Why the hate?

[BottomE]

I'd struggle to hate anyone - particularly people i've not met. Might not like their style, taste, gear, genre of music, clothes, colour of bass (Green ffs) or the band they are in but hate - no.

[tauzero]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1470748950' post='3108128']
Mr Tauzero, thanks for the namecheck! Don't forget to put your hand up and tell teacher they've forgotten to give us homework as well.
[/quote]

That's OK. Saved me hunting down the link that someone asked for.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1470748950' post='3108128']
Aah, Mr Clayton. My nemesis.

As I've posted before, I don't think it's quite hate because that's something I would apply to root vegetables, moreover I simply don't like the guy and like his playing even less. You know, for the record, I met him just the once and he was thoroughly unpleasant, smug and arrogant. He just had this air of incredulity about him, akin to that of someone who had reached the giddy echelons of a given field without having a credible bone in their body to support where they'd got to. On the shoulders of giants. Which I suppose is where I came in.

We do live in a world where we have a degree of freewill and comes with that the ability to like and dislike things, people, places. We also seem to live in a world where it seems it's OK to heap praise on things but it's bad to castigate, unless it's Nigel Farage I suppose.
[/quote]

Actually I may have been wrong - you may have said he had no musical ability. Can't remember now.

Anyroadup, I happen to like U2 (for which I'm sure I will be hated) and he does the job for the music. I have no knowledge of him other than that, so you have the advantage of me there, and I'm quite prepared to believe you. Are you sure you mean "incredulity", as that seems to me to imply he couldn't quite believe he'd managed to get where he has, which runs counter to your other comments.

[cheddatom]

Surely anyone who's been playing for that long would be able to do something more impressive, and yet he doesn't. Isn't that remarkable restraint? Purely playing for the song and never once indulging yourself? Pretty impressive if you ask me

...although obviously he could be sh*te and playing at the top of his ability, we wouldn't know

[tauzero]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1470750158' post='3108138']
I've met him 4 times and he was really friendly and totally unpretentious each time.
[/quote]

And I'm quite prepared to believe you too. My credulousness is going through the roof.

Can anyone else who's met Adam Clayton come in with the casting vote please?

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1470750709' post='3108144']
Anyroadup, I happen to like U2 (for which I'm sure I will be hated) and he does the job for the music. I have no knowledge of him other than that, so you have the advantage of me there, and I'm quite prepared to believe you. Are you sure you mean "incredulity", as that seems to me to imply he couldn't quite believe he'd managed to get where he has, which runs counter to your other comments.
[/quote]

Hmmm. I used to like U2 early on, probably until around the time they did The Unforgettable Fire, after that no so much.

I just looked up [i]incredulity [/i]on the interwebs, thought I'd made a typo. Nope true enough, lack of belief. I'll impart this, I met him briefly backstage at Milton Keynes Bowl late afternoon of the Longest Day gig they were headlining, which Google tells me it was June 1985 (just a few weeks 'fore Live Aid). Yikes. How me and my mate ended up backstage, and precisely why, is a story of legend in my small circle of friends, but let's just settle on saying we were on the back foot from the off. And it went downhill from there.

Happy days.

[Cato]

My brother in law got a bass for his 40th, when he asked me for tips I told him to start off by working out the lines and playing along to his favourite bands.

His favourite band happens to be U2, so he's s been having a great time playing those simple-but-perfect-for-the-song Clayton lines.

Lucky for me that his favourite band isn't Weather Report or I wouldn't be making it look quite so quick and effortless on the couple of occasions he's asked me to show him how something goes.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Cato

[Billy Apple]

An ex's uncle made a good living on the Northern club scene in the 60's. He was primarily a joke and song man, but very accomplished on the keys, although didn't get the breaks to move into TV. Anyhoo, he knew Ringo Starr from his club days before the Beatles. He said Ringo was an excellent drummer and couldn't understand why he came in for so much flak.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1470742660' post='3108045']
NancyJohnson described Adam Clayton as talentless about two days ago.
[/quote]

Yeah, I saw that but it was one comment, and it was called out soon after. I wouldn't class one comment as "vitriol" as per the OP.

[Coilte]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1470750780' post='3108146']
Surely anyone who's been playing for that long would be able to do something more impressive, and yet he doesn't. Isn't that remarkable restraint? Purely playing for the song and never once indulging yourself? Pretty impressive if you ask me

...although obviously he could be sh*te and playing at the top of his ability, we wouldn't know
[/quote]

If he is happy doing what he does...and getting well paid for it...good luck to him. Just because he chooses not to anything else, does not necessarily mean that he can not.

You are correct...we wouldn't know. So why jump to conclusions ?

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1470750819' post='3108148']
Can anyone else who's met Adam Clayton come in with the casting vote please?
[/quote]

I haven't met Mr Clayton but I saw him coming down an escalator at Earl's Court one time.

As he descended he seemed to be staring blankly into the upper middle distance which I suppose some might interpret as being 'aloof'. OTOH it's entirely possible that Mr Clayton suffers from very poor eyesight and his optician isn't up to the job. Lovely frames, shonky lenses, mayhap?

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1470755238' post='3108200']
...So why jump to conclusions ?
[/quote]

To justify our jealousy of course!

[lowdown]

Why do people who dislike/hate certain artists/players,
then spend days hanging around a thread about players they dislike/hate?
Wouldn't it be better to go and listen to someone you don't dislike/hate?
(and that, more than likely, means most of us).

