Bass Players

Friend Richard phones. 'Hello it's me how are you well enough about you...' to ask if I agree that the Today Programme team are wasting too much time talking about the difficulties of getting the space shuttle back to earth. 'It's several tons of steel trying to penetrate the earth's atmosphere at X squousand kph isn't it better to wait for good weather...'

And having agreed that I tell him about Fred and we talk about bass players which was the next item on Today. Rules of bass playing by Richard and Steve (just realised I spoke just as much as Richard today so probably need to withdraw libellous opening sentences. Withdraw. Sorry I don't understand the concept):

1. Bass players should lean on something.
2. Bass players should not look involved in the music.
3. Bass players should produce brilliant music without demonstrating the use of any effort.

Richard goes on to extol the virtues of a duo (piano/bass) he heard recently which 'would only have been improved by a cello'. I suggest a bodrum but then we get on to folk music, barn dances and the fact that bodrum players are not musicians but people who find a strange drum on the pub wall after six pints of Guinness and then forget they can't play.

Great bass players:

John Entwhistle
Leo Lyons (Ten Years After)
The guy from Sad Amongst Strangers who I once saw playing with Richard Thompson at very short notice and being brilliant and someone out there will know his name.
Jono (Aphron)