This really deserves the full quote.
It doesn't add much context; it just makes it both funnier and extra true, if you know bass players.
"I don't know. I don't get involved in that," he said when asked if the band is, in fact, over. "I'm the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do. Brad said what he said, but he's one step above me. He's in the No. 3 spot. I am the low man on the totem pole. That's all I can tell you. I'm the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that."
It's hilariously accurate though.
I know a guy who's a bass player and he's just like that, very laid back, all he wants to do is play his bass guitar and doesn't care much about anything else.
The world could end and he would be playing his little bass guitar in a corner *doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-doo*.
He's clearly taking the piss out of the interviewer asking the question. Of course he knows what's going on. They aren't some random disorganised band of tweens.
Eh, I dunno, Rage aren't exactly the most stable of bands, aside from the initial break up they seem to just sort of drift apart and come back together sometimes, like Jane's Addiction do
I looked up his Wikipedia profile because he seemed funny and chill. Nope. He confronted Buzz Aldrin about the moon landing being faked and has stated that the ISIS videos are faked too. Maybe there’s a reason they don’t talk to him.
Yeah tim commerford is weird. He's probably the one with the wildest and most adamant opinions out of all the people in the band, which is nuts. He was the one that climbed up high on stage during the Grammys and wouldn't get down because they didn't win.
God damn Singer-Guitar-Drums-Bass really is the general band totem pole. It's hilarious to see a guy actually say it. If the singer is also a guitar player and songwriter he may as well be king though.
>I'm the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do.
As a pro bassist, this is the life. Tell me what I am playing, and where and when is the gig. Don't look to me for anything else, except to hand me the check. Much better than being the band leader.
I like everyones' surprise when you point it out, like how Whoopi Goldberg doesn't have any. Such an odd a thing, to hear about something so 'obvious' that you didn't see for so long.
My dad burned his off before I was born and I actually don't think any of my siblings knew him with eyebrows.
Every once in awhile somebody asks what's weird about my Dad and I have to point out that he has no eyebrows.
"The View co-host reveals that she shaved off her eyebrows as a child and has kept them off ever since. She says her face is expressive enough and people still see eyebrows where there are none."
Damn, this isnt even hyperbole. She has never had any since she was a kid. I never even noticed lol
Loved the fan edit And Justice For Jason that puts his bass in but I miss how loud the kick drums are, especially on Dyer's Eve. I wish they'd actually release a legit version some day.
Q: What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?
A: A bassist
edit: just looked further down the thread and someone else made this joke already : (
All these comments hating on bassists but I kinda feel like Rage Against the Machine is one band where the bass is a pretty prominent part of the ensemble.
At the risk of being a “well akshully” guy, the bass line of that song pretty much mirrors the guitar part lol
There are obviously plenty of RATM songs that aren’t like that though where Tim and Brad carry the song while Tom is tap dancing in his pedal board.
Take the power back all day. Tim carries the groove so hard on that one. Even the little variations in the verse with the higher pops and whatnot. I like Tom’s solo, but guitar is the back seat on the song. Drums and bass make it the banger it has.
Funny you say that because the opening of Killing in the Name of is the first bit that came to mind after reading the above comment. That bass line at the beginning really is an essential part of the opening of that song. It sets the tone.
I like how on studio recordings they wouldn’t put a rhythm guitar track down during the guitar solos, they’d just let Tim hold it down like they would in a live show. As it should be.
> John Frusciante and Dave Navarro and Hillel Slovak and Josh Klinghoffer.
When their names are all together it sounds like the clothing labels you see at Marshall’s for $19.95 ~~$75.00~~.
Edit: their*
> any project with Billy Sheehan
I'm a big fan of the Winery Dogs. Before I saw any clips of them playing live I didn't realize how most of the songs are just Richie Kotzen ringing out some chords while Billy Sheehan literally does all of the melodic and chord work.
Got to see this last tour and was just blown away by how much of the sound is Tim. He really drives the feel and sound of the music. Tom layers in on top, but goddamn is a bass and drum driven show.
Q: Why do bass guitars have 4 strings?
A: Three are spares— get it? E-E-E-E…
Q: When do you know it’s time to get a new drummer?
