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Famous bassists everyone knows

Who's the most famous bass player to non-musician

  • Paul mccartney

    Votes: 189 63.9%
  • Roger waters

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sting

    Votes: 28 9.5%
  • Genne simmons

    Votes: 7 2.4%
  • Geddy lee

    Votes: 6 2.0%
  • James jamerson

    Votes: 3 1.0%
  • Others

    Votes: 10 3.4%
  • Flea

    Votes: 52 17.6%
  • Jaco pastorius

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • Total voters
    296
Don't forget that Paul McCartney played drums on one track on Foo Fighters latest album, and YOUTH (a k a Martin Glover) played bass on one song on McCartneys album. Don't ever forget that. ;) Even if you can wonder why on earth, and what they had been smoking to even propose and come up with such a crazy idea.

People don't really care who plays, they care who sings.

No one cared if it was Roger who sang, or Gilmour who sang on Floyd albums. They would always split duties.
 
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Out of that list: Flea, by a lot.



NOW THAT WE HAVE DETERMINED FLEA IS OUR REPRESENTATIVE, LET'S GET HIS STATEMENT:


Rock music is dead, says Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea





flea.jpg
 
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I would on the contrary state that Roger Waters is the most unknown musician/singer of any kind in relation to what album sales he got. The correlation between it. I remember when David Gilmour headed out for his first major solo tour in 1984. No one came, great album "Just About Face" but no one knew that he was at least 50 percent of Floyd. Same when Waters branched out on his own. Waters had to hire Eric Clapton to be the major concert draw. Imagine this, Clapton as a sideman. People went for that one, and went "oh yeah, hey, that guy from Floy brings Clapton on tour.. must be seeing what he's up to these days".
 
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Interesting. Thanks.

Sure thing. And I happily got your back on the "bow to no man" thing. That's why UK punk originally "punked" the royalty in their
art and lyrics, yes? But of course thirty years on, when the Sex Pistols put the queen on the cover of, say, a pricey box set, such an artifact is now as much a sentimental commemorative tea cozy as it is a cultural letter bomb. I don't even know what "God Saves The Queen" would mean to an old Brit punk now, except "lost youth," i.e., same ol same ol
 
Paul received a knighthood, and Ringo did not. That is why Ringo is not addressed with the honorary title.

Macca explains:

Invalid Link Removed
Yes indeed. Sir Paul could have turned down the honour when it was offered if he was still worried about being associated with the ruling elite or disturbed by an honorific bestowed by them. He chose not to refuse it. Plenty of others have refused an honour for their own moral and political reasons. The Beatles have given back gongs before...

Like you say, we call him Sir Paul because he IS Sir Paul
 
Sure thing. And I happily got your back on the "bow to no man" thing. That's why UK punk originally "punked" the royalty in their
art and lyrics, yes? But of course thirty years on, when the Sex Pistols put the queen on the cover of, say, a pricey box set, such an artifact is now as much a sentimental commemorative tea cozy as it is a cultural letter bomb. I don't even know what "God Saves The Queen" would mean to an old Brit punk now, except "lost youth," i.e., same ol same ol
Ha ha, yes! Johnny Rotten, the voice of a disaffected generation or Johnny Rotten, the voice of Butter!

 
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Ha ha, yes! Johnny Rotten, the voice of a disaffected generation or Johnny Rotten, the voice of Butter!



Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? He doesn't even live in the UK, he's a So Cal guy and has been for decades now.
He and his long time wife have a boat here they spend a lot of time taking up and down the coast. I read an amusing post by a guy
who ran into Johnny at the dollar store, where he was looking for a broom for the boat! Anyway, god bless him, rather see him living well than pushing roses with Sid.
 
Walk up to anyone over 40 and say "Who is Flea?" Only a few will know. Of those who know he is in RHCP almost none of them will answer correctly when you follow up with "What does he play?" Virtually all of them will say "Guitar".

Walk up to anyone under 40 and ask "Who is Flea?" And most will answer "That weird looking old guy you see handing out trophies at awards show sometimes."

:D

40 is the bubble. Quite a few people around 40 will know the deal. But a few years or so before and after it starts to fall off I bet.
That makes sense. I'm 43 and a lot of people in my Gen X generation know Flea because when RHCP got big around 89-90 Flea was known as the crazy bassist that stood out and could slap really fast and wore stuffed animal pants and what not. He really brought the bass out of the shadows for maintstream and alternative rock.
Then there's Les Claypool.
 
Walk up to anyone over 40 and say "Who is Flea?" Only a few will know. Of those who know he is in RHCP almost none of them will answer correctly when you follow up with "What does he play?" Virtually all of them will say "Guitar".

Walk up to anyone under 40 and ask "Who is Flea?" And most will answer "That weird looking old guy you see handing out trophies at awards show sometimes."

:D

40 is the bubble. Quite a few people around 40 will know the deal. But a few years or so before and after it starts to fall off I bet.

RHCP is one of the biggest bands right now, and have been since the early 90s. Every time they put out a new album and tour they get a boatload of new fans. I went to their show in 2011 and I saw everything from middle schoolers to people in their 50s; really diverse crowd in every sense.. They're a band everyone likes. The rocker kids like them, fratbros like them, hot preppy chicks like them, Black, white, latino....

