Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Would I be a jerk in this situation?
- Thread starter basslayer
- Start date
We had a drummer once who ran a high-end 2nd-hand airplane sales business.
I'm not kidding. It's a thing. Jets worth millions.
He'd take calls in the middle of a song.
"Just a minute, I've gotta take this," he'd say, stopping the rehearsal.
But your Roger is not cutting it.
Cut him.
Hello Tina!
I'm not kidding. It's a thing. Jets worth millions.
He'd take calls in the middle of a song.
"Just a minute, I've gotta take this," he'd say, stopping the rehearsal.
But your Roger is not cutting it.
Cut him.
Hello Tina!
Quite gossiping behind people's backs. Don't you have a ton of beaver where you are? I'd focus on that instead.
If he plays well without practicing all is well if he plays badly , regardless of the reason and does not try to get better I'd first talk to him and maybe look what the next rehearsal sounds like. If nothing has changed by then, I'd put in a word in favor of replacing him. Sooner rather than later. I can't be working with people who have this kind of attitude and do not want them anywhere near me.
Whether he practices or not isn’t the issue; whether his playing is garbage or not is the issue. If that’s the case, and you have someone better lined up, what’s the issue?
I have never inquired about the practice habits of bandmates.
However, several people I play with do not practice. I know that because they told me, directly.
These people are good enough for the type of project and easily get by without practice. I don't mind at all.
The question is: Is Roger good enough to pull it off or is Roger the bottleneck?
When you're the bottleneck, you need to practice to keep your spot, else you're slowing the whole band down.
When you're the bottleneck and don't practice, you doom the band to stagnate at that exact level.
However, several people I play with do not practice. I know that because they told me, directly.
These people are good enough for the type of project and easily get by without practice. I don't mind at all.
The question is: Is Roger good enough to pull it off or is Roger the bottleneck?
When you're the bottleneck, you need to practice to keep your spot, else you're slowing the whole band down.
When you're the bottleneck and don't practice, you doom the band to stagnate at that exact level.
Is this story an allegory, or is your real name Chris and are you using us as a forum to workshop your "History of Talking Heads" script?
Jokes aside, OP, my recent experience has revealed that the less important something is in the greater scheme of things, the more energy it seems to consume in certain lives.
I'd suggest you're not being a jerk if you work out what you are trying to achieve, speak your truth, value that it's just a truth, then focus on how you can improve.
I don't suggest this course of action is easy (for anyone). Best of luck with making good music and getting the band to achieve its potential.
Jokes aside, OP, my recent experience has revealed that the less important something is in the greater scheme of things, the more energy it seems to consume in certain lives.
I'd suggest you're not being a jerk if you work out what you are trying to achieve, speak your truth, value that it's just a truth, then focus on how you can improve.
I don't suggest this course of action is easy (for anyone). Best of luck with making good music and getting the band to achieve its potential.
No matter the question, remember this: if someone else does it, it's cool, but if you do it, you're the jerk. This applies to all kinds of situations. Sometimes you just can't get rid of a bomb.
Going strictly by the scenario presented here, I would be petitioning the band to add Tina without tattling on Roger and let the chips fall. My gut is telling me that he will be relieved on some level to have an out if he has more pressing interests going on in his life. I can’t hang with unpreparedness, but I have also, regrettably, been the one holding a band back in the past and it ultimately felt better for everyone to resolve the situation.
I don’t know what to do about the Roger, but @LowRick has the best avatar I’ve seen in a good long time.
Good luck, Ike.
Sounds like a commercial for The General insurance- a guy is sitting on a curb when a limo drives up. One of the windows opens and a group of long-haired guys can be seen- one leans out and asks "Are you the guy who used to be in our band and said we could save a lot of money with The General? Turns out, you were right- we saved a bundle" and shows the monthly rate on his phone before saying "Thanks". The window closes as the limo drives away.
Talk to Roger. Be clear that the issues you have are X, Y and Z and give him an opportunity and a path to improve those issues. He'll either improve, quit or do nothing. Then you know what to do. Tina may be great, or may have other issues. At least Roger is a known quantity.