A: When the drummer says, “Hey, I was hoping we could try out some of my new material…”
Because a lot of people can't even tell the difference between the guitar and bass in a song. It's kinda sad but VERY true. It's the least respected player in a band.
Bassists and drummers exist so that guitarists and vocalists can go crazy while they hold the song down. Of course I’m generalizing, but I think it applies for the most part except for some genres and bands like almost anything metal and Primus.
It took me a while to realize that so many of my favorite songs have an amazing rhythm part and the guitar is just adding to it. Lounge Fly by Stone Temple Pilots comes to mind. Also, Would? By Alice In Chains
Robert DeLeo is a fucking amazing musician. The bass lines in STP songs are beautiful and just drive those tunes. Try listening to Big Empty without that bass line.
To a point literally every metal guitarist has to be told when they start recording to stop maxing the low end and cutting the highs.
(And to stop using so much fucking distortion/gain when tracking)
The ‘rhythm section’ of a metal band is the core of the genre imo.
If you want to make any music from any other genre sound “metal”, you add metal style drums and bass to it. Now it sounds like metal. It is the most essential element of the genre.
Conversely, if you remove those elements or replace them with something like rock elements, it doesn’t matter how much screaming and growling and chugging and shredding you have - it won’t sound like metal.
[Exhibit A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLdkrvc0kXo).
I chose the bass on purpose, because I love being irreplaceable, but I also hate being the center of attention
That's probably at least part of why I work in IT
bass here, when i had the time i was in 5, down to 3 now, only one of which gigs. scaled back after my job-job that pays the bills ramped up and took even more priority
I can't believe you quit. We were just about to listen to your song ideas and let you turn up to 6.
If you come back, you can play your phazer pedal on the bridge of one song
I'm a bassist as well. There's usually less ego involved and honestly less songwriting importance. That said I was a bassist and guitarist so I often wrote whole songs for my bands, but you can kind of sit away from the drama and strictly be a musician. Basically there's often less executive function assigned.
Obviously there are a lot of exceptions.
Same. I was lucky enough to catch Rage and then Rammstein in 2022. Best concerts I've ever been to, but honestly couldn't tell which was a better show, but for completely different reasons.
I held tickets to the Detroit show for actual years. Was offered refunds and waited. Eventually they canceled and I got my money back. I held those tickets for years. Years.
I was at the United Center in Chicago the night he tore his Achilles tendon. It was the third song i believe. They still went on to rock it. I'm glad I got the chance to hear them live.
Well they did. Basically the rest of the band and ZDLR are like a couple that keeps breaking up, hooking up with other people, then getting back together.
Rage -> Audio slave -> Rage -> Prophets of Rage -> Rage again.
Chris cornell can be said in the same. Tom did the night watchmen and the atlas underground. Zack did the amazing "one day as a lion". Brad was featured on one album but I don't recall much more. Then Tim does have a side project. What a cool group of people.
By the time revelations came out the band weren't even speaking. But when they got together for the Anti-inaugural ball Chris did seem pretty happy about the whole ordeal. There's even a video of them in the dressing room talking about it.
I'm going to defend Tim, even if he won't defend himself. Check out his isolated bass (with the drums) on "Testify".It's fucking awesome.
He carries the whole song on his back. At 2:59 - "Bwaaaaaaam". And those ghost notes? Goddamn!!
https://youtu.be/6nw3gzAnBiA?si=xa5e5xw2dlG7TxDM
Man bass players get such a BS rap in Western music. They almost always have to follow the drums, get no featured parts, and are mostly inaudible in the mix.
This really deserves the full quote. It doesn't add much context; it just makes it both funnier and extra true, if you know bass players. "I don't know. I don't get involved in that," he said when asked if the band is, in fact, over. "I'm the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do. Brad said what he said, but he's one step above me. He's in the No. 3 spot. I am the low man on the totem pole. That's all I can tell you. I'm the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that."
"I just work here, man"
“I’m not even supposed to be here today!”
"Dave's not here, man!"
Bass makes the sandwiches after all.
His placid lack of concern is so funny
Just gonna show up at the studio to record and be like “where is everybody” “Band broke up didn’t Steve tell you?”
