I'm sick of this "dumbing down" with Bass mags

[Murf]

Hi guys/gals,
Sorry I have to rant here...I was flicking through the latest edition of Bass Guitar Magazine and they had a few pages dedicated to SNOW PATROLS BASSIST!!!!! Godawlmighty!!!...I mean come on what qualifies this guy to get a 2 page interview in a "specialist" magazine??...next it'll be a 4 page spread about coldplays bassist ..oh wait a minute...

Sorry for sounding elitist but I dont rate any of these guys and I dont even consider them bassists (they are the typical I cant play an instrument to save my life...hey I can play bass!!)..hell I know 16 year olds that can play better and know more than these guys....the bassists in these bands are the very definition of the joke about the kid asking his dad for money for a bass lesson and then the next week is doing a gig.

I mean I used to buy bass magazines to actually learn something and be exposed to musicians I otherwise wouldnt...and as such remember the days when bass mags were geared towards BASSISTS....not failed guitarists...I used to love reading about the likes of wooten/rocco/jaco etc...in a BASS magazine..I mean you wont see Biker world (or its equivalent) doing 2 page spreads on "Dwayne the guy who sorts the screws and takes out the trash"..

apologies for the rant I just seriously needed to vent.

[Adam Barkley]

Originally Posted by Murf

Hi guys/gals,
Sorry I have to rant here...I was flicking through the latest edition of Bass Guitar Magazine and they had a few pages dedicated to SNOW PATROLS BASSIST!!!!! Godawlmighty!!!...I mean come on what qualifies this guy to get a 2 page interview in a "specialist" magazine??...next it'll be a 4 page spread about coldplays bassist ..oh wait a minute...

Sorry for sounding elitist but I dont rate any of these guys and I dont even consider them bassists (they are the typical I cant play an instrument to save my life...hey I can play bass!!)..hell I know 16 year olds that can play better and know more than these guys....the bassists in these bands are the very definition of the joke about the kid asking his dad for money for a bass lesson and then the next week is doing a gig.

I mean I used to buy bass magazines to actually learn something and be exposed to musicians I otherwise wouldnt...and as such remember the days when bass mags were geared towards BASSISTS....not failed guitarists...I used to love reading about the likes of wooten/rocco/jaco etc...in a BASS magazine..I mean you wont see Biker world (or its equivalent) doing 2 page spreads on "Dwayne the guy who sorts the screws and takes out the trash"..

apologies for the rant I just seriously needed to vent.

How do you know that they can't play? Maybe Snow Patrol is his or her income and his or her passion is to play classical cello pieces on the bass while in the comforts of home.

[playmybass]

Im sure all these "failed guitarists" are crying all the way to the bank.

[Kelly Lee]

Originally Posted by Murf

I mean come on what qualifies this guy to get a 2 page interview in a "specialist" magazine?...

Uh... he (his band) sells albums? I don't know this guy or his band from Adam but I don't just dismiss someone because of the band they play in. Yes, you are definately coming off as being a bit snobbish

About those 16 yo bassist that are better, do they deserve to have a two page article in Bass Guitar Magazine? How many albums have they sold?

Remember, an enthusiast mag like Bass Player or Bass Guitar Magazine cannot stay in business unless it is marketable. I would venture to say that they felt *insert the name of any bassist that you (or anyone else) consider not worthy here* would help sell their mag(s). Thats the bottom line, $$$. It is a business after all.

I mean I used to buy bass magazines to actually learn something and be exposed to musicians I otherwise wouldnt...

Well, start opening your mind by trying to appreciate bassist such as this guy. Find the good, not the bad. Just a thought.

[syciprider]

Cheese?

[KeithBMI]

I didn't get the new issue. They must have cut me off.

[JimmyM]

As usual, people would rather whine than do something about it. Don't like the magazine? Don't buy it. If people didn't buy it, they'd get the message. But they do buy it, so there you go.

[tkarter]

I don't know any great bassist named Murf. Nor have I read any magazines with a Murf interview.


tk

[Murf]

Ok..points taken..maybe I didnt quite get across what I meant.. Whats bugging me is that I would assume that magazines which cater to peoples particular hobbies/tastes would somehow reflect that..for instance if I was into carpentry or restoration I would expect a "restoration" monthly magazine to educate and enlighten me as to what the master craftsmen are doing (and some interviews with the same detailing how they learned what they learned..where they studied etc. and some of the tips & tricks they picked up along the way).

Just because someone is in a band "du jour" dosent automatically make them a good musician or suggest that they have anything meaningful to say about the subject...so how does that qualify them to have a 2 page spread ?..(or even a paragraph)?

Man I am getting old...

