced universe.
Following the release, Claypool will tour with the immersive Claypool Gold show, combining Primus, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for full-length sets in one genre-defying night.
The tour kicks off May 20 in Reno, NV and will stretch coast to coast with more than 25 dates across North America. Stops include Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, before concluding with a July 4 hometown-style celebration in Napa, CA. Get your tickets here.
5/20 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
5/22 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
5/23 Redmond, WA Marymoor Live
5/25 Bonner, MT KettleHouse Amphitheater
5/26 Salt Lake City, UT The Lot at the Complex
5/28 Kansas City, MO Starlight Amphitheatre
5/30 St. Louis, MO The Factory
5/31 Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
6/2 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion
6/3 Chicago, IL Salt Shed
6/5 Pelham, TN The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater
6/6 Columbus, OH KEMBA Live! Outdoor
6/9 Portland, ME Thompson’s Point
6/10 Boston, MA Leader Bank Pavilion
6/12 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6/13 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony Summerstage
6/14 Columbia, MD All Good Now Festival
6/16 Charlotte, NC The AMP Ballantyne
6/17 North Charleston, SC Firefly Distillery
6/19 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre
6/20 Atlanta, GA Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
6/22 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP
6/23 Austin, TX ACL Live at Moody Theatre
6/25 Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
6/27 Dillon, CO Dillon Amphitheater
6/28 Dillon, CO Dillon Amphitheater
6/30 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
7/1 San Diego, CA Gallagher Square
7/3 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Amphitheater
7/4 Napa, CA Meritage Resort & Spa
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