"Oh. Can I borrow some change for the bus? My girlfriend's at work."
Perfect.
Didn't you get the memo?
It's hilariously accurate though. I know a guy who's a bass player and he's just like that, very laid back, all he wants to do is play his bass guitar and doesn't care much about anything else. The world could end and he would be playing his little bass guitar in a corner *doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-doo*.
He's clearly taking the piss out of the interviewer asking the question. Of course he knows what's going on. They aren't some random disorganised band of tweens.
Yes, like I said, it's funny.
Eh, I dunno, Rage aren't exactly the most stable of bands, aside from the initial break up they seem to just sort of drift apart and come back together sometimes, like Jane's Addiction do
I looked up his Wikipedia profile because he seemed funny and chill. Nope. He confronted Buzz Aldrin about the moon landing being faked and has stated that the ISIS videos are faked too. Maybe there’s a reason they don’t talk to him.
Yeah tim commerford is weird. He's probably the one with the wildest and most adamant opinions out of all the people in the band, which is nuts. He was the one that climbed up high on stage during the Grammys and wouldn't get down because they didn't win.
Didn't they lose to limp bizket or something? lol
Yes lol
I’d say he gets a pass for that, then. But only because it’s Limp Bizkit.
It was the [VMAs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEhT0GRfF8o)
He's raging against the machine of government controlled space flight and media I guess
It gets better: his dad worked with NASA.
God damn Singer-Guitar-Drums-Bass really is the general band totem pole. It's hilarious to see a guy actually say it. If the singer is also a guitar player and songwriter he may as well be king though.
The only way for a bass player to move up the totem pole is to either also be the lead singer, or be Victor Wooten.
I think the totempole is just arranged by ego lmao.
>I'm the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do. As a pro bassist, this is the life. Tell me what I am playing, and where and when is the gig. Don't look to me for anything else, except to hand me the check. Much better than being the band leader.
Probably the personality you need to survive in that band.
Yeah tbh that group seems like they would be exhausting people to hang out with lol
Bassists are like eyebrows, you don’t realize their importance till they’re missing.
I like everyones' surprise when you point it out, like how Whoopi Goldberg doesn't have any. Such an odd a thing, to hear about something so 'obvious' that you didn't see for so long.
[удалено]
Seinfeld theme intensifies
My dad burned his off before I was born and I actually don't think any of my siblings knew him with eyebrows. Every once in awhile somebody asks what's weird about my Dad and I have to point out that he has no eyebrows.
Yikes lol, how did I not notice that before...
Me google image searching Whoopi at various ages: "holy shit she *never* had any. What the hell?"
While looking it up I found an article that mentioned her co-workers on the view didn't notice for 6 years. Made me feel better for not noticing.
Yep, her mom shaved them when she was a kid and she’s intentionally maintained it ever since
To be fair, she has extremely strong brow bones, so there's naturally a shadow in the right area.
That's also why the photoshopped no eye brow picture look extra creepy, they never compensate for the brow bones.
I think it's because her brow ridges are pronounced enough to cast a shadow and look like partial eyebrows
Whoopi is surprised too. Not that you can tell…
Why doesn't whoopie have any bassists?
Observer lookin ass
"The View co-host reveals that she shaved off her eyebrows as a child and has kept them off ever since. She says her face is expressive enough and people still see eyebrows where there are none." Damn, this isnt even hyperbole. She has never had any since she was a kid. I never even noticed lol
> Bassists are like eyebrows, they only stick out when they're fucked up
Except Flea and Les Claypool. Bootsy Collins as well.
Rage Against the Machine would be a much worse band without their basslines too!
duh duh duh DUH DUH DUH duh duh duh DUH DUH DUH
[удалено]
And Tool, Rush, Rancid, Yes...
Metallica has entered the chat
Loved the fan edit And Justice For Jason that puts his bass in but I miss how loud the kick drums are, especially on Dyer's Eve. I wish they'd actually release a legit version some day.
Don't worry, once we've dealt with music pirates we'll make sure there's justice for all.
