I remember reading in an old interview that both he and his sister played percussion (Latin stylee I think?...) in the live band with Archaos Circus (that mad Circus where they juggled chainsaws and other mad max-like shenanigans) and toured with them for a couple of years...
His inner sense of rhythm undoubtedly would have been bang on point before he even picked up a bass. He must have run away with the crazy Circus as soon as he left school! π
Whatever. He was simply a very young and gifted supernatural talent. A one off. π
People like that don't seem to stay in the game long unfortunately. They have something that can't be tempered.
JK played the game, until the game eventually played him (imho and that).