The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Bass Zone => Topic started by: hieronymous on April 05, 2013, 11:29:16 PM
-
Just got back from seeing Stanley Clarke live for the second time in my life - the first time was about a year ago in Seattle, playing upright bass with Jack DeJohnette for his 70th birthday or something. It was great but it was all acoustic. This weekend Stan the Man is playing all weekend at Yoshi's in Oakland, so not only did I catch the first show, I took my 5-string custom Alembic Stanley Clarke Signature Standard bass, on the off chance that maybe he would sign it between shows or after. Fetched the bass right after the show ended, but no Stanley. However, someone I know who knows Stanley's daughter happened to be there, so I ended up backstage! The band was eating dinner, so Stanley asked me to wait til he finished, so I just stood in this historic dressing room soaking up the atmosphere. He finally beckoned - I had specially bought a gold sharpie to match the gold hardware. The significance of the event didn't really hit me til I was driving home - I had on "School Days" and partway through the solo I just cranked my stereo up all the way and started screaming!
Here's a pic my wife took once I got home and calmed down:
(http://imageshack.us/a/img14/4157/scharrysmleft.jpg)
So what stuff have y'all had signed by famous people, especially musicians?
-
I had an autograph from Ted Nugent from the time he came to my band's practice at my house when I was 16. I had it framed, along with a tour poster of his. I decided to leave it behind in my condo when I got divorced. I didn't have any real attachment or value placed on it.
-
Cool! Clarke seems to be very willing to meet fans and sign instruments. A kid I met at Harry's Guitar shop went to see SMV and Clarke, Wooten and Miller all signed his Marcus Miller J bass.
After a Yes show in 1983 some of us were standing by a fence near the underground garage where the band's limos were. One of them swung wide and pulled up to us and Alan White got out and said he'd be glad to sign some things. I rolled up my tourbook and shoved it through the fence. To this day I've always liked Alan White.
4 or 5 years ago on a Monsters of Rock tour, Roger Dean was hanging out with his music pals and gave some presentations of his life's work at a local community center. Afterwards he signed anything anyone brought. I brought only a poster of the cover of Gravy Train's album "Staircase To The Day" (link below). Called "Blue Demon" it's the only work Dean did for that band and was their last album. He was impressed because it's a rare one in comparison to much of his other work. I also bought a couple of prints he signed for me (Gentle Giant's
Octopus" and Bird Songs of the Mesozoic's "The Iridium Controvery". Pretty interesting and friendly guy and we had a nice conversation about the cove of "Tales From Topographic Oceans". :)
http://www.discogs.com/Gravy-Train-Staircase-To-The-Day/master/31000
-
Les Paul signed my copy of 'Chester & Lester' when he came to Veneman's in Rockville, MD to demo his little black box. I guess I was 17 or so.
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b342/rsteiner/leschet.jpg)
-
Cool, it's always nice to hear stories like this.
-
It wasn't autographed, but Bruce Springsteen once shared half of his Twinkie with me.
-
Chatting with SRV, Tommy Shannon and "Whipper" backstage at Reading and having a personally signed program with my backstage pass for the show is one set...
The '82 Trans tour for Neil Young - a foul up on the third night at Wembley resulted in Elliot Roberts having to run around arranging to find any ticket to get me in the door until the mislaid stage pass had been found, then the BIGGEST security guard rushing me through to the pit and then clearing the way for me to get the best position... after the show I got the chance to chat to Bruce Palmer and his partner... that is another treasured and personalised item...
An odd one is a set of autographs for the Rain Parade... just comments I liked...
Books I have signed are Arthur C Clarke (2010), Frank Herbert (4th Dune book) and a Robert Sheckley short called "Watchbird".
-
I had a copy of Spawn signed by Todd McFarlane
-
I wrote Albert Speer in high school and he sent back an autographed photo and he signed his typed letter.