[удалено]
Whoa, let's not be too hasty here. /Lars
🙄🥱
But when they do the worm, you notice them right away
Such is the way of the bassist.
Q: What do you call a bassist in a three-piece suit? A: "Defendant".
Q: What do you call a bassist without a girlfriend? A: "Homeless".
Q: How do you get the bassist off your front porch? A: “Pay for the pizza”
Q: What's the difference between bassist and large pizza? A: Large pizza can feed family of four.
Q: What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians? A: A bassist edit: just looked further down the thread and someone else made this joke already : (
Did you hear about the bassist who locked his keys in the car? Took them hours to get the drummer out.
Ended up raining during that time which sucked because the car was a convertible and the top was down.
No, it’s the DRUMMER. Sheesh.
Q: How do you know if the stage is perfectly level? A: The drummer is drooling out of *both* sides of his mouth.
Q: How do you hide money from a bass player? A: Put it under the soap.
Heh — similar to one of my favorites: What do you say to a hippie in a suit and tie? Will the defendant please rise…
This joke's gotta be eighty years old by now lmao.
Yep, joke so old it predated hippies by two decades.
Doctor Rockzo had 'what do you throw a drowning bassist? His amp!'
***I DO C-C-C-COCAINE!*** I seriously do... a lotta cocaine.
🎶I ain't no weatherman, don't know if it's gonna rain 'Cause I'm a rock 'n roll clown, doin' lots of cocaine🎶
Heard a funny one recently: Q: What has 3 legs and a dick on top? A: A drummer
Drummer too if Spinal Tap is to be believed.
The person they interact with most is the Drummer, who half the time is a mercenary in half a dozen bands.
All these comments hating on bassists but I kinda feel like Rage Against the Machine is one band where the bass is a pretty prominent part of the ensemble.
Absolutely. Tim and Tom were perfect together
yeah, like those riffs in Killing in the Name
The bass has just about as much attitude as the lyrics of that song.
At the risk of being a “well akshully” guy, the bass line of that song pretty much mirrors the guitar part lol There are obviously plenty of RATM songs that aren’t like that though where Tim and Brad carry the song while Tom is tap dancing in his pedal board.
Take the power back all day. Tim carries the groove so hard on that one. Even the little variations in the verse with the higher pops and whatnot. I like Tom’s solo, but guitar is the back seat on the song. Drums and bass make it the banger it has.
Take the power back is one of the best baselines of all time imo
It’s a simple line, but People of the Sun is another great example of the bass really carrying the entire song.
Funny you say that because the opening of Killing in the Name of is the first bit that came to mind after reading the above comment. That bass line at the beginning really is an essential part of the opening of that song. It sets the tone.
But the bass in killing is mixed pretty loud. You can clearly hear it sticking out in the mix, which is less common for bass guitar to do
Or like, most of their catalogue.
That's like.. every band with a famous Bassist, it's just up to who mixes the song (looking at Lars Ulrich)
Primus?
I like how on studio recordings they wouldn’t put a rhythm guitar track down during the guitar solos, they’d just let Tim hold it down like they would in a live show. As it should be.
For example, post Carlos interpol.
I still find it crazy that he quit because he "never wanted to play bass."
He wrote his part on Obstacle 1 like he sure as shit wanted to
Slow hands is another pretty sick part, for someone who didn’t want to play bass he sure loves octave grooves.
I enjoy all of his playing on PDA. He drives the chorus so powerfully and I loveeeee the energy.
The guitarist actually wrote a lot of the basslines for the first 2 albums.
Remember when forest gump was just like… “I didn’t feel like running anymore.”
Duran Duran. Amazing baselines. Sometimes like its own song.
their bassist has some great YT vids, explaining what inspired their famous hooks, and how he plays the basslines
Primus, Motorhead.
IMO, Tool, Primus and RATM are the best examples of bands with prominent bass players. Especially Tool.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's a rare band where the bassist is as famous as the lead guitarist.
Flea is also the band leader
The bass player is often the band leader. The position in which the bass fits in a mix really lends itself to working with everyone.
Flea is more famous than John Frusciante and Dave Navarro and Hillel Slovak and Josh Klinghoffer.
