David Hungate of Toto...

SX lover · #1 06-30-2009, 07:54 PM

David Hungate of Toto...Badd Azz bassist!

Your comments,gents...

funkometer · #2 06-30-2009, 07:55 PM

mmmm Dune soundtrack!!

ZonGuy · #3 07-01-2009, 10:28 AM

David used to author a very amusing column in Bass Player (or maybe it was GP). He is an elite session musician with a great sense of humor. If you google his name under "How to break in", you will be well rewarded.

TimWilson · #4 07-01-2009, 10:30 AM

I hate to throw a little cold water on the thread, but Hunny gets no love from me. Respect as a musician, sure; admiration for his musical accomplishments, absolutely, but no love.

In some of his BP writings, he went out of his way to write some pointedly hurtful and snide attacks on me and people like me, who believe what I believe. Of course, we all have our own political/spiritual/musical viewpoints: It's America and God bless it, but I've never met Hungate, and certainly never said—much less published—anything attacking and/or insulting him. He couldn't say the same about me.

JimmyM · #5 07-01-2009, 12:53 PM

Ah, must have been the Rush Limbaugh column. Well, to be fair, Limbaugh said some horrible things about Jeff Porcaro dying because of drugs. Then he became a total hypocrite and got himself hooked on Oxycontin in a major way and made himself deaf. Poetic justice, I call it.

OTOH, I hear you...if it turns you off to an entertainer because of their political beliefs, I get it...there's been a few that have turned me off, too. But the older I get, the less it interferes with my ability to enjoy their art. As for Hungate, if my best friend who had just died got trashed on the radio by a drug-addled hypocrite like Limbaugh, I'd probably want to write a column insulting him and his ilk as well, so bear that in mind and try not to be too harsh.

BTW, I hope this doesn't violate rules against political talk. I'm not speaking about Limbaugh's politics...only his glaring hypocrisy about drugs. And his big fat pumpkin head

LowBSix · #6 07-01-2009, 12:58 PM

David is a great musician, player and guy...

People, places and things will not effect the outcome of my day.

To forgive is a virtue... If he called you to cover for him on a session; would you turn it down? Done.

TimWilson · #7 07-01-2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Ah, must have been the Rush Limbaugh column. Well, to be fair, Limbaugh said some horrible things about Jeff Porcaro dying because of drugs. Then he became a total hypocrite and got himself hooked on Oxycontin in a major way and made himself deaf. Poetic justice, I call it.

OTOH, I hear you...if it turns you off to an entertainer because of their political beliefs, I get it...there's been a few that have turned me off, too. But the older I get, the less it interferes with my ability to enjoy their art. As for Hungate, if my best friend who had just died got trashed on the radio by a drug-addled hypocrite like Limbaugh, I'd probably want to write a column insulting him and his ilk as well, so bear that in mind and try not to be too harsh.

Harsh? No, I don't think I said anything harsh about Hunny. I went back and checked. Nope. Wasn't harsh. And Hunny can kick Limbaugh around all he wants. He's a big boy, he doesn't need me to defend him.

But Hunny didn't limit his harsh insults to Limbaugh, he included me. Oh, yeah, and a few hundred thousand others. That was a blindside attack. And it didn't really belong in a musical lesson.

Would I sit down for a lesson with Hunny? I doubt it. I'm far too lazy to try to learn anything new on the bass — I haven't for years. I know just barely as much as I need to to do what little music I have time for anymore. If I were a big fan, maybe, but nah...

SX lover · #8 07-01-2009, 07:59 PM

Wow! i hope i didnt open a can of worms,about David Hungate. I just liked his bass work when he was with Toto...sorry guys.

JimmyM · #9 07-01-2009, 08:15 PM

It's fine, dude. The most innocent of threads go haywire on here quite often. It's not you...it's us

TimWilson · #10 07-01-2009, 08:27 PM

Yeah, totally. No worms here! Again, I DO admire the man's WORK very much. I remember spending many hours teaching myself those killer little slap licks in 'Rosanna' when I was a kid!

I was just very disappointed to read what he wrote about me. It was a sad letdown.

Sonicfrog · #11 07-01-2009, 09:34 PM

I'm curious, did he single you out personally, or attack you as a group?

I'm a huge fan of his work. Spent an aweful lot of time learning bass by learning Toto songs. I enjoy Mike Porcaro's work, but like the Hungate version better. The songs to me are more interesting.

JimmyM · #12 07-01-2009, 09:59 PM

Attacked him as a group. Personally, I think Tim's taking it a little too personally, but Hungate did get pretty worked up as I recall.

TimWilson · #13 07-02-2009, 06:30 AM

What, Jimmy, you never read "the Godfather"?

