
After the abrupt retirement of beloved drum rocktopus Tim “Herb” Alexander, veteran alt-metal oddballs Primus held open auditions for a new sticksman, combing through more than 6,000 videos and an untold number of dudes attempting the triple-bounce kick pattern from “John The Fisherman.” In February, the winner of the “Interstellar Drum Derby” was revealed to be 45-year-old John Hoffman, a tall, skinny, affable, preternaturally chill dude from Shreveport, Louisiana who just happens to plays drums like a circus wagon tumbling down a steep incline.