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Interviewing Bassists Stories part 2
- Thread starter Thor
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The player with her head cut off on the back cover seems kinda WTeF to me 
The cover is awesome 
!
Is the bass on the cover a nod to TB, or "you" or ?
The cover is awesome !Is the bass on the cover a nod to TB, or "you" or ?
The woman on the back cover is "Carmen," the Cardinal Ghost. I recognized her when we met, thinking, "Oh. There you are!" We were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together, but we screwed it up. She was such a good slapper that Marcus Miller was impressed.The player with her head cut off on the back cover seems kinda WTeF to me
Is the bass on the cover a nod to TB, or "you" or ?
I gave her the manuscript of the book, and she okayed it after asking for a few minors changes. The deal we made was that I'd obscure her identity and features, so you won't see a clear or full picture of her face in the book, and you won't learn anything about her except for our time together.
The bass on the cover is a nod to my failed career interviewing bassists, my love of the bass, my loss of the ability to play the bass, and all bassists everywhere.
Dunno, I just don't like it and think it detracts from the awesomeness of the rest of the cover art but hey, it's your book and your ghosts to "bust" LOL .
Actually the rear cover had served its purpose by disturbing you and making you comment on it. If I'd simply put in a photo of "Carmen" playing the bass, it wouldn't have had the same effect.Dunno, I just don't like it and think it detracts from the awesomeness of the rest of the cover art but hey, it's your book and your ghosts to "bust" LOL .
You've been successfully manipulated, my friend.
^ LOL
I was doing video shoots for a couple bands this last week and that's probably why the mis-framing is bothering me so much .
I was doing video shoots for a couple bands this last week and that's probably why the mis-framing is bothering me so much
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Tom, is that the back cover, or the inside of the front?
I agree with Roadkill, it looks a bit like one of my mum's amature photos, with the head accidentally cut off, rather than that of someone who's identity is hidden.
Front cover looks great! I'm still buying it, regardless.
I agree with Roadkill, it looks a bit like one of my mum's amature photos, with the head accidentally cut off, rather than that of someone who's identity is hidden.
Front cover looks great! I'm still buying it, regardless.
No, it doesn't. It looks exactly like what it's intended to be, a photo with the top half of the head deliberately removed. It's very carefully framed, not misframed. It causes people to be unsettled, which is why I did it. What you call "detracting" is actually causing a little jolt in you that'll make you remember the cover more than if I'd pixelated her face or Photoshopped in a mask or just showed her hands and her bass. The photo is nineteen years old; I took it back when I had no idea I'd ever have to obscure her identity. We had a long debate over whether or not to show her mouth; she just wanted her chin shown.
My guess is 98 percent of people who see it will understand the intent. Besides, the editor loves it and so do I, so that's that. And it's the back cover.
I obscured other faces with masks, but I didn't want to do that with "Carmen" because of the nature of our relationship. I can't mask her or distort her. It would be disrespectful.
By the way, Scott Thunes wanted me to cut off the top of his head, too, but that was just him being perverse.
Here's the photo as it appears in the book. If you think the cropping off of her head is disturbing, you're not going to like the caption.
Or the rest of the book, for that matter. It's a memoir. You're going to read a lot of things that will disturb and upset you. The memoir is about my time in the music industry, but it's also about me, my failures, and my ghosts. It's brutally honest and unselfconscious.
If this photo bothers you, I recommend you give the book a pass. It won't be what you expect.
Wait'll you see the photo of me in Noreen's skirt...
Or the rest of the book, for that matter. It's a memoir. You're going to read a lot of things that will disturb and upset you. The memoir is about my time in the music industry, but it's also about me, my failures, and my ghosts. It's brutally honest and unselfconscious.
If this photo bothers you, I recommend you give the book a pass. It won't be what you expect.
Wait'll you see the photo of me in Noreen's skirt...
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So far you're battin' 0 for 2 - but we're not people, jus' bass playas LOL.
So there!
Actually that might have worked - off with his head!
(Seriously)
No. Of all the people who've seen it and commented to me, only two have said they don't like it.
Thunes, on the other hand, loves the back cover but hates the front.
If I listened to everyone's input, I'd have come up with something like this:
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Gazman said:
Don't poke the Wictor...study him, embrace him, listen to his tale and be mezmerized...he is wise and has reason for every action. Chuck Norris fears the wrath of Tomas Wictor.
Your book, your (and your publishers) choice. 
I understand you wanting to preview it for us, and I for one appreciate that. I'm not qualified to criticise your choices for content. We TBers may have planted the seed, but now we can only sit back and watch it grow.
So far, so good.
I understand you wanting to preview it for us, and I for one appreciate that. I'm not qualified to criticise your choices for content. We TBers may have planted the seed, but now we can only sit back and watch it grow.
So far, so good.
Nah. You can poke. But I'll poke back.
Taste is entirely subjective. The point of the cropped head is to unsettle, disturb, and be memorable. The red lips in the pale skin, the determined set of the jaw, no eyes, the small, powerful hands gripping the huge bass with authority, and the form-fitting black dress over the wide, feminine hips all create an effect. Any other presentation of that image would be unsuccessful.
Here's what Carmen wanted me to use instead:
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A clue! Your choice is much better. I have learned a great deal from your writings in this thread and I am grateful for every little thing you say about the publishing process. I've been writing a book for the past two years, but its slow going with small kids to raise. You have helped me more than you will ever know Tom!
That would be kind of Eerie. Like late at night when you set the book down and then there's the book... Staring at you in the night .. Like a ghost
Thanks. The point is, the choice has been made. This is the cover art the editor has approved. The publishing house has a current catalog of over 5000 titles in print, so they're doing something right.Your book, your (and your publishers) choice.
I understand you wanting to preview it for us, and I for one appreciate that. I'm not qualified to criticise your choices for content. We TBers may have planted the seed, but now we can only sit back and watch it grow.
So far, so good.
To be blunt, I sought input from Carmen and that was about it. Everyone else can have an opinion, but it's not going to influence me.
Amend that: I did ask Scott Thunes's wife--a graphic designer--what she thought of the design. She said the first font my brother used was too ordinary, so I found an Art Deco font called "Gloria," and my brother put an inner glow in each letter. That made it work better because of the classic Hollywood connotations of the lettering.
Nobody's taste is right or wrong. Just because I like chicken-and-peanut-butter sandwiches doesn't mean everyone else has to.
I like disturbing images. My favorite photographer is Cindy Sherman:
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Thank you. That's always nice to hear.
Although my breakup with Carmen was so acrimonious that it nearly sent me to the mental ward, we're pals now, so we can debate without fear.
She eventually acquiesced to most of my choices, but she made me explain them all at length. There are a few parts of our history that she asked me to take out, along with a few passages from her letters that I included in the book. I didn't argue. In return, she let me use the images I wanted.
The longest disagreement we had was over her pseudonym. I let her choose it, but I had to put my foot down at some.
Imagine names that would've had the same impact as that eyeball. You can make a strong impression in much more subtle ways than whacking someone on the head with a golf club.
Woman's a punk at heart.
That sounds about right since in every interview I've read he makes a point of stating he hates the fact that he plays rock and roll and didn't follow/pursue other avenues in music business early on. A real whiner. Around home base he's been known as..."complicated" A real...well....good bass player. Fortunately he has a family now, from all reports supports them quite well, so he's not threatening to bust heads anymore. You should be selling a boatload of your book Tom, based on this mega thread here (I've read the whole thing). I'll buy a copy. Have you thought of any subtitles like "Fear and Loathing in Los Gatos" or ...
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