‘Tom, don’t let anybody kid you. It’s all personal…Tell the old man I learned it all from him and that I’m glad I have this chance to pay him back for all he did for me'

I can't help it if I'm just a good Sicilian! But Hunny, he doan-a needa worry 'bout nutting, I notta gonna sen' nobodies to have no special talk wid him... ;0)

johhn smith · #14 07-02-2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Attacked him as a group. Personally, I think Tim's taking it a little too personally, but Hungate did get pretty worked up as I recall.

does anyone care to give a synopsis of what this is about. i am not familiar with the content but remember hungate's column.

TL5 · #15 07-02-2009, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johhn smith

does anyone care to give a synopsis of what this is about. i am not familiar with the content but remember hungate's column.

I'm curious as well, a google search is not revealing anything.

TimWilson · #16 07-02-2009, 07:54 AM

I don't have the BP issues here with me (I'm spending the company's valuable time and bandwidth on TalkBass... again...), but basically, it went like this:

In response to an unkind mention by Rush Limbaugh regarding his suspicion about the possibly drug-related death of Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro (www.answers.com/topic/jeff-porcaro), Dave Hungate used space in his BP column to call all Rush Limbaugh listeners stupid. Not Limbaugh himself, which would have been fine with me, but his listeners, which includes me, albeit infrequently.

It was startling and very disappointing to read a respected and intelligent artist like Hunny suddenly take a swipe at me in print. I thought it was uncalled for and unfair.

Political issues are verboten on TB as well they should be. That's wise. It used to be the same with BP, but around that time, those rules got tossed and they began to wave their flag more proudly.

I have no interest in Hungate's politics, and my disappointment with him has NOTHING to do with them: It was purely because he used his supposedly educational column in a neutral print forum to generalize me and then insult me.

I didn't get worked up enough over it to respond. I just remembered it. Clearly.

SX lover · #17 07-02-2009, 08:26 AM

Tim,may i say..."a listener is just that,a "listener". There's a BIG differance between a "listener"...and a "follower". I can understand David H. being upset about "ignorant" misconception of "out on a "Limb-baugh's" opinion of Jeff P. Jeff was a "drumming hero" to me(i'm a drummer first...bass player,second)and Jeff was David's drummer and friend.Who knows what each of us might do or say if the "table was turned on us".And even if what Rush said was true...would that stop any of us from being there for our "fallen" band memer?? I think not. Tim,let it go...it sounds like it was "anger&hurt" for the loss of David's bandmate...on top of a person who "doesnt think before he speaks. JMHO.

SteveC · #18 07-02-2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

...if it turns you off to an entertainer because of their political beliefs, I get it...

U2. Bono drives me crazy. I can't pinpoint it, but he's just one of those people that I just don't care for, hence I don't care fo rU2. I know, very closed minded, but that's just the way it is for me.

squashedOpossum · #19 07-02-2009, 08:44 AM

It's sad that someone of Hungate's caliber would use his BP platform for something like that. I haven't seen the article and I have no idea what was said by either party, but I can understand Mr. Hungate taking it personally after the loss of a good friend and needing to vent. I also understand your hurt, too, Tim. I have learned that increasingly more people seem to disagree with some of my beliefs and values, but I hold strongly to the fact that they are MY beliefs and values and no one can take that away. God bless America, still the home of free speech.

That being said, Hungate is an amazing bass player. His work with Boz Scaggs on Silk Degrees is amazing as well as his work with Toto. If I could duplicate his sound, I think I'd be cured of GAS.

TimWilson · #20 07-02-2009, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SX lover

Tim, may I say: a listener is just that; a listener. There's a BIG difference between a listener and a follower. I can understand David being upset about the ignorant misconception of out-on-a-Limb-baugh's opinion of Jeff. Jeff was a drumming hero to me, (i'm a drummer first...bass player second), and Jeff was David's drummer and friend. Who knows what each of us might do or say if the table were turned on us. And even if what Rush said was true, would that stop any of us from being there for our fallen band memer? I think not. Tim, let it go... it sounds like it [Hungate's column] was anger & hurt for the loss of his bandmate... from a person who doesnt think before he speaks. JMHO. {text corrected by the amazing WilsonCorp® Miracle Text-o-Fix®}

Let it go?! LET IT GO? (raises fists to sky and cries out) "NEVAAAHHHH!! NEVAH, NEVAH, NEVAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Aw, seriously, I really don't care THAT much about this. It's not like I punch a different preset whenever 'Rosanna' comes on the radio. I hadn't even thought of it in years... I just happened to be going back and re-reading some old BPs recently (from back when they were fuller and more useful) and happened on Hunny's old column just about the time this post came up.

I'm sure that if the whole thing were brought to his attention now, after some years have eased the hurt, that Hunny would retract what he said, at least the mass generalization about Limbaugh's listeners. Surely he must understand that not everyone who listens to Howard Stern is just like Howard in every way and agrees with every sentence. I listen to 'em both, enjoy both, and agree with both on different things. I'm complex that way.