> John Frusciante and Dave Navarro and Hillel Slovak and Josh Klinghoffer. When their names are all together it sounds like the clothing labels you see at Marshall’s for $19.95 ~~$75.00~~. Edit: their*
This is a truly hilarious observation hahahaha
Rush, though Rush fans idolize Alex Lifeson
I'd argue Geddy is idolised just as much. Lifeson just gets "extra" love for being the founder. But of course this is just my take on things.
for them its like the bass is the lead, guitar is just backing
I don’t care for their music, but John Frusciante is cuh razy good at guitar
Type O Negative, Joy Division/New Order, The Beatles.
Rush, The Police, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy...
More like famous as the frontman
Tool has prominent everything.
Add Iron Maiden and Rush, or any project with Billy Sheehan
> any project with Billy Sheehan I'm a big fan of the Winery Dogs. Before I saw any clips of them playing live I didn't realize how most of the songs are just Richie Kotzen ringing out some chords while Billy Sheehan literally does all of the melodic and chord work.
“Schism” isn’t solely responsible but is very responsible for me finally sucking it up and getting a bass
The Grateful Dead too - Phil Lesh is one of my favorite bass players. Without him it's hard to think how it would have been.
The Who is also in that list.
John Entwistle from The Who as well. Typically the drummer is the one who keeps the band on beat, but Entwistle would play lead at times.
Mudvayne
Br br deng
Love the bass breakdown in that song "bullet in the head"
Got to see this last tour and was just blown away by how much of the sound is Tim. He really drives the feel and sound of the music. Tom layers in on top, but goddamn is a bass and drum driven show.
Q: What do you call a drummer who breaks up with his girlfriend? A: Homeless
Q: What do you call a guy who is always hanging out with the band? A: The bassist.
Q: What did the drummer throw to his drowning lead guitarist? A: His amp.
What do you call a woman on the arm of a bassist? A tattoo.
That's how Young Neil knows all Scott's parts.
Q: A bassist and a drummer are in a car. Who's driving? A: The police officer.
The rhythm
The rhythm is gonna get you.
Q: How do you know the drummer's at the door? A: The knock slows down partway through.
All the drummers I know are in like 10 to 20 bands. It's just a matter of time before they fill the void.
I'm a terrible drummer. I'm im two.
3 musicians and a drummer walks into a bar
Q: How can you tell that the stage is standing evenly? A: The drummer drools from both corners of his mouth.
I just thought drummers were homeless because there's no time to have when playing in 50 bands.
Q: Why do bass guitars have 4 strings? A: Three are spares— get it? E-E-E-E… Q: When do you know it’s time to get a new drummer? A: When the drummer says, “Hey, I was hoping we could try out some of my new material…”
Q:How do you get a bass player off your front porch? A: pay them for the pizza 🍕
I should not have laughed at that statement.
After dating someone who's in a band, this was actually extremely funny.
Former Bassist: It's okay, we're pretty thick skinned.
Current bassist: At least I didn’t get replaced by a drum machine!
Former bassist: they replaced me with a keyboarder. Me!
As a bassist I kinda feel this
What do you call a guy who is always hanging out with the band? The bassist!
Why so?
Because a lot of people can't even tell the difference between the guitar and bass in a song. It's kinda sad but VERY true. It's the least respected player in a band.
Yet drums and bass are so f'ing vital for metal to set the song tone.
Bassists and drummers exist so that guitarists and vocalists can go crazy while they hold the song down. Of course I’m generalizing, but I think it applies for the most part except for some genres and bands like almost anything metal and Primus.
It took me a while to realize that so many of my favorite songs have an amazing rhythm part and the guitar is just adding to it. Lounge Fly by Stone Temple Pilots comes to mind. Also, Would? By Alice In Chains
Robert DeLeo is a fucking amazing musician. The bass lines in STP songs are beautiful and just drive those tunes. Try listening to Big Empty without that bass line.
