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Scott Thunes Interivew I don't get it?

#62
Originally posted by slugworth
What profession would have being an A-hole
as a requirement besides Cop, Drill Instructor,
or third world dictator? Fascinating.....
Click to expand...
You gotta love posts like this.

It always makes me laugh when the most vocal critics of the cops are the ones who whine the most when they need us.
:rolleyes:

Hopefully when the time comes that you do need a cop, the "A-hole" will take his sweet time getting to you. :help:
 
#64
Originally posted by slugworth
You've obviously never been to L.A., the world
capitol of police brutality lawsuit payouts..
Our tax dollars hard at work!

Boston is a great town, BTW...

Have a nice day...
Slug
Click to expand...

Been to LA many times. Met some great people and some great cops out there too. Imagine that...
In any "business" with thousands of employees, there will be some s*&#heads. Policing is no different.
Doesn't mean that all cops are corrupt thugs.

I'm willing to bet that when your child/wife/parent stops breathing, the fact that the police "framed" OJ, or you saw them hit Rodney King won't stop you from dialing 911 ...Your tax dollars at work. We always suck until you need us. :rolleyes:
 
#65
"If you think the sound of the bass is more important than your own personal voice, you've missed the point of music completely."

"I think he's brilliant."

I could not agree more. Wasted talent? I don't think so. I don't think that anyone can talk about someone wasting their talent by stopping their bass playing career. When it's time to stop it's time to stop that's all. It's not that complicated. Wasted to me means drugs and other vices taking control. That's all for me here! Love to all!

:)
 
#66
Originally posted by slugworth
You've obviously never been to L.A., the world
capitol of police brutality lawsuit payouts..
Our tax dollars hard at work!

Boston is a great town, BTW...

Have a nice day...
Slug
Click to expand...

Slug, I have lived in Orlando, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, each for a significant period of time. LA aint that bad.
 
#67
Originally posted by berklee46


Been to LA many times. Met some great people and some great cops out there too. Imagine that...
In any "business" with thousands of employees, there will be some s*&#heads. Policing is no different.
Doesn't mean that all cops are corrupt thugs.

I'm willing to bet that when your child/wife/parent stops breathing, the fact that the police "framed" OJ, or you saw them hit Rodney King won't stop you from dialing 911 ...Your tax dollars at work. We always suck until you need us. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

>>>> I never suggested that all cops are corrupt
thugs... There are good and bad. Lately
out here in L.A. we've been seeing a lot
of the bad, unfortunately... I'm still
wondering what profession it is that has
being an A-Hole as a requirement? Who would
even want to wear that as a badge of honor?
The thing is about being an A-Hole, is
sooner or later, the A-Hole will come across
someone who is a bigger A-Hole.. A-Holes
have no place in most bands, or on the
bandstand. To get good paying work as a
musician, one has to know the concept of
teamwork, and professional courtesy...
The days of the arrogant, spoiled, volatile
musician are over. Record companies,
promoters, producers, and others didn't
take crap from Jaco, and they don't take
crap from Michael Jackson. Scott Thunes,
by way of the words uttered from his own
mouth, has proven that he is ignorant and
has no class. To say that this guy is
brilliant is one of the biggest pieces
of stupidity I've seen written on this
board.. To pronounce that being an A-hole
is worthy of praise, or somehow noble, or
something to aspire to in one's career
is another. I don't understand.......
It is a fast track to a doorman position,
it appears...
 
#68
My apologies to you guys for having taken the bait and bringing this thread off topic for a few posts.
Sometimes after busting my a** for 8 hours, to come and read that being an A-hole is a requirement, just rubbed me the wrong way.

[Soapbox Off]:cool:

As far as Scott Thunes goes, I don't necessarily care for his personality, at least the way he came across in the interview or from other stories I've read about his lack of people skills. But I do really enjoy his playing and it fit in perfectly with the rest of the 80's-era Zappa band.
Some of the live recordings from that version of the band are among my top 10 "Desert Island" albums...
 
