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Double Bass Spin / No Spin

#3
Marcus Johnson said:
Some guy comes up from the audience and demands that you spin the bass on a gig. You decline. Said guy then offers fifty bucks if you spin the bass.

This happened to me tonight. Most of you who know me can guess what my response was. What's yours?
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Plywood bass. I don't give a f...

I make em gimme the cash up front, give it a good spin and double down on the gig.

I know girls that show their boobies for beads.
 
#5
A few years back, I had a guy get right in my face while I was playing. He kept screaming "spin it, spin it". For $50 I would have, even though the cord from my Underwood would have coiled around the endpin. C'mon......$50 is almost "Margaritaville" money!
 
#8
I played a very laid-back restaurant gig a long time ago where a gentleman of a certain age, wearing what I guess you'd have to call bermuda shorts - the sort of guy who would wear shorts to the restaurant - comes up to the band and says, 'Hey, do you know 'Rosita'? It's one of those ones, you know, it goes dah dah DAAH dah ... " His wife is back at the table yelling, "That's not how it goes." Band exchanges glances, and we say, uh ... we'll look in the book. But hey, how about this? and we played "Song for my father" or something.

During the break, I'm grumbling, geez, sometimes I don't want to deal with the requests. And the sax player, not someone I played with very often, says "No man, it's all about the requests - that's when you get a $20 tip for the band!" This made me even crankier. I figure, I'm already wearing a jacket and smiling at people and doing what I get paid for - I see no obligation to kiss ass.

Requests: "Can you play some Frank Sinatra?" "Uh, we just played 'Fly me to the moon." "Yeah, but can you play some Frank Sinatra?"

All that said - I think I probably would spin the bass for fitty buck. But not a damn cent less.
 
#9
Thanks for your answers... keep 'em coming.

I chose not to, as it was my regular gig at the Four Seasons Wailea, not really a spinnin' venue in my book. I've played there for about fifteen years, and I gotta be able to look my friends who work there in the face.

In retrospect, I wish I'd said fifty bucks a spin, IF you donate the money to the Maui Food Bank. Lot of folks living in tents on the beach here in paradise.
 
#10
I have been spinning my bass ever since I first laid hands on one. I probably do it a little to much to show off. If I can find people who would pay I would probably stop spinning. I would charge the first guy 20$ then the second guy 25-50$. If they ask why I will say, "Inflation" just to be a ass-whole. But people today would pay. It is the same thing I do when I get pizza. People ask and I start selling slices. As I start running low (remember I'm still hungry) I raise the price. ;)
 
#11
Let me say now that I have absolutely NOTHING against people who spin basses, climb on them, and all that other stuff that goes along with the whatever-kinda-billy stuff. I've actually really kind of gotten back into that roots stuff lately as a listener. I'm in favor of anyone who plays DB in any kind of band, but I think the gymnastics aspect is behind me at this point. I'm just happy to get myself and the bass to the venue without incident. Plus, I just haven't got the hair anymore.

This guy approached me during a ballad, during my solo... so, I must admit, I considered violence for a second. :rolleyes:
 
#12
I've always had a little bit of love for a bass spin or two, because my first string teacher (a violinist) told me I was NEVER allowed to do it, so of course I wanted to do it. I do it more with the high schools plywoods than wiht mine, but if I have a nice open area with nothing to do Ill give it a good rotation
 
#17
Yeah, morons who try to start a conversation while you're in the middle of a tune could be a whole thread unto itself......

Years ago I saw a major U.S. symphony (can't remember which one) perform on PBS. They were playing Gershwin and at one point the entire bass section, maybe ten players, spun their basses in unison.
 
#18
Marcus Johnson said:
This guy approached me during a ballad, during my solo... so, I must admit, I considered violence for a second.
Click to expand...

Oh, now that's so frickin rude. Screw that guy.

That's when you hope your bandmates will jump in and redirect.

BTW I got the funniest heckling of my life at my improv gig last night which I'll post later today.
 
#19
I'm of the opinion that anybody requesting theatrics in the middle of your solo during a ballad deserves a foot up the ass, $50 be damned. I've gotten indirectly yelled at for whispering a conversation too loud during somebody's solo once. Anyhow if it were me, I prolly woulda just not said anything and stared at him with a dirty look.
 

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