i

get no respect and i fucking love it

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June 2017

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METALLICA
THE LEGEND
GOES ON

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NEW WAVE,
SAME SHIT

Bassists

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY

REALLY?

OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

CRYPTCAL BASSIST
TOBIAS CLARK

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

THE PIT

BASSISTS, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY?

BY TOMASZ NOWAKOWSKI

perspective to a band and should

be treated with respect.
But enough of this fucking
around with my opinion, lets ask
someone who knows a thing or
two about playing bass. Hes the
bassist of up and coming band
Cryptical, so hes one of the
good ones. The Pit Magazine
got a chance to talk to Tobias
Clark about the virtues of being a
bassist.
What Made You Start Playing
Bass?

Crypticals new album has been acclaimed as one of the

most innovative albums of the decade

es Claypool, Steve Harris,

Cliff Burton, all these are
bass players most of you will
have heard of, their talents for the
four string and their impressive
careers with some of metals
best acts have helped form their
legacy throughout the years.
Ryan Martinie, Tim Commerford,
Geezer Butler, these are also
all great bass players, and they
have played in great acts, with
impeccable skill and technique
that has cemented their legacy
amongst only bassists and
superfans most would refer to
as elitists. Why is this? Most
patrons of the four string tend to
get a bad wrap amongst not only
other musicians, but recording
engineers, promoters, and
regular people, making them the
subjects of bass player jokes.
But while drummer jokes are
light hearted and witty, bassist
jokes are malicious and usually
passive aggressive gestures
from bandmates in order to
emasculate their so called

The Pit | Page 71

peers. Glenn Fricker has made

a career based on humiliating
our four stringed friends, but is
this deserved? In essence, yes.
A lot of bassists see the four
strings on a bass and think to
themselves: hey, this is like a
guitar but not as hard to learn.
Of course, all accomplished
bassists will then want to smack
them, but these people end up
playing in bands, not learning
proper technique, and not writing
anything interesting. They then
go to recording studios to record
albums, and spend most of
their time pissing off engineers
with their ineptitude and lack of
motivation to actually learn their
fucking material. Essentially the
bass is treated as an instant rock
star button (thanks Glenn Fricker)
by non musicians who have
neither the drive nor the talent to
be a great bassist, which in turn
gives even the good bassists
a bad reputation. In reality, the
bass is an elegant instrument
which can bring a whole new

Well in year 9 my dad was

clearing out his wardrobe, I was
helping him clean it out and,
there was a bass guitar, from
like, forty years ago, which he
hadnt bothered to move. And I
looked at it, I took one look and
thought, oh my god that looks
amazing! So I took it from him,
because he hadnt been using
it for like, 30 years, uh, started
learning it, however it was upside
down, it was right handed, it was
really awkward. I got really into
it though, I got learning some,
bits and pieces, and they got me
a left handed bass guitar for my
birthday that same year, and then,
its just been happening.
Your new album has recently
come out and the bass is quite
loud, did you have to fight for
that?
I had to fight for it, haha,
traditionally in metal and rock
albums the bass is very laid
back, very backwards in the mix,
its very hard to hear! Whereas
some bands, Id cite Mudvayne
and Primus, they have very
forward bass players who I take
inspiration from, and I had to

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
show the other members that
bass being forward can be a
good thing. And they listened and
obliged.
How much input are you given on
big band decisions?
Hahaha, oh dear, these questions
have been specifically tailored to
the events which have happened
in Cryptical havent they? Ok
Being one of the founding
members, I feel that I am
respected in the band. I feel that
if I bring a decision forward, it
is mostly, at least considered.
Ha, whether they agree with it
or not, is generally dictated by
a democratic type thing, unless
weve got Phil with us, he just
fucks us over! But my input is
generally respected if Ive got any
to give
.
How much input did you have on
firing your former singer, Phil?
Haha. as Ive previously
mentioned, all the decisions in the
band are very democratic, so if all
of us wanted him out, which we
did, uh, we got him out, whereas
it started off with, I think like,
Sam not particularly wanting him,
because of previous things found
on his facebook page, and that
article about him lying about his
age, was a big upset! So when I
mentioned that I wasnt a fan of
him staying, I think it pushed the
decision even further, to the point
where it was made.

style in heavier music.

Would you say that some
stereotypes, such as turning
up late, are true and do you
perpetrate them to any extent?
I would say that its probably
down to the individual, being a
stereotype, I think it would more
suit just people in a band, cos
theres always one person whos
late, usually. I would not say Im
part of that stereotype because,
for Cryptical, especially, I have
not missed out a single rehearsal
or gig, I was late once and
sometimes left a bit early, but due
to other circumstances that are
not laziness!
How much respect do you get
from fans?
Oh I get so much respect! They
love me.
Overall, how important are
bassists to any band?
I feel that they are, possible one
of the most underrated members,
of a traditional rock lineup.
They are incredibly important
in both, laying down a level. A
level of melody and sometimes
harmony, just above the drums,

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they lay down the base level,
and sometimes they can work
with the drums to really drive the
rhythm forward. Sometimes they
can work with the guitar to create
winding melodies and harmonies.
So I think that they really are in
every position of the band and
being a really good bass player
takes a lot of skill, and I feel that
they are very underrated.
f you could be the best guitarist
in the world, would you give up
playing bass?
Thats a tricky question, honestly,
I dont think I would because I
like so many things about being
a bass player, that it would be
difficult to give it up. I enjoy,
being the foundation, I enjoy the
various styles that I can work
into any genre. Especially metal,
like every playing type whether
it be tapping, smooth style,
slapping, or even like, mad sweep
strumming Jazz fusion artists do,
Im welcome to just do whatever
I want, whereas with guitar I feel
whatever you put forward dictates
the genre a bit so I think I would
rather just play bass rather than
be the best guitarist in the world,
because I think it is a very noble
instrument.

Who are your biggest influences,

in terms of playing bass?
Influences? Id have to go with
Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne,
because of his tone, and really
forward playing style, and his
unusual tapping technique. I have
to say Les Claypool because
every bass player does, he just
sort of, innovated the slapping

Tobias Playing Cliff Burtons Anasthesia: Pulling Teeth in our

studio

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