Interviewing bassist stories

[Arthritic_Tom]

Boy, they sure don't make it easy.

It looks like my Google Group is up and running.

Go to https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!overview and search "ghosts-and-ballyhoo"

Once you find it, that's where you apply. I'm approving all applications, because if you're joining just to be a butthole, that's your problem.

I don't mind flame wars, so if you want to fight and be jerks, cool! I'm doing this to keep everyone informed on the progress of the book, which is going to take up all my time for a while.

I think this link might work, too:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!fo...s-and-ballyhoo

I've had one offer to moderate. If anyone else wants to moderate, too, that's great. Maybe I can make you all moderators, so you can get into flame wars over who moderates, and then the flames will be instantly extinguished because you're all moderators, too! It'll be this fantastic exercise in self-defeat, which I always love.

So, all applications are being automatically approved.

Here's some useful(?) information:

http://support.google.com/groups/bin...n&answer=46601

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

How do we make you moderator?

Make someone a manager of your group - Google Groups Help

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

I don't actually care if it turns into a nightmare of flame wars, because I like flame wars.

Kinda guessed that from your books LOL . So, what's the best flamethower for metal? (TB running gag )

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by Roadkill

Make someone a manager of your group - Google Groups Help

Looks like you're the man! Congrats!

You have free rein to do whatever you want. Thanks very much for taking on this grave responsibility, my friend.

Moderate away! Or manage, as they call it.

[Roadkill]

BTW you might have been better off creating a blog:
http://www.blogger.com
I'm sure most TB'ers would rather keep the conversations over here in the community rather than on your Google group?

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by Roadkill

BTW you might have been better off creating a blog:
http://www.blogger.com
I'm sure most TB'ers would rather keep the conversations over here in the community rather than on your Google group?

Well, the Google Group was created just to keep people updated. There don't have to be any conversations at all.

Each time I post an update there, you'll all get the information, right? Or did I screw that up, too? You can tell me. I'm an expert at screwing things up.

All I want is to keep people informed, not steal traffic from here. I'm not going to have any time for a blog. Plus, you don't get paid to blog.

And if nobody's having conversations over there, you have the easiest moderator's job in the world, am I right?

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

Each time I post an update there, you'll all get the information, right? Or did I screw that up, too? You can tell me. I'm an expert at screwing things up.

LOL
One thing you need to do is set yourself a nickname "over there". You're the only one without one there and now that I disabled email addresses being broadcast your posts come from "[email address]" - or I suppose for a fellow anarchist that's a good a nickname as any (but might confuse the "uninitiated" ).

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by Roadkill

LOL
One thing you need to do is set yourself a nickname "over there". You're the only one without one there and now that I disabled email addresses being broadcast your posts come from "[email address]" - or I suppose for a fellow anarchist that's a good a nickname as any (but might confuse the "uninitiated" ).

Thanks. I'll do that.

[OPBASSMAN1994]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

Can't. They'll ban me. But I'll tease you:

I pursued a legendary bassist/singer for years. His people always said he was too busy. Then a guy who knew the guitarist told me that the bassist had never once played any of the bass lines on any of the albums. The guitarist had done all of them, and then the bassist would sort of struggle to learn a simplified version to play live.

That bassist/singer hasn't played a bass since he quit the band, so I'm pretty sure it's true. Plus, I read an interview with the guitarist years after the bassist quit, in which the guitarist said, when asked about one of their most famous songs, "________ played fretless? C'mon!" But that was all he had to say on the topic.

Too bad. I really liked him as a bassist as well as a singer.

Initials: RW.

Bass of choice: Fender Precision

Wrote a famous album about some kind of...brick structure.

Since I'm not requesting names, am I right good sir?

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by OPBASSMAN1994

Initials: RW.

Bass of choice: Fender Precision

Wrote a famous album about some kind of...brick structure.

Since I'm not requesting names, am I right good sir?

I can neither confirm nor deny, but I've seen your suspect playing bass recently. Never fretless, though.

