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Interviewing Bassists Stories part 2

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#421
DogBone said:
Just stumbled on this thread, still working on the first part and I intend to read every post, but I wanted to say thanks to Mr. Wictor for providing most likely the most interesting thread I've ever seen on Talkbass, if not any message board.

Thank you again sir.
Click to expand...
My pleasure. The book will go to the printer at the end of the month, so if you like the thread, you'll love the book. It expands on most of the stories here and also gets into universal themes that unite us all as humans.

And it'll make you laugh your patootie off.

Thanks again.
 
#422
Tom,

I read through most of the other thread and about 11 pages of this.

The way you talk about yourself fascinates me. From your excerpts, you have a writing style similar to Hunter S. Thompson (who I love) only a little more straightforward and down to earth.

I have not read In Cold Sweat, but I am sure I am going to be picking up Ghosts and Ballyhoo as soon as it comes to print.

Thank you for getting back into the game and sharing things with us that would have been otherwise hidden. Not to mention giving me something entertaining to read for hours on end even before the book arrived.
 
#423
oniman7 said:
Tom,

I read through most of the other thread and about 11 pages of this.

The way you talk about yourself fascinates me. From your excerpts, you have a writing style similar to Hunter S. Thompson (who I love) only a little more straightforward and down to earth.

I have not read In Cold Sweat, but I am sure I am going to be picking up Ghosts and Ballyhoo as soon as it comes to print.

Thank you for getting back into the game and sharing things with us that would have been otherwise hidden. Not to mention giving me something entertaining to read for hours on end even before the book arrived.
Click to expand...
You're quite welcome.

I just got off the phone with Scott Thunes. On September 7 I'm going to meet him for the first time since 2000, at a Mother Hips show in Hermosa Beach. We're going to have our photo taken together for the book.

He asked me to please not die anytime soon, so I promised to do my best.

But just imagine the sales of my book if I keeled over in some spectacularly tragic way in the next few weeks. The guy who wrote The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books died about ten minutes after he finished the last one.

I want to hang out for a while and see if I can finally make a living doing this. If I've given people the impression that I might do anything to hasten my own demise, don't worry about that. This is too much fun.

And I've got tons of music to catch up on.
 
#426
Stumbo said:
Seems a lot of people want you to hang out for awhile.:eek:

It's motivating to see someone so energized and getting into the next "chapter" of their life! A great example for all of us.

No turning back now!
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And today, I'm going to buy my first copy of Bass Player since 2002, because Bryan Beller is on the cover and Scott Thunes is on the last page.
 
#427
Agree with Stumbo about how motivating and inspiring this thread has been. It’s been a real privilege to be part of it. I mean that sincerely, and I can’t wait until Ghosts and Ballyhoo comes out! I’ll order a copy of In Cold Sweat to tide me over in the meantime…

Tom, a while back I mentioned that the first part of this thread had inspired a song. We finally got a half decent recording of it. It’s called No Fly Zone, and the recording can be heard here: Link Removed

Bear in mind that this is just live off the floor via our Tascam DR7 digital recorder. It will be further tightened up for inclusion on our next album. But this should provide an idea of the arrangement so far. Here are the lyrics (I am the lyricist and lead singer):

No-Fly Zone © 2012 Beyond the Cage

Welcome to the no fly zone
All your planes have been shot down
Fighting for acceptance, where you don’t belong
Wings of wax too close to the sun

Internalize the pain
Steep yourself in rage
A casualty of passion, believing you could win
Haunted by the ghosts that you took in

Chorus:
And your elusive muse is ever so becoming
Tresses wild, mascara always running
She had a long way to go to get what’s coming
But when she smiles on you, you forgive her everything

One last indulgence
Before you turn your back for good
Just put it out there, for what it’s worth
No recrimination, close that book

<Chorus>

<solo>

Say goodbye to your prison
You’ve done your time, you’ve suffered well
Now take your focus from that barred window
Turn and see the open door

<Chorus>

Stay true
To you
Stay true
To you
<refrain>


I should point out that we rarely use our Myspace page anymore, which is why the unmastered recordings from our recent album are still posted there. Should anyone be interested in hearing the final masters, they are posted here: http://www.reverbnation.com/beyondthecage

Many thanks again, Tom. Hope you enjoy the song. But if it ain’t your cup o’ tea, no worries. Just wanted you to be aware of yet another way that you have inspired others. Glad to hear you’re not planning your demise anytime soon. I always look forward to your posts!
 
