Ever been sacked????

[discreet]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1373059436' post='2133420']...as a slap-head I did not stand a chance...[size=4][/quote][/size]
[size=4]Sorry, but this made me laugh. [/size]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1373059436' post='2133420']I was fired by e-mail, about a month later I had another e-mail asking me to re join the band.[/quote]

What was your reply..?

Edited July 5, 2013 by discreet

[Telebass]

Yup, that's an answer I'd like to hear!

[martin8708]

I politely declined the offer . ( no need for nastyness , the Island is a small place )
I'm probably a bit old fashioned , but It's a bit like your girlfriend / wife sleeping with some one else , and then saying lets get back together again .
I would rather hang onto a small shred of dignity , than go back to a band with my tail between my legs .

As we were practicing at some ones house , I was using my Micromark , I just never got round to telling them I had a Tube800 head and Vanderkley 2x12 cab as my main rig.

[alyctes]

I've had the band-split-and-reform-without-me thing. I wasn't impressed. (The "new" band played a vanity gig (leader's birthday) and vanished. Not my problem.)

[alstocko]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1373033357' post='2133039']
I've also been sacked so someone could get their "best mate" in.
[/quote]
Happened to me the other week. Thing is, I wasn't a huge fan of the music (Wayne Krantz etc.) so it could be worse! The fact that it was done by text was a poor show, lost a lot of respect for a good friend. Hopefully he learns from the experience as much as I have.

Just move on, find something else new and exciting. It's what I've done!

[alstocko]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373041390' post='2133156']
Musicians are a bunch of farking iceholes.
[/quote]
You always could turn a phrase

[Cat Burrito]

When I was in Sixth Form (1990) my band felt I was hanging out with my girlfriend too much so split the band, only to reform very quickly in a new band without me. It hurt like hell at the time but we've all been great mates for years since. Pretty rotten thing to do but I wasn't pulling my weight. I've never been sacked since and ironically from that band I am the only one who is still playing and inadvertently I think it gave me my drive and determination for the subsequent bands I have been in

[bigash]

i joined a band who had just started out. The young Singer/ Songwriter thought he was going to be the next Bob Dylan. After a few rehersals it was obvious they were not going anywhere, but i carried on as a couple of mates were in the band and it was a good laugh.

After a friday night rehersal we decide to go out and have a few beers as a band bonding session. Well a few beers turned into a lot of beers. As the company grew including Bobs Mother the party was in full swing.

Anyway at the end of the night me and Bobs Mother bonded literally. The next afternoon when i woke up i found i had a text from Bob saying i was no longer in the band. I still havn't got to the bottom of why he sent the text.

[discreet]

[quote name='bigash' timestamp='1373105940' post='2133732']I still haven't got to the bottom of why he sent the text.[/quote]

No, that's a mystery right enough. Incomprehensible.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1373032425' post='2133023']
[b]He doubled the figure and put a few more thou on it...[i]and the accountant wrote out the new cheque for that figure without batting an eyelid...
Calm as you like...[/i][/b]

I don't know whether that is a good way or bad way.. but again the band leader was nowwhere near doing it face to face.
[/quote]

Sounds too easy. Bet hes still kicking hjmself thinking he shoud have asked for more.

Yep, text sucks as a way of saying goodbye, I'd be offended, so would most people.

Only been sacked from one band, and that was cos I had injured my left arm and couldnt play for a while. They werent going anywhere and split not long after anyway. But I have been in a few bands that split up and reformed without me...lol.

In my 'other life' I lost count of the day jobs I been sacked from years ago, and I've been self employed for donkeys years. I've had to sack a fair few as well, Its never easy, even when you dont like the person, and they are rubbish at the job etc. but I'd never not do it face to face, thats just cowardice.

[Tankdave]

As per a previous posters comments.

"I've also been sacked so someone could get their "best mate" in."

"They were all bastards anyway."

[Painy]

Never been sacked myself but did have to sack the keyboard player in a previous band for constantly being too much of a prima donna! He'd got himself in a spot of trouble and ended up with a tag round his ankle and a kerfew which meant he wasn't allowed out of his house until 9.00PM so was always late for gigs. The final straw was when one night he turned up 30 minutes after we'd started playing and in a foul mood. Spent the whole of the rest of the gig trying to play angry (hilarious sight on keys!) and then had a massive strop when we finished. Even then we had the decency to tell him to his face that it wasn't working out!

[Stance]

In 20 years of playing professionally I´ve been sacked and also had to fire this or that member.

Either way, and since its a really small world (at least here in Portugal) I´ve always tried to do the best thing when it came to fire someone, because you never know when you have to work with that person again in another musical situation.

I also think it has to do with the way you´ve been educated-I´ve always been someone that likes to go straight to the point and to deal with any type of situation face to face, so firing anyone by text is definitelly out of my equation!

Also, don´t let yourself think that you´re the problem-maybe the band was just full of themselves, so be glad you´re not part of a bunch of wannabees who have never had a gig anyway...

You can do a lot better!


And very important-you´re always a bass player! Don´t let yourself think the opposite-you don´t need to be in a band to be a musician-use that time off to prepare yourself for the next project that will eventually appear!

Hold your head up!

