Jeff Walker is not a man who bites his tongue. If you don't believe me, check out this Carcass interview we did a few months ago. Recently, Walker was interviewed by Backbeat and was asked why he picked up the bass, and he was not pulling any punches when he answered:
"I was just a vocalist. I tried to learn guitar as a kid. As you know, every bass player is just a failed guitar player. Just as every music journalist is a failed musician, you know? When I got kicked out of that band I was asked by another band that hard heard I'd played the bass and they asked me to join. Playing the bass was easier than trying to play the guitar."
I love it. Walker doesn't consider himself much of an expert bass player, saying his main influence was Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.
"Now I'm old, of course, and now I respect the usual people like Entwistle or whatever. But I'm not really musicians' musician. I don't really classify myself as a musician. I really don't take myself that seriously. For me it's a trade-off because I've got to do the vocals as well and something's got to give and something's got to suffer and unfortunately it's both things in my case."
Do you think Jeff is accurate? Are there any bassists out there who specifically picked up the bass and forwent the guitar?
[via Ultimate Guitar]
