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Best Punk Bassist

I never understood what kids get out of wearing leather coats and 3 foot mohawks on there head. Are they trying to impress someone? Or are they rebeling, not sticking with the in crowd or something? I just never understood the point of 3 foot mohawks and 10000 piercings just to "be" different. You can just wear purple pants and a shirt of Marcieou Marcieou (i probably butchered that name) to be different. Does someone know the reason for his. If so PLEAST explain, im dying to know.
 
Originally posted by IAMERICCOCHRANE
I never understood what kids get out of wearing leather coats and 3 foot mohawks on there head. Are they trying to impress someone? Or are they rebeling, not sticking with the in crowd or something? I just never understood the point of 3 foot mohawks and 10000 piercings just to "be" different. You can just wear purple pants and a shirt of Marcieou Marcieou (i probably butchered that name) to be different. Does someone know the reason for his. If so PLEAST explain, im dying to know.
if you do stuff like that solely for yourself, and you're not just trying to get attention or something, that's cool. sadly, most people like that aren't just doing it because they like it, though; they like people thinking they're bad@$$.
 
Originally posted by FLOYDtheBARBER

if you do stuff like that solely for yourself, and you're not just trying to get attention or something, that's cool. sadly, most people like that aren't just doing it because they like it, though; they like people thinking they're bad@$$.

Nobody does that stuff for themselves. Even though they say "Im doing it for myself, not my image", thats not the truth. Why would you shave your hair into a mohawk for yourself anyway?
 
Originally posted by Abr@hamBassBoy
a boring and sloppy bass solo from Vic Wooten... :spit:
(However I worship Jaco and all his amazing work...)

Umm, that is just soo moronically wrong. I dont think youve been listening to Victor Wooten if you think his solos are sloppy and boring. He hits every single note perfectly, he knows about a thousand more techniques than Matt Freeman or any punk bassist for that matter, and ive never heard a boring Bass solo by Victor Wooten. Unless you are some ADHD kid who cant sit still and listen to a solo for 3 minutes, you need some serious musical help!
 
Ok I regret ever uttering those words as they're so moronically wrong as you say... Victor Wooten is the King and I had only listened to some sloppy slap solo he made with stanley clarke which I wasn't very fond of, before i made the statement... Not very clever I know!!!:bawl:

Anyway I've listened a lot to Victor Wooten and he is a way more brilliant and fantastic player viewed from every ****ing aspect... So don't start kickin' my ass verbally for making a hasty conclusion...
 
Stop the arguing! there's really nothing to argue about! Freeman is the best punk bassist, nobody else some close. Forget about the dudes from goldfinger and every other ****ty punk band, Matt kills them all. His Op Ivy stuff and his Rancid stuff, even though he stole a bunch of Sh$t from Entwistle, is amazing. I'm not saying he's the best ever or anything, but when it comes to punk, he lays down the law, pure and simple.

p.s.- stop comparing Freeman to Wooten, thats like comparing an apple and an orange, Page to Hendrix. They come from two different worlds, and both deserve mucho respect.
 
Originally posted by Abr@hamBassBoy
Ok I regret ever uttering those words as they're so moronically wrong as you say... Victor Wooten is the King and I had only listened to some sloppy slap solo he made with stanley clarke which I wasn't very fond of, before i made the statement... Not very clever I know!!!:bawl:

Anyway I've listened a lot to Victor Wooten and he is a way more brilliant and fantastic player viewed from every ****ing aspect... So don't start kickin' my ass verbally for making a hasty conclusion...

Sorry for going off on you for that. I was pretty stressed yesterday and had to just get some anger off my chest. Everyone is entitled to there opinion, I should know. If you dont like Wooten fine, its your opinion. Was that solo you heard with Victor Wooten and Stanely Clark called power fusion bass crunch? If it was then that isnt Victor Wooten or Stanely Clark, its just some "bedroom bassist" who put those two as the artist.
 
Rob Wright from NoMeansNo could play circles around most of the people mentioned (Mike Watt of the Minutemen and Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains possibly excepted). Not to mention that NoMeansNo would wipe the stage with pretty much any of the bands mentioned. Back in the 80's I saw some pretty big name bands refuse to play after them for fear of embarrassment. For those of you whose experience of "punk" is the current mallpunk, do yourself a favor and go to the nearest independent record store and buy a copy of either
Wrong, Sex Mad Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed (which comes with the associated EPThe Day Everything Became Nothing on a CD called The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed), 0+2=1, The Worldhood Of The World (As Such), or One. Any of these are excellent records, although possibly a little too creative for some kids who think Green Day or Rancid invented punk rock. I actually started playing bass after seeing NoMeansNo for the first time back in 1985. Having seen pretty much every worthwhile band the 80's hardcore scene had to offer (with the notable exceptions of Husker Du, the Minutemen , Fear and certain DC bands - though I DID see Minor Threat - a band very few people ever got to see - once and Government Issue twice), the corporate sponsered "punk" of today just seems a sad, pale imitation. There are in fact some good bands around still, but you won't see their videos on rotation. NoMeansNo for their part still make fine records and put on mindblowing shows, just less often than they once did due to parenting constraints. They have been a going concern since 1981, have never broken up, and have never signed a contract with anyone, preferring to do business on a handshake. They also have been rebuffing major labels since at least 1988; the releases mentioned can be found on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, though due to the DK's court fiasco that label is in on life support, and NoMeansNo have transferred the distribution of their catalog to Southern from the UK (Crass's old label).
 
I really like the licks that Chris from Anti-Flag dishes out (#2). I wish I could play them nearly as well as he does, but my excuse is I haven't been playing that long. I'll just agree with everyone else on their picks because afterall there is a reason why certain bassists get mentioned. I never thought of Mike Dirnt as an amazing bass player (though I do think he carries the band), but I know lots of people do, and I respect their view.

HOWEVER, my favorite? Well... BigWig Will said:

"Oh well, that's not going to stop people from posting. I suppose I should throw Mike Watt out since he rarely every gets mentioned this early, but my personal favorite's Paddy from Dillinger Four."

Patrick from Dillinger Four is probably my favorite, too. A close second is Bren from The Lawrence Arms. Reasons? First of all, because they're very active in the songs, writing and singing as well as playing. Second, because they are very entertaining onstage and have a presence that makes them stand out. And third, they can get piss drunk, quote Phil Collins after every song or run around naked, and still pull off their notes somewhat well. If that's not talent, then I don't know what is.

I'm glad that someone else mentioned Dillinger Four. It seemed like only yesterday when I'd be listening to "Smells like OK Soda" off the "Higher Aspirations, Tempered and Dismantled" EP on my trusty ol record player. Now they're bigger than ever, and I see that as a good thing.

The punk bassist gets a lot of flack, and for good reason because punk is known as three chord crap, and the bass player is known for only playing the roots of chords as fast as possible. I don't see it that way, but a lot of people who don't like punk do. But there are some players in punk that do shine.