Once I saw Blue Öyster Cult in Winston-Salem and got four of them to sign my ticket. Eric Bloom even put a BOC symbol on it. :)
-
Chuck Rainey did an appearance at Bass Emporium many years ago. I talked with him aferwards and had him autograph my Aretha Franklin LP "Let Me Into Your Life." This 1974 LP features one of my favorite Chuck Rainey moments on "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)." I remember he looked at a young Aretha on the cover and kissed his hand and touched her face. He said something about the "stories he could tell" from those sessions.
-
Albert Speer perfectly fits in this forum ;)
I do have some autograpghs. Ian McLagan of Small Faces/Faces/Stones in his autobiograpy. I have Weller somewhere. I do meet quite interesting bass players because of my work, but I almost never ask for an autograph.
-
Lets see what I have. Lemmy, Lonnie Mack, Jack Cassidy, Pete Way, Roy Bucannan, Lou Gram, Geddy Lee, Tommy Evans, Michael Gibbins, Dick Dale. That's all I can think of at the moment.
-
not one for autographs. they usually ugly up whatever they are put on. besides, any signature i may want is long dead.
-
I have a guitar strap, CD cover and a few other things signed by Dick Dale. I've taken full advantage when he comes through town.
-
Bootsy signed my Dano Longhorn...very gracious man. Very humble and down to earth.
-
Not into autographs, but have done interviews with The Grandmothers (Bunk Gardner, Jimmy Carl-Black, Don Preston) and Rob Stoner, the bassplayer who helped broaden Dylans musical horizon in ca -75, with the swing of rockabilly free form. Took several drunken hours in a pub where I found out Stoner shared my taste for Camel cigarettes without filter (it's almost all over for me now, mostly because they are so hard to find). Plus Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Dave Edmunds, some others, and a bunch of Swedish rock artists from the 60's to the 90's. Then my "best before date" stepped in, and took its toll! :mrgreen: Oh, and the director Gunnar Hellstroem, too. Didn't he direct some episodes of Gun smoke? Very nice and humble guy, who grow up during some poor and hard times.
-
I don't have any autographs either, but I do remember being more than a little surprised and pleased when I was asked for mine after a show ;)
-
Which body part did they want you to sign...?
-
as an ex-smoker...the little Camels WERE the best...
-
that's what my grandfather smoked until the day he died. at age 60. same deal with my uncle, 55 for him. >:(
-
Which body part did they want you to sign...?
I really did get to sign a girl's tits once ;)
But mostly our show posters, I'm not a great musician, I found it humbling, but a pleasant reflection.
-
But mostly our show posters, I'm not a great musician, I found it humbling, but a pleasant reflection.
I beg to differ on the musician part Mark. You absolutely rock!
-
Hold on a minute, pictures or it didn't happen! :mrgreen:
Nah, just kidding. I was wondering though - there's been a lot of cool stuff in this thread, but do you know where it is? I was thinking how I put my ticket stub from the other night into my CD copy of School Days - the one I listened to after the show the other night, part of the recent box set (http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Clarke-Complete-Albums-Collection/dp/B007RFEXN6). That brought back memories of tearing out the pages from magazines (Kerrang!, etc.) and putting them in the album most relevant. Then I would forget of course - a pleasant surprise when you find it again, but then you forget again, or you sell the records... So what do you do with your signed stuff, etc.? ???
-
i saw clarke with return to forever in 1974 at atlanta symphony hall. they did an electric and acoustic set. i thought the acoustic set far superior.
my son saw him in a club back in the eighties. he got to bang on stanleys bass as it was passed to a few folks in the front rows.
-
I really did get to sign a girl's tits once ;)
But mostly our show posters, I'm not a great musician, I found it humbling, but a pleasant reflection.
As she gets older she starts more and more fishing for compliments, have you all noticed? :mrgreen: Mark, your bass playing on the Nasty Habits stuff I've heard is head and shoulders above what other people (even) more famous do. Some of your basses might be violet, but you don't have to be a shrinking one.