[alstocko]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373106226' post='2133740']


No, that's a mystery right enough. Incomprehensible.
[/quote]
Pah

[Count Bassy]

Yep. Sacked once (By E-mail), but I was on the point of resigning anyway, so no great upset. Still wish I'd got in first though.

Never really knew why; they said that I wasn't keeping up. Didn't see it that way myself, I think it was more a case of the face not fitting, and it had been clear for some time that something wasn't right, so no great surprise. I think I'd made the mistake of thinking I would be a full band member, but they really wanted a trained monkey to be clone of their previous bass player and just do as I was told.

Still, joined another band and got gigging, and as far as know they still haven't.

[discreet]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1373244233' post='2135286']Still, joined another band and got gigging, and as far as know they still haven't.[/quote]

Ha! Then fark them, the corksucking iceholes.

[JTUK]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373106226' post='2133740']
No, that's a mystery right enough. Incomprehensible.
[/quote]

LMAO..

[Guest bassman7755]

Have been sacked a couple of time, once and as guitarist and once as bassist, was cool with it on both occasions. I found harder to deal with situation where I went to a try out for a band and didnt want to join (because frankly they were a bit sh*te) but they were desperately keen to have me.

Edited July 8, 2013 by bassman7755

[Truckstop]

Never been sacked but been in a band that had some serious personal issues and it split before I had the opportunity to text the bandleader to quit.

Personally I don't see a problem with being sacked or dumped or whatever by text. It's simple, concise, to the point and, most of the time, much more polite and sensible than most people can manage in person. God, why would you want to sack someone in person anyway? Why would you want to see the results of your horrible newsgiving? Unless you're some sort of sociopath!

Get over it and move on!

[Norris]

I've been fired once, back in 1985. We were doing a summer season at Butlin's Skegness (yep, living the high life!) with a fairly well know Leicester-based "show band" - and if you were around that area in that time you'll know who I'm talking about (may he rest in peace).

Anyway the band consisted of the 'name' on keyboards, his girlfriend (he was devout Catholic & divorced) on vocals & occasional keys, then myself on bass, the guitarist & drummer - the three young guns. We were the main resident band playing 6 nights a week in one of the rooms - the one where all the kids & youngsters not old enough to go in the main concert room stuffed their faces with chips and did knee-slides across the floor. During our breaks the three of us youngsters used to do a quick tour of the other rooms to check out the touring bands - the ones that did a circuit of the various Butlin's camps.

On the night in question, we had done our usual tour round the camp and were just heading back for the next spot, when we ran into the entertainments manager i.e. the top bod on the entertainment side. He stopped us for a chat, meaning we were 10 or 15 minutes late back. The 'name' used to quite like a nip of brandy and had downed a few over the course of the evening as usual. He was always very concious of fulfilling his contract and making sure we did our allocated slot times. When we finally turned up to go back on he fired the three of us on the spot for being late! being professional we finished the last spot of the evening, but with a bad atmosphere hanging over us.

The following morning the three of us ex-members met up in one of the caravans we were staying in. Full of vitriol, we decided we would split from the band and form a trio. After all, it was really the three of us carrying the band anyway. About an hour later the 'name' had shaken off the brandy haze from the night before, listened to his missus and decided that sacking the core of his band when he was supposed to be putting on a show that night was not the best move he'd ever made. He kindly informed the three of us that we were still sacked, but could take as much notice as we liked!

Anyway, we finished of the season, went home, and formed a trio that played together for the next 10 years. I am still playing with the same guitarist - 28 years later!

[chris_b]

Being sacked from a band has no shame.

It's par for the course, but I guess Pete Best might not agree.

I used to know Tony Chapman. He's the drummer that was "dropped" for Charlie Watts. I've never met a more bitter person!!

I've had to have "the chat" in an office environment, with people who had morgages, debts and careers. Now I wouldn't impart that news over the phone, but in a band? 2 doors always seem to open.

[tauzero]

I was another who got sacked so the best mate could join. What was particularly iffy was that they didn't tell me - eventually the rhythm guitarist (who hadn't particularly favoured bringing in the best mate) had the goodish grace to text me and let me know. That rankled for a while. There was a silver lining though - I was going to dep for a former guitarist's band, finished up joining permanently instead, then we drafted in Mrs Zero on vocals when the vocalist went AWOL.

In an unfortunate twist, the best mate bassist subsequently developed cancer. I haven't hear any further news - I know he had to leave the band. I hope his treatment has been successful because I'm not anywhere near nasty enough to wish that on someone.

[pete.young]

Many moons ago, my guitarist mate and I had a gig backing a local C&W singer / guitarist. It was fun while it lasted, but we both were awarded the DCM (Don't Come Monday!) after switching to the reggae version half-way through a particularly maudlin performance of "Help me make it through the night" .

[discreet]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1373287030' post='2135628']I used to know Tony Chapman. He's the drummer that was "dropped" for Charlie Watts. I've never met a more bitter person!![/quote]

I really don't think you can blame him. I would be too, under the circumstances...

[chris_b]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373306544' post='2135956']
....I really don't think you can blame him....
[/quote]

I guess not!

Actually, I do feel a sense of satisfaction that none of the bands I've left in this way have prospered.

Bitter? Me?