[Turock]

I agree with Murf, and I don't care how many albums someone sells (like that is a sign of talent). I have every issue from the first one up until about two years ago. Now I will only buy one only after thumbing through it and seeing something I would like to read in-depth; sadly that is rare these days.

[Edwcdc]

How many Wooten articles do you need to read?
I actually think it would be cool to do an article on a 16 year old bass player just starting out and getting into his first band. Might bring back some memories.
I do see your point Murf but I also think that not everybody is into Wooten and the likes. Maybe there should be a magazine called Really Good Bass Player Magazine.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

The Bass player for Snow Patrol went to my uni , that is all

[fretlessrock]

Easy: turn the page. Or do what I did when I got sick of BP. I let my sub lapse and read other mags. Heck, the best bass-specific writing I have read on 2005 was in Tape-Op.

But the deal never changes: if your band sells records you will get pub. These bands have publicity agents, usually via the label or distributor. Those agents try to get the band placed in mainstream media, alt media, websites... That could mean a single LINE in People or US, a spread in a non-related specialty mag (Maxim, Car and Driver...), or in musician-centric mags.

Let us IMAGINE that Murf's band had a major label deal and he kept getting rejected for a feature in a bass mag... The outrage!

[Adam Barkley]

Originally Posted by Murf

Ok..points taken..maybe I didnt quite get across what I meant.. Whats bugging me is that I would assume that magazines which cater to peoples particular hobbies/tastes would somehow reflect that..for instance if I was into carpentry or restoration I would expect a "restoration" monthly magazine to educate and enlighten me as to what the master craftsmen are doing (and some interviews with the same detailing how they learned what they learned..where they studied etc. and some of the tips & tricks they picked up along the way).

Just because someone is in a band "du jour" dosent automatically make them a good musician or suggest that they have anything meaningful to say about the subject...so how does that qualify them to have a 2 page spread ?..(or even a paragraph)?

Man I am getting old...

I think the problem is that you don't think you can learn from people like Coldplay's or Snow Patrol's respective bassists. There is something to be learned from damn near everyone if you can get past your bias and find it. Maybe something as simple as tips to appeal to a larger audience. Or how to create understated lines that simply "work" versus lines that seek to impress the listener with technicality. Maybe his or her playing isn't impressive to you, but that person has a certain feel that you are striving for with your own music. Ad nausem.

I'd being willing to bet even the great "Restoration" monthly would have some section with woodworkers who make stuff that is stripped down and plain. Or an amateur woodworkers section.

[mike_v_s]

Originally Posted by playmybass

Im sure all these "failed guitarists" are crying all the way to the bank.

While I don't completely agree with Murf's sentiments, his argument is that talent makes a bass player, not income.

Mike

[bucephylus]

However, to quote Tom Wolfe: "No bucks, no Buck Rogers"

The business side of this game has as little to do with talent as possible. Talent is unpredictable - Jaco or Bird, for example. It's much more desireable in a business sense when you can control a manufactured product, like MTV. I guarantee you that no one who works for any of the media companies, including the rags, has a single part of their variable compensation tied to some measurement of the notes per minute or depth of groove the bass players covered can play.

A better way to look at the whole thing is to be glad when they do cover a righteous player, and get the story right.

[mike_v_s]

Originally Posted by bucephylus

However, to quote Tom Wolfe: "No bucks, no Buck Rogers"

The business side of this game has as little to do with talent as possible. Talent is unpredictable - Jaco or Bird, for example. It's much more desireable in a business sense when you can control a manufactured product, like MTV. I guarantee you that no one who works for any of the media companies, including the rags, has a single part of their variable compensation tied to some measurement of the notes per minute or depth of groove the bass players covered can play.

A better way to look at the whole thing is to be glad when they do cover a righteous player, and get the story right.

No argument from here. The post I quoted seemed to indicate that income level would somehow compensate for deficiencies in other areas. If you suck...you suck. No matter how much cash is in hand or on paper....you suck. No amount of laughing to and from the bank will ever change that. But you're right. Talent plays a very lowly role in the business.

Mike

[bucephylus]

Originally Posted by mike_v_s

No argument from here. The post I quoted seemed to indicate that income level would somehow compensate for deficiencies in other areas. If you suck...you suck. No matter how much cash is in hand or on paper....you suck. No amount of laughing to and from the bank will ever change that. But you're right. Talent plays a very lowly role in the business.

Mike

Kind of a worn out quote but:

"Music Business is an oxymoron."

[Chopper]

RUN FORREST RUN!

[mike_v_s]

Originally Posted by Chopper

RUN FORREST RUN!

Hahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahaa. I don't get it.

Mike