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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
I have received a lot of letters
asking for advice about being a musician.
I
can only share a few things I’ve learned through the years. ( I
think it’s been about a 152 years. Hard to remember.)
One
thing to remember is – half of the tone comes from your fingers as
well as your amp. Same principle for drummers.
Stevie once said, and I believe it’s true - half of learning to
play is learning to listen.
This is something the great Willie Weeks told me in 1966. I
will never forget it. He told me one night that "It always
seems like the other cat has something you don't." So
don’t compare yourself with others- there will ALWAYS be someone
below and someone above. Just play what comes out of you.
It always works.
When you practice, pay attention, be patient, and don’t give up.
This is when you have to think hard. This is always necessary. But
when you get on stage to play - don’t think. It only gets in your
way. Play from you’re heart. Trust yourself. When you
screw up (of which I am the king) let it go, and go on as if nothing
ever happened. Don’t wallow in it. It only makes it
worse.
Don’t get drunk or high when you play. You may sound great to
yourself, but believe me you don’t sound good to anyone else who has
any kind of ear. I learned this lesson the hard way.
Think hard, before you decide to make music your life. I’m not
saying you should or shouldn’t. Only you can know that answer.
If you do decide to make it your life, you must be certain. You must
have passion, and you must have faith, no matter what the odds
against you are. Don’t get discouraged (any more than you
can). I knew when I was a small kid, I was going to be a
musician. There was no doubt at all -- even though common
sense told me it was impossible. Listen to your heart and use
your head. Use common sense. But above all listen to your heart.
My head has been fooled countless times, but my heart has never been
fooled. Never. One day you can have nothing, and the
next, everything. When I was playing with Johnny Winter, one
night I was sleeping on the floor in Houston, Texas. The next
night I was living in upstate New York in a beautiful mansion.
Literally overnight. Sounds like a fairytale, but it’s true.
Having said all of this -- the very most important thing to remember
is that music is meant to be fun, and make you happy, and make
others happy. If you lose that, you’ve lost it all. I
think that music is a gift. It belongs to no one. It
just flows through us if we let it. Success and all the rest
of it are just by-products of the love for music. That’s all I know.
( or think I know)
You
must play with a band! You can’t stay home and practice
forever, before deciding it’s time to play with others. This is the
only way you will ever be a good musician. Playing with a
band, no matter how bad the band is will help you grow. My
first band, "The Avengers," wasn’t worth a shit. In fact we
were terrible. We played our first gig when we were together about
five months. Playing with others is essential. Get out
there, and play.
I wish you the best!
Tommy
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"I
wrote/recorded some songs.
I want to send you a
tape/CD and would like your
input/review/critique, etc."
I enjoy listening to
all kinds of music and
appreciate you thinking of me, but
there's no way I can review or critique everything I receive. Music is such a personal
expression...if you're playing from your heart, that's what counts.
I am not a critic, nor do I want to be.
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"Could you mail me an autographed
picture?" or "Can I mail you an item to sign?"
Beverly tried to send out autographed promo photos of Chris and
I to everyone that wrote and asked for them for years, but
we're not going to do it anymore because of several problems that
developed.
First, the sheer of volume of requests were hard to keep up with --
not only for Beverly to mail out, but for Chris and I to find time
to sign everything. Second, some people wanted to mail/ship
personal items to us to be autographed (everything from pictures to
guitars). This is NOT a good idea. There's the chance of
something getting lost/broken in being shipped here, or back to you
- and we won't be held responsible. One other
reason - Beverly started noticing that many of the autographed promo
photos she was sending out were ending up on EBay; some people
that wrote and requested them just wanted to make a few bucks.
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Re: Letters that contain
these phrases:
"Stevie was a GOD"...
There are a lot of people who refer to or name Stevie as some kind
of god. Stevie would be the first to tell you he was no god.
He had to much humility and honesty to ever think he was more than a
human. He was very uncomfortable when someone in the crowd
would yell "Stevie is God." He did not want to be thought of
in this way. (If you have ever seen "Bwaydy" you will be convinced
he was no god. "Bwaydy" is pictured in my Photo Album.)
He
had his own struggles and problems the same as everyone else did.
When we went from touring in our milk truck making two hundred
dollars a week, to having all the success we had, he never changed.
He refused to play any other kind of music than that which he loved.
He never played to become successful. None of us did.
That’s why success came to us. Stevie was passionate about his
music, and that’s why people love him. He always respected the
older blues guys as much as ever. They were still his mentors.
He was still their student. He blew my mind. He had a
gift unlike anyone I have ever played with before or since. He
was a very deep, spiritual being. His music was a reflection
of that spirit. I am so grateful I shared the stage, and my
life with him. He was a great HUMAN BEING. I will be talking
about him a lot from time to time.
"I am (or my friend/family member is) the
next Stevie Ray Vaughan..."
