Jazz musician stories.

[Paul Warburton]

Lately, I've posted a few stories about certain, colorful jazz musicians. I did some of this here on TBDB a few years back and got mainly positive feed back. However, I also got some pretty negative responses from posters who felt I was pushing the envelope, in terms of some individuals in my stories use of alcohol, drugs, and sometimes sex. Not to mention some language used by these people, that offended the more religious members of the board. These negative responses manifested themselves in some irate PM's, bordering on personal threats.
In the last few days I've received three PM's, requesting me to relate some more of this stuff.
I admit, some CAN be vivid, and may be disturbing to some folks...but most of the offending words are automatically cancelled out by computer hardware and replaced with *****, as you know.
I DON'T want to alienate any of our people, and I certainly don't condone the use of alcohol or drugs in ANY ONE'S life, especially younger and more impressionable players.
For the most part, these stories are just plain fun and usually not offensive to most of us....I THINK. Then I came up with the idea of posting a poll. I'll leave it up to you...I think our beloved Moderators can handle it, and will of course, check me on it.
I love it here and would never endanger my welcome.
Have at it.
PW

[Dorian]

I love your stories Paul, maybe you could just post a warning in the tread title if you think people may take offence to the subject matter?

Let's be honest, anybody who is even in the fringes of the music business is going to hear plenty of stories about that kind of stuff. Anybody read 'Beneath the Underdog' by Mingus? Phew...

[Paul Warburton]

Yeah Dorian, I'd planned on asking the mods if that would be cool.
Thanks for your input.

[nathanmcnathan]

If they don't like what it says, they don't have to read it. I think you should go for it.

[jallenbass]

You can always insinuate certain things without actually spelling out the details. Marcus is pretty good at that in some of his posts.

[Paul Warburton]

John, I agree about Marcus. However, to insinuate in this case, IMO, would severely change the color and even insult some of these characters.

[Uncletoad]

Yea whatever. I have no patience for those that want the world to edit it's expression based on their puritan ideals. Don't like what you see, look away.

People have been disgusting since as long as there have been people. Throughout the history of man morality has been fluid, changing back and forth with cultures and time. No one point in time or one culture or one religious point of view has a monopoly on right and wrong. It's one huge sea of shifting grey.

Don't want your children to see things or experience things you don't like? Take charge and edit it yourself. Don't expect me to do it for you. I don't want Vincent to see some things until he's "ready" so he won't. That's my job, not Paul Warburtons.

The human experience in Jazz and much of the arts is riddled with mood alteration, sex, antiestablishment sentiment and all kinds of counterculture. That's what makes it interesting.

I too am very interested in the lives and times of those that create the music I love. It doesn't mean I want to emulate that behavior to try to get to that place any more than I think using Spirocores will make me sound like Ray Brown. That's just stupid.

What's interesting to me is the variety of experience, the richness of life stories, the relationships between musicians that catalized the intereactions captured in recordings from a time and place I can never be.

If you wish to rob me of that experience, that vicarious learning, because you can't stand MY looking at loose moral fiber then go away. You're to close minded to be making music that interests me anyhow.

[Paul Warburton]

MOMA!

[mattfong]

I don't know if you meant something else by that post, but I love that place. I think a trip to New York this summer is in order.

Oh, and... more stories!

[Marcus Johnson]

To quote Duh-byuh....

"Bring it on".

Always enjoy a good tale.

[Treyzer]

Wow....Unka Toad what you said... beyond articulate +1 to all that!

PDub your stories are great and, funny, insightful and of course entertaining. It always amazed me how some well known artists are so different from their public personas and it's always great to kind of get a feel for who they really were and how friends and peers perceived them.

Although drugs, alcohol and sex are typically involved, I never get that your trying to encourage drug or alcohol abuse. SEX...well....

I could be a bit off base but it seems that even in the classical world there were some guys who pushed the envelope of the conventional mores and norms. Although they may not have been saints or even nice guys, they were very interesting characters,

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Paul, ypo ever write a book, I;m buying!

[Damon Rondeau]

Paul (and everybody else) -- the folks complaining to you in private aren't saying anything to we mods. Nada.

Personal stories, anecdotes, the sharing of experiences -- that's a huge part of what this here bass-player's club is all about. It's one of the things I love best about hanging with musicians. If that part of TalkBass ever got dealt out, I don't think the string talk alone could keep me around...

[Jake deVilliers]

Let 'er rip Paul, the grown-ups here can skip over the parts they find disturbing.

Hell, maybe you could change your user name to WARNING!

[Don Higdon]

The truth is the truth is the truth is the truth etc.
The whole world knows that Bob Brookmeyer, for example, had an alcohol problem. He very publicly acknowledges it. To mention it does not in any way endorse it. It's disappointing to think that people here can't see that.
In any event, go to it, Paul, especially since you've actually outed yourself here, with no loss of our esteem for you.

[Marc Piane]

bring 'em on unka paw.

[Marcus Johnson]

Anyone who has any rose-colored image of the jazz life in days gone by should read "Straight Life" by the great Art Pepper. Yikes.

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Anyone who has any rose-colored image of the jazz life in days gone by should read "Straight Life" by the great Art Pepper. Yikes.

Or the Chet Baker documentary (let's get lost?), although I think it's an exploitation flick.

[Damon Rondeau]

...or the Lenny Breau documentary his daughter made. I can't really watch it without getting a bit upset.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

...or the Lenny Breau documentary his daughter made. I can't really watch it without getting a bit upset.

Oh, I haven't seen that, what's it called? My friend Tom Conway took one guitar lesson from Lenny, about a month before he died. He taped it, fortunately. What a monster he was!

[jgbass]

Go for it Paul! You have been sharing interesting information for a long time here. If someone is offended, well let the mods stamp the final decision.

I have been playing music in bands with the guys since I was 13. Nothing would shock me! This is the music biz.