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Paul Warburton
03-08-2010, 07:40 PM
Some of you know me and some of you don't. I'm basically just an old jazz bass player with some experience in that world.
I was recently involved in a thread here where I was asked a question or two by a member who I wasn't familiar with. I became extremely confused with the way the poster responded....I asked publicly for Ken's help and Ken responded as best he could by suggesting that I read one of the posters other threads. I did that and realized what this person was all about, in my experience of knowing other people similar to this in other talk sites. I'm not going to get defensive about it with the exception of explaining a couple of reasons why I insulted him intentionally, which I sure did. After Ken suggested that I check out this guys active thread, the guy came in telling me that he didn't "ask for (my) involvement in his thread. I'm not involved in that thread, nor was I ever and I told him in no uncertain terms that I didn't need to have him invite me into his thread or anyone Else's for that matter. What really insulted me was that he referred to me as "this guy", as if I was some "thing" that wasn't included in this community.
I did call this person a "jerk" and said a couple other unkind things because he was taking unkind shots at his host at this site, who I happen to like. (for what strange reasons, I can't explain ;). )
Anselm happened to get kind of caught in the middle of this silly fray and I'd like to offer a public apology to him, so.....Anselm, I'm sorry if you misunderstood anything I said and I didn't mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of the dreaded Internet talk site "Buddy Up System" which is common on talk sites.
To my understanding, this site is not a Blog where one person is free to take over and spew weird **** about themselves from dusk to dawn and any one person who holds conversations with him or herself, page after page.....including quoting other posts that he wrote previously to talk to himself, says one thing to me........look at me. (IMO).
I would have posted this in the above mentioned thread but it was closed down, so this Thread Topic seemed to be the best bet.
Saludos, PW.

Ken Smith
03-08-2010, 07:55 PM
What do you mean by "Saludos"? Going somewhere? Gee, I hope not. We are just getting started.. ;)

The guy in that thread I think is a harmless and lonely to the world person. He has a job and family but seems to be here almost around the clock. Well, I thought things in his world 'well displayed' over here from his mind were getting a bit out of control. So, I closed about half of his Threads which I deem silly. I deleted only one that seemed an insult to one that replied and deleted a comment of his own that I was able to read as the Mod.

Anyway, that's done for now and I think it becomes a bit more clear now that this section is not for ones own personal exhibition of silliness but rather to relate to others thoughts about non-bass topics.

Maybe we can get back on the off-bass-topic finally and stay there, in here I mean..

Paul Warburton
03-08-2010, 08:07 PM
I would now like to talk a while about what an amazing person I am when I'm not playing all that brilliant stuff on my big bass fiddle.

Adrian Juras
03-08-2010, 09:01 PM
Ken I think your "i" key is malfunctioning ;) I agree though. I dig this site because it covers such a wide range of facets regarding the double bass, and its just a shame to see some of that stuff happening in said thread, and elsewhere on here I guess(although I tend not to read into the OT stuff...). I always enjoy reading your posts and experiences Paul.

Back to the woodshed...

Adrian

Ken Smith
03-08-2010, 09:10 PM
Ken I think your "i" key is malfunctioning ;) I agree though. I dig this site because it covers such a wide range of facets regarding the double bass, and its just a shame to see some of that stuff happening in said thread, and elsewhere on here I guess(although I tend not to read into the OT stuff...). I always enjoy reading your posts and experiences Paul.

Back to the woodshed...

Adrian

The I and O are right next to each other on my keyboard. Should o/i get that fixed?.. :eek::confused:

Richard Prowse
03-09-2010, 02:13 AM
"What really insulted me was that he referred to me as "this guy", as if I was some "thing" that wasn't included in this community.
I did call this person a "jerk" and said a couple other unkind things..."
Gosh, normally when you call someone a 'jerk' you expect that he's not going to want to be you best friend!
Paul, I found the things you said about me and my country ("NZ crapola thread") disrespectful, not that you probably care.
Hey, but that's life.
Bye Oren, E.Joel and Anselm.
Good luck, my friends.

Ken, can you please close my account now and delete what you like.
Thanks.
Good luck for the future.

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 07:52 AM
I would now like to talk a while about what an amazing person I am when I'm not playing all that brilliant stuff on my big bass fiddle.

