, Jon Bass wrote:
--------------------
Hi Mark, sorry for late reply, this was in my spam folder for some reason,
doh! i appreciate your interest, my answers are as follows:
I get inspired by allsorts of things, music, films, the way people act,
art, nature, destruction, the list is endless, am trying not to sound
vague, but, it's hard to pin down to a specific answer, but, what i can do
is say recent inspirations. I lived the film 'Under The Skin', i found it
to be a beautiful work of art that dealt with, isolation, lonliness and the
human experience as viewed from an outsider, which, is what i am really, i
have had many bad experiences which have left me unable to deal with any
kind of intense intimacy, so it really hit me in that way, also loved the
fact it had very little or no music, which is what i loved about 'No
Country For Old Men', the locations in Scotland were absolutely stunning
also. this was also a year when i got to see Mogwai three times, which, is
unheard of for me, as, that's the amount of times i'd seen them since 2005.
to see them sell out the south bank was immense for an independant band
from Glasgow council estates, that was a huge inspiration, the second this
year was an intimate benefit for a dead artist, who's name i can't remember
(sorry) in Koko's, Camden, that was a treat, saw Steve Coogan there which
was odd, as, the first time i saw them, all i could do for three days after
was listen to Brian Eno and watch Alan Partridge. the third was them
headlining Simple Things Bristol festival at Colston Hall, they played when
the clocks went back, so, it was basically in a moment that didn't exist,
was the most brutal i've seen them since the first time in 2005. all three
completely different gigs, with different sets, by the same band in the
same year, very inspiring. the fact they walked on to Waiting For A Girl
Like You by Foreigner and it made sense was so surreal. i've also been
inspired by a new artist friend i've met called 'Lucy Purrington'. she's
also a burlesque dancer with some friends band called Johnny Cage & The
Voodoo Groove. her art, i can't really describe it, but, it seems so raw
and honest, it's quite fascinating really!
My plans for the future, well, the Honey Bane project i've been
involved with has been plagued with constant problems and hold ups, which,
is very frustrating, she's a singer from the DIY Crass records days and old
skool punk/artist. the new album is great, but, the label fell through, the
promoter/manager left, so, sadly, it still hasn't got off the ground, but,
next year it hopefully will. i've now started my own thing again, which, is
difficult, as, where i live in Cardiff, it's a very small scene with too
many players, who are all too busy to do anything else, which leaves me
with the following way to do it, the drummer from the Honey Bane project,
who lives in Basingstoke, meets me in Brighton (Studio 284, as, it's my old
mate from 2000DS that runs it) every 8 to 10 weeks, i show him ideas the
day before, then, we pick the easiest to record the next day, i play guitar
and bass on it. obviously, it's going to take a while to get all the songs
ready at that rate, but, i'm hoping that, once it's done, it will be able
to help me find other musicians. i guess another problem, is the fact that,
people ask me what sort of music it is? as i never sit down and think 'oh,
i'm gonna write a song in bla style', i just play what comes out naturally,
so, they all sound kind of different, which, always sounds shit when i say
it, so, the completed recording will help immensley. I also feel it's the
best stuff i've ever done, so, it is a very positive thing for me if i do
it right. One thing i am worried about is, i've had to take a break from
gigging etc, as, i developed very bad tinnitus, which, is currently
stopping me sleeping. i went to audiology department, they said my ears
were clear, so, it's definately permanent damage, i've ordered expensive
custom earplugs to stop it getting any worse, i also need to find a good
doctor, as, my current one is awful and has caused me many problems. I'm
also hoping to do the DSAD band with the remaining member 'DS Paul'. 2000DS
was an underground band with a big following that ran from 1988-2001,
mostly on the now defunct free festival and squat scene in europe. i played
for them 10 years off and on, we were about to get back together when,
tragically, the singer 'DS Gary, Cath, the mother of his first daughter,
and his second daughter Caisie' were all killed in a car crash in Jamaica.
his first daughter Josie was critical, but, survived, his son Gwyn was ok,
it was such an awful thing, this happened in 2011, his brother and drummer
DS Paul has always been keen to do a DSAD thing as a tribute, but, he's got
three kids and had had hell of a lot of adjusting to do, we jam sometimes,
hopefully we can do that more next year. it's just timing i guess. i
sometimes wish i had four arms so i could play both guitar and bass at the
same time, ha ha, would half my music problems immediatley!
thanks so much for getting in touch with me, i'm sorry if these answers
aren't in depth enough, but, i've answered them in the most honest way
possible without 'going on' too much
have a good one and a happy new year ok
onwards and upwards
Jon_the_Bass
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A case claiming various systems of interception by GCHQ constituted a breach had been brought by Amnesty, Privacy International and others.