There seem to be a lot of people out there who think they have found
the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. I mean no offense, but there
isn’t going to be another Stevie, just like there will never be
another Jimi Hendrix. I won’t go into the sociology of this,
even though I want to so badly I have to bite my tongue. I
will just say someday, when music has the importance in our society
that it once had, someone great will come along who is totally
unique, and gifted. They will change our lives, again. Life
keeps moving. I am so grateful for people like you, who can still
feel and love music. It seems that those of us who can feel
music are not a danger to anyone. I know there are still a lot
of us, but it seems that so many have bowed down to the alter of
technology. Music heals. We all need it.
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"I would like to know what type
of bass Tommy likes to play and what type of amp does he like to
use."
I receive a lot of mail asking about my
gear, so here I go. I love talking about guitars and amps.
I have approximately eighteen basses and guitars - to be honest I
don’t really know.
I have two favorites: one is my old 1962 Jazz Bass, which is
the first bass I ever bought, around 1967 or so. So many great
musicians have played this bass! Jimi Hendrix, Stevie, and
some of my favorite musicians in world have played this bass.
I've played this bass on most of the records I’ve played on.
It glows in the dark, and levitates. (Just kidding.) I keep it
locked away. It’s too precious to travel with me now.
My other favorites is my old 1957 P Bass. ( I think -- I’ve never
taken the neck off, plus, I was high back then. That tends to
fog the memory a bit.) This was a gift from Stevie. I
was overwhelmed when he gave it to me. He had carved "Soul to
Soul" in the pick guard with a wood burner. I know you have
seen this picture many times. It plays great -sounds great -
and is great. I also keep this one locked away. It also is too
precious to take to work.
I have a beautiful Fodera Bass, made by Vinnie Fodera. Vinnie
is a good friend of mine in New York City. He makes some great
basses. A lot of jazz and rock musicians play his instruments.
All his work is of the highest standard. If you get a chance,
check them out;
here's a link to his website. I use this bass mostly in
the studio. It has a lot of different sounds. I am
hesitant about checking it in at the airport, where they sometimes
play shot-put with luggage - it might as well be a tree stump to
them. Bless their hearts. Gotta love 'em.
Currently, I am playing a new Music Man
on the road. It sounds great.
I am going to start playing my old A Bass again. It is the sunburst,
that you’ve probably seen me play on a lot of different videos. This
is probably the best playing bass I have.
I have a 66 P Bass, I keep it at home, and play it around the house.
I love it.
I also have a few of the newer Fenders, which are always great. A
good Fender is hard to beat.
I have several other basses, and guitars.
I have far too many amps. I have always been searching for
that perfect bass sound in the sky. You know, the one you hear
in your head.
I have a Trace Elliot, several different Ampeg rigs, SWR head,
Hartke Dietz cabinets, a great Ampeg B 15 for the studio. It’s
the best studio amp I have ever heard. I also have a Pignose -
that’s right, I said it - a pig nose. I am now playing a
Eden rig. This is a great bass amp, and my favorite at the
time. I also have some of the Line 6 products. There are a lot
more, but I give up. The irony of all this is, when I play in
other cities (which is mostly what I do), I use backline - and leave
all this stuff at home.
Also, while I am on the subject: If you're in Austin, go
to Heart of Texas Music at 1002 South Lamar Blvd. They’re the
best. It's owned by Ray and Shane Hennig. I have gone to
them for everything, and have always been given the best deal.
There have been many times in my young and crazy days, that I didn’t
have an amp, and Ray always, I mean always, took care of me.
This is also where Stevie got his number 1 guitar. They are the
best. Trust me!
If you’re looking for a good amp, bass,
or guitar, you will know it when you first pick it up. It will
feel right.
Happy shopping. Get whatever sounds best to you. Good luck!
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What is the story behind the ivory medallion/necklace
you wear all the time? I noticed it also in the liner of your
CD, "Been A Long Time."
I've received a lot of letters about
this necklace. It is made of bone; not ivory. The reason
it means so much is because Stevie gave it to me.
It is from New Zealand. It came
from the native Maori tribe. I never take it off. Stevie
had one slightly larger. There are quite a few photos in
circulation of him wearing it.
The symbolic meaning behind it goes
something like this:
The grandmother of the tribe died at a very old age. The elder
of the tribe took a piece of her jawbone and made a fishhook from
it. This fishhook was to brought an abundance of fish to the
people every year. There are other interpretations of this
piece, but this is the one given to me in the package it came in
when I received it.
Once a few years ago, a guitar player
asked me to sit in, and play "Pride and Joy" with him. Right
at that moment, for no apparent reason, the fishhook fell off my
neck! I took that as a NO. I'm not superstitious at all,
but this completely took me by surprise, being the cord holding it
on was so strong.
This gift from Stevie means so much to
me - that is why you always see me wearing it.
