A Bass Channel Interview with Stick Insect and Mute God Nick Beggs
original image credit- https://images.app.goo.gl/VW7Uuraqce8j1QPc6
Nick Beggs is one of the best bass players not nearly enough people know about. A player who can go from the most complex and involved prog to pop to Chapman Stick, often while singing, Beggs first caught my ear with his playing on the live version of Steven Wilson’s prog masterpiece “Luminol.” The way his tone cut through the mix, the sharpness of his playing, and the beautiful lines all hooked into my brain and soon I was in the grip of that wonder music obsession spiral where I had to learn everything about him, Steven Wilson, The Mute Gods, what the hell a Chapman Stick is, and more. Steven Wilson, by the way, of whom Beggs is a long-time collaborator and friend, is also an obsession everyone who loves prog, pop, or rock should have.
Nick Beggs first rose to prominence in the early ‘80s with Kajagoogoo and their hit single “Too Shy”. We don’t touch on Kajagoogoo in this interview, but we do talk about his work with Steven Wilson, what it’s like to follow there rather than lead as he does in three-piece supergroup The Mute Gods, and how he decides what to play on the Chapman Stick.
Doug Robertson- For all the gear nerds out there, what is your rig like?
Nick Beggs- I use various set-ups depending on the situation. But my main back line is the TC Electronic TCRH750 or TCRH450 amps with 2x10 and 2x12 cabs. I use only Spector Basses and Chapman Sticks. I have only just bought a Helix floor unit for digital FX processing but haven’t used it live yet for obvious reasons. I have three basic tone set ups on the amps and switch between FX as each tune requires. I have set sounds for each piece.
DR- I saw an interview where you talked about loving working with Steven Wilson because you felt he uses you in the right ways, and you called yourself a crayon in his box of colors. When you’re working on a Steven Wilson album how complete are the bass demos when he sends them to you and how much room are you given to add yourself to the songs?
NB- It depends on how he’s working. Sometimes he gives me an exact part to play to which I will suggest that he plays it. What’s the point of me playing the way he does when he can do that? However if there is some room for development I will run with it and add my thing.
DR- Could you point out for us a bass part that is distinctly Steven and another that is completely you, or by the end of the process has all that jumbled up?
NB- The bass parts on Raven were very Steven. I played them the way he wanted. It was my sound and ideas about that which made the difference. I suggested using a Marshall guitar amp and mixing that with a DI sound which gave it the bite. I got that idea from Chris Squire. Bass sounds great through a Marshall Head and Cab but you need another signal source to give it body.
The bass part on “Personal Shopper” was completely mine. He had only written the keyboard parts when I heard it so I jumped right in with that signature flick off and hammer on thing I do. It worked quite well and he used the whole thing.
DR- With Steven evolving so much on each album is there a constant excitement when you get a new batch of files from him? A “Oh goody, what do I get I create on top of now?” kind of feeling?
NB- Yes. But sometimes I won’t play any bass at all. Maybe just guitar or melody stick? On “Eminent Sleaze” I even played fork. (As in cutlery.) Steven likes ideas and things that he wouldn’t think of. So I try to think of what he least would expect.
DR- You’ve been with Steven since the Grace for the Drowning album, making you the most consistent member of his solo project. To what do you credit this longevity?
NB- We are friends mainly. But that is because I think he trusts me. Also we have a lot of the same cultural touch points. We are quite similar in certain ways. We are both vegetarian/vegan and have the same humour. I’m his pop talisman;-))
DR- According to the credits on the two singles for The Future Bites released so far you play bass on “Personal Shopper” but not on “Eminent Sleaze”. How involved were you in this latest album and what can you tell us about it?
NB - I played on three tracks on the new album. “Personal Shopper”, “Eminent Sleaze”, and “The Future Bites”. On “Eminent Sleaze” I played some additional bass and guitar. Oh and fork of course.
DR- You got to play with human drum octopus Marco Minneman in Steven Wilson’s band and still in The Mute Gods. With the relationship between bass and drums being so important, what is it like to lock in and groove with such an amazing player?
NB- I’ve played with many great drummers. But Marco is a force of nature. His subdivision and facility for displacement is what sets him apart. He’s also a great guitarist. He’s an ideas man. Always developing.
DR- One of the remarkable things about the way you play across all the bands you’re a part of (specifically Steve Wilson and Mute Gods) is your ability to swing from the traditional bass player job of holding it down, playing the root, the third, the fifth, and the octave all the way to prog rock mastery. And in every project you’re involved in the bass is (rightly) mixed right up front with your tone punching through and driving the whole bus. What is the role of the bass in music as far as you’re concerned?
NB- I think it’s important to be sympathetic to the ensemble but when I play I want to dominate my sector. The bass should make your body do what your mind is unsure about. Most producers don’t know how to mix bass. Turn it up. Louder. That’s the way it should be in most cases. I’m rarely happy about the level of the bass on most things I hear.
DR- Connected to that, what is your writing process? Do you sit and noodle, can you hear the songs in your head, or is there some other way songs come to you? Or is it a mix? When you write music are you trying to put your personality into the songs, or make the listener feel a specific emotion at specific times?
