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My Bass and Other Animals
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| List Price: | £7.99 |
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Product Description
Guy Pratt's life as bass player to the stars. The book behind the successful comedy show.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #14461 in Books
- Published on: 2008-03-06
- Binding: Paperback
- 304 pages
Editorial Reviews
THE WORD
'A hilarious set of stories about his life as a session musician for Pink Floyd, Roxy Music and Madonna among many others. Much recommended.'
Synopsis
Guy Pratt came of age just as playing bass became cool, with the likes of Paul Simonon and Bruce Foxton. Having dallied with Funkapolitan, Pratt suddenly found himself on Top of the Pops and supporting David Bowie with smooth Australian outfit Icehouse. At a ludicrously young age Guy Pratt became a sought after bass player to the stars, finding himself crawling from studio to bar, from hotel to stadium portacabin with Robert Palmer, Womack & Womack, Bernard Edwards, Bryan Ferry and David Crosby, etc. The eighties were in their prime, and with a number of Crolla-suited appearances in windswept videos behind him, he was invited to join Pink Floyd for a series of stadium of extravaganzas to make Bono & co look fairly modest. Pratt has recorded with Madonna, and spent time in the studio with Michael Jackson. He was in The Smiths for a week, has travelled through customs in a wheelchair after a flight with Jimmy Page, and has lived to tell all. MY BASS AND OTHER ANIMALS emerges from the successful stand-up tour of the same name. It charts his journey from a Mod band in Southend to playing with Roxy Music at Live 8.
About the Author
Guy Pratt started out in eighties band Icehouse, who suddenly found themselves supporting David Bowie on his 'Serious Moonlight' tour of 1983. Since then he's played bass with everyone, from The Smiths, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson and Madonna, through to Iggy Pop, The Pretenders and Echo and the Bunnymen. His live show was a success at 2005's Edinburgh festival and, when not playing with David Gilmour or Bryan Ferry, he's been on the road with it since then.
Customer Reviews
A Behind The Scenes Insight to Making Music
Guy Pratt, bass player with David Gilmour/Pink Floyd, Icehouse, Roxy Music as well as having done session work for Madonna and Michael Jackson states at the beginning, that this is not in the true sense, an autobiograpy. The book has developed from his one man stage show where he recounts life on the road or in the studio. It gives an insight into what it must be like for a professional musician including some of the funny, obscure or plain weird events that occur including those fuelled by alcohol or drugs and in other cases by inflated ego's. If I have one criticism - and the reason for four stars - is that there are not that many laughs (compared to the stage show) but the ones that are in there can be hilarious!
Pratt by name - genuinely brilliant bloke by nature!
I'm a bass owner and as such have only ever really been good enough to be in bands that I actually started. Guy Pratt is a proper bass player and has been asked (and paid) by some of the biggest names in rock and pop history to bring his great ability and charm to their music. It becomes apparant from his book that although his undoubted ability is important, his sardonic sense of humour, dry observations, superhuman constitution and tolerance to dubious chemicals have also gone a long way to placing him in a privileged position to document some of the greatest stories of pop and rock royalty ever told. Unlike many who read this book - I didn't come to it as Pink Floyd fan - more because I saw his live show of the same name. I've seen the show twice and it is billiantly funny highlighted by the fact that he actually plays his instrument (which quite frankly is awe inspiring). I was concerned how it would translate into the written word without the sonic interludes. I have to say I was delighted, the book is subtly different in tone and although still very funny, it is more touching and heartfelt giving a deeper insight into what has put Guy's bottom end on so many legendary performances and recordings. I can't recommend the show or this book enough - treat yourself.
The most entertaining rock memoir since Giles Smith's "Lost in Music"
One must forgive bassist/author/comedian Guy Pratt the odd rock star outburst (eg throwing bottles against the wall of a west end night club while shouting "Who cares? I am in Pink Floyd!") because while the overall tone of this rather charming book is colourfully revelatory, chemically excessive and genuinely funny, there's also a pervading sense of old fashioned gratitude at play. Pratt, a court jester amongst rock royalty, writes with the disbelieving enthusiasm of someone who has sneaked into the back stage area and blagged a laminate but is pretty sure he is going to get chucked out by a heavy at any minute. His favourite paragraph pay off is often something like "...and then Bernard Edwards waved at me. Bernard Edwards of Chic! Bloody hell!"
As both insider and fan, hired gun and hired fun, Pratt knows he has to get by, not just on brilliant playing and the constitution of a buffalo but also on his wits. Hollow-legged raconteur, session muso and superstar confidante Pratt takes the reader on a world tour with a group of musicians that reads like a Live Aid bill and lasts more than 20 years (and several relationships). The strength of the story telling comes from someone who is quite evidently more show biz luvvie than rock god and isn't too greenly reverential to take the rise from a stadium filling star every now and then. It's a proper hoot.
Fragile egos are exposed, riders are abused and there's a wholly regrettable incident involving Jimmy Page and an airport wheelchair. Mock and roll, if you will,
Enthralling and appalling in equal measures, the reliably toxic author (the funniest bassist since Derek Smalls) tells you what it's like to play with Pink Floyd, Bryan Ferry, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Bravely, he marries his boss's daughter, incurs the wrath of Martin Sheen and almost joins The Smiths. You can almost feel the wincing shards of hotel room hangovers on every page. Then he becomes a stand up comedian. The rest, as Guy Pratt might say, is chemistry.