Edited August 9, 2016 by lowdown

[discreet]

I certainly don't hate Adam Clayton. But I [i]am [/i]jealous of him for being in the right place at the right time. That's it, really - his playing is really neither here nor there, he does what is necessary for the song, as said. I think virtuoso bass playing is highly overrated. In my view the electric bass is not a solo instrument and I like it best when it is supporting, firstly a really good drummer and secondly, a great band. Try finding either. Bah!

Edited August 9, 2016 by discreet

[JTUK]

I'll have an opinion... wouldn't call it hate tho.

FWIW...
Adam Clayton... got a decent groove for the band...and I don't use the term groove lightly because a lot of bass players don't have it..at all especially in riff based situations. I think the U2 section do this very well. They may take hours to craft this in the studio but they sound and feel good to me.

Mark King... benchmark player of the 80's..he was as good as anyone around at that time. He still isn't out of touch now when slap has moved so far on from where it was. Not easy to stay current for 30 years and playing your own back catalog helps a lot, but class is permenent, IMO.

Who was the other guy..will check

Matt Bellamy..? don't you mean the bass player? He plays some good parts. Not really my thing but he plays them live as well as far as I can tell.

Edited August 9, 2016 by JTUK

[4stringslow]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1470753311' post='3108174']
An ex's uncle made a good living on the Northern club scene in the 60's. He was primarily a joke and song man, but very accomplished on the keys, although didn't get the breaks to move into TV. Anyhoo, he knew Ringo Starr from his club days before the Beatles. He said Ringo was an excellent drummer and couldn't understand why he came in for so much flak.
[/quote]

No flak from these guys who know a bit about drumming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeBt5ZO4mU

[stingrayPete1977]

Does it matter if some bloke on the internet doesn't like someone that you do?

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1470746551' post='3108089']
What ???...Giving Clayton credit for playing what's required ?
[/quote]

Well, yes I suppose. I can't think there is anything he could do that would make me fine U2 more listenable, so I am fine with him!

[chriswareham]

It's a weird one. Yesterday I described why I didn't like a particular Jaco Pistorius bass part, and was called "ignorant". I didn't comment on the man, or the rest of his work, but apparently having an opinion makes me ignorant. Oh well.

[Wonky2]

The issue here isn't the players ability..... It's the fact they have managed to emerge from the lowley status of "bass player" to "band member with name".... Not only that, a house hold name many might quote as a "bass player"....

It may be their technical ability or persona itself that has brought them such notoriety or promenance in the band they are in, but that's I relevant to many.
For some, the size of the name doesn't match the ability or lines they have wrote.....

How many non musicians would know who Bernard Edwards is, or Steve Harris , or Michael manwering...... Not many I'd guess.
It's got little to do with playing ability, more so the character they have created.

For some, the size of character doesn't ,in their opinion, warrant the playing ability..... Which is just plain silly.

Take mark king and put him in u2, it would be "interesting" but I'd imagine not quite right.

Horses for courses.

Van morrisons bass player on the other hand, he's poo.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1470758046' post='3108232']
I certainly don't hate Adam Clayton. But I [i]am [/i]jealous of him for being in the right place at the right time. That's it, really - his playing is really neither here nor there, he does what is necessary for the song, as said. I think virtuoso bass playing is highly overrated. In my view the electric bass is not a solo instrument and I like it best when it is supporting, firstly a really good drummer and secondly, a great band. Try finding either. Bah!
[/quote]

Plus one. Well put.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1470764172' post='3108286']
It's a weird one. Yesterday I described why I didn't like a particular Jaco Pistorius bass part, and was called "ignorant". I didn't comment on the man, or the rest of his work, but apparently having an opinion makes me ignorant. Oh well.
[/quote]

Not quite fair, I'd say; the exact post in question was 'Ignorant, ', as a sly dig in the ribs, not an overt insult. It was referring to a previous little spat over definitions. No malice was intended.
Just sayin'.

[lowdown]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1470764172' post='3108286']
It's a weird one. Yesterday I described why I didn't like a particular Jaco Pistorius bass part, and was called "ignorant". I didn't comment on the man, or the rest of his work, but apparently having an opinion makes me ignorant. Oh well.
[/quote]

What Dad said in the above post.

On the other hand, spell Jaco's surname right, and such a "sly dig in the ribs" might be avoided.

All light hearted of course and no offence intended.

Edited August 9, 2016 by lowdown

[chriswareham]

I'm not too good on emoticons, so I took it as meaning to laugh at my "ignorance". As to the spelling, my auto-correct seems to think I'm more likely to talk about murderous athletes than a bass player ...

[lowdown]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1470766706' post='3108307']
I'm not too good on emoticons, so I took it as meaning to laugh at my "ignorance". As to the spelling, my auto-correct seems to think I'm more likely to talk about murderous athletes than a bass player ...
[/quote]

I did mention that, but I deleted, due to my bad taste.

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1470755401' post='3108204']
I haven't met Mr Clayton but I saw him coming down an escalator at Earl's Court one time.

As he descended he seemed to be staring blankly into the upper middle distance which I suppose some might interpret as being 'aloof'. OTOH it's entirely possible that Mr Clayton suffers from very poor eyesight and his optician isn't up to the job. Lovely frames, shonky lenses, mayhap?
[/quote]

Perhaps he'd just tooted and was taking in the aroma.