Neil Innes Quotes

The lousy guitar player in any band is the bass player.

I've played every instrument you could possibly think of for 10 minutes. So I'm mediocre at everything. I can play drums, guitar, piano, violin, saxophone, clarinet, flute... Just not well.

I despise people who revel in the ignorance of not being able to play their instrument.

Everybody on our cast is very musically talented, except for me.

None of us wanted to be the bass player. In our minds he was the fat guy who always played at the back.

My dad taught me to play bass. He's a bass player; he still plays in a band in Michigan to this day. He taught me to play bass when I was about 6. I used to just go to band practice with him, and whoever didn't show up for rehearsal that day, I would take their spot.

I can play a lot of different instruments adequately but nothing really well.

I always got great respect as a bass player.

I wasn't originally a bass player. I just found out I was needed, because everyone wants to play guitar.

For the record, Jeff Jarret cannot play guitar. Honky Tonk Man cannot play guitar. Elias? Guitar, piano, harmonica, drums, you name it. I can do anything.

Even Angus says that Malcolm is a better guitarist than he is. He makes the drummer's job so easy, he's a metronome.

I'm an okay drummer, I'm an okay bass player, I'm an okay keyboardist, and I'm a quite good guitar player.

I was definitely not one of those kids prodigy guitar players.

You don't have to be a great drummer to be the most important guy in the band.

I don't know how it got around that I play a lot of instruments. I really don't. I play the guitar and the mandolin.

I didn't start off as a bass player, and Guns was the first band I really, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna be a bass player. This is what I'm gonna do.' And I really dove into it head first.

I'm a bass player and I'm a drummer - I'm a big fan of bass players.

The musicians I really looked up to as a kid were the ones who could play everything.

I worked extremely hard at my craft and at being a good songwriter, being a good guitar player, being a good organist, because I didn't think people would take me seriously.

I like people who can write and sing, and play an instrument.

It was such a wake-up call going to music school and being one among so many that are really good at singing.

Glenn Hughes is one of the most naturally talented musicians, but he's still copying Steve Wonder to this day, so I can't call him a bona fide member of Deep Purple.

There's always going to be a percentage of the kids out there who want to hear people who can actually play and sing.

You know, I am very versatile in music.

I can sing, but I consider myself a bass player. I'm, you know, a musician first.