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Why all the Tal smack talk?

I wish she would stop touring with Beck and put out another album{yes I still call them albums}.

I still call them albums too! On the topic of unopened promos from the industry, I used to get garbage bags full of top quality recording cassettes from acquaintances in the biz who would not listen to them from fear of being sued. I never had to buy blank tapes but would always feel bad about recording over somebody's 'Hopes & Dreams' tapes. Once in awhile I would listen to one before recording over it, and a lot of them were quite good and humbling.
 
On the topic of unopened promos from the industry, I used to get garbage bags full of top quality recording cassettes from acquaintances in the biz who would not listen to them from fear of being sued. I never had to buy blank tapes but would always feel bad about recording over somebody's 'Hopes & Dreams' tapes. Once in awhile I would listen to one before recording over it, and a lot of them were quite good and humbling.

A friend of mine was working for a major film studio and a major film producer and her job was to read scripts that were submitted to the studio. Once while at her office I saw a pile of scripts in the garbage and a pile of scripts on her desk. And I watched her look at the cover of a script and then toss it. I asked her why was she doing that and she informed me that she didn't like the title and therefore felt that the script couldn't be of any quality.


We all have to remember. A lot of times you're wanting some one to do for you what they can't do for themselves(in the industry) and these people are jealous and have other issues and feel that since they can't make it,then why should you and why should they help you get to where they want to be.
 
A friend of mine was working for a major film studio and a major film producer and her job was to read scripts that were submitted to the studio. Once while at her office I saw a pile of scripts in the garbage and a pile of scripts on her desk. And I watched her look at the cover of a script and then toss it. I asked her why was she doing that and she informed me that she didn't like the title and therefore felt that the script couldn't be of any quality.


We all have to remember. A lot of times you're wanting some one to do for you what they can't do for themselves(in the industry) and these people are jealous and have other issues and feel that since they can't make it,then why should you and why should they help you get to where they want to be.

The uncle of a friend of mine wrote the screenplay for the movie The Cell. He is now a script reader like your friend. He basically decides which screenplays will or will not be considered. If a screenplay isn't formatted EXACTLY the way they want it as far as style, layout, etc., it's disposed of. It's at once harsh but understandable, as they have so many submissions to filter through. So a person really needs to do his/her homework prior to submitting one of these things. As far as a reader not liking a title, that seems a bit harsh, but it's not too surprising.

I guess I'm totally off-thread here (although I think this direction is more interesting than the original). These Tal threads remind me of a joke that the cast of Monty Python used to tell:

Q: What's the difference between life and a Saturday Night Live skit?

A. Life ends.
 
A friend of mine was working for a major film studio and a major film producer and her job was to read scripts that were submitted to the studio. Once while at her office I saw a pile of scripts in the garbage and a pile of scripts on her desk. And I watched her look at the cover of a script and then toss it. I asked her why was she doing that and she informed me that she didn't like the title and therefore felt that the script couldn't be of any quality.


We all have to remember. A lot of times you're wanting some one to do for you what they can't do for themselves(in the industry) and these people are jealous and have other issues and feel that since they can't make it,then why should you and why should they help you get to where they want to be.


I started a new thread topic in miscellaneous under, Publishing, submitting materials and mysteries of the Biz.
 
Her dad is a billionaire. Is she there because she can play? Of course. But hey...that's the music business.

Where did you hear her dad was a billionaire?

From about 10 different people, several who actually know her.

I saw her at Irving Plaza with Jeff Beck back in April and wound up standing next to a guy who turned out to be a Tal fan from years back. He told me he'd seen her play in NYC a few times over the years and had a chance to speak with her when she was still a teenager. Apparently she was gigging quite a bit, and not doing "High Profile" gigs. He said he was surprised to see such a talented kid doing gigs where nobody was even paying attention to the band. When he met her he asked why she was playing all these random gigs and she told him that she was working hard to cover the cost of her expenses in New York. I seriously doubt that her family has billions or even millions of dollars. She certainly doesnt act like a spoiled rich kid. I don't know many spoiled rich kids that are as hard working and motivated as she seems to be (or that dress as sloppy!) Regardless, considering how hard she worked to get where she is, its highly unlikely that money had anything to do with her success. I'm sure the Jeff Beck gig pays well so I'm sure she's making more than she was back when she started but it seems now, as it was then, that she is earning her money, and supporting herself. Incidentally, I came across an article that touches on this very topic. Here is an excerpt:

