The Bass Geek

I knew from viewing “Superbad” that it had to be Bootsy Collins on the closing credits music - NOBODY sounds like him. I was geeked to find out he worked on the soundtrack. And this article is the kicker. With quotes like “I played it with a little Bootzilla aggression and light finger pull-lepathy. My fretting hand is a little mangled up, like when you pull your finger out of the P” and “If I answer this, then there would be a conflict of interest between Bootsy, Bootzilla, Casper, Roto-Rooter, and The String Puller, so I better leave that alone. Plus, I have to live with these sensitive guys,” just TALKING about the music is funkier than most people can comprehend. It also explains how Bootsy gets those sounds - he’s got a five-member bass tone R&D committee.

It also means I’ll be able to justify that new chapter about light finger pull-lepathy in any future revisions of my book.

Finally, it explains why, unlike so many others, there’s no Bootsy Collins bass technique book. Nobody can play like him, and they wouldn’t necessarily understand him if they could.

First, the new episode of the IMN podcast is up, and it clocks in at EXACTLY 1 hour, 10 minutes long. We’re geniuses. Download the file directly, or subscribe using the handy XML link.

Second, I got tapped to help explain some genres of music by INTake Weekly in preparation for Oranje this weekend. Extra appreciation to Jenny Elig (a fellow bassist) for including two bassists in the interview. That’s the Bass Mafia in full effect, y’all.

Finally, we’re headed to the Monolith Festival in Denver this weekend. My wife and I will soon be taking odds on whether the Brian Jonestown Massacre will actually show up. Check the link for the full lineup - I’m thinking I’ll just wander around and take in whoever sounds most interesting at the moment. It’s possible I’ll be blogging, but nothing is definite at the moment.