Gasman

Honest Injun / InGen? De quoi parlez-vous?

We were in the bar at Mere, we used the alley to dump the bags and cases. The pub in Shaftesbury was the Two Brewers - last year we played the farewell night for the two previous proprietors who are now running another pub in Ilfracombe, the new landlords are still feeling their way, I think. The location of the Marnhull RBL is weird, middle of nowhere, Deliverance vibe...

Here's a brief catch-up on Mustang Sally's gigs since our Jan-Feb rest period. First off we were asked to play a Sunday afternoon gig (3pm) mid-March at a pub in Shaftesbury that had recently changed hands. Rain stopped us setting up outside as originally requested (thank gawd - it was ruddy cold too!) so we played in the bar to a maximum 'crowd' of about 25 people. I can't imagine why the new landlord thought it would work, but we got a paid rehearsal and a few compliments from the punters out of it. Next up we played the Mere social club, a tiny venue with the acoustics of a concrete prison-block shower room. More punters this time but I didn't enjoy it, had great difficulty trying to hear what I was playing; the miked bass drum was interacting and clashing with my bass in the PA mix, in the end I disconnected the line-out from my amp and played old-skool direct to the room - better but still not happy with it. Most recently played at the Marnhull British Legion - fabulous acoustics (real wood floor) perfect mix, good crowd, and as compiler of the set list I 'accidently' forgot to include Sweet Home Albania - result! Not exactly Glasto-level gigging, but they all count on my admission scorecard to Bass-Heaven in the afterlife, where I hope to be hitting the frets alongside Bruce, McVie, Nilorius and all the other bass legends...

I would thank my cat for finally proving that my bass looks much better claw-worn and reward him with some more fillet steak...

We were supposed to finish at 11pm but the 'one more song' brigade persuaded the singer to keep going until just before midnight. I packed up my gear while pretending that I could hear what one of of the drunken punters was shouting at me (I'd been deafened by the guitar amp on our tiny pub 'stage' in a window recess) by nodding and agreeing with him about everything; he looked surprised - he was probably telling me that I was a truly 'king terrible bass player. As the gents was swimming in p33 I crept out into the car park, found a dark corner and pi55ed into the bushes - alas, it was up a slope and my efforts flowed back down to kiss my shoes good night... Said cheerio to the other guys, loaded up, fired up the Jeep, turned on a Peter F Hamilton sci-fi audio book, cracked a can of Red Bull and munched a Yorkie bar - enough caffeine and sugar to see me through the 55 mile drive home in the rain without falling asleep at the wheel (I did that once, crashing the Transit on Bodmin Moor at 2am after a Penzance gig with my London band., not a good end to a 20 hour day..) Got home at 1:45am totally wired, cup of tea and Marmite on toast, sat with cat on lap in lounge watching DVD of 'Apocalypse Now' until 3:30am with subtitles so as not wake Mrs G ; fell asleep then was woken again at 5:30 when said cat wanted his first breakfast and litter box clearing out - life can be so exciting, rock'n'roll all the way!

My current favourite is the line from Echo Beach, main riff with and without arpeggios, thunderous descents, stops, all played at warp speed...

Given the many hundreds of basses for sale on this site and at genuine dealers (eg Andy Baxter) why take the risk?

If it's a last chance way to continue playing, why not give it a go? A high stool rather than a kitchen chair can look very elegant!

Probably just Dog...

Thank you everyone for your kind words and thoughts - it has really helped me get through the day...

Last night’s gig was one I never anticipated, wanted, but felt compelled and eventually pleased to do. My son died three weeks ago suddenly from a second heart attack a week after having stents for the first one, seems the surgeon did half a job. Julian was 46, three kids, fitness fanatic, my best friend, top DJ and drummer Today was his funeral. His widow had booked an acoustic duo for the wake in the local pub. However, the girl singer had to leave early for some reason; the landlord knew I played and pointed me out to the remaining guitarist/singer suggesting I might help, so as my gear was in my car I played bass and sang with him for the second set. It was good distraction therapy, busking 15 numbers I’d never played before with a guy I’d never met. Despite this glimmer of light in a dark, dark day I’ll never be able to rationalise why I’m still here at 74 to write this while he will never read it. Parents shouldn’t have to bury their children...

...or he might get his Tiffany twisted...

I’m impressed that there are ANY opportunities for western style music in your locale, must be like pushing water uphill...

....oh yes, and Charles Berthold!

Got it in one (or should that be six) strings...

Thread title says it all, but of course Your Marmite May Vary...

