Are bassists strange?

[thebeat]

Been browsing Talkbass for want of something better to do and have noticed that they have twee little clubs for everything from Rickenbackers to tatoos. It's like everyone has to start a club or they're no-one

I think this is very strange behaviour and does little to disavow me of the opinion that the majority of yanks are living on another planet, never mind another continent. If you really want to be scared at this time of night, go and have a look at the thread showing the mad bastards playing....some of these guys are seriously into themselves...some nice basses though.

Is this further evidence that all bass players are a little strange? Or is just further evidence that yanks are strange?

[doctor_of_the_bass]

I'm strange!

I'm still waiting to reclaim my leotard/tights selection from fellow pro bassist Mike `leggy' Brooks! Come on Mike, I miss 'em!

Never visited Talkbass but will have to have a look. My only real experience of the States was a typical holiday in Florida some years ago and whilst everyone was awfully polite etc, there was something `missing' - very hard to put into words; nothing sinister but it felt very different. I did visit Bass Central and was basically ignored by most of the staff (except Grasshopper!) who were fawning round some guy who was buying a Fender P - he was a terrible player but he looked minted so they gave me the cold shoulder (must have been the string vest, white socks and sandals!) - had some lovely gear there though!

Nick

[Hamster]

People from different cultures are - different. Doesn't mean they're wrong or right or strange. They may be [i]strange[/i] compared to our comparatively small life experience. My work has meant me coming into contact with people from a huge number of cultures, and I find it absolutely facinating!

[budget bassist]

I enjoy being a member or the EBMM family I suppose it's just little ways to join in on different things and meet different people. You remember the cliques at school surely? Besides, it's no different from bassists having a separate forum to guitarists and the like...

[thebeat]

[quote name='Hamster' post='248221' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:19 AM']People from different cultures are - different. Doesn't mean they're wrong or right or strange. They may be [i]strange[/i] compared to our comparatively small life experience. My work has meant me coming into contact with people from a huge number of cultures, and I find it absolutely facinating![/quote]



Well I've worked with a lot of people from other 'cultures' as you put it and yes, they can be fascinating. On the other hand, Americans and i mean the man on the street, not artists/writers/musos etc, seem disconnected from reality in some ways. They live in one of the largest and most advanced countries on the world but the majority have never been outside the state they were born in...so i suppose they are going to be disconnected somewhat if all they know about the world is what CNN tells them. I'm not saying per se that Americans are bad, well not as bad as the Serbs anyway...just that they're strange and no amount of semantic tomfoolery is gonna change that....nosirreee bob.

[MythSte]

I still want to start a "Basschat Steve Club" Im a Stephen, and ive messaged five steves in the last two weeks!

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='thebeat' post='248236' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:49 AM']Well I've worked with a lot of people from other 'cultures' as you put it and yes, they can be fascinating. On the other hand, Americans and i mean the man on the street, not artists/writers/musos etc, seem disconnected from reality in some ways. They live in one of the largest and most advanced countries on the world but the majority have never been outside the state they were born in...so i suppose they are going to be disconnected somewhat if all they know about the world is what CNN tells them. I'm not saying per se that Americans are bad, well not as bad as the Serbs anyway...just that they're strange and no amount of semantic tomfoolery is gonna change that....nosirreee bob.[/quote]


surely you could level that at any culture including your own?
The view of the world/culture you have will be formed from/in your own culture.
So the americans will have certain cultural predjuces we will find strange. some we would even say wrong.
But then so do we, I mean we live in one of the largest and most advanced economic communities on the world but the majority of us have never been outside the EU (and when we do go abroad its in safe packaged ways)...so i suppose they are going to be disconnected somewhat if all they know about the world is what the BBC tells us.
when we get down to it we are all strange to everything but ourselves.


(I also have no reason and evidence to suggest the Serbs as a race are any better or worse than anyother group of people)

[thebeat]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='248241' date='Jul 26 2008, 02:09 AM'](I also have no reason and evidence to suggest the Serbs as a race are any better or worse than anyother group of people)[/quote]


Other than their shifty eyes and propensity for starting civil and world wars...neither have i.


Anyway...back to the question in hand: are bassists, particularly those of the North American persuasion, strange?