#70
Originally posted by slugworth
To say that this guy is brilliant is one of the biggest pieces of stupidity I've seen written on this board...
Click to expand...

You must be new then. If this is all it takes to get you foaming at the mouth, you're not going to last very long.

When I say "a-hole," I don't mean a prima donna. What I mean someone who isn't afraid of confrontation and doesn't suffer fools. To sheep like you, that's a fascist (or a law enforcement professional, it would seem). To me, it is most definitely an admirable personality trait. Thunes is over the top, sure, but he's the kind of guy who wants to challenge you, get you to think. He's pushing buttons on purpose. He's testing your intellect.

And you failed.
 
#71
Originally posted by berklee46



It always makes me laugh when the most vocal critics of the cops are the ones who whine the most when they need us.
Click to expand...

It always makes me laugh that people hate cops but yet can't fathom that they are necessary in society. If it wasn't for the police they might as well throw all of their rights and priviledges out the window. What are rights worth if there is nobody to protect/enforce them?

There are jerk and corrupt cops, just like there are jerks and corrupted people in any walk of life. Most of my expierence with the authorities have been pretty good. (even when I was in the wrong)
 
#72
LiquidMidnight,
I totally agree that there are good and bad in every profession. It's just that a story about a bad cop sells newspapers and gets TV viewers better than a story about a bad insurance salesman!

Of course nobody likes getting stopped by a cop, or getting a ticket, but it's a necessary function of the job and whether or not you want to believe it, does help to make roads safer, etc. Heck, I dislike writing tickets almost as much as the driver dislikes getting one.

Then again, there are those times when the drivers attitude forces me to write a money ticket and smile at the same time! ;)
 
#73
Originally posted by lump
Thunes is over the top, sure, but he's the kind of guy who wants to challenge you, get you to think. He's pushing buttons on purpose. He's testing your intellect.
Click to expand...

Yes, and he does that quite well! His comments about your "voice" hit me like a ton of bricks when I first read this in BP.

The fact that he considers rock bassists as morons probably has to do with the fact that he was unhappy with the bass playing role. It's a valid statement if you read the whole article, since he says he got to the bass by default, not by choice.

Different people have different opinions. Some people think bass players are morons, because one felt so as a bass player, just like some people think policemen are all a**holes, because they met one or two that really were.
 
#74
Originally posted by the ombudsman


Yes, and he does that quite well! His comments about your "voice" hit me like a ton of bricks when I first read this in BP.

The fact that he considers rock bassists as morons probably has to do with the fact that he was unhappy with the bass playing role. It's a valid statement if you read the whole article, since he says he got to the bass by default, not by choice.

Different people have different opinions. Some people think bass players are morons, because one felt so as a bass player, just like some people think policemen are all a**holes, because they met one or two that really were.
Click to expand...


I saw Thunes perform live with Steve Vai in Dublin in 1993 on the Aerosmith tour,and while he generally just stood in front of his amps,not moving and looking very moody,I couldn't help watching him to see how he was interpreting the bass parts on all of Vai's songs. I remember thinking "Gee,I'd love to be in his shoes" and I think he'd probably say I was an idiot for doing so:p.Well, sorry Scott,but I still do wish I'd been in that position that night.I'd have moved about too:D .
 
#75
Originally posted by lump


You must be new then. If this is all it takes to get you foaming at the mouth, you're not going to last very long.

When I say "a-hole," I don't mean a prima donna. What I mean someone who isn't afraid of confrontation and doesn't suffer fools. To sheep like you, that's a fascist (or a law enforcement professional, it would seem). To me, it is most definitely an admirable personality trait. Thunes is over the top, sure, but he's the kind of guy who wants to challenge you, get you to think. He's pushing buttons on purpose. He's testing your intellect.

And you failed.

