Favorite Frank Zappa bassist

Estrada was probably the best player FZ ever had who couldn't read music. (He and Adrian Belew are the only two I know of though.)

i'm kind of fond of Scott Thunes -- very very talented, plus a very interesting individual from everything i read (was a BIG punk/new wave fan). though part of me wants to vote for Roy Estrada.

I'm pretty down on Thunes because he was a big enough asshole to make the 1988 band blow up. He and Wackerman were perfectly suited (not necessarily a compliment.)

Tough, tough choice between Estrada and Fowler for me.

Thunes WAS a total asshole ... but the guy had mad talent. plus FZ loved assholes.

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I think I'm going with Tom Fowler on this one because his bass playing on "Inca Roads" is forever burned in my mind.

Yeah, I went with Fowler as well. Solid as hell, great tone, and the solo on "Dupree's Paradise" from the Helsinki concert is amazing, as good as any solo space FZ turned over to any of his sidemen.

That whole concert is on some other level.

Great old interview with Thunes here http://www.cidanka.nl/keneally/stbp0397.htm

Wow, hall of fame levels of douchebaggery. Interesting stuff.

I have no doubts that Scott Thunes is impossible to work with and the way he expresses himself certainly raises eyebrows, but I don't really disagree with him either. I definitely can relate to the feeling of being fairly good at an instrument (bass no less), but not being able to deal with the personalities and ridiculous situations that being in a band entails. If I put all my time and effort into playing music, I feel pretty confident that I would eventually find myself in a moderately successful band, but to me it's just not worth it. I pursued that path for a while and it forced me to deal with just too many stupid situations.

I also understand why he denigrates his playing. He is a great musician, but he doesn't have the kind of groundbreaking natural talent that would put him in on the list of the half dozen or so bass players that people recognize. So instead he'd have to be in bands where he would either be very limited in how could express himself or draw the ire of bandmates who feel like bass players shouldn't play that way. Where's the fun in that?

^this

As a bass player, that piece had quite an effect on me at the time, I ended up playing for a few years in a band that was just made up of bass and we all read that article and talked about/dug Thunes attitude.

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O'Hearn robbed here big time

The winner here’s pretty astounding in light of some topics discussed in the main Zappa thread
Like I know very little about Frank Zappa and his affiliates besides what’s in that thread and I still knew to dread this thread title before clicking on it

I'm pretty sure I was completely ignorant of Estrada's situation nine years ago, but still, yikes!