[budget bassist]

[quote name='thebeat' post='248247' date='Jul 26 2008, 03:23 AM']Anyway...back to the question in hand: are bassists, particularly those of the North American persuasion, strange?[/quote]
I can be a bit strange, but probably nothing to do with being a bassist, i just have a very strange sense of humour/wacky personality.

[bubinga5]

Uh!! i hope no Americans are istening..Luke you so true. to an extent, but for sure even the young ones in America know what's going on. Im damn sure they dont listen to the BBC.

I sure that there are strange people everywhere, regardless of what country they came from. They probably think im strange.

[Hamster]

[quote name='thebeat' post='248236' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:49 AM']On the other hand, Americans and i mean the man on the street, not artists/writers/musos etc, seem disconnected from reality in some ways. They live in one of the largest and most advanced countries on the world but the majority have never been outside the state they were born in...[/quote]

So you mean Americans are like North Koreans in some ways?

Edited July 26, 2008 by Hamster

[stingrayfan]

[quote name='thebeat' post='248211' date='Jul 26 2008, 12:57 AM']Been browsing Talkbass for want of something better to do and have noticed that they have twee little clubs for everything from Rickenbackers to tatoos. It's like everyone has to start a club or they're no-one [/quote]
All a bit cliquey for my liking. You can bet that those who own the best basses and belong to the most clubs have never done a gig for anyone else but their "Mom".

[Oscar South]

99% of the planet belongs to one culture, any variations throughout the world are just minor regional aesthetic differences. I doubt any business would frequently come into contact with any of the remaining 1% of cultures which we haven't yet wiped out, unless of course your name is Indiana Jones.

[Steve_nottm]

[quote name='ste_m3' post='248237' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:52 AM']I still want to start a "Basschat Steve Club" Im a Stephen, and ive messaged five steves in the last two weeks! [/quote]

I'm in

[thebeat]

[quote name='Hamster' post='248277' date='Jul 26 2008, 09:15 AM']So you mean Americans are like North Koreans in some ways?[/quote]


Only if they're bass playing North Koreans...

...what got me thinking about this was one of my mates, who plays guitard, said that i would fit right in when i told him i was gonna start playing bass, cos all bas players are weirdos. Now,[b][i] i [/i][/b]wouldn't say that i'm [i]weird[/i]...but then an again, i'm of the belief that anyone who calls himself 'crazy' or 'weird' something or other, isn't weird at all...so does this in itself me make me weird? Or just confused?

Anyone fancy joining the bass player called 'Al' club?

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='248299' date='Jul 26 2008, 10:12 AM']99% of the planet belongs to one culture, any variations throughout the world are just minor regional aesthetic differences. I doubt any business would frequently come into contact with any of the remaining 1% of cultures which we haven't yet wiped out, unless of course your name is Indiana Jones.[/quote]Uhh? What culture is that. Do you mean humanity??

[Oscar South]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='248354' date='Jul 26 2008, 12:09 PM']Uhh? What culture is that. Do you mean humanity??[/quote]

No, but one of the notable traits of our global culture is the inability (or difficulty we have) to differentiate between culture and humanity.

Edited July 26, 2008 by Oscar South

[OldGit]

[quote name='thebeat' post='248236' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:49 AM']Well I've worked with a lot of people from other 'cultures' as you put it and yes, they can be fascinating. On the other hand, Americans and i mean the man on the street, not artists/writers/musos etc, seem disconnected from reality in some ways. They live in one of the largest and most advanced countries on the world but the majority have never been outside the state they were born in...so i suppose they are going to be disconnected somewhat if all they know about the world is what CNN tells them. I'm not saying per se that Americans are bad, well not as bad as the Serbs anyway...just that they're strange and no amount of semantic tomfoolery is gonna change that....nosirreee bob.[/quote]

Have you spoken to many "man in the street" Brits?

They go out on Saturday night in weird clothes to get drunk and fight with knives and get pregnant, buy the Sun, and the News of the World, and Hello magazine.
They watch Big Brother, neighbours and Coronation Street, think a tricked up Saxo is the world's best thing, are planning to go and live in Spain 'cos this country has been ruined by immigration, thought George W Bush was right to invade Iraq to fight terrorism (I know, I had a "War is not the answer" sticker on my car. White Van Man was very vocal about it, [i]before[/i] the lack of exit plan and loads of Brits coming home in body bags... )

Brits may have been to Europe on holiday but that's about as far as halfway across one state in the US, and when they get there they get drunk for 2 weeks and shout at teh indigenous population in English.