So, how's that going? :D

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 07:59 AM
"What really insulted me was that he referred to me as "this guy", as if I was some "thing" that wasn't included in this community.
I did call this person a "jerk" and said a couple other unkind things..."
Gosh, normally when you call someone a 'jerk' you expect that he's not going to want to be you best friend!
Paul, I found the things you said about me and my country ("NZ crapola thread") disrespectful, not that you probably care.
Hey, but that's life.
Bye Oren, E.Joel and Anselm.
Good luck, my friends.

Ken, can you please close my account now and delete what you like.
Thanks.
Good luck for the future.

I just looked at your profile and you X'd out all your information. Did you say you were a public school teacher? Have any of the parents of the students you teach read your Threads here?:eek: Unless the culture down in NZ is something on the flip side, I would be more concerned about that than what people here say.

I know you put a lot of time into your Threads and Posts but the silly stuff has to come to an end sometime. A joke here and there is fine but this has become borderline insane. Maybe even south of the border!

If you are reading this feel free to reply.

Hey, I come from working the night scene in NYC. In the clubs there it's so tough that the hat check girl stabs you goodnight!:eek::eek::o .. Her name is Nunzio..:D:p

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 08:01 AM
No surprise. You're back again, of course, right on target. Now you're accusing me of dissing your Country, which is more BS but you knew I had to come back again to make it clear to other members that it isn't true, so here ya go...... http://www.smithbassforums.com/showthread.php?p=18270#post18270
My post #47......""study in neurosis NZ crapola thread of yours". (if you don't want to dig through the crap). As you wish, I'll explain that to you...I wasn't calling your country crapola, I was calling that sad thread that has NZ in the topic header crapola, and that, IMO, is really being kind to you.
Now you come into this new thread that I felt was incumbant on me to post to apologize to Anselm and to explain my actions to other members to make sure that people know that you're still haunting and ready to taunt. How many times have you threatened to leave before this?
I don't know if Ken HAS to CLOSE your account before you leave. I think not, and if I were him I'd say.....Bye, don't let the door hit you in the ass on yer way out. :D

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 08:10 AM
You know when someone says "hey, I can say this to you because I'm your friend".. etc.. Well that happens on line too. The difference here is that others around the world, members and guests alike can read it. On this small membered forum, the guest readership far out numbers the members.

We say what we say and we do what we do. When I tell jokes to others I am often the only one who gets the joke the way I thought it to be intended. You gotta be in it to win it!.. So, often Posts and Threads are between the posters ears rather than clearly understood by others.

I hope that makes sense. I get it. Do you? :confused:

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 08:10 AM
So, how's that going? :D

Damn Brilliant. Thanks fer asking.

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 08:14 AM
Damn Brilliant. Thanks fer asking.

Feel like sharing? Not like it hasn't been done before. With all my talk about my personal basses I fell that sometimes I'm talking to myself. Ever fell that way Paul?

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 08:23 AM
You know when someone says "hey, I can say this to you because I'm your friend".. etc.. Well that happens on line too. The difference here is that others around the world, members and guests alike can read it. On this small membered forum, the guest readership far out numbers the members.
We say what we say and we do what we do. When I tell jokes to others I am often the only one who gets the joke the way I thought it to be intended. You gotta be in it to win it!.. So, often Posts and Threads are between the posters ears rather than clearly understood by others.

I hope that makes sense. I get it. Do you? :confused:

No.
What do I get? Do I have to get something? What if I don't like it?....can I take it back for something nicer, or do I have to be polite, keep it and act like I like it? Sometimes, when you're nice to me I think you might be planning on doing something ugly to me..................****. I'm starting to sound like Richard. :eek:

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 08:28 AM
Feel like sharing? Not like it hasn't been done before. With all my talk about my personal basses I fell that sometimes I'm talking to myself. Ever fell that way Paul?

Did I ever fall what way? You know I've fallen most ways, Ken.....we already talked about that before. I was so drunk I never really hurt myself too badly.

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 08:45 AM
Did I ever fall what way? You know I've fallen most ways, Ken.....we already talked about that before. I was so drunk I never really hurt myself too badly.

FeEl.. Feel.. feel.... Hey, I play bass. I can't type, period..

Stop making fun od me... I mean fun oF me.. these letters are so close to each other how is anyone expected to hit the exact letter. The phones used to have big buttons too. Now when dialing my Cell I hit 2 or 3 numbers at once. What, am I supposed to shrink down to 2 feet tall so the keys and numbers are the normal size? Gezzz... hit a guy when he's down.. That's NY for ya.. :eek:

Anselm Hauke
03-09-2010, 08:52 AM
.......
Anselm happened to get kind of caught in the middle of this silly fray and I'd like to offer a public apology to him, so.....Anselm, I'm sorry if you misunderstood anything I said and I didn't mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of the dreaded Internet talk site "Buddy Up System" which is common on talk sites. .........


thanks paul, i accept your apology.

