Interviewing Bassists Stories part 2

[WokenDeer]

This thread always gets better and better lol

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by TinIndian

Thank you, Tom. That Disclaimer is sig worthy!

BTW, shouldn't you have a flamethrower?

I'd love a flamethrower! Thanks!

My address is [withheld.]

[MouseRat]

WELL DONE. The readers of TalkBass are in for a treat, I'll tell you what.

[FEBass]

You know Tom, you should think about offering some special release packages when your book comes out, like Josh Freese does. http://joshfreese.com/buynow/

If your publisher doesn't want you to sell direct, just buy a bunch of copies from the publisher and sell "collector's packs" or something. I bet you could come up with some pretty interesting offers.

Credit card on standby.

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by FEBass

You know Tom, you should think about offering some special release packages when your book comes out, like Josh Freese does. http://joshfreese.com/buynow/

If your publisher doesn't want you to sell direct, just buy a bunch of copies from the publisher and sell "collector's packs" or something. I bet you could come up with some pretty interesting offers.

Credit card on standby.

Got lots of ideas that we're working through. The book will be available from the publisher, Amazon, and other outlets.

I just finished the galley proofs and the book is going to the printer next week. For those of you impatiently waiting, a little perspective: The lead time for a new book at most major publishing houses is one to two years.

This went from receipt of manuscript to the printer in three months. That shows you the faith the publisher has in this title.

And now, a major announcement.

A bassist has agreed to dictate his memoirs to me. He's chosen this route because he simply doesn't have time to write them. I'll serve as secretary, recording a spoken-word performance. It'll be an oral history. My publisher expressed interest; I introduced my editor to the bassist; and the project will likely begin in February.

Who, might you ask, has agreed to do this after sixteen years of abject begging?

Oh, just this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pfvaPolTf8

It's a great day for bass players everywhere.

[sharp8874]

Very awesome news tom! Also that's realy impressive work by you and everyone else involved with your book to get it this far in 3 months!

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by sharp8874

Very awesome news tom! Also that's realy impressive work by you and everyone else involved with your book to get it this far in 3 months!

Thanks very much. I'm excited about both projects.

A Talkbass member is going to design my Web site, and one of the things I'm going to do for a select number of people to win free copies of the book is to have a "Play the Bass for Tom" contest, in which I'll put out a list of probably ten songs that I wanted to learn how to play but never got the chance. People will do covers and post videos of them on YouTube, which I'll embed on my Web site.

The prize will be a signed copy of the book.

The person who can reproduce this bass line note for note will get a copy of the book signed by both me and Scott Thunes. The live CD has been remastered, so the bass line is clearer. Turn up the volume!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMrYSTzqFI8

[miles'tone]

Oh my this just gets better and better!

[SR505bassman]

Congratulations Tom on the continued progress of the book and your awesome next project score as well!! Can't wait to read both!!! Oh, and Merry Christmas to you...

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by SR505bassman

Congratulations Tom on the continued progress of the book and your awesome next project score as well!! Can't wait to read both!!! Oh, and Merry Christmas to you...

Merry Christmas right back at you!

I sent you-know-who the galley proofs of Ghosts and told him that the editor added a note that if the bassist in question ever wanted to write his memoirs, the publisher would be interested, and I reiterated my pledge to serve as secretary.

The response.

"Okay. I'm in."

Wait: what? Did you just say--after sixteen years--that now you'll do it?

"Yup."

Gee, that was easy. Discounting the last sixteen years, I mean.

[MartinG1957]

Ah Tom you are making this too easy for partners and kids all over the world....
One of this year's 'I really want this folks' pressies is accounted for and now you've given them another for next year... Now what about that Rick kids.. :-)

Tom many congratulations on achieving such a long cherished dream - I can't imagine how it feels for you...

'no retreat baby no surrender'

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by MartinG1957

Ah Tom you are making this too easy for partners and kids all over the world....
One of this year's 'I really want this folks' pressies is accounted for and now you've given them another for next year... Now what about that Rick kids.. :-)

Tom many congratulations on achieving such a long cherished dream - I can't imagine how it feels for you...

'no retreat baby no surrender'

Thanks very much. It feels... right.

Last night on the radio, I heard an interview with a grating huckster and charlatan who's a protege of Oprah. He's written a book that covers all the same themes as Ghosts, except for the music aspect.

Totally repulsive character who had a polished spiel and kept saying the name of his Web site and answering questions with "You'll have to buy to book to find out."

He deal was "synchronicity," which he defined as "connect the dots." He pronounced it as one word, the second syllable heavily emphasized: kaNEKdadots. It's all about angels intervening personally to save your bacon and create for you opportunities for wealth, love, and success. Everybody has a kind of spiritual bodyguard and magician who shuffles around other humans like stage props to make sure you don't die and you get really rich in this life.

