A dark, wet and windy Monday evening
in London this week saw the first West End appearance of Guy Pratt, in
his one-man show, "My Bass And Other Animals".
The show looks at his long career
in music, playing with such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and
Pink Floyd, and comes after a successful run of dates as part of the
Edinburgh Festival. Whilst he was up in Scotland, we had the
opportunity to interview Guy, who obviously has many interesting tales to tell - and this week's show gave a great taster of these.
The show was held at the Sound
Theatre, part of the Swiss Centre in Leicester Square. A strange, dimly
lit venue, with the seats in a semi-circle around the stage, and a
massive pillar in the centre of the audience seating. With the show
looking to be sold out, it made for an intimate setting - perfectly
suited to Guy's conversational style.
With a stage empty apart from a
bass guitar, electric guitar, two amps, and some cunningly suspended
ladders, there was little to distract from the anecdotes which poured
from Guy. Bristling with nervous energy, he doesn't seem to stop moving
for the entire show; when not playing the bass (extremely well) he
regailed us with impersonations (some reasonably kind, others a little
less... respectful!) and physical recreations of certain situations.
Things start with an honest look
at his childhood, from failed attempts to get an electric guitar from
his parents, to attending a punk rock concert at London's Roxy Club.
Here, he met up with a punk called Phlegm Ratbite ("what's your name?"
"Guy Pratt." Pause. "That's brilliant!!!!").
His professional career kicked
off properly when he got a job playing with Icehouse. His progression
through different bands and styles of music is covered ably and
self-depracatingly throughout the show, as he gets jobs with bigger and
bigger artists.
He obviously has a wealth of
material to hand, and sometimes his summary of life with a particular
performer is frustratingly brief. When we spoke to him in August, he
mentioned that he was writing a book of his experiences, so we hope
that this makes up for the whistlestop nature of his show.
Particular standout sequences
include his work with Madonna (with her rallying cry of "TIME IS MONEY,
AND THE MONEY IS MINE!!" bellowed at her minions), Michael Jackson
(hiding in the recording studio), and David Coverdale ("These are dark
days indeed for a cocksman!"). His tales of flying first class with
Jimmy Page were particularly amusing, and as he said, a cautionary tale
for the young people in the audience!
There seemed to be an air of
expectation as he reached the Pink Floyd segment. Some cracking stories
presented - talk of the ambience co-ordinator ("who had two jobs; to
obtain narcotics and look after your parents when they came on tour"),
the contests held when the tour plane took off, the use of runway
lights in the show, and Guy's approach to the start of One Of These
Days, all gave vent to plenty of laughing, and his story of a morning
return to the hotel in New York, beer in hand, and bumping into Nick
and Nettie Mason, got one of the larger laughs of the night.
The show ran for around an hour
and ten minutes. Enough time for a brief whizz through his career, but
one was left with the feeling that there was so much more he could have
related, had he the time. Perhaps with an interval, Guy would be able
to give a fuller show. Perhaps, though, he is saving the majority of
the stories for the book he told us that he is currently writing.
Guy brings to vivid life some of
the absurdities of life on the road, and the absurd characters, too. An
excellent way to spend an evening! I really enjoyed the wide spectrum
of characters covered in the show, and wonder if a purely Floyd show
would work as well. We can only hope that Guy announces more shows...
We'll be there, and urge you to be there, too...
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