Ep562: The Discipline of Tony Levin

Bass legend Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, etc) reflects on Fripp, John Lennon, near-misses with Zappa, Pink Floyd, and life on the road. new Stick Men album "Let's Thrak Again" available here Topics Include: Scheduling chaos / Ron Carter Stickmen's "Let's Thrack Again" reworks a King Crimson rhythm concept Tony defines "thracking" — playing five against seven simultaneously Robert Fripp names complex King Crimson riffs with odd phrases Tony rarely forgets bass parts, even decades later Simple transitions, not hard parts, cause live disasters Upcoming Beat tour features Zappa alumni, except Tony Tony's first NYC band included ex-Mothers of Invention members Peter Gabriel froze onstage during a hostile Zappa co-bill Tony regrets missing a Herbie Hancock/Joni Mitchell session He also turned down touring with Pink Floyd David Gilmour flew in unannounced for a Les Paul tribute Radio Registry once dispatched interchangeable NYC session bassists fast Tony preferred live touring over endless studio session work He's a self-described "road dog" still touring at his age Off-stage, Tony writes memoirs, poetry, and takes photographs He owns many basses but doesn't consider himself a collector Discipline started as a side project before becoming King Crimson Tony chose the Chapman stick over bass in that first rehearsal Fripp lets players interpret parts; Gabriel invents wild new techniques Peter Gabriel suggested cymbals on fingers, inspiring "funk fingers" Tony isn't certain whether "Blood of Eden" used fretless bass He senses a song's emotion before lyrics are finished Tony learned King Crimson disbanded from a stranger at the opera He never actually felt Thrak function as a "double trio" No Australian dates planned yet, though he'd love to visit King Crimson's future depends entirely on Robert Fripp's instincts Aging has slowed his technical dexterity, but not memory He recalls John Lennon's advice: "don't play too many notes" High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide