Dr.Dave

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1338829523' post='1679767'] Same ! Although I would say that Bobby hasn't really done anything too extreme for a while , well not the films I've seen him in , Focker! [/quote] If you'd been honoured in the highest way possible you'd be resting on your laurels too. It's not everyone gets mentioned in a Bananaramamamamaarama song!

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1338822683' post='1679666'] Wow !! If Robert DeNiro was was in a ZZ Top tribute band, he wouldn't go to these extremes! ( Mabe a Texan accent/gun in his boot...) Get the beard/hat combo man- save your face!!! [/quote] But Robert de Niro is a 'method' actor. He lives his role out by becoming his character. He'd grow the long beard - not wear a false one. I was on about method actors on here just the other day. Dustin Hoffman stayed awake for 2 nights before doing the famous dentist scene with Olivier in Marathon Man. He looked a mess - knackered (as he wanted to) but kept falling asleep during the shooting. Oliver went up to him and said 'if you learned to act properly , dear boy , you wouldn't have to put ypurself through all this' ! I'm with Olivier.

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1338819055' post='1679625'] Love the jacket- is the beard attached to the hat like a Jimmy Wig? [/quote] No - but it#s a bloody good idea! It glues to my face (I have to shave my own shorter goatee beard off) and blends with my own moustache. The beard pulls off easily but the glue's a bitch.Usually 2 or 3 days sticking to my pillow before it goes flaky enough to shave off. I have to explain to folk not to be alarmed and there's nothing wrong with me because it looks like leprosy or something.

[quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1331738586' post='1578044'] Dave [i]had [/i]been using an Epiphone Explorer in Eliminator, and I doubt very much he'd fork out for one of these, in fact I [i]know[/i] he wouldn't in a month of Sundays. I like the bass myself, simple, functional, and dare I say it, stylish, I think it looks great. Waaaaayyyy too much though. [/quote] I've only just seen this thread. You're 100% correct. I wouldn't insult the rest of you or my own self respect by paying anything like that money for such a simply made thing. Rayman's right about the Explorer - which features dice knobs he supplied me with as I recall - but more usually it's a Fender Japan Blue Flower 54 reish. I've no idea if Dusty ever used one but it seems a ZZ Toppish thing to use and I like it. Re. this bass though - what I hate most - to the point of real annoyance - is the decal being the right way up!!!!! That's f****g awful. If you're going to do a job , do it right. Commercially driven decision and the absolute wrong one. Twats. Here's me and the Blue Flower and the Epi Ex

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1338801889' post='1679288'] Aww! That's unusually sweet for you, mate. If you don't mind me saying so. Obviously I wouldn't have brought it up if I'd known. [/quote] No problem -I'm not sensitive about it , mate - it's just a reminder of my Mum. I just notice in the top left pic - opposite my mic stand drink holder - you can see my mic stand mounted ashtray!! Aaah - happy days !!!! I was going to get one that held a tray of chips too.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1338768851' post='1679140'] 'Tis true! [/quote] Tragically - I once had some cowboy boots with the words 'The South's gonna rise again' on them !! I say once , I might still have them somewhere.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1338768293' post='1679135'] Hee, hee. Loving the headband one. Is that your own hair? Edit: And what's the furry dice thing about? [/quote] Yep - all home grown , in fact it was usually longer at that time. I've always worn a headband or similar (bandana these days) to keep sweat from out of my eyes. If you wear specs like me you can't even wipe your eyes with the back of your hand quickly between beats. I told this tale before - so apologies - When I was about 7 in the late 60s my Mum took me to a charity beetle drive (it's a very simple dice game with 4 people round a table , you draw a picture of a beetle gradually when you roll the right numbers until it's complete ). The way it works is that if you win you move on to the next table. I won (they probably let me) so I was moved away from my Mum. I was heartbroken and burst into tears. Anyway - in 1997 we were separated for good , sadly , and I saw and bought the dice soon after that because they remind me of her. I have dice knobs on my Fender Blue Flower too.

I've looked like this at various points over the years.

Just to be different we had a Jubilee gig BECAUSE of the rain. Well , almost. It was a regular gig for us this tea time but it was hammering down outside so they invited the local street party inside where we duly entertained them. Place was rammed.

[quote name='Mark_Andertons' timestamp='1338031374' post='1668837'] Heard a great tip from Musicademy which I'm sure a handful of you guys will know. Which was to think about your repetoir in 3 circles within each other (don't make me draw it!) like rings in a tree trunk. In the core you have the material that you know like the back of your hand and could play at a moments notice in any key. Then in the next segment/ring/circle you have all the stuff that you're working on learning at the moment and you can play confidently most of the time, then outside in the last segment/ring/circle you have songs that are literally too hard for you, way outside your comfort zone. And your aim is to practise songs in all three with a view to pulling things from further out of the circles into the core. That was a proper crap explanation. [/quote] That's got to have come from a Californian.

