Posted on July 17, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 36 Comments
But here’s some Luscious Jackson to keep you company. Did I mention I have a crush on Gabby Glaser? Apparently I have a fetish for female bassists. I don’t imagine this is incredibly uncommon.
Taunting the tauntable since 1998
John Scalzi, proprietor – JS
Athena Scalzi, editor – AMS
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Hey John,
You’ve probably seen Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog — the new Joss Whedon project — by this point. Either way, you should give it a little bit of a signal boost! Especially because the free viewing is going to go away on Sunday.
http://www.drhorrible.com/
I really like “Down to Earth” by them (featured on the Titan A.E. soundtrack). It’s in my playlist for when I’m writing.
I’ve always had a crush on Britta Phillips.
Jacob:
I very seriously doubt Joss Whedon needs a signal boost from me. Also, you know. This isn’t meant to be a pimp thread.
Good tune, that. And you are far from alone in your penchant for the female wielders of those mightiest of axes. I just so happen to have snagged one myself.
…
Ok. Apologies.
Is our hate mail graded yet?
…
[/gloat]
Alex Knapp:
Here’s a hint: If I haven’t posted an entry about it, the answer is “no.”
“Apparently I have a fetish for female bassists. I don’t imagine this is incredibly uncommon.”
I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter… my attraction to female bass players has been a long-running joke with my wife. Glad there’s someone else in the clubhouse with me.
May I direct your attention to this page.
Oops… copied the wrong address. I meant this page.
Three posters so far like female bassists, yay. Does this apply equally to classically-trained string bass playing females? How about former string bass playing females? Is there any hope for me?
Mine was Kathy valentine from the Go-go’s! Oh yeah!
Now if Helen Mirren played bass. Damn!
Any thoughts on D’Arcy Wretzky? Versus Melissa Auf Der Maur?
John,
Heh. Understood. Don’t worry–not meeting self-set deadlines is a constitutional right! At least, I’m pretty sure it is. I’ll have the constitution read by tomorrow and let you know. :)
Yo. Female drummers rock, though female bassists also rock.
A woman playing a bass is one of the hottest things, period.
I like guys better, but a guy playing the bass just isn’t the same somehow.
Kim Deal, for one, yowza.
And who was the bassist for Belly. I remember seeing them back in the mid-90s at the University of Delaware. Radiohead opened for them, if you could believe it, in a gym auditorium. They had one woman (not Tanya Donnelly) whose desirability quotient tripled when she strapped on her bass.
Gabby occasionally tends bar at Floyd’s in Brooklyn. She gets a lot of those “is that who I think it is?” kind of looks. She teaches guitar too, or at least offered lessons to a friend of mine.
She still makes music and plays gigs. I think her homepage is out of date.
Just because she’s hawt.
According to Wiki Gabby Glaser is the guitar player and Jill Cunniff is the bass player. Not to be narky about it….
*snarky
You know, even the prepubescent bass player in the “School of Rock” movie had a really cool look. She’s off limits for like ten years, though. Did I say ten? I meant twenty. Meanwhile we can enjoy her musical talents; I heard a rumor they’re making a sequel to the movie.
Nit-picker. Both have played both instruments live and on their releases. And hey, both are hawt.
The members of the band did a lot of instrument switching, as I understand it. From an interview:
If Jester would just watch the video, he’d see that Wiki is not remotely definitive.
Three words
Gail. Ann. Dorsey.
And Sean Yseult was about the only reason to pay attention to White Zombie.
A subject near and dear to my heart.
Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens said it best:
“Well she held a bass guitar and
She was playing in a band and
She stood just like Bill Wyman
Now I am her biggest fan ”
Patricia Morrison of The Gun Club, Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned:
Big girl, big hair, big bass sound, Mary Huff:
Thanks for the Gail Ann Dorsey link; wow!
Can’t forget Me’shell:
But my money is on Johnette Napolitano, plays hard and sings beautifully:
Hey don’t get me wrong, I think that women bass players are generally hot, also.
I have had the fortune to see Luscious Jackson twice back in the day. Both times Gabby was on the guitar.
Also in all the liner notes it does not say who plays what.
Off to watch the videos!
@ sfc ski I second Johnette Napolitano SHE ROCKS!
30 posts and no mention of Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads? OK, so she is 57 now, but back in the day…
Tal Wilkenfeld, playing here with Jeff Beck.
Wunderkind.
Lyn-Z of Mindless Self Indulgence.
at 2:40 in that video she does this bend over backward bass playing thing that is nifty as heck.
I can’t believe I missed Tina Weymouth!
Incredible grooving talent, just listen to this bassline (not sampled, played!)
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Carah Faye Charnow from Shiny Toy Guns… Yowza!
The Man Who Loved a Double Bass” by Angela Carter. First appeared in Storyteller Contest July 1962. Reprinted in “Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories”, intro by Salman Rushdie, [London: Chatto & Windus, 1995; New York: Penguin, 1997]
“All artists, they say, are a little mad. This madness is, to a certain extent, a self-created myth designed to keep the generality away from the phenomenally close-knit creative community. Yet, in the world of the artists, the consciously eccentric are always respectful and admiring of those who have the courage to be genuinely a little mad….”