He played the what...?

January 3rd – John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame was born today… anybody know what he did? Well done those who said, “He played bass for them, Doris, what else?” OK, now, without thinking, name me four other bass players…go on, out loud… Difficult, huh? Did you get as far as saying, “Sting….oh, and that bloke in Level 42….whatshisname… and him from The Who…” And then you probably only said Sting because he was a decent lookin’ fella; had he looked like John Prescott you’d have said, “Who? What kind of a stupid freakin’ name is that?”  If you managed four straight-off then well done, but you get no points because you’re just a clever little know-all.Funny how the bass player in any band is immediately and irretrievably forgettable. Even drummers are more notable than bass players, and that’s saying something. Bass players only get noticed by either the prepubescent, misguided fan (either sex) or by the sad old buggers like me (ex-drummer, and drums and bass really go together like…well, like a thing that really goes together with something else really well) who want to know all about the dynamics of any given band; but then, you’re reading lines written by a guy who stays until ALL the credits have been shown after the movie finishes, so what do I know…apart from the name of the Sixth Clapper Loader and the Location Caterer. Most of us just see bass players as the sad sod at the back who doesn't look like part of the band at all, leaves it first when ‘artistic differences’ raise their ugly head (mainly because they are seen as being incapable of contributing artistically to any endeavour, Droogs that they are) or spend six months playing feverishly before either being dropped because they’re the one who ruined the promo-photo shoot by wearing that fur waistcoat or because their drug use has reached such a pitch that Glaxo, Smith, Klein are having a job keeping up with supplies. I await the arrival of The Bass Police imminently. Oh, here’s a few to ponder: Paul Samwell Smith?Verne Dudley Bohay-Noh? (fogive the spelling)Duncan Sanderson?TimBogert?Richard McCracken?Lamar Williams?I hear the rattle of keyboards as the word ‘Wikipedia’ is hammered in…