Do you tell your work colleagues that you play bass?

[KingBollock]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1355102569' post='1894185']
"Bewail the man who moves away from a brewery town"
old jungle saying
[/quote]
Actually, the truth is, while I was born in Burton it was only because that was where the closest hospital was. We actually lived over the county border in Derbyshire and moved to Warwickshire when I was 6.

Someone should collect up some of my most recent posts, you could write my biography with them.

Edited December 10, 2012 by KingBollock

[Bassman Sam]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1355093375' post='1894032']
Yeah, that was immature, and you were a fool for not using Biohazard instead. At the very least you could've played 24-7 Spyz!

Nice story! Funny stuff, stuff like that. I've pulled a lot of it in my days. Problem was when the situation didn't allow for a correction, and people would still believe it years later, like when I'd so-called "impregnated a sixteen year old American school girl in Paris", and my best friend's mother didn't wanna know about me for a very long time, coz she would [i]not[/i] believe the truth, but [i]would[/i] believe the lie.


Bassman Sam, you do need to lighten up a bit, "opinion" or not. You weren't there. You don't have the complete picture.


best,
bert
[/quote]

Thanks for your input.

As I said, others views may differ. No worries.

[mentalextra]

I keep it on the down low. From my own experience there are two things people always say they wished they'd done, learn an instrument or another language. I have done both and I find that I get more negative comments than positive. Nothing "hard core" just a combination of disbelief and sarcasm. I have found that work colleagues that know little or nothing about how music is made have the biggest opinions on me!

Edited December 10, 2012 by mentalextra

[Geek99]

I have a closest of marlowdk s jazz bass as my wallpaper, and I often bring my bass in (in a gig bag) when I have a lunchtime lesson. So they probably know.
One did say "have you brought in a guitar?" Answer "no, it's a bass"

[Steve G]

yeah mine know, I lug my bass to and from work everyday and usually use one of the conference rooms at lunch time for practice. I do keep it fairly low key though.

My sales manager insists on calling me Elvis whenever he sees me with the bass though

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1355133478' post='1894352']
I have a closest of marlowdk s jazz bass as my wallpaper, and I often bring my bass in (in a gig bag) when I have a lunchtime lesson. So they probably know.
One did say "have you brought in a guitar?" Answer "no, it's a bass"
[/quote]
Answer should be "Yes, it's a bass guitar".

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Go back to the mid '8os. Me with loads of hair, metal t shirts daily ,jeans etc. in the workplace.
I stood outa little(it was an advertising co. where I worked)
Got talking to various people ( some are my best mates now) . I n that building was: keyboard players singers 1 superb guitarist and me.
We formed a couple of birthday bands.we used to work around the corner from Denmark street and were always in there.

When you go for job interviews. ,people find our anyway.
People in this co. I work know I play bass
When I started working as a temp. I couldn't work late on tues due to band practice.

People find out anyhow in conversation. I guess

[Geek99]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1355134623' post='1894369']

Answer should be "Yes, it's a bass guitar".
[/quote]
Sorry - I disagree . Different instrument played differently for different reasons giving a different sound in a different role.

[Norris]

They know I play in a band as I have to keep swapping my on-call shifts around gigs.

I'm also one of the few blokes amongst the many hundreds at our head office that has hair longer than 2mm - bit of a giveaway

I don't talk about it much though, except for the occassional "You'll never guess what happened the other night..."

[fumps]

They all know at work.
Because I work in manufacturing I work with a fair cross section of people. Warehouse guys, chemist's, production satff & engineers.
They all ask me about music & my love for it. The best thing about this was that a supervisor in the warehouse (He's in his late 50's) about learning guitar & he asked me if he was "too old" I told him not to be daft & music is about just getting up & having a go. This was an insperation to him & now he's a full on guitarist. he plays gigs with his mates & loves his new direction. He's even cut down his drinking to more than 50% than he was before.

[Clarky72]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354995377' post='1892846']
Basically as the title says. Do you keep it on the down low, or have you acquired superhero status. Also, do you cringe when someone fetches guitar hero into work for a laugh!
[/quote]

I can't cringe at that really... that's my job! (and yeah, they all know I play bass... too many basschat trades deliveries for no-one to know!! ;p)

[12stringbassist]

People know I do it, but I don't make a fuss about it anymore.

