Mickeyboro

Ditto - am playing a barn in distant Devon, must be mad! (As a dep, don't hit me...) Used to share rehearsal space with 999 in '79, a very tidy pop band - never thought of them as authentic punks but what did I know? Nearly got into a fight with Billy Idol for claiming Generation X sounded like a second rate Deep Purple! As I was a foot taller than him he chickened out.

Can't resist sharing this - not my own work (credit to a certain Rusell 'Sacko' Saxton) but I found it all too true. Apologies for rude words, too. THE 1-2-3 OF BANDS A '1' is the person who generally runs the bands, is either very creative or up his own arse, writes the bulk of the stuff, makes most of the decisions and generally sorts stuff out. The dominant figure. A control freak more often than not. Usually the singer or guitarist. Classic 1s-Rory Gallagher, Dio, Blackmore. A '2' is a similar personality but not quite as powerful a personality as the incumbent 1 and will therefore spend a lot of time, stress and energy trying to usurp him. It rarely works unless the one is so obnoxious the rest of the band hate him and defect to the 2. You can always spot a 2 in any band because they make solo albums. 1s have no need. '3's are the rank and file men, rhythm guitarists, bassists and drummers in the main but not always. The guys who just either go with the flow or plain don’t care and are just happy to be in a band and making money while the 1s and 2s give themselves hypertension and coronaries due to stress. 1s have no friends in the band UNLESS the band is a three piece (never larger) and the line-up consists of a 1 and two 3s or a one and a two in which case he has a mate in the three. If the band consists of 4 or more the 1 and 2 hate one another and the threes stick together in a little club with the roadies. The history of every rock band in the universe can be charted like so; 1 forms the band and recruits three members beside himself. For a while everything is rosy and for a short honeymoon period the band is going great, hes written lots of songs and gets the band to learn them. They seem happy with the direction and may play a few gigs. Unbeknown to him however, he has recruited a 2, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Sooner or later, depending on the instrument played the 2 will reveal himself by the innocent phrase 'I want to try this song I’ve just written'. It will be awful or will be utterly unlike the stuff that 1 writes but the 2 will insist. This is where the fatal turn of events happens. If the 1 refuses then he has made a deadly enemy. If he acquiesces he has opened the gates to the barbarian hordes who will rip up his cosy little world, stamp on it, sh*t on it, piss on it and then stamp on it some more. 1 is now f***ed. Every rehearsal will degenerate into a slanging match with number 2 until 1 either tells 2 to get f***ed off or 2 leaves which takes YEARS to happen during which 1 and 2 will age three times the rate they should. Nothing will get done. The trouble with 2s is that because they are also creative and dynamic personalities they are often pivotal members of the band and really the 1 cant be as successful without them unless possessed of true genius. 1 will then recruit a replacement who MUST be a three. Must must must must be. Trouble is 3s often have little to contribute and sooner or later 1 dries up and the band goes arse upwards. Really 1s need to employ people rather than be in bands with others because there is always a 2 waiting unseen like a fag end in a half empty can of lager. Threes don’t have to be weaker personalities - often they are the most intelligent and always the most well adjusted people in the band. They know a good thing when they see it and see the fate of those who challenge Caesar. The sole example of a band with several 1s that lasted anytime is Queen. If you look at the writing credits for Queen stuff its always one man wrote a song, few are collaborations if any. As four intelligent and astute men they realised they had something good and agreed no doubt to record each others stuff and play only the hits live. A pure business arrangement that benefited all. Though it may be significant the bassist has nothing to do with the current activities of May and Taylor....

A band I dep with recently told me they prefer my playing to the incumbent's. But I would consider it bad form to try and get his gig, just as I am sure they have no intention of offering it me. At the end of the day, unless it's your living, there should be a bit of honour among musicians.

I did just that with a fake SHURE SM58. Many thanks to Pete at Stoke's Academy of Sound for helping me get a PayPal refund!

Reminds me of the mould Todd Rundgren used to use inside of a refrigerated flight case. He stuck a guitar neck in it, came out for the encore and smashed the 'popsickle' guitar' on the stage to the amazement of all!

I'd back up everything Michael says. But then I would, wouldn't I! Welcome to the club, mate.

Isn't it nice when this sort of thing happens? Warm, fuzzy, etc.

I busked my way through this a few weeks ago - we had a Hammond player sitting in so dug out all the classics like HS, Hush, Blind Man, Into The Fire. It was like careering downhill on a sledge - exhilarating. All of which I realis is no help to you...

[quote name='OldGit' post='533154' date='Jul 5 2009, 05:16 PM']Just a poorly mimed and truncated bit of All Right now from TOTP I think. They all looked bored and as if they'd been told off by their mums.[/quote] God, that's just the image I've been trying to cultivate for years. Thanks for the tip!

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='533036' date='Jul 5 2009, 02:25 PM']And with so much choice these days why do so many people pay over the odds for vintage Fenders?[/quote] I might have agreed until I played a rare gig last night with my 1971 Pre (in avatar). The guitarist was creaming himself over the tone compared with my other mainstay which is a lot newer. Yet he didn't know the difference (both sunburst precisions). Weird.

I blame McCartney and Andy Fraser! But Fenders still rule.

I loved the one i had but being a fat b*****d found the lack of belly cut a pain. Kept scraping my right arm...

Jermaine, surely?

We do a snatch of the VF version in the middle of Robin Trower's 'Little Bit Of Sympathy'. Sounds an odd idea but it works.

Nice to see my old bass getting a bit of exposure...

If you need to, give me a shout. We're pretty local and apart from 25th July are pretty free next month... It's the second band in my sig.