Interesting...

[OPBASSMAN1994]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

I can neither confirm nor deny, but I've seen your suspect playing bass recently. Never fretless, though.

Interesting...

I have learned that this individual with the initials RW's guitar-playing creative rival within the band is now credited with at least most of the basslines on the...Brick Structure, including Fretless on a certain song which addresses the listener in 2nd person and begins with a greeting...

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by OPBASSMAN1994

I have learned that this individual with the initials RW's guitar-playing creative rival within the band is now credited with at least most of the basslines on the...Brick Structure, including Fretless on a certain song which addresses the listener in 2nd person and begins with a greeting...

Interesting! Why do you suppose the bassist whose name I can neither confirm nor deny refused interview requests for three years? I was told he was too busy, but during that period no new recordings appeared, and no new projects were announced.

Busy traveling? I can understand, although I conducted phoners with people on the road all the time.

What I remember is that the replies to my queries got more and more brusque and then devolved into the equivalent of "S*d off, Swampy!"

Who better to be angry at than a music journalist trying to give you publicity for your skills as a musician?

[FEBass]

Gotta say, that Google Groups thing is a little bewildering to me. I can't even figure out how to join it. It just seems like another discussion forum...

Tom, don't be discouraged if not a lot of people seem to be on that group. I think all most of us really want is some way to get notified as soon as the book is ready for release.

I still think the publisher should consider a simple e-mail signup through their website. There are even a bunch of free online services that host email lists. Failing that,I hope you'll at least put up an update in this thread when it's out so that subscribers will know.

Rest assured, though, even if the entire internet goes dark and all communication lines are cut off, with the exception of carrier pigeon, I will find a way to find out when that book is done and get a copy. (note to self: begin stockpiling birdseed)

[LSquared]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

You said December, right? Let me look for bookplates today. I've been overwhelmed by how fast everything is moving here.

And thank you for buying my book.

Yep, December. I figured you're kind of busy right now, nbd.

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by LSquared

Yep, December. I figured you're kind of busy right now, nbd.

I can't find blank, acid-free, self-adhesive bookplates anywhere. They all say "Ex Libris _________" and then you ask them to print the name of the person who owns the book. I want to buy one that just has a nice, simple design and a blank space so I can sign it and write a brief message to your brother.

I'm going to ask my publisher if they know where to get some, but if you come across any, shoot me an e-mail. You have my address. I'd like to buy a bunch anyway.

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by FEBass

Gotta say, that Google Groups thing is a little bewildering to me. I can't even figure out how to join it. It just seems like another discussion forum...

Tom, don't be discouraged if not a lot of people seem to be on that group. I think all most of us really want is some way to get notified as soon as the book is ready for release.

I still think the publisher should consider a simple e-mail signup through their website. There are even a bunch of free online services that host email lists. Failing that,I hope you'll at least put up an update in this thread when it's out so that subscribers will know.

Rest assured, though, even if the entire internet goes dark and all communication lines are cut off, with the exception of carrier pigeon, I will find a way to find out when that book is done and get a copy. (note to self: begin stockpiling birdseed)

Send me your e-mail in a PM and I'll send you an invitation to join.

[Arthritic_Tom]

For anybody worried that you're taking up my time, don't.

This is actually great, because I'm still waiting for the best editor in the world to send me his thoughts about my ideas, and if I weren't signing you up, I'd be back to wasting my time with flame wars on Liveleak or Youtube.

So, anyone who wants an invite to the Google Group "Ghosts and Ballyhoo," drop me a PM with your e-mail address. The invite has directions that are self-explanatory.

The reason I prefer the Google Groups is because I get to update you on the progress and keep your interest whetted. I get to manipulate you! Mwah-hah-hah-hah-hahhhhhh!

If there were just a simple e-mail list, you'd have months of silence, and by that time you might have second thoughts about spending your hard-earned bucks on ol' Tommy's book. I might just be a passing fad, you know. I can't tell you how many times people in L.A. made promises to me they never kept.