Why?
Early January, a couple of years ago, I had the misfortune to be off sick for a couple of days, midweek. The band had nothing booked on the weekend either side, so it didn't affect the band at all and I wasn't going to work while off sick - a sacking offence.
Some ugly fat ball of lard took it upon herself to go round the floor I worked on, waving a band giglist, saying how could I do all these gigs if I was off sick? Pure spiteful bile. Someone could actually have taken her seriously.

I've learned to keep it quiet, because there's always some jealous and talentless f---er who is more than willing to spoil it for you and is cheesed off when they know you always do a tax return so there's no point in bubbling you.

[Wylie]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354995377' post='1892846']
Basically as the title says. Do you keep it on the down low, or have you acquired superhero status. Also, do you cringe when someone fetches guitar hero into work for a laugh!
[/quote]

Yes; and most of them look at me as if they feel sorry for me for not playing a 'real' instrument. Obviously I need either new work mates or a different instrument.

[icastle]

I have so many 'unusual pastimes' that it's always seemed easier not to mention them to work colleagues.

They generally have enough to worry about without me overloading their heads.

[gapiro]

In my work environment, it's everyone ripping into each other

So yeah they know i play bass. But I am always referred to (mockingly ) as failed guitarist etc

The director of development last year got a group of us together and we did about 5 songs at the company summer party. I still get the piss ripped but at the time they did acknowledge I was actually "quite good"

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Yep, I was writing out some scales on cards yesterday , they've seen my hoffner when it arrived and a few books on my desk. .. And in my last place I couldn't resist writing Elvis has left the building on the attendance white board when I left :-D

[gjones]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1355000757' post='1892924']
Oh, one time i plugged in my iPod and played rage against the machine. I then told them that it was my band, and i wrote the song. They all said it was good and they would listen to it if it was available to buy.

Fools.
[/quote]

I think that's very funny. It would be even funnier if you let them listen to a HUGE band like Led Zep or The Beatles on your ipod and they thought it was you.

[BassTractor]

Yup! They must know, coz my basses litterally are in my shop.

Was kinda taken aback, slighly shocked actually, that one of them would express he'd never thought that about me (as in: that I'd choose a bass rather than a real instrument like a guitar). Not joking either, see.
WtF?
And this is a guy who is in bands, and knows (should know) what the different instruments do.

My only guess is he's used to root note bassists. Else I can hardly imagine what goes on in his head.

Anyway,
best,
bert

[gjones]

Yes but the only ones who were bothered were the other musicians at my workplace. Very few of the remainder know what a bass is .......and are even less interested in finding out.

[Geek99]

Only the other musicians, and also the guitarists.

Although the call centre director surprised me recently by commenting on the "nice 62 reissue jazz" on my avatar.

[SpaceChick]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1363361043' post='2011835']
Only the other musicians, and also the guitarists.

[/quote]

I do have to say that other people in bands I talk to far more about my music.... We have around 500 staff.... And I know 1 other guy learning the bass.. A guitarist (who also fronts a rock band) and 3 keyboard players.... Our "water cooler" moments always evolve around music.

Then I have 5 guys where our conversations are around cycling.

I don't seem to have anything in common with the ladies

[Dave Vader]

Yep. they also know I play a bunch of other instruments and regularly appear at local events pissed as a twat and singing terrible songs with my acoustic guitar.
It is a very small town.
They also allow me to take very cheeky time off for gigs they know are important to me, so it's all good.

To be fair, looking like I do, people generally ask if I am a musician as soon as they meet me, it would be stupid to say no, especially at my age.

[stoker]

Most people at work know and nobody seems to mind. Helps that there are some other musicians there too.

[WhoNeedsYou]

They all know I play (its in my cv) My boss plays piano to her rabbits just for pleasure when she's drinking wine of a night time.
She also can't comprehend how I can play an intrument & yet not read sheet music.
Yesterday we were so quiet in the shop she set about teaching me "all cows eat grass."
It will come in handy one day.

Edited March 16, 2013 by WhoNeedsYou

[WhoNeedsYou]

I forgot to mention the "so how many strings has yours got again?" moments of hilarity!