Re: The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!
Ever toured in New Zealand (therefore lowering the collective IQs of both countries)?
Ever felt the desire to walk up to Farnsey and suggest that the hair isn't working (bonus points if it was during a gig)?
What were your favorite cover tunes to play?
What is the worst smell you've encountered onstage?
Most guys who played out in the 80s made some fairly terrible gear choices. Any skeletons in the closet?
What is your preferred micing setup for live and for the studio?
Did you ever truncate your old band's name to 'Strewth'?
What are the essentials you pack for the road?
Strangely enough, I have never been to NZ, even though the singer for "Strewth" is a Maori. I feel like I've worked with enough cuzzy bros here in Oz to get the impression that anyone still left in Enzed is probably just a hack anyway.....except you of course, HG.
Farnsey's a top bloke with a great sense of humour, but I don't think he would've taken too kindly to any hair jokes. Still, it worked as well as anyone else's hair in the 80's.
The cover band I played in through the late 80's played mostly 60's stuff, but with a heavier edge. It wasn't enough to stop it from being predominantly cheese. But I recall that we did a version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that was closer to Elvis Costello's version. I used to enjoy playing that. We also had a trio on the side that used to play a lot of Ska, Reggae and Funk. I always enjoyed playing The Specials "A Message to Rudy," Prince's "Sign o' the Times" and "Alphabet Street" and a few Marley tunes. Mind you, I was a daily ganja smoker back then too!
The most obnoxious smell I've ever encountered onstage was the night some fool engaged a foam fire extinguisher in a room with a very low ceiling. It was gagging material. Apart from that, working in a band with a Maori and two Maltese guys and their stomach and lower colon contents never failed to offer up some bewildering odours.
As for 80's equipment misadventures, I bought a Samson wireless and tried to get used to the dentist's drill frequencies that it added to my sound. Fortunately it failed miserably one night, and I was glad to go back to wire. I went through the ubiquitous rack debacle and tried to introduce an Alesis Quadraverb to the FX loop of a Marshall. = caca. I also bought a 1989 PRS Custom (yes, with birds) and tried to like it for nearly a year. I broke a string on it one night and picked up my old Strat and wondered what the hell I had been thinking. Nice guitar, beautifully made and all that, but
nice was the operative word. It sounded
nice, it felt
nice, and it
almost sounded like a Strat, and
almost like a Les Paul, and almost like a real guitar. In the end, it was just too
nice.
Nice and soulless. I sold it.
As far as mics go, I find the Shure Beta 57 to be my favourite for live, even though it's really up to the FOH guy in the end. As long as I see either a standard 57 or Beta, or one of the Sennheiser dynamics on the amp, I can relax. I often have a Beta 57 in my bag in case the soundguy comes up with something dodgy. 45 degree angle to the grillcloth, off axis to the cone, favouring closer to the edge with the Super Champ, and a little closer to the cone for my Rockbender. In the studio, I will generally leave it to the engineer. The standard dynamic up close, condenser for the room seems to be the most common setup. At home I will just use the Beta 57 up close. I've got a couple of nice Rode condensers, including one of their early NTV valve mics, but I'm not laying any claims to the sonic integrity of my kitchen, so I'm in no hurry to "capture the room."
We quite often referred to ourselves as "Strewth."
Essentials for the road include a set of spare 6V6's that sit in the bottom of the amp, an old RCA 12AX7 and 12AT7 in my bag, along with the odd 6C10 tube that Rivera decided would be a good idea to use in the Super Champ. Several sets of strings, a handful of picks, some George L's .155 and a few spare connectors, and since last week, a syringe of Big Bends Nut Sauce. I've decided I won't go anywhere without my Nut Sauce from now on. But it is to be used sparingly, you can't just go spraying your Nut Sauce around everywhere. Otherwise I travel very light. If I'm only going to be away for a few days, it's just a small backpack, any more than that and I will add a small bag that goes underneath on the plane. Camera, iPod, maybe a book. Emergency nasal spray for blocked ears on flights to avoid perforated eardrums. Good to go.
Cheers...............................wahwah