It's a transparently moronic theory, because wouldn't all those other people have their own angel-magicians looking out for them, too? So how come some people actually... die tragically?

The answer is apparently that becoming aware of kaNEKdadots makes you all lucky and happy and superior and successful and rich. The poor unaware schlubs around you are the ones who die and don't have all the same opportunities you have.

Hooey. Although I believe that we all have a destiny--a set of opportunities crafted for each of us specifically--that destiny is changed by both chance and our free will, meaning the choices we make when presented with opportunities.

There's a lot of evidence (I think) that I was destined to serve as Scott Thunes's secretary when he finally decided to tell his story, but it was never guaranteed. I don't think anything is guaranteed (except death and taxes), and I don't think simply believing in things makes them happen.

If Ghosts is successful and I have the opportunity to be interviewed, and you hear or read and interviews with me, the one thing I'm not going to be is a huckster, excitedly insisting that I have all the answers and that I'm special because I've discovered some secret pathway through my sheer wonderfulness.

I'm just gong to be telling my story and how I believe it may relate to others' experiences.

And now I get to be involved in Scott Thunes finally telling his story the way he sees fit.

Just, wow.

[TinIndian]

Big Things Tom! It was our lucky day when you decided to log on here and share a few stories with some unworthy souls. We are all richer for it and now it has turned into another opportunity for you with Thunes.

I think we are all happy for you and can't wait to read Ghosts and the Thunes Story!

[NWB]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

I've already had a couple of lunatics from here send me really spooky things.

This is not a good development.

I guess with such a large membership there are bound to be a few crackpots. Very sobering and not something I'd given much consideration to previously.

Stay safe Tom, we need you around!

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by NWB

This is not a good development.

I guess with such a large membership there are bound to be a few crackpots. Very sobering and not something I'd given much consideration to previously.

Stay safe Tom, we need you around!

Thanks, but I'm not worried. I'm unable to do any signings or personal appearances, so I won't be exposed that way. Also, I'm armed.

If you buy the book, you'll read about my experiences with two stalkers, one real-world and one cyber.

At this chronological and psychological stage in my life, I fear no evil. Doing certain things entails risks, but they're calculated risks. Though the subject matter of Ghosts has attracted a few unbalanced people, it's not anything I haven't dealt with before. I've been a target of such people my whole life. Predators develop a sense, and people who've been victimized simply can't avoid attracting those who seek out people to torment. It's the hand some of us were dealt.

Even so, I'm going to keep on writing. If that triggers some nutter to do a Mark David Chapman on me, so be it. I'll go down fighting, and if the person survives, he'll have my brother Tim to deal with.

My brother is very, very big on what he calls "administering justice." One of my stalkers very nearly found that out.

You'll meet Tim in the book. His arm span is three inches longer than his height, which gives him abnormal leverage and therefore the strength of a chimp. You've read recent stories of what angry chimps have done to people, right?

I'm no shrinking violet myself, but my brother is in a different league.

Tim's self-portrait.

[Profania_bass]

The contest is an amazing idea. Amazing.

[bigsnaketex]

Originally Posted by Arthritic_Tom

"Okay. I'm in."

Wait: what? Did you just say--after sixteen years--that now you'll do it?

"Yup."

SCORE!!! Tom, you did it. You finally convinced the immovable object to move! This has been quite a year for you......thanks so much for sharing it with all of us!

Rock on brother, rock on!!

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

The contest is an amazing idea. Amazing.

Thanks so much! I think it could be really fun.

I get to see people play songs I never had time to learn; people get books; and non-bassists who buy the book get to see how cool the bass is.

Win-win-win!

[Arthritic_Tom]

Originally Posted by bigsnaketex

SCORE!!! Tom, you did it. You finally convinced the immovable object to move! This has been quite a year for you......thanks so much for sharing it with all of us!

Rock on brother, rock on!!

Thanks so much.

I'm going to ask for permission to reprint here the incredible e-mail exchange we had after he finally agreed.

The Thunes book is going to be an absolute blast to do. What convinced him was the fact that for the first time in his career he gets total, 100 percent artistic control over a project.

I'm literally just the secretary. The plan is that he determines the entire subject matter of the book, and I probe and tickle (so to speak) within the framework of his boundaries. All I ask are followup questions, which don't appear in the final product.

The book's concept is "Scott Thunes Performs Scott Thunes's Performance of My Life as a Performer: An Oral History by Scott Thunes, as overheard by Thomas Wictor."

Although it'll be real, it'll also be a performance. It'll be a real performance.

So we're in for a treat.

[Profania_bass]

That sounds like... I don't know actually. It's going to be unique, and fun for sure. Wow!