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I am NOT "your" bassist

JimmyM

JimmyM

Apr 11, 2005
127,255
125,174
Plymouth NC
Disclosures
Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
#1
I see this all the time on here and other places, and I just saw a couple posts on here that made me have to post this thread...

People refer to other guys in their bands as "my guitarist" or "my bassist" or whatever, and I cringe every time I see it. If there's anything that gets my goat, it's being referred to as someone's bassist by another person in the band. I once got into a big backstage shouting match with a famous guy who will remain nameless because he called me "his" bassist onstage (not Bowzer, BTW).

So let's get this clear...I am not anyone's bassist. Do not refer to me as your bassist at any time ever. You do not own me just because you're renting me for a few hours. If you want to refer to me as "our" bassist, that's fine. But I highly resent someone trying to put themselves over as the big shot by calling me their bassist. That's all it is...a big power play.

I've had people tell me it's a sign of comraderie. Bullcrap. It's a power play. Well, how much power over me will you have when I bail on your ass?

Anyway, YMMV, but I hate it and had to say something. Chances are someone in your band hates it, too. So if you're compelled to refer to your bandmates as "my _____er," you may want to think twice about that.
 
#3
Wow...bad day there Jimmy?

JimmyM said:
I see this all the time on here and other places, and I just saw a couple posts on here that made me have to post this thread...

People refer to other guys in their bands as "my guitarist" or "my bassist" or whatever, and I cringe every time I see it. If there's anything that gets my goat, it's being referred to as someone's bassist by another person in the band. I once got into a big backstage shouting match with a famous guy who will remain nameless because he called me "his" bassist onstage (not Bowzer, BTW).

So let's get this clear...I am not anyone's bassist. Do not refer to me as your bassist at any time ever. You do not own me just because you're renting me for a few hours. If you want to refer to me as "our" bassist, that's fine. But I highly resent someone trying to put themselves over as the big shot by calling me their bassist. That's all it is...a big power play.

I've had people tell me it's a sign of comraderie. Bullcrap. It's a power play. Well, how much power over me will you have when I bail on your ass?

Anyway, YMMV, but I hate it and had to say something. Chances are someone in your band hates it, too. So if you're compelled to refer to your bandmates as "my _____er," you may want to think twice about that.
Click to expand...
 
#4
Wow- sorry you feel that way, Jimmy. Being barely more than a hobbyist, my opinion/POV will be vastly different, but I take it as a compliment when my favorite drummer refers to me as *his* bass player, & vice-versa, I believe(this is the only situation where the term is used regularly, IME). Again- I'm sure it would be different if I had more truly professional experience.
 
#7
I call the guitarist in my band as "my guitarist" to outsiders, because it's shorter than saying "the guitarist in the band that I play in". He does the same. It's not a power play IMO, just economy of language. It IS a power play if the pther person intends it, but IME they dont. It's just common speak.
 
#9
Well, I suppose you would be "their bassist" if they bought you on the auction block and now have shackles and chains on your ankles. Now , "our lead singer" , a gorgeous brunette, can call me "her bass player" anytime she wants to. I dont mind. And at the end of the night, when the house pays me the cash, I guess the rest of the band can call me, "their cashier" or 'their paymaster" etc.etc. etc. Jimmy, It kinda sounds like you dont want to be anybodys anything.
 
#11
Well I don't mind when my wife calls me her husband. That's about it. I guess I have issues about it because the people I've worked with in the past who have called me "my bassist" were tremendous egocentrics who were absolutely doing it to make themselves look like big shots at my expense. So it's been ingrained in me that the people who do it aren't looking for comraderie...they were looking to make themselves look like big shots.

And I'm not buying the "the guitarist in the band I play in" argument. It's not shorthand for anything to call someone "my ____." Is it so hard to substitute the word "our" instead of "my"? Is that too much to ask for?
 
#14
oh god Ihad flash backs of a band I was in. always with the my bass player crap, same dudes refer to themselves as the "ORIGINAL" members because they got stoned in 10th grade and decided to be rockstars. all that I figured was to mask the fact that I was the butt whiper of the band, calling and scheduling practices, booking and promoting and such:mad::mad::mad:
 
#15
JimmyM said:
Well I don't mind when my wife calls me her husband. That's about it. I guess I have issues about it because the people I've worked with in the past who have called me "my bassist" were tremendous egocentrics who were absolutely doing it to make themselves look like big shots at my expense. So it's been ingrained in me that the people who do it aren't looking for comraderie...they were looking to make themselves look like big shots.

And I'm not buying the "the guitarist in the band I play in" argument. It's not shorthand for anything to call someone "my ____." Is it so hard to substitute the word "our" instead of "my"? Is that too much to ask for?
Click to expand...

I agree, "our" is acceptable "my" is not. Being referred to as "my bassist" tends to irk me.
I'm no one's ego fodder but my own :)
 

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