#428
TBrett said:
Agree with Stumbo about how motivating and inspiring this thread has been. It’s been a real privilege to be part of it. I mean that sincerely, and I can’t wait until Ghosts and Ballyhoo comes out! I’ll order a copy of In Cold Sweat to tide me over in the meantime…

Tom, a while back I mentioned that the first part of this thread had inspired a song. We finally got a half decent recording of it. It’s called No Fly Zone, and the recording can be heard here: Link Removed

Bear in mind that this is just live off the floor via our Tascam DR7 digital recorder. It will be further tightened up for inclusion on our next album. But this should provide an idea of the arrangement so far. Here are the lyrics (I am the lyricist and lead singer):

No-Fly Zone © 2012 Beyond the Cage

Welcome to the no fly zone
All your planes have been shot down
Fighting for acceptance, where you don’t belong
Wings of wax too close to the sun

Internalize the pain
Steep yourself in rage
A casualty of passion, believing you could win
Haunted by the ghosts that you took in

Chorus:
And your elusive muse is ever so becoming
Tresses wild, mascara always running
She had a long way to go to get what’s coming
But when she smiles on you, you forgive her everything

One last indulgence
Before you turn your back for good
Just put it out there, for what it’s worth
No recrimination, close that book

<Chorus>

<solo>

Say goodbye to your prison
You’ve done your time, you’ve suffered well
Now take your focus from that barred window
Turn and see the open door

<Chorus>

Stay true
To you
Stay true
To you
<refrain>


I should point out that we rarely use our Myspace page anymore, which is why the unmastered recordings from our recent album are still posted there. Should anyone be interested in hearing the final masters, they are posted here: http://www.reverbnation.com/beyondthecage

Many thanks again, Tom. Hope you enjoy the song. But if it ain’t your cup o’ tea, no worries. Just wanted you to be aware of yet another way that you have inspired others. Glad to hear you’re not planning your demise anytime soon. I always look forward to your posts!
Click to expand...
Great lyrics! It took a lot of guts to post your work here.

I especially like this stanza:

And your elusive muse is ever so becoming
Tresses wild, mascara always running
She had a long way to go to get what’s coming
But when she smiles on you, you forgive her everything

My muse cooperated fully with the writing of Ghosts and sent me photos of herself as she appears these days. It had a life-changing effect on me and helped me finally reconcile myself to reality. No, she actually looks better at fifty-one than she did at twenty-five, so it's not that she's a crone, all you ageist bastids! The photos--properly disguised--appear in the book.

As a result of all the ruminating I had to do when writing the book, I was able to finally see what the deal is with destiny and free will. I don't want to give away too much, but I believe that destiny is malleable. It's changed by your free will. I don't think fate is set in stone.

Complicated, but I worked it out.

This whole experience has been amazing on too many levels to count. Thanks for sharing the song. I'm humbled to have inspired you.
 
#430
Downlowd said:
That is interesting Tom. So, free will is fates' EQ. You can leave it where it is and get whatever is predetermined or adjust it till it suits you and rock it!
Click to expand...
You're a genius! That's exactly right.

The book is about the choices we make when presented with opportunities that I believe are crafted for each of us specifically.

We can rock, or we can screw it all up.

Your choices can also lead to new destinies. I chose to join Talkbass.com just to write a couple of stories, and I ended up with the best book I've ever written, which has allowed me to finally banish my demons and find peace of mind.

Opportunities were presented, and I made choices that took advantage of them. So even though I screwed up my other destiny, another one was laid out for me, and I made the right choices.
 
#435
Arthritic_Tom said:
Great lyrics! It took a lot of guts to post your work here.

I especially like this stanza:

And your elusive muse is ever so becoming
Tresses wild, mascara always running
She had a long way to go to get what’s coming
But when she smiles on you, you forgive her everything

My muse cooperated fully with the writing of Ghosts and sent me photos of herself as she appears these days. It had a life-changing effect on me and helped me finally reconcile myself to reality. No, she actually looks better at fifty-one than she did at twenty-five, so it's not that she's a crone, all you ageist bastids! The photos--properly disguised--appear in the book.

As a result of all the ruminating I had to do when writing the book, I was able to finally see what the deal is with destiny and free will. I don't want to give away too much, but I believe that destiny is malleable. It's changed by your free will. I don't think fate is set in stone.

Complicated, but I worked it out.

This whole experience has been amazing on too many levels to count. Thanks for sharing the song. I'm humbled to have inspired you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words. Delighted you enjoyed the lyrics. Poetic license aside, I know your muse was fully on board throughout Ghosts, and that was one of the most exciting parts of the thread as it unfolded. I completely agree with you about the fate vs. free will thing, though. Definitely looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on that in the book. I have come to the conclusion that it's largely about inner beliefs. What you believe you deserve at a deeper level of consciousness, what you believe is possible for yourself, etc. Overcoming limiting beliefs can be a huge challenge, but I think every experience (and what you do with it), shows you where you're at in your subconscious mind, and gaining awareness of that can help open the mind to new possibilities and let go of old struggles that no longer serve your purposes. I'm speaking from my own experience, of course... You mentioned it took a lot of guts to post our band's work here. In fact, the gutsy part happened a few years back when I had to overcome some severely limiting beliefs of my own in order to put the band together and achieve my dream of working with musicians who are infinitely more experienced than me. By this point, I've managed to get over a great deal of my insecurities and I'm comfortable with the fact that some folks ain't gonna care for what they hear - or read, for that matter. No worries. While we don't make a habit of posting raw material on public forums, this was an exceptional circumstance and the rest of the band gave their blessing for me to post the file. It was your courage in sharing your experience that was so inspiring!
 
