CHALLENGED!

I have a few grandsons and granddaughters who are now in their early 20’s (their moms are my twin daughters)… I have also given them each different instruments that I have owned and had in my inventory when they started showing interest in music.

In my recent endeavors at creating bass covers, they all each have their own comments - most of which are positive and supporting, and some (like their “pops”) are a bit “Smart- Ass”… Anyway…

They have apparently put their heads together and decided that their “pops” is really old because all he plays is “Really Old” music for bass covers… Their decision… challenge me with something completely out of my wheel-house… Something so modern and against the grain for me… Red Hot Chili Peppers!

I don’t even like RHCP, and I kinda don’t even like Flea (although he is a pretty damn good bass player and performer)… I just don’t like their music… Anyway, I told them that since I believe that I “could” play anything that they threw my way, I’d take their challenge…

So, I’ve got a week to learn and cover the 2006 RHCP song “READYMADE”

I’ve downloaded the song, listened to it, and hate it… Lyrics: “A sister making babies with a Black and Decker Blow Torch”??? Gimme a break!! Now I’ve gotta learn a song I don’t like… Never had to do this before… Kinda SUX,… but, I CANNOT let them (my grandkids) get the best of me (even though they “think” they are!!.. I’ll show them though… I’ll learn this piece of S#1t song if it kills me!!

The things grandparents do for their grandkids…

Keep on Thumpin’!
Lanny

20 Likes

Good luck with that @Lanny. I like most of RHCP music, but not the rap sounding stuff. Yes, flea is a good (not great IMHO) bass player, but I don’t care for his style (plus I think he’s a jerk).
To really impress your grandkids, you also need to emulate Flea’s crazy on stage antics. I expect to see a video :eyeglasses: :popcorn:

11 Likes

Oof. I’m not sure if I could do that.
I mean trying to learn a song I don’t like at all. It was no problem for the lesson (Module 12 Lesson 6 - Under the Bridge) but I wouldn’t go out of my way to learn a song I don’t like.

Probably would depend on who hit my pride and I imagine if anyone could drive me to do it that would be my hypothetical non-existent children so I think I can understand you. Grandchildren are so far off I can’t even begin to imagine that even in a hypothetical scenario.

And you’re hitting a nerve here with RHCP too. Every other bass player I watch has the tendency to fall into a variation of the RHCP Don’t Stop bassline when idle/playing for fun/not playing a certain song.

And I personally just don’t like the band.

I whish you good luck and hope you will show them. Warning though: I can imagine that If you show them… they probably just want you to show them again with a different song.

8 Likes

:joy: :joy: Imagine that @PamPurrs!! :rofl: :rofl: Me with my shirt off stomping around my room slamming bass notes on “Big Red”!!..

Guess it really wouldn’t matter if I were playing the song correctly though since everyones attention would be on the…

“Old beer-bellied dude with crusty old skin and flabby-a$$ man boobs jumping and stomping around with long hair while his arms are flailing aimlessly on a red bass”!!

Yea, I can only imagine the repercussions… Oh well, as for my grandkids, I guess it’s better to be made a “spectacle” by them than be “ignored” by them… All in fun…

13 Likes

Nor do I @juli0r… And I suspect that none of my grands really do either - they just know me and know my likes and dislikes so decided to pick “this” one out just to see what I’d do… I guess it’s just their way of getting back on me for some of the stunts I would pull on them when they were much younger…

Ooohhh. That would be bad… BUT… Since I have taken “Their” challenge, I believe that they will be humbled when I show them that their old pops can actually “Kick A$$”… When they see that I have risen to their challenge, it’ll be “MY TIME” to challenge them!! :laughing: :laughing: “Paybacks” :joy:

6 Likes

Have them play some Black Sabbath

8 Likes

I would @PamPurrs, problem is, they grew up listening to all of my old rock and they like it… I do need to think up something good for them though… :thinking:

8 Likes

:rofl: :rofl: :joy: :joy: :crazy_face: :crazy_face:

Oh, man, that is harsh and tough… but also sweet and funny!

I mean, they wouldn’t even bother to challenge you if they didn’t love you!!