"A few years ago I was in a band that was auditioning bass players in Los Angeles...having little luck. After a full day of auditions-which is terribly exhausting- in walks this young girl -a kid- maybe 17ish...This girl looked like a normal kid - no tattoos, no piercings, no attitude, no L.A. vibe AT ALL. She proceeded to quitely introduce herself, plug in and LAY IT DOWN. I mean solid. The songs were simple riff rock tunes but she played them with authority and great tone (something most bass players don’t understand). We were all like, “Whooaaa!!! Whaaat??!!”...So we told her the situation –no money now but things were moving forward with real major label potential and blah, blah, blah. I can’t remember if we officially offered her the gig but we definitely expressed interest and couldn’t conceal our amazement at how good she was. She didn’t take the gig because it was a non-paying ‘join the band’ gig and she needed something that paid as she was trying to finish music school. We were all stoked on her playing and didn’t care, we just told her to keep on playing because she had it going on. We kind of had a bit of the big brother vibe going saying, “Well, you keep working at it because whatever you do you are going to be fine…”Her name?
Tal Wilkenfeld."

Here's the site I got it from: Invalid Link Removed
 
I saw her at Irving Plaza with Jeff Beck back in April and wound up standing next to a guy who turned out to be a Tal fan from years back. He told me he'd seen her play in NYC a few times over the years and had a chance to speak with her when she was still a teenager. Apparently she was gigging quite a bit, and not doing "High Profile" gigs. He said he was surprised to see such a talented kid doing gigs where nobody was even paying attention to the band. When he met her he asked why she was playing all these random gigs and she told him that she was working hard to cover the cost of her expenses in New York. I seriously doubt that her family has billions or even millions of dollars. She certainly doesnt act like a spoiled rich kid. I don't know many spoiled rich kids that are as hard working and motivated as she seems to be (or that dress as sloppy!) Regardless, considering how hard she worked to get where she is, its highly unlikely that money had anything to do with her success. I'm sure the Jeff Beck gig pays well so I'm sure she's making more than she was back when she started but it seems now, as it was then, that she is earning her money, and supporting herself.
Listen, I'm not saying that she doesn't work hard. Obviously she does. But most poor or middle class people don't get shipped to LA and NYC from Australia before they've finished high school so they can attend music school. Sorry but our music schools aren't going out of their way to recruit from Australia.

I will allow for the fact that these people who I know who told me about her could have all heard the same rumor, but I find it a bit unlikely. But again, she's a hard working gal, she plays like crazy, and she's there in large part to her talent, so it's not like I'm calling her Ashlee Simpson or anything.
 
Listen, I'm not saying that she doesn't work hard. Obviously she does. But most poor or middle class people don't get shipped to LA and NYC from Australia before they've finished high school so they can attend music school. Sorry but our music schools aren't going out of their way to recruit from Australia.

I will allow for the fact that these people who I know who told me about her could have all heard the same rumor, but I find it a bit unlikely. But again, she's a hard working gal, she plays like crazy, and she's there in large part to her talent, so it's not like I'm calling her Ashlee Simpson or anything.

Jimmy what about literal immigrants that have come to this country for that exact reason. Most immigrants make more in a week than they do in a month of their home country? What if she was a quirky musician that did a work study program and graduated early? Or the yang she left high school at 16, (which I believe you can do in Australia, or the US with parental permission) to goto college for her passion? The best music school in the world are known to be in the US. It doesn't cost that much to start up life in LA. About 6,000 is all you need to cover first and last, transportation, etc to move just about anywhere. It comes to mind that you have never spent life on a musicians dollar. The fact that she made rent in NYC playing music is testament to her greatness, if her rent was paid she still killed the gigs she had, I am still giving her thumbs up. Gig in NYC without a car and tell me its not harder.

Music school do go our of their way to recruit from ALL over the world? When was the last time you set foot on a music college campus? I went to Berklee at least 1/3 were from other countries. I myself was in the International Scholarship band, we traveled the world giving hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholarships. Including Australia, but China, Japan, Korea, India, UK, Italy, Russia, Germany, etc.
Tal Wilkenfeld is a great player the point of this thread was commenting on why is there smack talk, on someone we should all strive to be like.
 
I don't care how much money she comes from.
You can't buy yourself into a Chick Corea or Jeff Beck gig. Or land on a gig with Herbie Hancock, Corinne Bailey Rae, Wayne Shorter and Vinnie Colaiuta live on Abbey Road.
You have to be able to PLAY
 

Yup! +1000

The only thing I find distracting about Tal, is the way she bounces to keep time....get your minds out of the gutter you pervs, I meant her time keeping seems to be out of sync with the time signature she plays...

