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Interviewing Bassists Stories Pt. 3

#341
Tom,

My condolences on your loss. Over ten years ago I lost my father and a brother within about a year of each other. My father's death was not too hard to deal with - he died in his sleep in his bed, his last few years were good ones, and I have no regrets about not letting him know how much he meant to me when he was alive. My brother was a different story - he died a long and miserable death that probably could have been avoided if he hadn't been hard-wired to be self destructive. He was one of the most creative and talented people I ever knew, and his loss still makes me angry and sad today.

On a much brighter note - just received my copy of G&H, and I already started reading at my desk in my office. Congratulations on a truly impressive accomplishment! I've done some academic publishing myself, and I have a sense of how amazing it is that it went from a bunch of strangers on a message board begging you to write to an actual hard copy in my hands in such an incredibly short period of time. I can't say that I believe in destiny or fate, but I do believe that sometimes the universe comes together in ways that defy logic.

I promise I'll post a review as soon as I'm done, and I'll honor your request to not view it by clearly marking it as a review. I wish I could also post something of a review of your contributions to the "Interviewing Bassists Stories" threads, but every time I try I am unable to put into words how much your writing has touched me (and I suspect, a lot of other TBers). Your latest posts about your father are incredible - you have, in a few words, created an incredibly 3-dimensional image of the man, of your relationship with him, and of your final experiences with him, while still actually revealing very little about any of that. You create these almost purely emotional landscapes with your writing that are extremely satisfying. My only trepidation about reading G&H is that my expectations are so high right now that I worry that some form of disappointment is almost inevitable. But, if that is the case, I'll always have you to blame.

Thank you again for all your contributions to TB.

-Y
 
#342
Yools said:
Tom,

My condolences on your loss. Over ten years ago I lost my father and a brother within about a year of each other. My father's death was not too hard to deal with - he died in his sleep in his bed, his last few years were good ones, and I have no regrets about not letting him know how much he meant to me when he was alive. My brother was a different story - he died a long and miserable death that probably could have been avoided if he hadn't been hard-wired to be self destructive. He was one of the most creative and talented people I ever knew, and his loss still makes me angry and sad today.

On a much brighter note - just received my copy of G&H, and I already started reading at my desk in my office. Congratulations on a truly impressive accomplishment! I've done some academic publishing myself, and I have a sense of how amazing it is that it went from a bunch of strangers on a message board begging you to write to an actual hard copy in my hands in such an incredibly short period of time. I can't say that I believe in destiny or fate, but I do believe that sometimes the universe comes together in ways that defy logic.

I promise I'll post a review as soon as I'm done, and I'll honor your request to not view it by clearly marking it as a review. I wish I could also post something of a review of your contributions to the "Interviewing Bassists Stories" threads, but every time I try I am unable to put into words how much your writing has touched me (and I suspect, a lot of other TBers). Your latest posts about your father are incredible - you have, in a few words, created an incredibly 3-dimensional image of the man, of your relationship with him, and of your final experiences with him, while still actually revealing very little about any of that. You create these almost purely emotional landscapes with your writing that are extremely satisfying. My only trepidation about reading G&H is that my expectations are so high right now that I worry that some form of disappointment is almost inevitable. But, if that is the case, I'll always have you to blame.

Thank you again for all your contributions to TB.

-Y
Click to expand...
Losing my difficult, remote father was much, MUCH harder than I ever expected. But I know he's okay, since he's wearing Old Spice again. Thanks for your condolences, and I'm sorry about your brother. Ghosts is all about squandered and thwarted opportunities, which make me sad and angry, too.

If you end up disappointed with it, send me your copy and I'll eat it. I'll post a video here of me doing so.

You can't POSSIBLY be disappointed with the short stories "Apocalypse," "The Ghost in the Miniskirt," "The Day I Should've Resigned," "Saying Goodbye to the Woman who Made it All Bearable," "The First Ghost to Release Me"...

And the Chapter titled Codas will break your heart if you have one.

However, the offer still stands: If you're disappointed, I will eat your copy.
 
#343
"Secrets"

My father was the most secretive person I've ever known. It's safe to say that he told me nearly nothing about himself or his family. His view was that children should be seen but not heard, so we didn't ask him much. When he spoke to us, it was usually an announcement of new rules or a description of the terrible day he'd had at the office. His family is as much of a mystery to me as he was.

This evening I found out that my father's brother began playing the trumpet professionally at the age of twelve in 1947. He picked up the instrument at eight, and by twelve he was a member of the American Federation of Musicians. When swing, jazz, and blues bands came through his town in Iowa, my uncle would get a call. The way it worked, each band had a smallish core, and it hired extra local musicians at each venue. My uncle played with Jimmy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Russ Morgan, Ralph Flanagan, Clyde McCoy, and countless others.

Though a brilliant trumpet player, he couldn't read music. However, he had the ability to play a song after hearing it only once. Thus he learned every single possible song he'd be asked to play. When hired, he would fake sight reading. He was called out only once, by Russ Morgan. My uncle was playing second trumpet at the age of thirteen, and Morgan told him, "Mr. Wictor, you're doing a nice job, but we have written music for a reason."

From 1947 to 1951, from the age of twelve to sixteen, my uncle earned $100-$150 a night. His father, working in the family hardware store, earned $45 a week.

My uncle played an Henri Selmer Paris balanced trumpet, the valves of which were further forward than normal to make it easier to use a mute, and it was a large bore, meaning it was louder so that it could be used without a mic in a big dance hall. Apparently only 500 were made.