Yup, Brits are weird, even bass playing Brits, and about 50% of US people are perfectly normal, even Talkbass members.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='ste_m3' post='248237' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:52 AM']I still want to start a "Basschat Steve Club" Im a Stephen, and ive messaged five steves in the last two weeks! [/quote]
On Bassworld, we ran a poll for the most common first name and Steve was a winner by a long way. I think we had about 9 Steves then, but it might have changed since. In my experience, making generalisations about any culture is iffy, particularly in the case of the USA. Some people have a hard time getting to grips with the overwhelming diversity of the place.

I've stated that I don't generally like American culture but I also count a number of Americans as my friends. I even worked (briefly) for an American company this year and met all sorts from the very self centred to the selfless. As an aside, I don't think any country or culture has a monopoly on assholes, they crop up everywhere.

Probably the country I've had greatest difficulty with is England. People are too quick to judge, they jump to conclusions too easily, can be complacent to the point of apathy, can be cold and distant, blah blah. Having said that, most of my experience has been in the south where I was born...

[OutToPlayJazz]

Some of us are a little eccentric, but I suppose that goes for musicians in general. We're all wired a little differently from the norm!

As for TalkBass and it's little clubs, they're Americans. 'Nuff said!

Edited July 26, 2008 by OutToPlayJazz

[fifeq]

[quote name='OldGit' post='248370' date='Jul 26 2008, 12:37 PM']Have you spoken to many "man in the street" Brits?

They go out on Saturday night in weird clothes to get drunk and fight with knives and get pregnant, buy the Sun, and the News of the World, and Hello magazine.
They watch Big Brother, neighbours and Coronation Street, think a tricked up Saxo is the world's best thing, are planning to go and live in Spain 'cos this country has been ruined by immigration, thought George W Bush was right to invade Iraq to fight terrorism (I know, I had a "War is not the answer" sticker on my car. White Van Man was very vocal about it, [i]before[/i] the lack of exit plan and loads of Brits coming home in body bags... )

Brits may have been to Europe on holiday but that's about as far as halfway across one state in the US, and when they get there they get drunk for 2 weeks and shout at teh indigenous population in English.

Yup, Brits are weird, even bass playing Brits, and about 50% of US people are perfectly normal, even Talkbass members.[/quote]

+1

You can tell the same about all nation. Everywhere you can find twats and nice people.

[Dread Bass]

Im only member of one club on talkbass "the Cream Pie Club" oh yeah

[Hamster]

[quote name='ste_m3' post='248237' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:52 AM']I still want to start a "Basschat Steve Club" Im a Stephen, and ive messaged five steves in the last two weeks! [/quote]

As long as it's open to those who are 'Steve' to their regular weekday friends and workmates but are 'Stephanie' at the weekend.

[Happy Jack]

I always try to avoid being judgmental about other people, other cultures, but I don't always succeed. For a while I tended to dismiss Americans-on-the-web in general because, whatever the subject, posts always seemed to come back eventually to their new semi-automatic sub-machinegun or similar.

Then one day someone started a topic on my favourite UK biking website (where I'd been "club treasurer" for years) - [i]What Do You Collect?[/i]

The overwhelming response, from something like half the most frequent posters on that site, involved deadly weapons ... knives & bayonets, coshes & clubs, all sorts of obscure but very nasty things (spiked knuckle-dusters and the like) that you could take with you to the pub or club.

I thought about it for a few days, then resigned as treasurer and handed the bank account over to someone else. I haven't been back on that site since.

Very sad story, and completely true.

My point? You have absolutely NO IDEA who you are sharing cyberspace with most of the time. Sneer at those funny foreigners if you want, but you would probably be appalled if you could interact with [b][i]SOME[/i][/b] of the people you think you "know" in the UK.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='248425' date='Jul 26 2008, 02:10 PM']My point? You have absolutely NO IDEA who you are sharing cyberspace with most of the time. Sneer at those funny foreigners if you want, but you would probably be appalled if you could interact with [b][i]SOME[/i][/b] of the people you think you "know" in the UK.[/quote]

Wise words!

But, having said that, all the Basschaters I've met in person over the last couple of years have been great company, even if we are all members of the 'strange bass players' club...