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Bassists Who Don't Need Another Interview

Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
57,282
120,404
Metro St. Louis
#1
I recently saw where Marcus Miller was being interviewed in the UK Bass Guitar magazine, and my first thought was "what does he have left to say?" Although I did not buy the magazine, I took a peak at the interview, and it actually interesting. Still, reading another Marcus Miller interview after having followed him for thirty years is low on my to do list. I feel the same way after hearing that Geddy Lee in on the cover of the new Bass Player.
 
#5
fraublugher said:
Aaaaaand it would have had even more value if you had paid for the mag , just like
music .
Oh well, such is the psychology of today .
Click to expand...

So you have never browsed on a magazine rack without buying anything? As for Marcus Miller and Geddy Lee, I have bought more than my share of their music since 1980.
 
#7
Yeah... Miller, Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, Flea... They've all had more than their fair share of interviews. Still, their playing style (particularly Flea and Geddy) has virtually changed with each album so it makes sense that they're interviewed so regularly.
 
#8
It's the nature of magazines. Pick any specialist subject, subscribe to a magazine for a couple of years, and you'll soon find you've read most of what can be written. Then maybe come back to in in ten years to see if anything's changed. :)
 
#9
I don't think Les Claypool should have another interview unless the interviewer is willing to ask interesting questions. Every time, it's just "Tell us the story of the Metallica audition" and "You're weird. Why are you so weird?"

I want someone to ask him where the hell Tommy The Cat came from. It's one of his most difficult songs, yet it shows up on Suck On This and predates the somewhat easier tunes of Frizzle Fry...how in the hell do you have Tommy The Cat in your back pocket from the get-go?
 
#11
- Geddy Lee (flame shield up now). I grew up idolizing the guy like everyone else and I've got no problem with him personally, but at this point, I'd much rather just listen to his playing than read what he has to say on topics he's been asked about ad nauseum for the last 30 years already. When you're as good as he is, you can't really explain how or why you're that good... it's just part of who you are.

- Also, Anthony Jackson & Carol Kaye (two sides of the same coin, IMO). Amazing players both but their attitudes just really rub me the wrong way.

As a corollary, I would also propose the following bassists who really should have been interviewed more over the years as their perspectives could really be valuable to young (and old) bassists out there in the trenches today:

- John Deacon
- John McVie
- Joe Osborn
- Mike Mills - this one puzzles me in particular. REM were arguably one of the biggest bands in the world for a stretch there, yet I can't recall ever reading a single in-depth interview with the guy
 
#14
It's not the interviewee or the interviewer, It's me! I'm just tired of reading them. Other than the recording process of the new Rush album I've read it all before (It is for the new fan / unfan), I was really looking forward to a good obit for Duck, something that talked about how he got started on Bass, maybe a little bit about the man away from bass guitar. One page not much content.
 
#15
Dr. Cheese said:
I recently saw where Marcus Miller was being interviewed in the UK Bass Guitar magazine, and my first thought was "what does he have left to say?" Although I did not buy the magazine, I took a peak at the interview, and it actually interesting. Still, reading another Marcus Miller interview after having followed him for thirty years is low on my to do list. I feel the same way after hearing that Geddy Lee in on the cover of the new Bass Player.
Click to expand...


I'm always interested to hear what "some" folks have to say. Marcus is one of them. He's probably talking about the release of his new CD Renaissance. Which I just picked up a few days ago. It's funky as hell. I definately reccommend it to any Bassist. :bassist:
 
#16
Depends on who you like and how much you like them. Many people just have a voracious appetite for their heroes, and magazines know it. I'm not so much on that bandwagon anymore, because whatever Marcus or anyone else has to say about bass playing has little effect on what I do. I can't be them. That job is taken.

Since interviews with players these days are largely commercially driven (promoting a new product), I take them the same as car commercials: semi-interesting background noise, soon forgotten. After all, the subject is never going to say "I don't like it; it's not what I set out to do", even if he doesn't and didn't, so they are very predictable in content and flow.

In interviews, I'd rather hear personal anecdotes than speeches about playing or characterizations of the hot new product du jour. When personal testimony starts blurring into product puffery, I just tune out. I get particularly sad when a hero turns out to be just a jerk with a great talent.
 
#18
T-MOST said:
I'm always interested to hear what "some" folks have to say. Marcus is one of them. He's probably talking about the release of his new CD Renaissance. Which I just picked up a few days ago. It's funky as hell. I definately reccommend it to any Bassist. :bassist:
Click to expand...

The coolest thing Marcus talked about, IMO, was aging, and his stretching routine before slapping. He also talked about how some musicians get stuck on what they did at 25 while some continue to be creative deep into old age.

I guess I will probably end up buying that issue although Bass Guitar is dang near $12 a pop in the USA!:help:
 
#20
jaywa said:
- Geddy Lee (flame shield up now). I grew up idolizing the guy like everyone else and I've got no problem with him personally, but at this point, I'd much rather just listen to his playing than read what he has to say on topics he's been asked about ad nauseum for the last 30 years already. When you're as good as he is, you can't really explain how or why you're that good... it's just part of who you are.

- Also, Anthony Jackson & Carol Kaye (two sides of the same coin, IMO). Amazing players both but their attitudes just really rub me the wrong way.

As a corollary, I would also propose the following bassists who really should have been interviewed more over the years as their perspectives could really be valuable to young (and old) bassists out there in the trenches today:

- John Deacon
- John McVie
- Joe Osborn
- Mike Mills - this one puzzles me in particular. REM were arguably one of the biggest bands in the world for a stretch there, yet I can't recall ever reading a single in-depth interview with the guy
Click to expand...

When I get a chance, I would like to add a few more to this list, but I would love to see a new bass oriented interview of Fred Hammond because he is such an amazing player.
 

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