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' timestamp='1338389699' post='1673772'] Any excuse for a gig though x [/quote] Well , not ANY excuse. I think about 1000 excuses plus petrol might get me playing a jubilee event. I'd have to keep something crossed but for a grand I'm mercenary enough to put my views aside and go all 'God bless her ' etc etc. You just know such events will let saucepans in though and then I'll only get some outraged parent wanting to lynch me for playing Gary Glitter songs and making gags about 'do you want to see some puppies'. It happened at a charity fundraiser last year! It almost put us off spending our 'travel expenses' (!). The gig we have on Sunday - a regular like I said - last time there a woman came up to me at half time and said angrily ...quote... 'fancy saying 'w***ing' on a Sunday , it's a f***ing disgrace'. I doubt irony is a frequent visitor to her mind set somehow !

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' timestamp='1338389153' post='1673748'] (I have no idea why my profile picture is cutting off the top of my head...) [/quote] Have you checked in the mirror - I reckon somebody's nicked your head and put it on ebay ! Welcome back. No Jubilee gigs for me , though I do have regular gigs this weekend. I've never been a fan of the monarchy and I couldn't get involved in a jubilee event given my views.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1338374729' post='1673396'] Werewolves of London maybe? [/quote] Been doing this for the last 3 years. I do a verse and chorus of 'Werewolves' - Rod does a verse or two of Kid Rock then we fire into the Sweet Home Alabhama' chorus. Few bars of solo - quiet bit with a spoken gag about the williams getting their lighters out - back into a couple of loud SHA's - big rock ending - williams go mental - home for tea and medals. We've noticed it's the only thing we do that gets the blokes up to dance before the women. I introduce it as the 'dead peoples song'. Usual line is - ' Warren Zevon's dead - Lynyrd Skynyrd smacked their plane into a big f**k off mountain - dead - ...Kid Rock.......... he's not dead but he's shitting himself !'.

Someone once told me that , technically as a player , you never stay the same -you either get better or worse and if you don't play it'll be worse. I think there's sense in that - but I don't practise at all. Ever. I do gig a lot , so that's my practise in the sense that I'm playing things I know over and over again (all be it with a bit of spin to make it different enough each night not to get boring). If we have new stuff to learn I might have 5 mins - certainly no more - in the spare room working out my part but we don't really rehearse either so the next time I play it will be with the band at a gig (we have a chat in the interval then just do it second set). If I wasn't gigging. I'd get worse as a bass player - no question. I don't think it's an interesting instrument to play to yourself so I wouldn't bother. I'd probably noodle around a bit on an acoustic guitar to keep my fingers moving but that's about all. There is a school of thought that says if all you ever do is practise then all you ever get good at is practising. That may sound glib but I see the point. So for the improvers and 'between projects' players among us my advice would be simple - practise what you can't play - not what you can. That way , you're not just practising but learning.

I reckon I cock something up most nights - usually because my eyes catch a well turned thigh or similar and my concentration goes. I don;t worry about cock ups - once you accept you'll make them you learn , by experience , how to escape/recover etc. It's a gig. You do it - it's over - you go home , roll on the next. Nobody died because you hit the wrong string. We laugh about it.

for me - the best bass solo's the one the player thought about doing and then figured the song would be better off without it!! I like the idea of essential bass parts in songs rather than solo's in the sense I think we mean solo. For instance - who can imagine the change in the middle of Fleetwood Mac's 'Chain' without McVie's part? Who doesn't look forward to the four 'solo'd' bass notes in 'Crazy little Thing called Love'? Who can no admire Macca making a very average 'Silly Love Songs' into a far better song by lifting it with his bass line. That's what it's about - listen to your song and make it better.

Leave them. Take new ones with you then it's easy to change to them if the old ones aren't bright enough. You could also argue that you could have a few run throughs on the old set then start recording proper with a brand new set. Stretch them well when you put them on - and in the studio tune around the area of the fretboard you'll be spending most time rather than open strings.

What utterly crap news. But Duck Dunn features regularly in our forums and has done for years. That must say something. The fact that so many of us see him as an influence and have continuously discussed the man and his music is the sort of obituary few of us will acheive.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1336918142' post='1652669'] tell him a short trip to the docs to get her ears syringed should do the trick [/quote] Good call - send moaning punters to this particular doc , maybe. I'll put them right! Joking apart , this his isn't a moaning punter issue - it's a player confidence issue. One of us has been knocked back and the more experienced of us should be helping to explain he has no need to feel bad.

It only takes one - correct. You. Church - pub - back of a truck in a field - stadium. You're the player , and you need to develop big enough brass ones to say 'i'm in control and I'm happy with my sound - you're entitled to your opinion but it's not as important to me as my own'.

Years ago I bought a Hohner B2a to play at work in my breaks (and sometimes to play not in my breaks!). It was great - because I had a small building to myself. These days I work from home so my basses are just behind me where my laptop sits during the day.

I met him a couple of times doing support jobs for the later SAHB. Great bunch of blokes and a pleasure to work with. Chris being a big bloke with a big personality and a big sound.

At a mere 50 , and only 34 years bass playing , I doubt I qualify as old. Happily , I am a git though ! Welcome Stu. You're never too old to learn , that's true , but I expect you've more to teach us than you'll glean !