It occurs to me that Tal has practiced, studied, gigged and basically played her ass off for a long time before hitting it big. No one is an overnight sensation. She did the work, does the work and it shows.

Now the funny part, I don't generally listen to a lot of her stuff, or her "style" of soloist type bass playing. But I can certainly appreciate her talent and her music, and envy her dedication and skill.

And yes, she is cute as hell in a natural, real, girl next door way. I love a good looking woman, and even more so a good looking female musician. But a boob hanging over a bass is not why she has gotten anywhere. If you want to see more of that stuff for the sake of it, pick up any sodding Guitard player magazine and leave the real music to the musicians...
 
I just found recently about her (Jeff Beck gig on youtube). Damn! That girl can play some serius s*** (stuff). She is going on Jaco's footprints. I just hope she does not end up like JP jacka$$. Being female, really gives some eyebrows lift. But, that srtuff, what she plays is some serious feel. I wish her great luck. Finally, some good, serious bass player, after many, many years of emptiness.
 
I don't know the answer, but I've found myself asking the same question on many occasions over the last couple of years. Her official website -- www.talwilkenfeld.com -- has been pretty useless because it has been updated so infrequently. However, the good news is that the site has just recently been completely redone, and it looks they're dedicated to keeping us better informed in the future. You can also sign up for a mailing list there.
 
I first heard Tal when I was checking out random live music videos on YouTube and I happened across the Beck tour. As soon as I heard the bass playing I was listening to something that really spoke to me about what the bass is all about in a way that is very rare for me.

It's happened a few times before, like when I first started playing Geezer Butler for myself and learning his Hand Of Doom riffs and I remember when I got my first Primus album, Frizzle Fry, and being slammed in the chest with the genuinely primal bass sound of Spegetti Western. Hearing many of the fans of Jaco describe his playing tells me that they are hearing something touching them deeply this way.

Listening to Tal play her fretless was just like that. She doesn't play the bass like it's an instrument - it's an extension of herself, like the human voice. I've since got a lot more of her music and her bass playing just flat out grooves. When I listen to it I don't listen to it critically to try to analyze it so much as listen to it emotionally. It really does connect with me on a more basic level.

She's the reason I de-fretted my bass instead of having it re-fretted and now I'm spending a lot of time these days learning for myself how to play in that style. Even though I've been playing for more than 20 years, I hope that I can be close to her ability in another 20.








P.S.
Anyone who says she is ugly . . . . :confused:

She looks sexy as hell in spite of the fact that she doesn't doll herself up. Or maybe because of it. I get the feeling that some people would think more highly of her if she played while wearing high heels and a swimsuit and applied makeup to her face with a garden trowell. :rolleyes:
 
I first heard Tal when I was checking out random live music videos on YouTube and I happened across the Beck tour. As soon as I heard the bass playing I was listening to something that really spoke to me about what the bass is all about in a way that is very rare for me.

It's happened a few times before, like when I first started playing Geezer Butler for myself and learning his Hand Of Doom riffs and I remember when I got my first Primus album, Frizzle Fry, and being slammed in the chest with the genuinely primal bass sound of Spegetti Western. Hearing many of the fans of Jaco describe his playing tells me that they are hearing something touching them deeply this way.

Listening to Tal play her fretless was just like that. She doesn't play the bass like it's an instrument - it's an extension of herself, like the human voice. I've since got a lot more of her music and her bass playing just flat out grooves. When I listen to it I don't listen to it critically to try to analyze it so much as listen to it emotionally. It really does connect with me on a more basic level.

She's the reason I de-fretted my bass instead of having it re-fretted and now I'm spending a lot of time these days learning for myself how to play in that style. Even though I've been playing for more than 20 years, I hope that I can be close to her ability in another 20.








P.S.
Anyone who says she is ugly . . . . :confused:

She looks sexy as hell in spite of the fact that she doesn't doll herself up. Or maybe because of it. I get the feeling that some people would think more highly of her if she played while wearing high heels and a swimsuit and applied makeup to her face with a garden trowell. :rolleyes:

This is a borderline zombie thread. Let's not drag up the same old arguments again. Frankly, I thinking asking about her new gigs would have been better served by starting a new thread.:smug:
 

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