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 08:56 AM
PRE EDIT: Thanks Anselm, we posted at the same time.


I was messing with Ken...........


Hey, man....You're the only person I know who may have an ego as big as mine. I guess that's why we get along OK. Later on I'm gonna start a "Battle of the Bassist's Egos" thread, if I can last long enough in here.
I know what you're saying though about new tech stuff like typing :D. I answered my TV remote yesterday when the phone rang.
Old age is a Mother.

PS.....my bass' machines in my Avatar pic are cooler than yours and I don't need no damn extension.

Ken Smith
03-09-2010, 08:59 AM
Hey, man....You're the only person I know who may have an ego as big as mine. I guess that's why we get along OK. Later on I'm gonna start a "Battle of the Bassist's Egos" thread, if I can last long enough in here.
I know what you're saying though about new tech stuff like typing :D. I answered my TV remote yesterday when the phone rang.
Old age is a Mother.

No Paul, that's the fAll thing again. Like combing your teen and brushing your hair in the morning. Walking into the bathroom and looking at the various grooming tools but not sure what goes where!.. :eek::eek:

Tim Bishop
03-09-2010, 09:14 AM
....Like combing your teen....:eek::eek:Be careful with that one: That could land you in jail now-days. :)

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 09:17 AM
You just barely beat me on that one, Tim. :D

EDIT: This stuff speaks volumes about Ken's ****'s. The guy has the nerve to start an Internet Talk Site and can't even make a post that can be understood.

Tim Bishop
03-09-2010, 09:19 AM
:DYou just barely beat me on that one, Tim. :DSorry, I gave it a few minutes but I just couldn't resist. Lol! It had screaming reply all over it. :D

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 09:33 AM
Naw, this is cool. Maybe he'll annoit us as Moderators. This site isn't quite as active as some, obviously. Sometimes it takes a few days to build up some anguish on other sites. You and I are doing some good work in a matter of minutes. :eek:

Eric Swanson
03-09-2010, 09:44 AM
:) I am still laughing at the hat check girl stabbing you goodnight. I must have missed the repeat or the coda, or both...:)

Tim Bishop
03-09-2010, 09:53 AM
:) I am still laughing at the hat check girl stabbing you goodnight. I must have missed the repeat or the coda, or both...:)Lol! Now that's funny. :D

Paul Warburton
03-09-2010, 04:52 PM
Hey, I come from working the night scene in NYC. In the clubs there it's so tough that the hat check girl stabs you goodnight!:eek::eek::o

NYC is a cold and tough place. First gig there for me was @ The Vangaurd. The table right in front was filled with a who's who of jazz bass in the world....Haden, Buster, Cecil McBee and a couple others. I thought "All Right....the boys come to check me out!" A friend told me later..."Naw, they just wanted to see your bass." :mad:

Calvin Marks
03-22-2010, 12:51 PM
NYC is a cold and tough place. First gig there for me was @ The Vangaurd. The table right in front was filled with a who's who of jazz bass in the world....Haden, Buster, Cecil McBee and a couple others. I thought "All Right....the boys come to check me out!" A friend told me later..."Naw, they just wanted to see your bass." :mad:

From everything I've read (albeit I know virtually nothing about Jazz) it seems that life as a professional jazz musician can be incredibly difficult, especially in the beginning. Would you all assess my opinion as on mark? At least with classical bass there is the prospect of auditions and getting some form of tenured position, whereas with Jazz, it's all about reputation and couple bad gigs can break you...Please stop me if I'm incorrect. Tough life indeed.

Paul Warburton
03-22-2010, 01:27 PM
As you probably know, NYC is the epi center of Jazz. As with all things in life, there are trade-offs involved. That's where the best players at least go through consistantly to play the clubs, concert halls and educational venues. Many of the greatest living players either live in the city or in close surrounding areas. The negatives are there, off course, but the musical pay backs are huge.
I've thought about it many times and am giving serious thought to giving it a shot.
A good musical reputation and some word of mouth can help, as can friends in the area.
Would I walk in there with some kind of "attitude"? Nope. Not on your life.