Please tell me - apart from playing on Youtube - what is his musical career?

Ah, Kingston! I went to school there (Tiffins) and used to loiter around the music shop by the bus station before getting the 406 bus home to Ewell. While up at Oxford (68-71) I waited for my grant money to arrive in my bank account and then dashed back to the music shop by Kingston market to spend it on s/h band essentials, including a lovely Marshall 50 for £45 and a Selmer Goliath 1x18 for £25, then a bright red Marshall 4x12 slope front, good times! The main music shop in Oxford (Russell Acott) was more for classical and jazz instrument lovers, like going into a museum...

Just my own opinion, but isn’t Mr Berthould, genius technician as he may be, a self-promoting PITA and the antithesis of what bands actually need in a bass player?

This idiot thinks there’s a man works down the chip shop thinks he’s Alfie...

I have had a fair few brushes with the famous but not much in the way of their magic-dust seems to have settled upon me! 1. 10 gig tour backing Ricky Valance (Tell Laura..) in the 80s 2. 8 gig tour backing Keith Harris and Orville the duck (OMG!) in the 80s 3. Joined the White Hor Airmen (a London Temperance 7/Bonzo type outfit) where I played sax alongside Rod Slater (ex Bonzos) for several months. We had a gig downstairs at the 100 Club and ex-Bonzo Viv Stanshall had agreed to join in - we went to his house and had a chat and a runthrough of the numbers, but he didn't show up! 4. One WH Airmen gig at he Grey Horse Kingston found jazz legend Ken Colyer with his cornet ready to play New Orleans stuff with another band, but he'd got his dates wrong and he was on his own. We invited him to play with us (very 30s dance band stuff with 'comedy') - he did and it went very well, tho' he looked a bit askance at Rod and I doing the Paul Whiteman-style sax harmonies... 5. Joined the house band 'Brix Six' - classic Bix jazz residency in the Bricklayers Arms Brentford. One night in walked Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman - he played piano with us for half an hour (we didn't do 'Something in the Air' - I wish we had...) 6. My edgy modern jazz group 'Moebius Band' that I formed while up at Oxford featured an amazing keyboard player (Dave Jarrett) who soon after joined prog-rockers 'Quiet Sun'. based in Dulwich. Their guitarist was to-be Roxy Man Phil Manzanera. My brother and I jammed with Dave, Phil and others for Mr Manzanera's birthday party. Healso helped mix a studio session my other Oxford Band recorded in Tower Studios London. 7. Quiet Sun's drummer was Charles Hayward - phenomenal player who I last heard still gigs as a solo percussonist mainly in Europe. He and I spent 6 months trying to get a QS follow-on band together after Phil joined Roxy , we auditioned many musicians but I think our musical genre was, well, a bit far-out for most, especially the bass + lead guys from the Foundations! Try the Quiet Sun album for a taster... 8. Depped for the Temperance Seven a couple of times when they had West Country gigs that their regular saxist(s) couldn't do 9. Honked a bit of sax on Jonah Louie's 'On a Saturday night' - well mixed down at the end! 10. Played in the jazz band that features in a crucial scene in the middle of David Essex's 'That'll be the Day' film - I'm stage right with a ridiculous beard... 11. My London band 'Sweeney' supported 10cc at the Scunthorpe Baths Hall in 1972 I think, and also supported the Pioneers at the RAF base in Northallerton. Their lead singer fell out with their two other frontmen and hitched a lift with us sitting on top of the PA in our freezing-cold diesel Transit to get back to London. The oil pump broke 15 miles down the road stranding us completely - he only had his satin stage gear on, it was -1 degrees. He phoned for a taxi and our guitarist abandoned us and went back to the Smoke with him... are you surprised? Rest of that story another time.. . 12. Lastly, the lead guitarist with my current band is Francis Lickerish, late of prog-rockers The Enid and composer of some amazingly good epic symphonic rock albums based upon the Arthurian legends - worth a Google and listen. Right, I'll STFU now...

Agadoo, the Birdie song, Una Paloma Blanca, I could go on but I need to put my head under the cold tap...

Me too, I spent many hours learning the four original songs a band in Bournemouth (40 miles away) sent me, did well at the audition but lost out to a bloke they already knew who lived down the road from them, saying that I lived too far away. Actually that was no problem for me as I joined another band a few weeks later (also 40 miles away!) and I was able to book the originals guys to play at a local festival I help run cos I really liked their music. Win-win all round?

Isn’t it about time we de-funded the Apostrophe Police for being a total PITA?