2013.01.DD - Groovey.TV - Interview with Tommy at NAMM

Transcript:

Tommy: [talking about a bass guitar]

Camera man: It's friggin badass.

Tommy: I got that guitar, too, it's awesome, that guitar is ripping.

Interviewer: Really?

Tommy: Yeah.

I: So quick introduction, this is Groovey with  Tommy Stinson here at the ESP booth at NAMM 2013. How are you, sir?

Tommy: Awesome, I'm awesome, now that you here I'm good.

I: I'm stoked to be here, too. Oh, you can drink, swear, whatever you want.

Tommy: Oh cool. Sorry Christine, there's my beer [takes a swig]. Oh, you can't Photoshop out Heineken, come on! You're gonna make it like the goofy beer.

I: Like Breckenridge brewery.

Tommy: Yeah, yeah.

I: Awesome, so we're at NAMM, tell me about your basses, what have you got on the wall here?

Tommy: This is the signature model, it's kind of got an old feel to it. And the neck is has no varnish on it, kind of a wood feel, or it has some but not a lot.

I: Okay.

Tommy: It's kind of beat-up-looking and it has active pickups which I've been playing since the 50s.

I: Nice.

Tommy: And EMGs and that's a damn fine bass [?] and they play great, it sounds great.

I: That's badass. Are you using certain basis for recordings and for performance kind of do?

Tommy: This is pretty much my go-to bass right there, I mean, I've got a bunch of different things but like that's what I play live with Guns N' Roses and, you know, whoever else I play with. That's the main thing, yeah.

I: It's bad-ass. Now what else are you doing at NAMM this year?

Tommy: I'm wandering around with my uncle Chip, looking for a good lap steel.

I: Oh.

Tommy: Yes, and he had a good idea that, like, I think only him and Ron Wood are playing them these days. Should be like a like a chip [?] wooden ESP series kind of thing, that would be kind of cool.

I: It was really cool.

Tommy: Yeah. It's a work in progress. It'd be right there above or below, I mean, it's just a little bit of room right down there next to Poncho [?] just a little bit, you know, I'm sure he wouldn't mind [pointing to a guy on a poster], we just cover his... it covers his penis pretty much but-

I: Well, it's always good to cover-

Tommy: What's he doing with his base down there by the way? Poncho, man! What the hell, where did she... what is going on here?

I: What the heck is he doing?

Tommy: Okay, that's kind of dark, anyway. My bad.

I: So you said you got a gig Sunday night [?], what else you got planned up here?

Tommy: I got a gig with four other bass players in Hudson, New York, on Sunday. It's a show for Habitat for Humanity it's a... Melissa Optima, Meshell Ndegeocello, myself and Melora from.... excuse me, from... I'm blanking, shit, my bad. It's been a long day. But it's a great cause and we'll play a show together and I'll be playing one of those in white.

I: Very cool. Tour stuff coming up that's not top secret?

Tommy: Sure.

I: That you can talk about?

Tommy: Sure. Yes, yes, I think Guns is going to Australia in March, I think, and I'll be playing one of those [pointing to guitar].

I: Very cool.

Tommy: I'll be bringing several of those. I'll be like, I think I have ten of those actually, my fault, but they're all tuned in different keys and with different colors to match different suits, you know, there you go.