>>>> A guy working as a doorman, probably
making minumum wage, testing my intellect?
Get F#$%ing real...Who's next, the trash
man? He's the miserable, bitter, unemployed
ex-musician who put his own head up his
a$$, not me...My phone is ringing for
gigs, his isn't... Failed my A$$.. If you
wanna subscribe to this dude's philosophy,
great, but you see where it got him...
Attack me as much as you want, it don't
mean nuthin...

Have a nice day.
Slug.
Click to expand...
 
#76
Originally posted by lump
When I say "a-hole," I don't mean a prima donna. What I mean someone who isn't afraid of confrontation and doesn't suffer fools.
Click to expand...

Sometimes the percieved butthead personality types get bored hearing the BS of people who don't know them personally, or they just recognize BS when they hear/see it, and feel Their time is being wasted. They are the "I'll believe it when I see it in writing" types. I can appreciate that more than the "talker" who boasts alot, or wastes lots of time, and delivers nothing.

Actually, the impatient no-BS type tend to be more trustworthy than alot of the '"nice guys" out there. That doesn't mean they are more "likeable", but then, they aren't looking for anyone's approval. But it takes all types.

Originally posted by slugworth

>>>> A guy working as a doorman, probably
making minumum wage, testing my intellect?
Get F#$%ing real...Who's next, the trash
man? He's the miserable, bitter, unemployed
ex-musician who put his own head up his
a$$, not me...My phone is ringing for
gigs, his isn't... Failed my A$$.. If you
wanna subscribe to this dude's philosophy,
great, but you see where it got him...
Attack me as much as you want, it don't
mean nuthin...

Have a nice day.
Slug. [/B]
Click to expand...

It's also curious how these "forceful" personalities end up where they do. Given that they say their time is so valuable and all that. I try not to be dismissive because I can appreciate the experience a professional brings to a situation. Or the obvious lessons they can invariably teach us.

Some Garbagemen, or as we call them these days: "Waste Mangement Engineers" make pretty good dough. (I am glad they stop by my house once a week)
 
#77
Geez..I really resisted tossing my lot into this thread, but I cannot hold off any longer.
I am with Trip on all of this; I think Thunes is a brilliant player (and tho he is no longer "employed" as a musician, I am sure he still is one).

He is certainly outspoken, opinionated, with zero tolerance for BS...and certainly does not suffer fools...

Then, for all of the abrassive turns of phrase, he is correct on many topics:
1.A musician's personal voice is far more important than the sound of their instrument.
There is a very famous, albeit hard to get, album of Charles MIngus titled "Mingus Plays Piano" in which the bassist plays only the piano...no bass..and still sounds EXACTLY like Mingus! Regardless of the instrument his personal voice is what comes through. (BTW...this little marvel is what makes great musicians).
2.The rock star machinery, and other workings of the music industry are pure BS...and many "famous" players really cannot play, and more importantly have not a thing to say on their instruments.
3. In relation to what he studied both at Marin College and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (which is a very prestigous and demanding academic center), playing bass in a rock band is "moronic". Perhaps the choice of words here is a bit acidic, yet, by it's very nature rock is a juvenile form, with simple structures, elementary harmony, and yes, moronic conceptions.
Yet, that is also part of it's charm..and of it's irony. If that were lost it would simply be droll.

Of course, this will piss off a few posters here...and I do not wish to be insulting. Yet, in the larger spectrum of music, rock is a rather simplistic form. In such, MOST of your average rock bassists play fairly "moronically" (I realize this is a bad choice of words) simply due to their lack of knowledge, insight, discipline, technique, tact, experience, or imagination.
And, before you flame me with lists of players who have excelled, and expanded the form....there are a handful (maybe two or three handfuls) of players whose abilities, insights, imaginations, skills, knowledge, discipline, technique and tact HAVE pushed the envelope and expanded the horizons of rock bass...yet compared to the masses of players who feel it is enough to merely copy their heroes.....
...or as Thunes put it, "Ninety-eight percent of the bands out there do not deserve it for a sec- ond, let alone for an entire career."


Max
 

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