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What was it like, playing with Stevie -- and
which were your favorite performances
when playing with Stevie? And Johnny Winter?
I have been asked this many times about
Stevie. The honest answer is the whole ten years. Each
show was different, but special in it's own way.
I liked the Huey Lewis tour, when we
opened for them. That was a great tour! We had a lot of
fun. We would always jam with them at the end of their set.
It was a magic time for all of us.
I remember when Texas Flood came out, we
toured with the Moody Blues. No one knew who we were yet.
It was great to see fifteen thousand people standing and screaming
for us, especially being an unknown band!
Alpine Valley, El Mocambo, Montreux Jazz
Festival, Carnegie Hall, these are just a few. There are so
many others; it would take a long time to remember them all....but
the beauty is, they were all great shows. They were all the
best shows I ever played. The years I played with Stevie were
the greatest times of my life. To be a part of that band, and
play with Stevie was something that will never be replaced. I
am so grateful to have had that blessing. Not a lot of people
every get to be a part of something so great. It was a bass
player's dream!
It's pretty much the same story with
Johnny Winter -- I remember playing Woodstock, Montreux Jazz
Festival, The Spectrum, The Royal Albert Hall, all the giant music
festivals.
1969 -- the greatest year in rock and
roll. This was the year of all the great music festivals in
every major city in the U.S. In each city there would be
anywhere from sixty thousand to one or two hundred thousand people.
Woodstock had five hundred thousand people! This was back when
there might be ten to twenty different bands playing - bands
like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, The
Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, The Doors, The Allman
Brothers, Santana, Blind Faith, and so many more!
I was only three years out of high
school -- there is no way to put into words what it was like back
then. People lived for the music. In spite of the Viet
Nam war, this was one of the greatest times in America. If we
should ever have a time like that again, it would be a miracle.
I cant believe how much America has changed since then.
This is a part of my life I'll talk more
about on this site. It was unbelievable for a young hick from
Dumas, Texas. I grew ten years in one.
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Who are your favorite
guitar players to play with?
Stevie was the best. However, I'm
grateful that I have played with so many of the best in the world.
Every one of them changed my life. The one guitar player I
never got to play with was Jimi Hendrix. He was the best.
I would have given anything to have played just one song with him.
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Boxers or briefs?
Neither.
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What kind of strings do
you use?
"I'm using
Fodera strings.
They're hand-wound and very good. I've also used
D'Addario's
but I'm using Fodera's right now."
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I noticed in the "Live At The El Mocambo"
video you switch to a pick for some of the songs.
Could you write a little about why you switch, technique, type pick,
etc.
There are some songs that are meant to
be played with the fingers, and some that are meant to be played
with a pick. A lot of riffs sound completely different when
played with one or the other, even if they are the same riff.
Voodoo Chile is better with a pick. Shuffles sound better with
the fingers. Experiment with different songs and you'll see.
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I wanted to ask you if ever in your career you had to deal with stage fright, and if you did how did you overcome it.
Stage fright happens to all of us at one time or another. Most of the musicians I know feel a little nervous before playing. As for stage fright - it is something you have allow yourself to go through. You have to put yourself in the middle of what you fear and just keep going. Do not back down! You have to go through it to find your way out. Stage fright is really a fear of looking foolish or of not being good enough. No one wants to go through that in front of an audience. As time goes on, you will work your way through it and you will be too deep into the music to think about it. The main thing is you have to go through the fear, until it leaves on it's own. I hope this helps some!
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"Off the top of your head...can you remember
how tall Stevie was?"
As to your inquiry regarding the
vertical distance from the bottom of Stevie's feet, to the crown of
his head (incidentally, this is also where the sahasara chakra rests
on the pedals of the golden lotus)...
I know that I was taller than Stevie,
except then he got pissed. Then he would puff up to reach the
height of seven feet. Therefore, he would be taller than me.
Chris was shorter than Stevie. Thus, it is my belief,
resulting from scientific investigation and innate curiosity, that I
am taller than Chris. You should see Chris when he
spontaneously would shrink to the size of a small penguin. As
for myself: I must confess that I have been walking on stilts
for quite some time now.
OK, OK, OK...I gotcha! I am just
kidding. I am not sure of Stevie's height. I am guessing
he was about 5'9" or 5'10".
How did you get the nickname "Slut"
and who gave it to you?
I was given this nickname when I was
still in high school. The reasons for this name are obvious. I
loved girls! Throughout most of my career, I spent a great
deal of my time chasing women. I worshiped them! I am
married now and I no longer have this name - my wife made that very
clear. Looking back on those days, I have to say that I am not proud
of them. I have also come to learn that I am not ashamed of them
either -- that’s just who I was when I was young. I still feel
those old impulses from time to time. I think I will until the
day I die. Of all God's creations, women are the greatest. Be
good to them - always. |
