The Last Bass Outpost

oh-oh, it's Mr Creasote...

"Oh surely one waffer thin snake head Monseur...?"

"F*ck Off, ahm shtuffed..."

Between British Airways and my present work as a security engineer, I did 21 years of working on warewashing equipment and specialised chemical systems, in kitchens, bars, cafes, coffee-bars, restaurants, food production plants, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, blah-blah-blah...

Now do I discuss all the roaches ("Cockroach City" being a fave), or the dead rodents (mice and rats) that chewed through wiring, or the 6 second rule (no matter how filthy the floor), or the machine that was inches deep in filth that washed food transit vessels, or glasses that were "too clean", or suicidal KP's standing in pools of water getting shocks because they "had to use the dishwasher", or the people who used them as waste disposal units, or how about the special laundry machines for dealing with "solids", or what the customer did not see before they got the plate, or the PC that so hacked off the barman so he half filled his lager with his own fresh urine (direct witness)... or worse... and can you imagine the variations on, "cup of tea, love...?"

There is a golden rule in catering... never, ever complain and continue to eat there... I guarantee you there will be "extra mozarrella" or the "Chef's Special Sauce"... witnessed it far too many times...

There are some good ones out there, but...

I wonder why I went veggie... 

Mark... "Pleas lead meon to the next whisky bar, oh don't ask why. oh don't ask why..." as long as there is no money involved it's purely introduction work, I guess... 

Uwe... WHOOOAAH THERE Herr Hornung... NOT on a first date... yep guilty as charged... I guess it is no suprise that many of us have converging influences/likes/dislikes...

John... I first came across Pete Carr through Duane Allman searches... he was playing guitar as a second string to DA in Muscle Shoals - got all excited when I found an Atco single by Johnny Jenkins with a non LP track, thinking it would be Duane, but it wasn't... a lot of people will not know of the stuff he (Carr) did working with Seger over many LPs - Silver Bullett live/Muscle Shoals studio... did you ever hear Leblanc-Carr, which was a great LP; a stan-out song was "I belive that we..." wonder what he does these days... a much under-rated player...

Uwe... guess I'm an out-of-the-closet-proggie, too... 

Gary... and how they swayed and sashayed through Europe in those shiny jack-boots, too... a little more push and a little less polish and you'd be "turning Japanese" and we'd all be listening to Kraftwerk... probably still have the same Queen though (and Victoria reputedly spoke with a German accent...)

Ta... muchly... hopefully you're well on the way to recovery... 

I've not written anything new for about 5 years, since I started concentrating on the biog on my dad, which is presently stalled (all dry research transfers to the main text - well past the point of diminishing returns...!), also as I spend too much time here, according to my wife and daughter... 

I have so many ideas... time is my main constraint...

People I used to read (as in pretty much all of their mainstream works) were Frank Herbert (not just Dune), PKD, Robert Sheckley, Arthur C, Issac A, Robert Heinlein, A E Van Vogt, Gibson, Douglas Adams, Frederick Pohl, and not forgetting Mr Banks...

I was told that it is benificial to read new authors, or what is mainstream, to know what is popular now, but I always went the other way, so as to try and remain original...

I'm proud of this one, as it has a good (original, but ultimately old) theme, and a nice twist, but IMHO, it is far short of my best work...

3 strikes and your out...!

or 3rd time lucky...?

Not that he's their 3rd bassist in reality...

Ol' Reaperman, he keeps sweepin' round their door...

I saw them in '76 and '77 - still clearly remember the Friday the "original" news broke... 

As noted elsewhere, my RD had a tragedy some decades past and is now on the way back to normality, sound wise, + a refin ...

The Moog is long dead and buried but the undamaged pup runs fine on a 500k pot in the bridge position, passive, and the damaged one in the same position on my Peter Cook "Tequilabird" Custom, same wiring...

Thanks to George I now have a slice of 70's Mud to fit in the neck position on the T'bird (albeit I will need to do some minor mods to the internals as there is no way to rout the space required, but not tragically, just a strip and resolder, plus line the cavity to screen the lower end of the coils), also, thanks to Tony (Tubehead), I also have a 20/20 pup (which did not suit, soundwise, but fits the neck slot of the RD, as was noted when sent) which I intend to remove the original coil and fit an EMG select, same type that I have on my Hohner Jack... I like the sound of these pups and I have it, so QED... this will mean I do not have to mess with mounting an odd sized pup in the RD's big pup slot...

I prefer not to run with much in the way, and mostly no tone control, but as I now 2 basses to rewire I would appreciate some suggestions...

Is there any truth in the rumour that Cheap Trick originally titled a song "The Chrome Police"...?

Or how about...

"I 'eard there was trouble at t' LBO, boot ah didn't expect the Chrome Inquistion...!"

WHOOOOOOOSH.....!

"Nob-buddy ex-pekts the Krome Inkwishishun...! our chief weppons are krome, krome, and more krome..."

... and we're waiting for the piccies...