“Some friends helped me get back on my feet. I hadn’t been on stage in a few years and I was scared about performing after losing my hearing”: Former Incubus bassist Ben Kenney returns to the stage for the first time since undergoing brain surgery
“It’s one of our best tunes and one of my best basslines”: When Duran Duran fused Chic and Sex Pistols for one of bassist John Taylor’s standout performances
“I’m like the Pablo Escobar of bass. If a dude works on my pedalboard, it’s almost like I have to kill him after he’s done!” With Rage Against the Machine, Tim Commerford pioneered an all-time iconic bass tone. No wonder he’s cagey about his setup
in Artists, Bassists “I don’t really listen to Primus. It amazes me that we wrote like that”: Les Claypool looks back on the stomach-churning grooves of Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Primus’ major-label debut and the moment he became a bass superstar
in Artists, Bassists “His performance should be studied by all bassists”: Played by a session great, this Chaka Khan line was hailed by Nathan East as “the perfect bassline”
in Artists, Bassists “That’s 15 less than I’m used to….” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis was saddled with his 17-string bass after a joke appearance went viral – now he’s experimenting with a 2-string build
in Artists, Bassists “Jimmy Page said, ‘If you want to go work straight away, do the Ozzy gig. If not, we’d love to have you’”: Phil Soussan is one of the ultimate bass journeymen – he looks back at his storied career, and why he picked Ozzy Osbourne over Jimmy Page
in Artists, Bassists “Would I play it for a whole show? Absolutely not! I’m so happy to get that thing off. It’s brutal”: ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on his latest weird bass acquisition – the 15-string ‘High Selecta’ bass
in Artists, Bassists “I heard the chorus… Then we took it into the studio. I’ll never forget it – for me, it was like I wasn’t playing the song”: Veteran bassist Nathan East on recording one of Eric Clapton’s most personal – and well-loved – songs
in Artists, Bassists “I rediscovered the glorious bottom-end of the Fender… I feel far more fluid playing the Jazz Bass than I ever did on the Rickenbacker”: Geddy Lee went on a tonal quest and broke all the bass rules to make Rush sound huge
in Artists, Bassists “When I got into Miles Davis’ band, playing like my idols – Jaco, Stanley and Larry Graham – wasn’t going to work. I had to dig and find something else”: How Marcus Miller found his voice – and became one of the most-imitated bassists in the biz
in Artists, Bassists “Cliff always wanted to play more than he should have, but we didn’t try to control him – we couldn’t”: How Cliff Burton’s bass masterpiece earned its place in the pantheon of great rock solos
in Artists, Bassists “The goal was to shake up B.B. King’s music and make it chart-friendly”: B.B. King had his breakthrough blues guitar moment with The Thrill Is Gone – but it was Jerry Jemmott’s bass that made it groove
in Artists, Bassists “Please tell the bass players of the world to go easy on me. I did my best to represent you well!” Bob Rock made bass history on Metallica’s St. Anger – quite a feat, since he “never really played bass” before
in Artists, Bassists “I was playing a lot of jazz when we did Longview. I’d sit in at jazz clubs and read off the Real Book”: If you think Mike Dirnt is another clueless punk, think again