Having to learn a song that you don’t like has got to be the equivalent of being thrown into deep water… you just have to figure out how to “swim” if you don’t want to drown!

And it’ll prepare you for your studio musician career… where you have to play whatever they throw at you! :wink:

You got this!!!

Look at the bright side: - no slapping involved (yeah!); - you can get tabs (yes, I know); it’s only 4 minutes or so…

I mean… it could have been worse :crazy_face:

6 Likes

I understand you and I totally agree. Flea makes great basslines but he does just “too much” for me. I mean, I really like how the bass lines are composed and the place they take into the songs, but I don’t like how Flea plays them. and I mostly don’t like RHCP songs (except Give It Away and Aeroplane, I’d say), it’s just not the kind of pop music I can like.

just did the same, of course I didn’t knew this song. I didn’t hate it, it’s just random music to me, something I will forget in 5 minutes. pretty much what I call FM music (and I never listen to the radio).

holy crap :laughing:

no, that’s interesting. I’m sure you will not approach the song like you usually do for the songs you like, it will be some kind of very formal “pro”-bassist-like work and I think it might be an interesting experience for you ! assuming the fact that it’s a very exceptionnal cover, and you will very soon jump again into the music you like !

about Readymade, the bass line doesn’t seem too hard, I hope for you this challenge will not take too much time :v::grin:

6 Likes

Very apt. In my late teens and early 20s they were pretty much heavy rotation on west coast radio. Very much radio-ready album-oriented rock.

I’ve always appreciated Flea for his style and talent (I do think he’s generally great), and guitarists seem to venerate Frusciante. But their overall style and music never hit it for me, at least not square on. I’ve seen them live a couple times but not because I went out of my way to.

A band contemporary to them, in a very similar position regarding being radio rock, but who I thought was a bit more interesting was Jane’s Addiction.

4 Likes

I like RHCP but even I can acknowledge that not all their songs are winners. :rofl:

The lyrics to this song are mostly just forgettable but that line :roll_eyes:, that’s just such awful writing. What were they thinking that they all said, “Yea, that’s good. Let’s go with the blow torch idea.”

5 Likes

I can understand why bassists could venerate Flea but the Fusciante case is a true mystery for me.

agree

4 Likes

Start out by giving them a country version. Then, when they call you out, give them the real thing.

That’ll teach those young whippersnappers! :rofl:

5 Likes

Me either.
However with the sister making babies line, is it really an FM song?

I don’t know it, won’t bother looking it up. I don’t hate RHCP or Flea. I just not fully into them.

BTW, they are just saying the sister is sleeping with a crack head

4 Likes

You’re correct, it shouldn’t take too long to learn @terb… The only areas that I can see to be challenging is in the slides and vibratos. Additionally there are sections that the drummer sounds to be a bit off time, but I think I read somewhere that it was recorded that way to give the “illusion” of being off time so, there in lays another situation in how or who to lock into when playing.

Most are all 8th notes, but played at 151bpm so it’s a bit fast paced so I’m sure I’ll get a good work out after a little over 4 min of playing. Sort of brings me back to my guitar playing days - but I was much younger back then…

5 Likes

So true @joergkutter! So much has gone through my mind as to how I’m gonna approach this one… I do want to keep a positive attitude otherwise it will turn out bad…

4 Likes

you still have the option to use a pick … :grin:

4 Likes

@eric.kiser - yea, that entire second verse is totally sick in my opinion… “Bop it all night in the middle of the porch”… Actually, I had to look this phrase up… damn…

Oh, and I had to have a friend (much younger) explain the “Blow torch” thing to me… I had no idea… yup, getting old! Then again, I’m quite sure my grands probably wouldn’t know the term “Shot-Gunnin’ a reefer” or where and how it originated… Again, my age and era…

3 Likes

Totally agree @terb… Just my opinion, but to me Fusciante is a bit forgettable as far as a guitarist from what I am hearing in this song… Then again, this is the only RHCP song that I’ve ever really listened to…

2 Likes

Oh! I like this idea @eric.kiser!!

2 Likes