"Oh, I'll come to your book signing! Oh, I'll hire you to ghost write my memoirs! Oh, of course I'll marry you!"

Whoops. Wasn't supposed to reveal that last one. Oh, well.

I also don't think it's really right to use this thread to constantly update you on the progress of the book, because the topic is interviewing bassists, and if I turn it into a book-promoting thread, it'll be an abuse of the forum, I think.

I've asked the publisher if they have a simple mailing list to get on. The problem is they might send you months of e-mails about other products you don't want, and I don't want to spam your. But I'll give you their answer.

In the meantime, if you want an invite to the Google Group "Ghosts and Ballyhoo," send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll sign you up. You can use the group to watch the progress of the book's development.

[hodgy]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

Thank you for buying the book. My experience with flamethrowers was based on my lack of a pedigree and a truly astonishing experience I hope to include in my memoirs.

The man who will likely edit Ghosts and Ballyhoo told me "Never, never, never write with a co-author. It's always a disaster."

Unfortunately he told me that after my disaster, which should be in my memoirs, because it culminated in the Test of Character that may have been divinely sent, since it was so specific and the odds against it happening were higher than winning the mega-jackpot lottery.

I'm happy to think I passed that test. If I get the okay, I'll put it in the book and amaze you.

No need to thank me, I've been doing myself a disservice for not having bought it years ago when I first became aware of it. Had I known there was so much Thunes in there (and Casale!!), it would have been in my greasey mitts long ago.

[Roadkill]

If you DO NOT want to sign up with Google but DO want to subscribe send a blank email to:
ghosts-and-ballyhoo+subscribe@googlegroups.com

If you DO NOT have a Google account you can sign up for one and subscribe here:
https://accounts.google.com/NewAccou...ervice=groups2

If you DO have a Google account subscribe here:
https://groups.google.com/group/ghosts-and-ballyhoo

[Arthritic_Tom]

In fact, to get us back to the topic of the thread, interviewing bassists, Here's an excerpt form an interview with Paco Ayala of the Mexican band Molotov, which has two bassists that play at the same time.

molotov cerdo - YouTube

Most of what you hear in that song is bass, not guitar.

TW: How do you use two basses simultaneously in one band?

PA: Usually I play the low notes--the regular bass line--in most of the songs and Micky [Huidobro] is adding octaves and effects and distortion. He also plays harmonies or second melodies. In our band, the second bass often serves the function of a keyboard or a rhythm guitar. Micky also uses a pick to make DJ scratching sounds, too.

TW: How did you come up with this idea?

PA: In our songs, especially the really funky ones, the bass isn't just a time-keeping instrument, it's the basis for the entire song. The whole song is built around it. That's why we play a lot of octaves and why on our records I'm playing on the left channel and Micky is playing on the right. We're always trying to find ways to make the bass stronger. The way it works is that sometimes both of us play similar lines, other times one plays the low notes and the other plays mid-range and higher notes.

There isn't a main bassist and a back-up bassist, though, because a lot of times, we're playing in stereo. On some songs where we play the same line, I'll play clean and Micky will use distortion, for example, just to make them different. Or one line will be an octave higher. But one bass line is never more important than the other. Sometimes, just to change things around, Micky will play the main bass line and I'll do something with my Whammy pedal an octave lower, or sometimes I'll play figures using my Wah-wah pedal.

TW: In a lot of rock bands, the bassist just stands in the back and plays along.

PA: Well, in our band, we have four lead singers, too, so no one just stands around in the back. We're a band where the bass players are more like lead guitarists, I guess, in that they focus the band. The band's sound concentrates on the bass more than anything else. I think people are more aware of the bass in Mexico than they are in the U.S. In Mexico, everyone knows Bootsy Collins, Flea, Les Claypool, Jaco Pastorius. They're all influences on us. It's just a stereotype that a rock star has to have a guitar. I think one of the reasons people like Molotov is because we have two bassists instead of two guitarists and because none of us is the band's central focus.