-
TM Stevens scrawled all over MY 8-string Custom Shop LP Standard EVEN THOUGH I NEVER ASKED HIM TO!!!
But then he owned it first ... :-\
-
As she gets older she starts more and more fishing for compliments, have you all noticed? :mrgreen: Mark, your bass playing on the Nasty Habits stuff I've heard is head and shoulders above what other people (even) more famous do. Some of your basses might be violet, but you don't have to be a shrinking one.
Here's the thing tho......
I've seen/heard alot you of guys (including you Herr Moderator) play, and my talents are modest in comparison, I don't even read music! I consider myself fortunate to get to rub shoulders (electronically) with everybody here.
-
Only a tiny minority here can read music. I lost my music reading skills long ago, just not enough practice, but that circle of fifths thing and general harmony rules stuck with me. Now I have a hard time breaking them (but nevertheless bought the new Soundgarden album)!
Your basslines are thought- and - dare I say - tasteful. That is saying something to a grown guy in over-knee latex boots! :mrgreen:
-
Should I bother to mention that the Eden WT-400 amp I had was initialed by the bass player from P.O.D.? Mark (fur85) has that amp now.
-
(http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1442/greats.jpg)
-
Best picture caption EVER^^!
-
I had to look it up, I thought it was poor grammer and should have read a great pair of tits, but those actually are great tits :o
-
A little late to the party here. I was never one to actively hunt autographs, but as a youngster I managed to acquire The Ramones (except for Joey, who acted like a massive douche), Uriah Heep (the Lawton/Bolder variety), Michael Schenker, Joe Lynn Turner, Sandy West, Rick Derringer, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Paul Shaffer... and Tony Randall. An eclectic lot!
-
We get quite a variety of tits competing with the squirrels for their food: great tits and blue tits are regulars, and occasionally we get coal tits and long-tail tits...
Have also seen marsh tits, as well as the very elusive bearded tits and crested tits...
What sort of tits do you get in the USofA...?
-
We get quite a variety of tits...
What sort of tits do you get in the USofA...?
36C Cup, silicone filled ;)
-
36C Cup, silicone filled ;)
Especially visible on any TV show with a title including the words "Real Housewives of...."
-
"A Sale of Two Titties".
-
"A Sale of Two Titties".
Not to mention Knickerless Nickleby and Olsen's Standard Book of British Birds -- the expurgated version. :mrgreen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p62uutgNN4c
-
One of my Les Paul Signature Basses came with Les Paul's signature scratched into the pickguard...in addition to Les' actual signature he did on all the inside labels on them.
I had a Hamer signed by a Def Lepp guy that I removed. Also had another Hamer Chap 5 signed by all five Def Lepp guys with the photo of them signing it...traded it for a rare Hamer doubleneck bass.
I generally do not like signatures scrawled on instruments. I DO have several that have the endorser name over the logo that was done at the factory.
...and I HATE the trend of sellers getting "stars" to sign piles of low-end POS axes to boost the re-sale value, especially brands/models that they never even played.
-
...
...and I HATE the trend of sellers getting "stars" to sign piles of low-end POS axes to boost the re-sale value, especially brands/models that they never even played.
Or even high end gear that they didn't play. Like the seller who was trying to get $800K for his Martin D-35 that he got Paul McCartney to sign.
-
I'm sure I've heard that story before... ;)
-
I think the only musician signed gear that might interest me might be something signed by a dead "legend," like Les Paul, Entwistle, Buddy Holly, Louis Armstrong, Gram Parsons, etc....or a drum signed by the Def Lepp drummer using his hand/arm he later lost.
-
I think the only musician signed gear that might interest me might be something signed by a dead "legend," like Les Paul, Entwistle, Buddy Holly, Louis Armstrong, Gram Parsons, etc....or a drum signed by the Def Lepp drummer using his hand/arm he later lost.