Over 40 there probably is some drop off, but these guys have been around since 1982-3, popular since ~88 and huge since ~92. If you like "rock" music and were born in the 60s theres a good chance you know who they are.

I also dont think many people who know who Flea is would think he plays guitar. He was basically the first mainstream bass player that really went nuts with bass. I think out of all of the players on that list he made the most kids go "f**k guitar, I wanna play bass"
 
Over 40 there probably is some drop off, but these guys have been around since 1982-3, popular since ~88 and huge since ~92. If you like "rock" music and were born in the 60s theres a good chance you know who they are.

Yeah, I agree that the contention "over 40's would not know RHCP" is not accurate.
Flea is 54, and his orginal fans were contemporaries or OLDER.


I saw RHCP in one of their very first gigs, at some small joint that was not even really a club
on Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley. I think the cover was $2 with three bands,
and the 'Peppers all came out in their infamous tube socks (and nothing else). I was definitely not
there to see them, as they were brand new to me, and what with their buck-nakedness and all
seemed a novelty, albeit a good one, at least once they started to play and were obviously good.

I am 54, as is Flea...


I think Flea is going to be LESS recognizable to younger kids, specifically ones too little to remember the band on the superbowl three years ago. When the change comes, it comes quick.
 
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Yeah, I agree that the contention "over 40's would not know RHCP" is not accurate.
Flea is 54, and his orginal fans were contemporaries or OLDER.


I saw RHCP in one of their very first gigs, at some small joint that was not even really a club
on Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley. I think the cover was $2 with three bands,
and the 'Peppers all came out in their infamous tube socks (and nothing else). I was definitely not
there to see them, as they were brand new to me, and what with their buck-nakedness and all
seemed a novelty, albeit a good one, at least once they started to play and were obviously good.

I am 54, as is Flea...


I think Flea is going to be LESS recognizable to younger kids, specifically ones too little to remember the band on the superbowl three years ago. When the change comes, it comes quick.
wow dude thats pretty dope. I lived in San Fernando when i was a kid in the early 2000s but the 80s must have been a fun time to live in LA.

Its pretty cool how they keep staying relevant with every album; most bands just seem to fade away.
Its funny because people in their 50s have told me they liked them in the 80s before they were huge, pre BSSM.
Then people in their ~40s will say Blood sugar was the best album.
My homies in their 30s say Californication was the s**t when it came out, and they're whatever after that.
Im 24 and SA is my fav album, and i liked IWY but im not too fond of their latest.
Im sure theres a whole new generation that will remember the Getaway as their favorite RHCP era.
 
RHCP is one of the biggest bands right now, and have been since the early 90s. Every time they put out a new album and tour they get a boatload of new fans. I went to their show in 2011 and I saw everything from middle schoolers to people in their 50s; really diverse crowd in every sense.. They're a band everyone likes. The rocker kids like them, fratbros like them, hot preppy chicks like them, Black, white, latino....

Over 40 there probably is some drop off, but these guys have been around since 1982-3, popular since ~88 and huge since ~92. If you like "rock" music and were born in the 60s theres a good chance you know who they are.

I also dont think many people who know who Flea is would think he plays guitar. He was basically the first mainstream bass player that really went nuts with bass. I think out of all of the players on that list he made the most kids go "f**k guitar, I wanna play bass"

Like I said, go into a coffee shop, a mall or the waiting room at the dentist. Ask everyone "Who is Flea?" Most won't know. Of the few who do, almost none if them will know he plays bass. As far as fame goes, he's not up there with McCartney or Gene Simmons or Sting at all. And, again, most people still have no idea those guys play bass.
 
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That makes sense. I'm 43 and a lot of people in my Gen X generation know Flea because when RHCP got big around 89-90 Flea was known as the crazy bassist that stood out and could slap really fast and wore stuffed animal pants and what not. He really brought the bass out of the shadows for maintstream and alternative rock.
Then there's Les Claypool.

Did most non musician fans even realize that was a bass he was playing?
 
wow dude thats pretty dope. I lived in San Fernando when i was a kid in the early 2000s but the 80s must have been a fun time to live in LA.

Its pretty cool how they keep staying relevant with every album; most bands just seem to fade away.
Its funny because people in their 50s have told me they liked them in the 80s before they were huge, pre BSSM.
Then people in their ~40s will say Blood sugar was the best album.
My homies in their 30s say Californication was the s**t when it came out, and they're whatever after that.
Im 24 and SA is my fav album, and i liked IWY but im not too fond of their latest.
Im sure theres a whole new generation that will remember the Getaway as their favorite RHCP era.

I've got 30 years on you, and was never a huge fan of them (I am not "funky" in any way, shape or form) but never immediately changed the station when they came on the radio either. First song I remember liking was pre BSSM called "Real men don't shoot coyotes". Since I was sort of always into the bass, I instantly knew about Flea when the video for "Higher Ground" premiered on MTV. He was the crazyass bassist wearing pants made of a sewn together collection of stuffed animals. Back then, I knew every one on our list as a bass player, except Jamerson, as I do not like anything approaching the "Motown sound". Loved the Beatles, and Wings, but to me Macca has not been relevant since before you were born. To me, Flea is easily the most relevant bassist to the public at large in over a generation.
 
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"Blank stare" should be an option... :D

Based on some feedback I got when people saw pictures of me playing bass I suspect that not everybody knows a bass from a guitar, not to mention what a bass does and who plays them...