12stringbassist

I think you're only as good as the last performance you gave. You can have a massive history, but if you do a duff gig, you disappoint people on the night.

Matlock also revealed how their collaboration came about “just over a year ago”, when he received a phone call from drummer Clem Burke while in the middle of cooking his dinner. “I was in the middle of doing my risotto, it was nearly ready, then the phone rang, I had a mate round so stirred it for me,” said Matlock. “I told Clem, ‘My risotto is nearly ready and you’re spoiling it, so get on with it’. “He said, ‘We need a bass player’, I said, ‘I thought you got one’, he said, ‘It’s not working out, can you come over?’ I thought he meant in a couple of months but he said, ‘No, next week’. I said, ‘Ah, let me think’. I did overnight and I knew I should. I’ve worked with Clem on loads of things over the years – some alright, some a bit hair-brained – but we play well together and I love Blondie’s material. They’ve got a great body of work and they always seem to push the envelope somehow, slightly. They also have good basslines.” Glen Matlock on playing Glastonbury with Blondie, solo work and Lil Nas X (nme.com)

Ouch, good luck with its return.

I parted with my Wal Pro 1e in the 90's. It was the nicest bass I've played, feel-wise, but it didn't have the guts I wanted onstage and so I sold it on when I got another one that did the trick. Obviously it would have been a good idea to keep it (knowing what we know now), but I didn't 'collect' basses then.

Usually A, but sometimes expanded to B. A B

Some people like to look at what people bring along. I always like to give those people something to look at, but my stand with the 2/3 basses on is not visible unless someone is actually looking for it. Sometimes it's behind my rig if there's room. or to the side behind the PA and mixer.

I NEVER ever go without a spare. Sh*t would happen if I hadn't got a spare. So it's usually 2, either active or passive. If I take the 12-string bass, that's an extra over 2 active basses.

EXCALIBUR

I'll take any bass that I own out to any gig that I do. I will play whichever one is easiest to get a grip of at home. The exception is the 12-string bass. I use that a bit more sparingly these days.

When slowing a song down and using strings and brass causes offence. A song consists of melody line and chords, then you take it from there. Just use your imagination. A punk rock version of Mull Of Kintyre would probably set some people kicking their laptop screens in...

This is in some ways similar to the Postmodern Jukebox treatment of some classic songs, which can either be amazing or hit and miss. It is meant to be different and a bit thought provoking. I don't ever believe there is only ONE way to play any song, even if I massively prefer the original when I hear a cover. That is a frankly daft notion. I do find this a little clunky and a wee bit laboured-sounding in parts like the break part in the middle (compared to the original), but it's a very familiar song taken at a slightly slower place and it's a live performance with almost a dozen people playing, so I can cut them some slack. I think if I had been in the room, I would feel it a bit more than I do by watching from YT. It may wind some people up when they hear it, but when a group covers another artist's work (to whatever degree of success) at least they are keeping it alive.

The photos of my 3 Player basses have expired, so here they are again.

I had this one for a good while, then got fed up of trying to shoe-horn the case into the car. I hardly ever touched the guitar neck and eventually sold it. The problem I found was the difference between the guitar and bass parts when switching through a bass amp. I'd probably find it quite useful now. The bass was lovely to play.

I've sold a few things, including a WAL. I sold them because they had gone to the back of the class and I don't regret selling any of them really.

I always take a spare bass. Quite a few spare PA connecting cables, batteries. I don't take backup amplification since I got rid of my Blackstar Unity garbage.

The Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous box - finishing off their 21.10.77 Philadelphia show.

I had to think about this... I have only been asked to scrawl on something a couple of times. Usually something I've played on. With an old band, we used to play the RAFA Club in Wrexham, Wales. They had a lad there who came to watch all of the entertainment and he always got all of the signatures, every time we played. Not just us - everyone. He obviously had some disability issues and it was nice to please him.

Holiday in the sun Sex Pistols

You could get it restored to its original finish. Well worth doing if you love it.

In past years I have spent around the £2k mark each for two Warwicks. I also got a Ric 4003W (the walnut bass) from France for about £1400, a few hundred quid cheaper than in the UK, where they couldn't be found anyway. Would I ever spend that money again (even for the same basses)? No.

Correct. I've had my 12er truss rod tweaked once since 1994. An 8-er is certainly easier to record and amplify, but doesn't have the same big sound. Easier than a Rickenbacker 12 string guitar with a slotted headstock. As for the cost of 12er bass string sets, yep, they are expensive, but there are 12 strings in there. I haven't changed mine that much over the years, surprisingly, but I only change the strings when they start to die.

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? I think to do it as well as possible, it helps to be an enthusiast about the act concerned. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? I personally think that it is interesting to put your own stamp on other people's work in a tribute, but I also see the appeal of being a carbon copy. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? I dressed in a style that very vaguely approximated Jim Lea of Slade, when doing a tribute gig at a Slade convention once, years ago. I don't think I would ever personally dress up as someone from a band, except on stage. It's rather sad to do that. I know a couple of people who walk round dressed up in some form of imitation of their heroes. It's creepy. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) I've only done the odd tribute gig. My band does a cross section of covers and we dress as ourselves. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Not in the slightest. It has its market and its place. it keeps a lot of people happy. If people don't like it they can avoid it. There's room for everybody. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? I've met Jim Lea a number of times. I have never mentioned doing the tribute gig. When my guitarist and I met Francis Rossi, we mentioned doing a few of their songs and he was curious as to whether we were a tribute. We aren't. We just do a few of theirs. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Learning the songs properly is key. You can't really muck about and wing it. It just makes you look stupid. I have seen a couple of Slade tributes that rely on one person doing all of the main singer-lookalike thing and those bands, tbh, totally fail for me. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I couldn't be arsed doing it again. I was offered the bass job in a Slade tribute a few years ago. Too much trouble with other players. The Slade guitarists all thought they were Dave Hill. The players were all geographically remote and they never seemed to make a profit on gigs...

A decent bass is a decent bass, no matter what is written on the headstock.