A funny story about "not being able to talk and play" at the same time

[kesslari]

Although now I can sing and play, for a long time I couldn't even talk and play at the same time.

I was playing in a reggae band with a very, very dynamic lead singer. He'd work the crowd, dance, spin around to face the band and work the band, spin back around to work the crowd.

One night he spun to face the band and I noticed that his fly was open. I couldn't talk and play at the same time, but I managed to say "Your... fly..."
He grins, says "Thanks, man", and spins back around to shake it for the audience.

Now, for those who don't know that particular slang, "fly" was used in the african-american community to denote "stylish, looking good". So he heard "you're fly" rather than "your fly"...
Next time he spins around to face us I try again, and can only manage "your... fly... " again.

He grins, says, "Yeah, thanks!!" and spins back around to shake his groove thing and sing another verse.

It was the third time before I could manage to say "your... fly... is... OPEN..."

[woodyTUH]

Hahaha i'm sure everyone in the crowd will have noticed..

[Jimbob Jones]

Haha, I'm the same, I can't talk and play at the same time, i can sing "aahh's" and "oooh's" but i cant actually string a sentence together!

[Just J]

I have a hard time talking and playing. Last gig some guy tried to jump on an open mic, I basically pushed him off stage, which he took offense to. So for the next 4-5 songs he would walk up bitching at me calling me an @$$hole for "punching" him. His wife eventually chewed him out (she was shooting me weird looks the whole night), so he decided to apologize during one of the harder lines I have to play. He wouldn't go away till I accepted (I was nodding like "it's cool man" the whole time).

That, and a lady kept asking me if I gave lessons during songs... why not come up when we're NOT playing.

Drummer said he was impressed I was able to deal with all that crap without losing a beat (I did screw up one line pretty good trying to talk tho.)

[mjolnir]

I actually think it's harder to talk and play than it is to sing and play, 'cause singing involves a set rhythm, one that can be fit into whatever it is you're playing. Talking on the other hand, while still maintaining its own rhythm, is specific to the person and generally doesn't fit the music being played at the moment. I can't catch on to that kind of multitasking, man...

Beautiful story, I would love to have been able to see that.

[ClassicRock55]

I agree with Mjolnir. If I'm playing without drums and I try to communicate, I lose my beat. Sometimes I try to talk with the beat but I sound like an idiot. In the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" book about James Jamerson, it says that he could play a complex bassline perfectly in beat while tapping his feet to a different time signature at a different tempo....pretty beastly

[MakiSupaStar]

Funny story.

[Fassa Albrecht]

This is epic win!


I find that if I am playing bass at church and singing I'm OK, but talking (for example if there's prayers) I find it impossible to do both.