As a professor, do you think there is a way people should listen to music or does that interfere with the visceral pleasure of it?

There’s probably a happy medium. Someone can show us how to appreciate art by allowing us to see things we weren’t aware of before, but that doesn’t mean we are only going to look for those things. We develop our own tastes, but we still have that information. I go to a concert and I’m checking out what bass the bass player is using, what drums the drummer is using, but after a while I just get into the music, I stop thinking, and enjoy the sound overall.

Is it correct you turned down a chance to be in Genesis?

It’s not correct. What happened was I became friends with Phil Collins, and he told me they were going to be auditioning a replacement for (guitarist) Steve Hackett. He thought that since I play Chapman Stick, it would be a great thing if I could play all the guitar parts on Stick. Mike would play bass. Then, I would play bass when Mike would play guitar. We would switch-off.

What happened?

I was totally unprepared for the audition. I love their music, but I didn’t sit down and learn any of their songs. I thought we were going to get together, and either they were going to have charts, or stuff would be laid out for me. When I met Mike, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. He says, Okay do you know this song? I said, I could learn it. He said, Do you know any of our music? I said, I love your music, but I haven’t committed any of it to memory. I was hoping he could’ve given me a list of stuff, but that was not going to happen. So I said, Let me suggest you guys call Daryl Stuermer. He’s a great guitar player, and plays bass. And, that’s exactly what they did. He nailed it, and the rest is history.

Any regrets or is it water under the bridge?

It is water under the bridge, but I will say it is something I regretted because up until then I had a pretty pleasurable career. I had no complaints or regrets. I’d always been invited to play in groups where I really didn’t have to audition. I’ve only done two auditions in my career, and that was one. I didn’t really have any experience as to how to go about doing that. Now I know. (Laughs)

Do you mind telling what the other audition was?

I went for Manhattan Transfer. You’ll never guess who the drummer was. He was a fairly new drummer to the L.A. scene. His last name was Bonham.

Really? Jason?

Yup. I remember he didn’t read (charts) that well, so it was a little awkward. I could tell he was a rock drummer.

Was it fun? Did you get the gig?

No.

No on fun or no on the gig?

No on fun. No on the gig. (Laughs)

You did work with Phil Collins on his solo debut, Face Value. What was it like working with him?

All of the tracks were made. We were just overdubbing bass parts and Stick parts. Trying different ideas. I was looking at him more as producer/artist. He wrote the songs so, obviously, he knows what he wants from the music. I could relate to that having done my own recordings.

Of all your experiences, is there one that stands above the others?

I would say two words: Weather Report.

Why?

First of all that was something I dreamed of. I loved to listen to Bill (Cobham) and Wayne (Shorter). When they first put the group together, I never imagined I would be playing with them, but I used to dream of it. As fate had it, all the stars seemed to align. Next thing I knew I was talking to Wayne and he asked me to come out to California. The rest is history.

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