That might interest me if it was something they actually played.
-
I've given more autographs than I've received but here's what I can recall having:
Ron Flynt(bassist - 20/20) autographed CD(I learned to play bass playing along with that album)
Pete Best autographed photo
Chris Squire autographed CD
All of Cheap Trick autographed CD
Peter Noone("Herman" of Herman's Hermits) autographed Epiphone Rivoli
Peter Hook autographed photo
Peter Hook autographed poster
Archie Bell(Archie Bell and The Drells "Tighten Up") autographed card
John Lodge(Moody Blues) autographed CD
Steve Jones(Sex Pistols) autographed card
Burton Gilliam("Lyle" -Blazing Saddles) autographed drum head
Warren Haynes(Govt. Mule) autographed CD
Carol Kaye autographed photo
-
So managed to capture an interesting moment - took my bass I got signed to Alembic to have a bit of work done on it. They always have a bunch of instruments hanging out in the lobby - noticed a nice small body bass lying on the couch - took a while before realizing it was Stanley Clarke's bass that he used at the show I saw! We got a nice little tour of what they have in the works - I've known Mica for a while now just from talking to her at Alembic gatherings - and fortunately before we left I had the presence of mind to ask if I could take a few pictures of my bass next to Stanley's - this is the best one:
(http://imageshack.us/a/img163/7351/sofa1g.jpg)
They are waiting for the new bridge and nut - he went to his tenor tuning (ADGC) on this bass - that's why he couldn't use it at the show I saw, at least one of the strings was jumping out of the saddle.
-
So this time instead of meeting a famous bassist, I got to meet a famous bass!
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/14304324299_54dd9b31e9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nN2pg2)
The double neck in front is my '75 Series I - behind it to the left is John McVie's steel-fretboard '76 Series 1.5 (Series I electronics with master volume), or as Susan Wickersham calls it, "continuously fretted" ;) It was in for repair - the LEDs weren't working, turns out it wasn't the bass at all, it was the ancient power supply.
This bass was used perhaps most famously on "The Chain" - the solo bass riff starts at 3:03, the third time you can hear him slide up to the note. I never knew it was fretless until I heard about the steel fingerboard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcawnRIyeok
-
I've actually removed a few autographs that were on axes when I bought them.
Unless it is someone iconic, who is dead, I'm not into their sig on my bass.
That said, I own/have owned many "rock star/endorser" axes. I never buy them because of the actual rock star pedigree. I usually buy them because they are a one-off that the company will not do for a regular buyer...or because they were better made and had more attention to detail.
-
I've actually removed a few autographs that were on axes when I bought them.
I can understand that actually - Bootsy Collins signed a pedal of mine - personalized, with my name - which is awesome, but I don't use the pedal that much anymore so I kind of feel like I'm stuck with it! :mrgreen:
-
I met Graham Chapman once and he signed a Canadian $2 bill I had in my wallet. He wrote across Queen Elizabeth's image, "Graham Chapman signed but did not sit on her face."
-
I always made a point of getting a signed cd from the bands I toured with, but most of them were given to a charity auction recently,
I did hang on to the Tesla "Five man acoustical Jam" cos that was the first Album my wife and I went halvesies on.
I've also got a copy of the book "SAHB Story" signed by both Author and the whole band (except Alex obv).
I also have a fold up make up/wash bag that I used to keep adapters and such in that has "to Red, your pal, Alice Cooper" on one side and "Red! rock on, Joan Jett" on the other. I usually just ignored celebrities that would wander into the video area sidestage but those two were too much of an influence on me as a kid for me to be able to play it cool, and my adaptor pouch was the only thing I could reach while I was mixing. when I quit touring I wasn't sure what to do with it, it's too personalised to be worth selling and I hate the idea of just chucking it in the loft.