Eric Hochberg
03-22-2010, 02:17 PM
From everything I've read (albeit I know virtually nothing about Jazz) it seems that life as a professional jazz musician can be incredibly difficult, especially in the beginning. Would you all assess my opinion as on mark? At least with classical bass there is the prospect of auditions and getting some form of tenured position, whereas with Jazz, it's all about reputation and couple bad gigs can break you...Please stop me if I'm incorrect. Tough life indeed.

Yes, life as a professional jazz musician can be difficult, especially these days with the decline of jazz as popular music. Most jazz people I know play other gigs, too. I always supplemented my jazz life with recording sessions, corporate and private parties as leader and sideman, teaching, and educational programs. Unfortunately, much of this work has also been on the decline over the last ten years or so. Many players are trying to get teaching gigs at the university level now to make up for the lack of playing opportunities.

I suggest reading Jason Heath's "Road Warrior" series on doublebassblog.org to get an idea of what classical musicians go through when they don't land that major symphony gig and have to freelance. :eek:

Eric Hochberg
03-22-2010, 04:29 PM
As you probably know, NYC is the epi center of Jazz. As with all things in life, there are trade-offs involved. That's where the best players at least go through consistantly to play the clubs, concert halls and educational venues. Many of the greatest living players either live in the city or in close surrounding areas. The negatives are there, off course, but the musical pay backs are huge.
I've thought about it many times and am giving serious thought to giving it a shot.
A good musical reputation and some word of mouth can help, as can friends in the area.
Would I walk in there with some kind of "attitude"? Nope. Not on your life.

I've played in NYC many times over the years and love it. I gave living there a shot in 1979-80 when I was in my mid twenties, and brother, I had to give up. I played with some great players, did some nice gigs and was able to continue traveling with the band I was in at the time (based in Chicago), but I could tell that it was going to be a long road to get to the point of making a living from music there as I had been doing for a few years in Chicago. The logistics of dealing with bass and amp on public trans, parking my car, etc. were pretty tough after having things relatively easy in Chicago. Some memorable experiences:

Showing up at Roseland for a union sponsored gig search. A crowd of musicians looking for work, I think every Tuesday. I was standing next to Sal Nestico in his tux and thought, oh geez...

Taking the Lex Ave train from 69th? St. to 125th and walking over to 9th? Ave, I think, with my bass and amp, to play at the "Cotton Club" I'll never forget that walk.

Leaving a session downtown at 2AM or so and getting on the subway, looking around at the crowd, and getting off before the doors closed. I think I walked 40 blocks getting home that night.

Getting a call to play with drummer Billy Hart, oh yeah, I thought. I asked the leader how to get to the club in NJ - take my bass and amp on the subway to 186th?, grab a bus to wherever, they'd then pick me up and take me to the club. Gig payed $35 I think. I passed...

Ken, I think I may have met you at guitarist Ross Traut's loft on 27th St. I think maybe you had just started making basses. Sound familiar?

Ken Smith
03-22-2010, 06:19 PM
Ken, I think I may have met you at guitarist Ross Traut's loft on 27th St. I think maybe you had just started making basses. Sound familiar?

?? Nope, no recall, sorry

I would like to add that the Economy is not limited to Jazz and Commercial Gigs. The Orchestra world has been suffering at least as much if not more.

For the most part, the better players get the better gigs, but not 100% of the time. One thing for sure is that there are more players than Jobs now.

Take for example the NY Phil. Over a 2 year period on two separate invites, about 350 people auditioned for a spot or two. The first was to replace Lew Norton when he retired and of the 200, no one got the gig. The second, about 150 I heard showed up. Zip again in the Hires and 1 or 2 more spots opened up between the first 200 and the next 150 tried out.

I know they are using Sub's whenever needed to fill out the section per concert/series. From a business standpoint the Sub's probably do not get all the benefits and frills that the regulars do so it's cheaper 'not' to hire anyone permanently. On the other hand, there are probably union minimums for the Orchestra per section. Using Sub's I would guess satisfies the minimums required. One auditionee that I know was offered to be on the sub list. He asked me on the phone if he should accept and I said "of course. Next time you audition there you will more comfortable and relaxed from playing there already." This person already has a Job in another Orchestra but is looking to move up, like many.

Calvin Marks
03-22-2010, 08:00 PM
There's an unfortunate trend happening where prominent orchestras have been turning full time section positions into extras. After all, it's not often that you need bassist no. 8, he/she can be contracted out, right? I'm pretty against this way of thinking as it only degrades the quality of the ensemble and cheats players.