On Bass - Tina Weymouth

[the science eel]

Another enjoyable prog in the BBC Four series on Friday night. TW is very likeable, much more low-key than the previous host Stewart Copeland, but - you suspect - pretty fucking tough underneath it all.

The overview of the history of the bass guitar was interesting, the idea that the 'slap' on those double-basses was as important as the actual tone in those 50s records. And the 'human bassline' in songs like the Marcels' 'Blue Moon' - the original dude did it once more for the cameras, that was a blast.

Interesting interview with Bootsy where he laughingly accused his old bandleader James Brown of stealing his ideas ('hey - I'm glad I thought of that!'). Tina showed sympathy, without mentioning David Byrne by name...

What I found most interesting was something that I think was referred to by one interviewee as 'three on the 'E'' (Google shows nothing) - a bassline common in dance music where three 'E' notes come before a more complex pattern ('Good Times', 'Hollywood Swinging') - usually gets the feet twitching.

Great to see Carol Kaye, as always.

[Brundle-Fly]

Oo, thanks for reminding me about this series.

[DrGreggles]

Enjoying this series a lot.
The drums one the better of the two so far. but definitely worth a look.

[buzby]

Enjoying this series a lot.
The drums one the better of the two so far. but definitely worth a look.

The bit with Roger Linn about the development of the LinnDrum was very interesting, and Stephen Morris demonstrating his old Synare by making Pacman's death sound, the Synare 2's carry handle and dragging out the DMX to program Blue Monday's riff on it was a highlight (especially as it seemed Copeland couldn't be bothered to come to Rainow to see him).

THe bass one with Weymouth was good too, though it was inevitable Hooky would turn up, making it look like he and Curtis wrote Love Will Tear Us Apart. and that Sumner tried to put him and Morris out of a job in New Order. He did at least admit that he's an egomaniac.

I did also appreciate the subtle swipe at Byrne when discussing the issue of writing credits with Bootsy, and seeing someone trying to demonstrate Bernie Edwards' unique 'chucking' playing style.

[Sin Agog]

I always thought she should have started a spin-off band with her husband Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison, and called it Byrne Victims.

[a duncandisorderly]

I always thought she should have started a spin-off band with her husband Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison, and called it Byrne Victims.

love that. I think they had their revenge, though, by getting her sisters & adrian belew along to make an absolutely cracking album as tom-tom club, while DB & eno were busy peering/pissing up each others arseholes.
I was never quite sure whether TW & CF were joking, though, when they couldn't recall the title of the sex pistols album... "never mind the... bull-ocks?" in some other (ahem) talking heads clip show about punk or something.

[Glebe]

Missed this, but saw the drums one with Stewart Copeland. Twas an interesting watch.

[MiddleRabbit]

love that. I think they had their revenge, though, by getting her sisters & adrian belew along to make an absolutely cracking album as tom-tom club, while DB & eno were busy peering/pissing up each others arseholes.
I was never quite sure whether TW & CF were joking, though, when they couldn't recall the title of the sex pistols album... "never mind the... bull-ocks?" in some other (ahem) talking heads clip show about punk or something.

Ironically, Belew and Weymouth/Frantz fell out over writing credits on the first Tom Tom Club album due to W/F doing unto Belew exactly what James Brown did to Bootsy, and what Weymouth strongly implied that Byrne did to Weymouth Frantz.  I noted Weymouth kept her mouth shut as she sagely nodded at Bootsy's story of 'I wrote that...'  Bearing in mind, of course, that Frantz/ Weymouth did get credited on some of TH's biggest records, which isn't something Bootsy can claim about, say, Sex Machine.  Or Belew can claim about Genius Of Love or Wordy Rappinghood...

Further reading on that - and a somewhat different perspective on the, 'Tina's a lovely sort' thing is in the book 'Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa: The Adventures of "Talking Heads" in the 20th Century', by David Bowman in which Tina comes across as being a total nutcase.

[phantom_power]

And it was scant "revenge" as David Byrne is still releasing critically and commercially successful solo albums and Tom Tom Club...not so much

[bim sherman shirts]

Further reading on that - and a somewhat different perspective on the, 'Tina's a lovely sort' thing is in the book 'Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa: The Adventures of "Talking Heads" in the 20th Century', by David Bowman in which Tina comes across as being a total nutcase.

I thought that book was a little unfair singling her out- most of the skullduggery seemed to be cooked up between her and Chris, a classic husband and wife team of roasters. So many great songs, but definitely the kind of people you'd loan a keyboard to which would then magically appear in Cash Converters' window the next day.

[Sin Agog]

And it was scant "revenge" as David Byrne is still releasing critically and commercially successful solo albums and Tom Tom Club...not so much

They did a great set at Glastonbury a couple of years back.

[phantom_power]

David Byrne sat at home, weeping

[Sin Agog]

--at the fact that he wasn't born a Brazilian.

[a duncandisorderly]

And it was scant "revenge" as David Byrne is still releasing critically and commercially successful solo albums and Tom Tom Club...not so much

this is true in the big-picture sense of things, of course, but at the time....

[Goldentony]

how old are those three ponces now and they're still cutting about going on about it all like it's a fucking Chinese wuxia epic? fuck me, just behave yourselves

[Johnboy]

- so Tina Weymouth presents a programme where most of the anecdotes concern the band leader ripping off the bass player...hmmmmm

- red hot chilli peppers rhythm section is Will Ferrell

[buzby]

- red hot chilli peppers rhythm section is Will Ferrell

I did a double-take at first, thinking it actually was Ferrell. He does play the drums as well and performed in a drum-off skit against Chad Smith on Fallon's show (warning: contains Antony Kiedis)

[phantom_power]

this is true in the big-picture sense of things, of course, but at the time....

Of course we are the real winners as Tom Tom Club and solo Byrne are both great

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

He does play the drums as well and performed in a drum-off skit against Chad Smith on Fallon's show (warning: contains Jimmy Fallon)