I've ended up using it to keep my medications in
-
I went to see Deep Purple with a friend when I was 16, he was a huge fan, but I went along just to hear Roger Glover.
Before the show we had to find a parking lot or something to consume our sixpacks, being under age. So we strolled away
from the city center, through a posh shopping street where we normally would not go. At the end of the street we saw an elderly man and his wife - and it turned out to be Roger Glover. The funny thing was, Roger had a black pen - and he signed my white t shirt, but my poor friend was all dressed in black. I think he tried to sign the print on his black DP t shirt, but it would not stick to it. Roger probably noticed he was uncomfortable, an signed his hand or something. He was really nice, calm I remember. I probably asked him about his favourite bass, what strings he used etc. I remember trembling with excitement while we drank our beer.
Anyway, the show was not very good, and my friend got angry because I had the autograph on my tee. He never got over it, but I told him that someday I'd buy a Rickenbacker and wipe it's strings with it. I did buy a Rick some years later, and the tee is in it's case.
It's about 20 years since I saw this guy, but I hope he eventually washed his signed hand.......
-
I've got Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Roger Dean, Jeff Berlin, Kasim Sulton and Rufus and Martha Wainwright. None of the sigs are on a guitar though.
-
I have a Dick Dale shadowbox on the wall in my music room with a half-dozen items he has signed for me at various appearances.
-
When I think about it, I have been able to meet several of my bass idols - when I was playing in a (jam) band back in the early '90s I was able to meet Mike Gordon (Phish), Oteil Burbridge (Aquarium Rescue Unit at the time), David Schools (Widespread Panic), Kenny Gradney (Little Feat) - more recently I've met Stanley Clarke & Victor Wooten. A few weeks ago I got to meet another long-time idol: Billy Sheehan!
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3853/14671200395_864b3d6655_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/omrJJX)
I saw him once with Mr. Big back in the late '80s, opening for Rush (the Presto tour), but this time got to see him at a very small venue - Yoshi's Oakland, same place I met Stanley and Victor - so I know the drill: hang out after the show, look like you belong there, and pounce on them when they come out! My friend and I met a woman who came all the way from Japan to see three Winery Dogs shows, in LA, SF & Oakland. In Japan you would be lucky to get tickets for an arena show, Mr. Big is still HUGE over there, so she was blown away to see them play from so close and get to talk to the whole band afterwards. It was a great show, Billy Sheehan was very laid back and natural to talk to. Here's a pic that shows how close we were:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14691130233_eb4a947a92_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oocTbR)
-
I have autograph and pictures with me of Mr. Robert Plant. I have met him in 2005 at Malpensa Airport in Milano. I was traveling to Poland for work while he was going from a concert in France to Germany. Very nice man. I went to his concert to Alcatraz in Milan a week later.
Then I have the autograph of Tony Levin on his King Crimson photo book.
(http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy5/tore00/IM000017.jpg)
(http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy5/tore00/IM000016.jpg)
(http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy5/tore00/SANY0148.jpg)
(http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy5/tore00/SANY0149.jpg)
-
I have several but faves stick out...
Authors - Arthur C Clarke, Frank Herbert, Bob Sheckley - eventually I'd like to source a Heinlein and an Asimov but they are out of my reach at present...
I've had several muso ones that have come and gone but the faves are Bruce Palmer, SRV and California that I still have...
-
I have several but faves stick out...
Authors - Arthur C Clarke, Frank Herbert, Bob Sheckley - eventually I'd like to source a Heinlein and an Asimov but they are out of my reach at present...
I've had several muso ones that have come and gone but the faves are Bruce Palmer, SRV and California that I still have...
You and I have spent much time reading the same SF. You have excellent taste, sir!
-
You and I have spent much time reading the same SF. You have excellent taste, sir!
Touche' :)
-
Ah... fans of the alternate written form...
