DAMIANS HISTORY

DAMIAN TUFFIN 

(Bass Guitarist)

On the first day God created Bass...and he saw that it was good.
Now this presented God with a bit of a problem, who would play this new instrument? 

He could see that Adam was busy with Eve argueing about some apples so...
On the second day God created Damian (yes that's right, created in God's
own image)...and saw that it was ROCK!
And so it came to pass that at age 16 Damian picked up the mighty instrument
and set about conquering the world (well a small corner of Teesside anyway).

The first Disciples to gather round the chosen one were a bunch of punks
called 'Over The Border', spit and vomit aplenty they pogo'ed their way round
the local pub circuit armed with a variety of studded belts/wristbands/bootstraps,
you name it really, if it had studs in it...it made it onto the stage! (bootleg videos 
of this band do exist and can be found at any reputable bondage/S&M fair).
But as time went by our hero discovered that there was more than three chords 

in music so eventually the spit dried up and the safety pins turned rusty.
This new found musical knowledge led Damian to the dark side...namely goth/alternative.

The lure of black nail varnish and eye liner was too strong and before long all
manor of moody facial expressions and silver astrological jewellery had found
their way into his onstage repertoire. Armed with a healthly interest in all things
occult, he formed goth/rock band 'St.Vitus Dance', who quickly immersed themselves
in the seedy world of pierced navels, dyed black hair and henna tattoos. 

The band gigged fairly regularly, thanks to their bullshitting talents, even managing to
blag gigs in London by convincing southern promoters that they were Billy Braggs'
regular support act! However the fires of Goth were dying out, the students were
abandoning their black clothes and starting to smile again. 

Feeling the tide turn against him and his dark persona, Damian disbanded St.Vitus Dance 

and co-founded the Funk-Rock outfit 'Huggy Bear's Bar', with a local opera singer, and 

a motown crazy drummer!

A different animal altogether, the trio set about spreading their message of love and
funk to the masses. The music was a mix of Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Green Day and the like,
with a bit of Madness thrown in for good measure! Success came on the college circuit 
and soon the guys were working their groove to appreciative audiences up and down 
the east coast. Once again though things didn't go all to plan, student unions were
notoriously tight with the cash and with a wedding to pay for our hero found himself
walking the darkest path of them all....the north east club circuit!!!

This long, dark, soul-destroying journey of self mutilation found Damian playing
in 60's tribute acts. Suitably attired in an off-white two piece number he could
be found playing Cliff Richard hits three nights a week for the next five years.
Soon the words 'pick up''shit carry' and 'agents fee' became etched on his soul.
Yes the money was good and the experience invaluable but eventually he could take
no more. A broken man, Damian hung up his Bass and didn't touch it for two years.

But even then, deep within the sonic spectrum, a power was rising. 
As the embers of Bass majesty flickered faintly, a pheonix was about to rise from
the flames, and as E-strings around the globe quivered gently in anticipation, the
power of Bass once again began to flow through the veins of The Prodigal Son.

It was the second coming....faster, stronger, and if possible, more conceited than ever before,
the Messiah had returned!!!

Striding confidently back onto the local scene, our hero joined forces with pop/rockers
'Under the Influence'. Flushed with the success of this new union, a new bass was acquired.
Fashioned from rare and endangered species of tree and with no thought to the environment whatsoever,
the mighty slab of bubinga fitted perfectly into the hands of chosen one. Now with his weapon of choice
at hand, Damian could begin to let his bottom end resonate throughout his kingdom.
However after only twelve short months it became clear that the bludgeoning style of Damian's play
did not quite suit a Pop setup, and so the move to ROCK was instigated.

After a brief (but loud) spell with metal merchants 'Into the Light' Damian responded to a
call to arms from Outrageous Wallpaper who needed a replacement for their low ender.
And so it came to pass that the journey was complete. Our hero slotted in alongside the Outrageous
boys and can be found at a venue near you...

So it shall be written...so it shall be done!!!



Damian's Top 5 Albums in no particular order.

Powerslave - Iron Maiden....starts heavy, ends heavy, and it's pretty damn heavy in the middle too.

Dirk wears White Sox - Adam Ant....Underrated genius. Try it, you'll be surprised.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedys....It's just great.

Never mind the Bollocks - Sex Pistols....If you don't know this, you don't know sh*t!

Blood sugar sex magic - Red Hot Chili Peppers....If you have to ask, you'll never know!

Honourable mentions go to Alice Cooper - Schools out, David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust,
New York Doll's - New York Doll's, and all of Iron Maiden's and Adam Ant's other Albums!


Damian's tips for aspiring young Bass players...

Welcome Bass Cadets! This is the bit where I take time out to personally pass on some 'diamond' tips to help you succeed in the world of rock.

1. Get your priorities right. Don't waste valuable time at a sound check messing about with your sound...get your look straightened out first! I've lost count of the number of young Bass players I've seen who sound great but obviously haven't spent any time perfecting their image. (Older players be wary of metallic scratch plates...they'll show up a double chin straight away). A good starting point would be to take a look at the photo's of me on this web site...trust me, when you look this good you don't have to know anything!

2. As soon as you join a band ask if you can suggest some songs to do. When you get the green light, put forward really obscure funk tracks that have amazing Bass lines but sound like cr*p! Stamp your feet until the rest of the band relents just to shut you up!

3. Most people will agree that nothing sounds worse than a Bass solo (apart from a drum solo). Well now's your chance to educate them! The band will never be crazy enough to let you have a full solo...so just fit it in between songs! Never let a quiet moment go past whilst on stage, in between every song you can dazzle the audience with your tribute to Jaco! Try and do it whilst the singer is talking to the audience...trust me, you'll get a reaction!

4. Positioning on stage in order to appear in all the photo's of the band. Now this is a tricky one. As a bass player, and therefore part of the rhythm section, you will often be expected to quietly stand near the back of the stage...thus rendering useless all the time spent getting your look right (see point one). Here's how to allieviate this little problem. 
Buy yourself a multi-effects pedal board (dont worry you're not going to use it, you're a Bass player remember), 
as soon as you start setting up plonk your board down at the front of the stage and secure it with industrial strength
gaffa tape, hang some wires out of it for added effect if you like. Then inform the rhythm guitarist (it's normally these people who take up your area of stage) that you need constant access to the board throughout the gig. This tactic will mean that you're are closest to the camera at all times! Another technique I like to employ is to buy a Bass
with a really long scale neck. If you hold it right, you should be able to position the headstock in such a manner
that it obscures the singers face from most photo's, again making you the centre of attention. You can't really do
much about the lead guitarist as he's normally way over the other side of the stage, so you'll just have to rely
on putting in as many fancy fills and riffs as you can to make people look at you instead of him (bonus points awarded
if you can get in a two-handed tapping run under the lead solo!)

5. Finally, It's a long but rewarding journey if you make it to top like I have, and once you're up there the only way is down. Adulation is a heavy cross to bear (I should know) so make sure you get plenty of love from others to keep your ego from getting bruised too easily, and if you can't do that, just do what I do.....love yourself!!!