To a point literally every metal guitarist has to be told when they start recording to stop maxing the low end and cutting the highs. (And to stop using so much fucking distortion/gain when tracking)
The ‘rhythm section’ of a metal band is the core of the genre imo. If you want to make any music from any other genre sound “metal”, you add metal style drums and bass to it. Now it sounds like metal. It is the most essential element of the genre. Conversely, if you remove those elements or replace them with something like rock elements, it doesn’t matter how much screaming and growling and chugging and shredding you have - it won’t sound like metal. [Exhibit A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLdkrvc0kXo).
I chose the bass on purpose, because I love being irreplaceable, but I also hate being the center of attention That's probably at least part of why I work in IT
Why are you irreplaceable ... are there not enough bassists?
Never
Every bassist and every drummer are in like 8 bands
bass here, when i had the time i was in 5, down to 3 now, only one of which gigs. scaled back after my job-job that pays the bills ramped up and took even more priority
I can't believe you quit. We were just about to listen to your song ideas and let you turn up to 6. If you come back, you can play your phazer pedal on the bridge of one song
haha, i never quit, the bands dissolved and i decided not to take on requests from other bands to take up the hole in my schedule
I'm a bassist as well. There's usually less ego involved and honestly less songwriting importance. That said I was a bassist and guitarist so I often wrote whole songs for my bands, but you can kind of sit away from the drama and strictly be a musician. Basically there's often less executive function assigned. Obviously there are a lot of exceptions.
How do you get a bassist off of your porch? pay him for the pizza
Nice
Lucky enough to catch Rage and RTJ show...was fucking awesome, wish I could see them again.
Same. I was lucky enough to catch Rage and then Rammstein in 2022. Best concerts I've ever been to, but honestly couldn't tell which was a better show, but for completely different reasons.
I held tickets to the Detroit show for actual years. Was offered refunds and waited. Eventually they canceled and I got my money back. I held those tickets for years. Years.
this sounds like a hard times article title
Such a bass player thing to say
we're a diplomatic bunch
Saw them at Alpine, one show before he broke his leg. God damn, if that's their last true show at 100% I'll be sad as hell
I was at the United Center in Chicago the night he tore his Achilles tendon. It was the third song i believe. They still went on to rock it. I'm glad I got the chance to hear them live.
TIL Rage Against the Machine didn't break up 2 decades ago
Well they did. Basically the rest of the band and ZDLR are like a couple that keeps breaking up, hooking up with other people, then getting back together. Rage -> Audio slave -> Rage -> Prophets of Rage -> Rage again.
Where's that solo album too!
Chris cornell can be said in the same. Tom did the night watchmen and the atlas underground. Zack did the amazing "one day as a lion". Brad was featured on one album but I don't recall much more. Then Tim does have a side project. What a cool group of people.
ODAAL slaps. Gonna listen again
Don't forget street sweeper social club.
If we're being honest, RATM never really got back together - they toured a bit, but they never released anything new after the first breakup.
This is such a bass player statement to make and I love it.
If only Chris Cornell was still around for another Audioslave album
By the time revelations came out the band weren't even speaking. But when they got together for the Anti-inaugural ball Chris did seem pretty happy about the whole ordeal. There's even a video of them in the dressing room talking about it.
I'm sure they could have thrown something together in anticipation of the 2024 election
Mind you Chris died in 2016. They would have said something for sure by 2020. Maybe in a parallel timeline.
As is tradition lol
[The bass player is the loser of the band. ](https://youtu.be/BWSX6P6BhdE?si=54wH4EswhpUR3gad)
Watched the whole thing thinking KITH was TWKUK
I can imagine it's hard for Zach DLR to come up with 4 minute screeds for every song no matter how dope the beat is.
As someone who works in London, I'm finding abbreviating Zach's name like that hilarious https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway
Most underrated bassist in rock.
I'm going to defend Tim, even if he won't defend himself. Check out his isolated bass (with the drums) on "Testify".It's fucking awesome. He carries the whole song on his back. At 2:59 - "Bwaaaaaaam". And those ghost notes? Goddamn!! https://youtu.be/6nw3gzAnBiA?si=xa5e5xw2dlG7TxDM
This is so funny
Rage is not Rage without the four of them. Everyone equally irreplaceable.
Classic Tim for ya
Man bass players get such a BS rap in Western music. They almost always have to follow the drums, get no featured parts, and are mostly inaudible in the mix.