My own work is a combination of Sheckley and Adams, dark-humor wise... I once posted an edited short here and have a "joke" item I have customised to suit almost any person... I want to go back to full-time writing once I've completed the WWII Burma project so I can concentrate on the SciFi...
I used to exchange emails with Bob Sheckley - I'll get the complete shorts set one of these days and have most of his works, including his fiction material and a number of firsts... from an art perspective I have his very limited book "In A Land Of Clear Colours" - a "multi-media" release which comes with an LP with original music by Brian Eno (noodling) and narration by Pete Sinfield, and some luscious art... mine is an early Roman numerals release... 1000 copies exist with the first 50 in Romans...
Another autograph I would like to get is the much forgotten and overlooked Alfred Elton van Vogt, whom I have a shelf (capable) collection of books...
I should have got Iain Banks before he passed...
The move will hopefully enable me to build a library, as well as a music room...
-
Van Vogt was a very interesting writer!
And so was the offbeat Harlan Ellison. If anyone here has his story collection Deathbird Stories, don't read it when you're feeling depressed! Ellison probably had as many stories adapted for TV as any SF writer.
And I used the excellent Blade Runner taken from one of the minor plots in Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep as one of the works in my online graduate course about technology's impact on society. The book is a much more complete story, but the movie is compelling and popular.
-
Harlan Ellison... writer of City On The Edge Of Forever... arguably the finest episode of ST TOS...
PKD autographs are pretty scarce... the Exegesis is something of his I will probably not attempt... Blade Runner... a movie I've sat and studied and watched far too many times... fascinating that so much of Tokyo replicates the movie now... So much of his work tried to grasp that theme, the more human than human, etc...
I was gifted his collected shorts some years back and have most of his novels...
There's a number of other writers that I've enjoyed over time and some individual stories by well known authors - McCafferys Singing Ship series (Pern series didn't work for me) and a few others... Bill Gibson is a great writer but certainly owed a lot to PKD... Carl Sagan's single work of fiction is sheer brilliance... Harry Harrison just leapt out... There are some classics, obviously... arguably one of the first SciFi books is Frankenstein...
My books have (mostly) been boxed up due to space (the final frontier) reasons ... ;)
-
Any interest in H.P. Lovecraft? Personally I really love him! Next time I am in East Coast will go to Providence and visit the place of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. One of the few authors I have read in Italian and in English. Another one is J.R.R. Tolkien
-
LOTR is an undisputed classic... never read any Lovecraft...
-
Harrison's book Bill the Galactic Hero is a favorite of mine. ("It's always bowb your buddy time!")
I've read Tolkien repeatedly, although I've found his works other than The Hobbit and the Trilogy either impenetrable or unable to hold my interest.
Lovecraft pretty much invented his own genre, I think. Other writers followed his lead in the SF field, but his stuff may relate more closely to Norse and Greek mythology in many respects than to literature of the early 20th century.
-
I read the Silmarilion as a duty and it lurks in a box somewhere in the loft...
I have a 1st ed of Dune (BC copy, but same artwork and cover, but a 1/4 of the cost) that sits rather nicely on the shelf...
I rarely read these days and only occasionally buy a title... that may change once the library exists...
-
I read the Silmarilion as a duty and it lurks in a box somewhere in the loft...
That's a pretty difficult duty. Sheesh. :P
-
I have a few autographs, Les Paul, Joe Walsh, Jim Marshall, Lemmy, Stu Ham and a bunch more but most important, the God of Thunder! I met him in the bar at the Anaheim Hilton and he was the nicest guy ever. I went up and thanked him for being a major influence and the quest for "the Tone". When I mentioned "the Tone" his eyes lit up and he removed a brunette from one leg, set me down and ordered up drinks. We talked like old buds about the new amps he was getting, basses, vintage guitars and "the Tone" for quite a while. Absolutely the nicest guy in the world to a awe struck stranger. He signed a napkin and it lives in a bass string pack as it should.
-
Scott gives autographs...? :mrgreen: