any good stories about meeting your favorite bassist?

Hopefully I will in about two weeks.

 

When I met Stanley Clarke, he advised me that my Ibanez (didn't ask which model) was okay for a starter bass, but that I was going to need to buy a new bass soon.

I think he's right.


And Doug Wimbish told me I was sweet. hehe

 

One of my favourite bassists, Colin Hodgkinson, actually rang me at home almost three years ago after he heard that I had been asking around about him - we spoke for about half an hour - he was very polite and it was a real pleasure to speak to one of my musical heroes.

I did mention this in a thread at the time:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=5142&highlight=hodgkinson

 

nope. no clear favorite player either.

 

If I had JUST given blood last week in Denver, I couldv'e met Phil Lesh. No, he's not my favorite, but I like him and I'm a long time Deadhead.

I'd love to meet Gary Willis so I could personally thank him for the right-handed (plucking) tips he gave me. He lives down in the Springs, so maybe one day I can meet him.

 

This is such a "fanzine" thread, but I have to say how cool it was to meet Anthony Jackson, a super long time favorite player of mine.
I was at the club, "7th Avenue South" hanging between sets of Michel Camilo's band, when a friend of mine comes over to me and says that someone wants to meet me. So I go over a few tables and there's Anthony Jackson holding out his hand and saying that he's been looking forward to meeting ME!
At the time I was writing a column for a music newspaper and I was thrilled to find that Anthony was a reader of mine. He had liked some of the concepts that I'd written about and admitted that teaching and explaining playing was something he never really had together himself. I wanted to tell him that I'd trade places with him in a second, but I contained myself. He was so serious and gracious about music; the mark of a person who understands that if you are truly a serious player, you never stop being a student, thereby stopping your growth. His total lack of pretense was inspiring.

 

Billy Sheehan. You can stop me if you've heard this one, it's my only famous bass player story. Went to see Niacin at a local club in San Diego. There couldn't have been a hundred people there, I would say closer to fifty. It was the first stop on the tour for "Time Crunch". Billy was the absolute picture of intensity as they played.

Afterwards, I hung around to see if I could talk to him a little, and have him sign a Niacin CD. Sure enough, out he came, and I shook his hand and asked him to sign it. He said sure. Then I said, "Hey Billy - can I buy you a beer?" and he said, "Yeah, as a matter of fact you can. No, wait! I'll buy you a beer!" I tried to tell him that was OK, I'd handle it, but he ran off backstage and got his money. I don't actually drink, so he bought me a Sharps and a soft drink for my wife. We talked a bit, and he bought drinks for a couple of other guys that he seemed to know. He was really friendly. All of the Niacin guys hung out a little. Dennis was mobbed by some drum fanatics, and John was talking to fans as well. Really cool guys.

 

Sheesh...the club was making Billy Sheehan pay for drinks?!

brad cook

 

Nope, but if I did, it would definitely be a good story.

 

I met Doug Wimbish this past January in Anaheim, the story is kinda cool, here it is, in short form:
I went to the SWR "After Dark" NAMM party at a small bar in the Anaheim Hilton to see Doug play, in what I assumed was going to be a solo bass or jam setting. When I got there I saw the crew onstage tuning up a funky looking Hamer that I knew was Vernon Reid's main axe, and sure enough, looking over to the side of the stage were Corey, Will and Vernon from Living Color. Doug and Will came on first and did some WILD drum/bass stuff and then the rest of the guys came on and did a short but AMAZING LC set until they blew the main house power and the whole bar went black, effectively ending the night early.
I had a a few more cool ones in the lobby bar and got a cab to a 7-11 near my hotel, and who do I see but Doug, Vernon Reid and Will Calhoun at the 7-11 buying microwave burritos and 7-11 sushi platters. We hung out and yakked at the counter while waiting in line and I ended up with about an extra $20 in wait time on the meter as I forgot I had a cab waiting.
The next day at the show Doug and Vernon stopped by the booth I was at, and then 10 minutes later Billy Sheehan saw Doug and came over to talk with all of us, it was a trippy and intimidating bunch to be hanging with, but they were all super cool guys and totally humble.