From 1952 to 1955 my uncle served in the U.S. Army. He then entered college and put together his own big band. He was the only member of the American Federation of Musicians, run by the infamous James Petrillo.

In late 1955, soon after his band began performing, my uncle heard a knock on his dorm-room door. In the hall he found two extremely large men who informed him that unless his band mates joined the American Federation of Musicians, they would not play anywhere in the U.S. again. There was more than a hint that they might not play again. That was the end of my uncle's band.

His drummer at the time was famous for using three sticks in each hand.

As I said, I learned of this only today, and since Dad's family is still very secretive, they asked me to not write about it.

So I promised I wouldn't. Not write about it.
 
#349
Gazman said:
I'm really very sorry for your loss Tom.

Hope this helps, it is possibly the most beautiful music I've ever heard:
http://youtu.be/wRC7fiCNZCY
Click to expand...
Thanks very much. The Bulgarian voices are amazing.

Although I'm not religious, I find this medieval hymn very moving as it relates to my poor, terrified father.

Saint Mary transformed the sea into solid land for someone who had faith. By participating in his Last Rites, I was able to give Dad the faith he needed to take the final step. Saint Mary brought the woman up from the depths, safe and sound, which is what happened with my father, I believe.

By the way, we've now emptied his wallet three times. It keeps filling up with cash. I'm not complaining, but if you're reading this, Dad, how about hundred-dollar bills instead of twenties? I mean, only if you plan to keep doing this...

 
#350
I've been taken on as a client by a gigantic publicity firm, and I've hired a gigantic Web designer to create an effective Web presence.

The PR firm confirmed what I thought, that Twitter and Facebook are worthless for marketing a book. I'm glad, because I didn't want to do that anyway.

Downside? I have to be funny, funny, funny, and funny. Oh, and funny. "The people listening to you will be on their way to work in the morning. What kind of mood do you think they'll be in?" said the president of the PR firm. He prefers a housebound client, because that makes his job easier. God, he scared me with his professionalism! It was just like talking to Gene Simmons. Me? Talking to Gene Simmons? Little Tommy Ketchup Face, thinking he has what it takes to be a successful author? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!

The PR president and I spoke for forty-five minutes, and he candidly told me it was an audition. He liked my voice, my confidence, and my material, so in May or so we'll begin a blitz ad campaign.

I've also been told there will be e-books of Ghosts available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple.

So I have about eight weeks to "do my homework" and hone the persona of Funny Thomas Wictor, the Housebound Former Music Journalist Who Inspires. I have to make people laugh and give them easily digested tips on how to live their life. And nobody who interviews me will have read the book.

Do you realize how much medication I'm going to have to take to get through this? But this is what I've striven for all these years. I have nobody to blame but myself.

This is why I want you to review Ghosts here, even though I won't read it. Everyone needs to know if it's real or not. I won't read the reviews because the book is done and I like it, but NOBODY here is under any obligation to like it or spare my feelings. Also, you need to be able to write whatever you want without thinking I'm going to attack you or disagree with you, or that this will turn into a flame war. Just write whatever you want. Let everyone else know if this is a worthwhile investment or not.

Suddenly I'm in the big leagues. I wish I could do it without exposing myself this way, but that ain't how it works. So wish me luck. I'm going to need it in spades.

I have to be funny?! Holy @#$%.
 
#354
Arthritic_Tom said:
Losing my difficult, remote father was much, MUCH harder than I ever expected. But I know he's okay, since he's wearing Old Spice again. Thanks for your condolences, and I'm sorry about your brother. Ghosts is all about squandered and thwarted opportunities, which make me sad and angry, too.

If you end up disappointed with it, send me your copy and I'll eat it. I'll post a video here of me doing so.

You can't POSSIBLY be disappointed with the short stories "Apocalypse," "The Ghost in the Miniskirt," "The Day I Should've Resigned," "Saying Goodbye to the Woman who Made it All Bearable," "The First Ghost to Release Me"...

And the Chapter titled Codas will break your heart if you have one.

However, the offer still stands: If you're disappointed, I will eat your copy.
Click to expand...

Eating my copy of G&H seems perfectly reasonable; however, if you receive my copy with a request to consume it and provide video evidence of said consumption, wouldn't that essentially be a review of if? I guess you'll have to eat it blindfolded? At any rate, I'm about 1/4 through it, and don't foresee any upcoming disappointment, so I suspect we won't see any literal act of bibliophagy on your part.

I still have something of a heart left, so I look forward to its inevitable breaking.

-Y
 
#359
Yools said:
Eating my copy of G&H seems perfectly reasonable; however, if you receive my copy with a request to consume it and provide video evidence of said consumption, wouldn't that essentially be a review of if? I guess you'll have to eat it blindfolded? At any rate, I'm about 1/4 through it, and don't foresee any upcoming disappointment, so I suspect we won't see any literal act of bibliophagy on your part.

I still have something of a heart left, so I look forward to its inevitable breaking.

-Y
Click to expand...
OH. MY. GOD. You just hit on the perfect publicity campaign.

"Send the Book Back to Tom."

My Web site will have "Play Bass for Tom," a contest in which people will win signed copies of the book if they post videos of them playing songs on the bass I always wanted to learn.

But THIS. Is genius.

Send me back my book, and I'll eat it. The pages have no sodium, so it won't cause rotational vertigo. My only caveat is that a negative review must be submitted to explain why I must take my work back into my body, from whence it originated. I'll have to do that to screen out pranksters who just want to see a guy eat a book. I get to judge whether my offense is egregious enough to make me literally eat my words.

That's what we're going to do.
 

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