#436
TBrett said:
I completely agree with you about the fate vs. free will thing, though. Definitely looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on that in the book. I have come to the conclusion that it's largely about inner beliefs.
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Though I agree with you that it's largely based on inner beliefs, I've also come to the conclusion--based purely on experience--that there's a vast system in place to guide us through our time(s) here.

To me, it's a system of road signs that tell you when you're heading in the right direction. Sometimes we can't see the signs because of the fog of rage, self-pity, hate, etc. But when the fog lifts, I think the signs are there for everyone to see.

The book includes some pretty amazing examples of the patterns I now see everywhere, that many people would dismiss as coincidences. They may indeed be coincidences.

But I don't think so anymore. I think life has a purpose, which is to evolve and better oneself. This is the proving ground, and I'm pretty sure we get multiple chances.

I have no idea what happens after we've become the person we're supposed to be. Maybe there's a place somewhere that corresponds to the concept of nirvana, where the fully actualized versions of us get to live, doing what we love to do and being with those who mean the most to us.

At any rate, I don't worry any more about what comes after this. All my questions have been answered.
 
#437
Arthritic_Tom said:
Though I agree with you that it's largely based on inner beliefs, I've also come to the conclusion--based purely on experience--that there's a vast system in place to guide us through our time(s) here.

To me, it's a system of road signs that tell you when you're heading in the right direction. Sometimes we can't see the signs because of the fog of rage, self-pity, hate, etc. But when the fog lifts, I think the signs are there for everyone to see.

The book includes some pretty amazing examples of the patterns I now see everywhere, that many people would dismiss as coincidences. They may indeed be coincidences.

But I don't think so anymore. I think life has a purpose, which is to evolve and better oneself. This is the proving ground, and I'm pretty sure we get multiple chances.

I have no idea what happens after we've become the person we're supposed to be. Maybe there's a place somewhere that corresponds to the concept of nirvana, where the fully actualized versions of us get to live, doing what we love to do and being with those who mean the most to us.

At any rate, I don't worry any more about what comes after this. All my questions have been answered.
Click to expand...

"Largely" is the key word, here. Maybe "partly" is more appropriate. Dunno for sure. I do believe that the road signs are really important. Didn't want to take up a lot of space with my philosophical ramblings, but also didn't mean to negate the greater intelligence of the universe (or whatever you want to call it). I also believe that bettering and evolving oneself is the purpose of this life. Somehow, it - we - all work in concert. I highly doubt that the coincidences you've observed are merely coincidence. Those so-called coincidences are part of the road signs.

Now, if I could just learn to trust it. There lies the challenge!
 
#438
TBrett said:
Now, if I could just learn to trust it. There lies the challenge!
Click to expand...
It took me twenty years and the loss of everything I loved before I learned to trust the signs.

The good news is it was a seismic shift and I won't be making the same mistakes I made before.

The bad news--or what most people would consider bad news--is that becoming genuinely aware makes you different from almost everyone else. They sense it, and they tend to shun you or be stymied by you. What you can look forward to is hostility, bewilderment, or dead silence. And solitude.

I've chosen a very, very hard road, but there's no going back now. I can't unlearn what I now know and believe, so I'll go forward regardless of the cost.

I won't reveal it here, but as I finished the book I bought a postcard from 1916 that had a message on it that blew my mind. Here's what I wrote about finding that postcard:

Writing my book has taught me one immutable fact: None of us are alone. Distance, circumstances, or even time may separate us from our kindred sprits, but that ought not diminish the power they have to sustain us.

The signs are everywhere. All you need is the clarity to see them.
 
#439
I stumbled on to this thread last night. I have been glued to my computer and have read both threads. This has been an astounding ride. The artist and industry stories are both frightening and hysterical.

Tom, your journey, combined with your humor, honesty, and candor has been inspiring. I have read both the Thunes and Simmons interviews multiple times over the years, and having you here to give the backstory has been a real treat. I'll be first in line when Ballyhoo is released!
 
#440
Commreman said:
I stumbled on to this thread last night. I have been glued to my computer and have read both threads. This has been an astounding ride. The artist and industry stories are both frightening and hysterical.

Tom, your journey, combined with your humor, honesty, and candor has been inspiring. I have read both the Thunes and Simmons interviews multiple times over the years, and having you here to give the backstory has been a real treat. I'll be first in line when Ballyhoo is released!
Click to expand...
Thanks very much. I appreciate it.

The book has much, much more, including previously unpublished transcripts and correspondence.

Yesterday I bought my first copy of Bass Player since 2002. They have a new column now, a behind-the-scenes look by the magazine's longest-serving staffer, art director Paul Haggard. He'll describe all the goings on at his photo shoots over the past twenty years.

The subject of his first installment? Scott Thunes.

Surely this new column and its first subject are coincidences, as is Paul's lack of response when I asked him three times (four, if you could Brian Fox's attempt) to let me use the very photo of Scott that appeared in the new Bass Player column.

Bryan Beller is on the cover of the issue, so I urge everyone to buy a copy.
 
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