 

Richard Bona was a real nice guy, and he's an extremely funny and laid back guy we didn't even takl about bass that much. Vic Bailey was real cool even though I told him the only cd I had of him was bootleg hehehe and Victor Wooten was real cool though he just dropped by and did an autograph (I got to sit and finish my drink with Bona n Bailey)

 

I met Garry Tallent a couple of months ago. He contacted me and we met backstage at one of the Bruce Springsteen's shows (in fact 2 shows).

you can read the (long) story and see the pics at my website:
Garry's Corner

keep groooovin'
Fran

 

I met Stephen Barry, the godfather of blues in Montreal and probably all of Canada. We spoke a bit and I asked him about his bass. He actually pulled his '62 Fender Jazz out and handed it to me and actually walked away and spoke to other people! I was shocked, holding this beautiful thing he's been playing for over 35 years! I was in awe. He's great.

 

W-O-W,he held Stephen Barry's bass while he walked away and talked to other people?

WHY DIDN'T YOU RUN MAN?!

lol

Good stuff.

 

man, I'm so old I've got too many stories about meeting the cats I love!

I got to meet Jaco on his last tour, which was a heart-in-my-throat experience. the year after that I met Roberto Vally (Michael Franks, Patti Austin, Boney James) in Florida when he was playing in a band called Leisuremania. while I was there he got the gig with Spyro Gyra for an album (Stories Without Words) and a tour.

a couple of years later I was in BIT and got to meet/study under/hang with Gary Willis, Jeff Berlin, Steve Bailey, Alexis Sklarevsky, Louis Johnson, and a passel of others. *very* intense time! this was also when I met Steuart Liebig (BLOC, Michael Penn, solo artist) and Michael Manring, who I became friends with and continue to learn from.

since then I've been lucky enough to meet Bill Dickens (who passed up one of his NAMM performances to give me an on-the-spot lesson!), Victor Bailey, Myron Dove, Benny Reitveld, Jake Kot, Al Caldwell, Kim Stone, Greg Campbell, Adam Nitti, Trip Wamsley, Greg Campbell, Wally Malone, John Turner, Steve Lawson, Doug Wimbish and a host of cats who have been unbelievably cool, even though I'm just the world's oldest student. these cats are courteous and genial to such a degree that you can forget how amazing they are if they don't have an instrument with them...!

someimes it's great being a bass player!

from the low end,


Stew

 

I couldn't pick a favorite bass player, but meeting the bass player from my favorite band was cool. I've seen Less Than Jake so many times, they all know me now, and I've hung out with Roger before and after many shows. Thier trombone player is one of my professor's brothers, and my birthday was during her class, so she had the whole band call me to wish me a happy birthday. That was cool.
I plan on hanging around the club when I see Victor Wooten in Oct, to try to meet him.

 

Beaver Felton, Victor Wooten, Joey DeMaio, Oteil Burbridge, and talked to Dave Fowler on the phone...

I am still waiting to meet Billy Sheehan, my favorite bassist...

 

Got to hang out at some sessions with Chuck Rainey. It was incredible watching him work with the drummer with just eye contact.

In my early days I would do Guitar Tech gigs to make money and contacts. willie Weeks showed up and one of the gigs. Got to sit and talk to him a long time. Great guy.

I also was on a tour with Yes. Had my fill of Chris Squire real fast. Enough said.

I grew up with Bob Glaub, in fact in high school I used to lend him my bass. Bob would come over to my house and we'd play records and check out bass players. We still chat from time to time.

Kenny Gradney from Little Feat. I was at a session he was on and heard a bass playing the old Sailor Jig. Talked to him for awhile, playing the Sailor's jig was one of him favorite ways to warm up.

Wolfgang Meltz, most of you never heard of him. An outragous bass player on a lot of Gabor Szabo records. amazing player, but total space cadet.

Billy Rich used to sub in a band I did road work for, another real nice guy.

Leland Sklar, I remember talking to him a few times back in the 60's. He was in a band called Wolfgang that played around L.A. He had that P-Bass you see him with a lot, but back then it didn't have as much writing on it.

There are some advantages to being the Old Dawg.