NB- I’m always changing the way I do things because I get bored very quickly. Recently I read how Andy Partridge will write a lyric to a chord sequence once he’s worked out what the chord sequence reminds him of. Is it happy? Or sad? Does it sound like a love song or is it about anger? That desire to get it out can be very helpful if you’re in touch with yourself.
As for lyrics I have a list of pre-written titles on my iPhone which I add to all the time. When I come up with an instrumental idea I will read through the list and see which title suits the new music. The Mute Gods material had a big agenda. It’s anti religious, environmental, future shock message was pretty relentless and I wanted no ambiguity about that. All three albums virtually wrote themselves.
DR- Your latest Chapman stick album, Words Fail Me, is a selection of covers from all over the musical map. How did you choose what songs to cover and what is it about them that appealed to you for orchestration on the stick?
NB- I picked pieces that I liked and that I thought would translate onto the Stick. Some worked better than others. But it was an exercise in exploration. I did a piece of Bach, a Muppets song and even a Tarantella. It was fun.
DR- Speaking of the stick, can you hear when a song needs a bass guitar and when it needs a stick? Or is it a matter of experimenting with the song to find what it wants?
NB- At first I was unsure but now I usually know right away. Sometimes they need both.
DR- Is there any chance you’ve been taking this forced hiatus from everything to work on another Mute Gods album? Atheists and Believers came out last year and knocked my socks off. If not, have you been working on any music for yourself during this time?
NB- I have no plans to make another Mute Gods album. I feel like I said it all and covered the key subjects. But more recently I’ve released an album through my website called Music For Drones. You will find it here: https://nickbeggs.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-drones
I’m working on an album with Adam Holzman and Craig Blundell called Trifecta which will come out next year. And I am developing further the Chapman Stick and Orchestra idea for an album released as yet unscheduled.
DR- In Steven Wilson you're, in your words, a crayon in his box. In The Mute Gods you're the singer, bass player, face of the band, and songwriter. Which role do you prefer?
NB- It’s essential to have a balanced diet and I could not have one without the other. If I get bored terrible things happen.
DR- Your oeuvre is both wide and deep. In all of that music do you have a favorite riff or part to play? Something that your fingers would find on their own if you were just playing to make yourself smile?
NB- Lots of Jaco parts do that. “Portrait of Tracy” or “Mr. Gone”. I used to be able to play “Teen Town” quite well. It’s such a good practice piece. Anything by Jaco Pastorius will blow the cobwebs away.
DR- To go along with that, what parts are still challenges for you to play live every night? Is there a song that still makes you think “Ok Nick, here comes x. Let’s nail it tonight.”
NB- I hope I’ve nailed everything I’ve played live. If I was in King Crimson I think I would probably feel a lot more like you say as the melodic information is so sketchy. That’s a band that has to really be on top of its game every night. But I’m basically a pop guy who branched out. I practice everything until I can play it in my sleep or sing it to myself beginning to end. Nothing springs to mind.
credit- https://images.app.goo.gl/GxCzcErGyuxnw9rn9
DR- What are you listening to right now?
NB- John Martyn. Brian Eno. XTC. And what ever I’m working on.
DR- When you practice, what do you do? Or do you not think about “practice” anymore and you think about it as something else now?
NB- I don’t practice enough. But I write a lot. I need to find a new way of learning and feel that double bass may hold the key. I would like to understand Jazz theory and maybe I should buy an upright. I printed off a piece of Pat Metheny a few weeks ago and ran through it for hours. I love Steve Rodby and his stolid approach. Something like that excites me right now.
DR- You have been doing art commissions, which are beautiful and thank you for sharing the sped up process videos for them as well. Along with buying those are there other ways for our readers to support you during this time that has been so difficult for musicians?
NB- I have a daughter who has just started university studying fine art and it felt right that I should generate funds to help her. So I decided to offer my services as an illustrator to my fan base in an attempt to make some cash for her studies. I’ve used social media to advertise this and if people want me to draw for them they can drop me a line at: nickbeggs61@gmail.com
All the fees I earn will help put my daughter through art school.
All my live work has been cancelled and I’ll be surprised if I ever tour again. But I’m luckier than most as I get royalties and do sessions from home. I also trained as an illustrator which has helped me a lot.
I’d like to thank Nick for taking the time to email with me, and also for being such a massive inspiration. Just to see that someone who has achieved what he has is still looking for ways to improve and push his playing makes me want to practice more. Please be sure to check out the wide variety of his work. It would be a shame if he never tours again. Even when 2020 doesn’t take from us it takes from us.
Steven Wilson- The Future Bites
***
Doug Robertson is the editor of The Bass Blog, the blog component of The Bass Channel, your one stop YouTube channel for all things bass. His number one is a Mexican Geddy Lee Signature Jazz and his boomer is a BEAD tuned T-Bird. Find books by Doug here. If you’re interested in contributing to The Bass Blog please reach out to Doug at doug@thebasschannel.net. We would love to hear from you.
