During a break between gigs on Jam Cruise this past January, George Porter Jr. sat down to survey his 50-plus years onstage, as well as his projects to come.
“I’m just looking forward to having a successful musicyear,” he says, gazing out over the ocean.
Below, the bass legend explores his feelings ofresponsibility toward the younger generations, his reign as New Orleans’ Kingof Oak and more.
You spend a lotof time in New Orleans playing big gigs with Zig [Modeliste] and the Foundationof Funk. Why do you enjoy doing those large shows in your home city? Is it niceto be among the people?
No, I think because it pays well. [Laughs] I have to split myself into twopeople, two players, because I still love Leo [Nocentelli], Leo is good people,but him and Zig just can’t be seen to meet in the same neighborhood. So, inorder to play music with the people I love, I have to be able to put myself intwo places at different times.
Is that a roleyou’re used to playing? The peacemaker?
I definitely do not want to be the peacemaker becauseeventually the guys who you’re trying to put together will both hate you. [Laughs]
You’re aregular at the Jam Cruise Jam Room, it’s something you’re known for. Do youthink it’s a test of a good musician when people are thrown in the water likethat?
The Jam Room is a jamroom. I remember when they started adding a host to the room. Some of thosehosts were calling rehearsals and stuff. I’ve never done a rehearsal for that,I’m a firm believer that a jam room is supposed to be a jam. A jam comes out ofnot necessarily finding common ground musically, but just playing off of eachothers’ energy. People were asking me if I was inviting anyone over there. Isaid, “I didn’t invite no one. At 2:30, I’m gonna walk up on stage—me and mybass—andwe’re gonna start playing. Sooner or later, I’m gonna start hearing otherpeople playing.” And that’s exactly what happened.
Is there anyonefrom this past jam that really impressed you?
The horn section at one point started pumping reallywell and Benny Bloom came up and he started organizing and arranging. AdamDeitch came up and started about 10-12 minutes into my set. I didn’t hear anycymbals, just a drum kit. I looked over my back and there was Adam just playingon the kit, no cymbals. [Laughs] Then a keyboard player came up and played, butI never got his name.
I feel likeanybody could just walk up with a guitar.
That’s kinda the way I like doing the jam room andI’ve seen a lot of fun happen like that.
You mentionedthat you don’t like rehearsing for the Jam Room. Are you one for rehearsals ingeneral?
I know that when I go out and play with other people,I’m gonna have to do rehearsal.
What doesrehearsing or practicing look like for you? Are you just sitting down with yourbass and seeing what comes to you?
When I touch my bass I’m mostly in the studio working.If I’m practicing or just feel like playing, I’m usually playing a guitar, anacoustic guitar. I have two really nice acoustic guitars. Anders Osborne justgave me a beautiful Strat guitar. With these acoustic guitars, the necks are alittle bigger and a little more comfortable for a bass player.
How do youthink playing that acoustic guitar informs your bass playing? Do you think itallows you to stretch your muscles or use other parts of your brain?
That was my third instrument. The first instrument wasviolin and the second instrument was piano and then guitar. But guitar was theone that I actually took real lessons for. I started with a teacher for a fewyears. I was 8, 9 and 10.
Violin andpiano didn’t really speak to you, but guitar did?
My dad didn’t want to hear violins in the house. [Laughs] That got ex’d. The piano lessonsended because it was Zig’s older brother who was the teacher and Zig was havingtrouble with the fact that his brother was spending more time with somebodyelse than him. So, his mom cut all of those lessons.
Did you stillplay violin or piano?
I don’t play violin at all. Piano, I still play.
Are there anyother instruments that you’d like to stretch out into? Do you see yourself everplaying a George Porter piano set?
No, I don’t see that.
Do you have apiano in your house?
Yes, I have an electric piano up in the studio, Idon’t have an acoustic piano. I’m using virtual instruments or digitizedsounds, so I have piano controls in the house.
Do you everplay bass through the keyboard?
I’ve seen a lot of guys do that really well. I nevergot to the point of playing bass lines over a keyboard. Even when I’m playingthe piano, I’m probably just playing chord formulas using nine fingers. The thumbon one hand seems to not control any part of a piano when I’m playing, but Iuse the thumb on the other hand.
When you playthe keyboard using these electronic things—do you think there’s something tobe said for the warmth of a wooden guitar? Is there something more beautifulabout an organic instrument versus an electronic instrument?
I think it’s a mood thing for me. Usually when I’mplaying the guitar, it’s usually playing chord formulas to write something. IfI’m really relaxed, I’d play my acoustic guitar and within 30-40 minutes, I’mready to go to bed. Maybe I’m just boring. [Laughs]
Do you findthat as time goes on, while your original circle of players is getting smaller,your emotional bond gets closer? After losing people like Art [Neville]?
Our community is definitely smaller. The communitythat I grew up with is almost 80% depleted. It’s to the point where now peopleare considering me the senior citizen of our community because all of myteachers are pretty much gone. Well, George French is still living and hangingout. But Earl King and Professor Longhair, all the guys that I grew up with,they’re all gone. George was a musician and a sideman like I was. Those guyswrote the music and created the music and we as sidemen performed it. There arenot too many of those guys around anymore, they’re gone.
Do you feel aresponsibility to mentor people now because those teachers are gone?
I definitely feel a responsibility to be responsible.Not necessarily that I need to be a mentor because I’m not really sure if I’m agood mentor. [Laughs] I like stayinghome and looking at the television, which tends to take up more of my time thanbeing in the studio. I basically haven’t turned my studio on in five, sixmonths.
What do youwatch on TV?
Stupid shit.
Like what?
A lot of shoot-em-up, blowing shit up, action flicks.I have been watching The Mandalorianwith the baby Yoda guy. I watched a whole season of that.
You mentionedyour studio. Last time I spoke to you there was a Runnin’ Pardners album in theworks.
The guitar playerthat was recording that project with me at the time left the band. Since then,I’ve added a new guitar player and I want to re-do those guitar parts with thenew kid. I have two records that are recorded and just need to be finished. Forthe Runnin’ Pardners album, I just need to replace Brint [Anderson’s] stuffwith Chris [Adkins].With the Porter Trio stuff, it’s two members of the Runnin’ Pardners andmyself: Michael [Lemmler] on keyboards and Terrence [Houston] on drums andmyself. I have to get a vocal track that I’m happy with. I’m pleased with theinstrumental parts of the recordings, I’ve just gotta be more musicalvocal-wise.
Do you evertake vocal lessons?
I do what I think I should be doing and then the endresult is that I’m not happy with it. [Laughs]So it’s been suggested to me that I should get someone to come in and tutor meon that, on how to actually produce my vocal tracks.
Do you thinkyou’re your own toughest critic sometimes?
Absolutely. One of the things I’ve learned fromprevious recordings that I’ve done is that when the album comes out and I goplay it, I realize I can’t play and sing [at the same time]. So, I startedthinking that playing the track and trying to sing it at the same time meansthat I have to simplify my bass line. A bunch of the bass lines are reallymelodic bass lines or it’s a strict pattern, but vocally I can’t figure out howto sing and play that pattern.
I want to talka little bit about the Maple Leaf. Why is that home base for you?
I’m not expected to be anything. It’s a jam situationand people like coming out and seeing it. A lot of the music that The PorterTrio is recording was creating at the Maple Leaf.
A friend ofmine from New Orleans told me that when you walk up at the Maple Leaf, peoplecheer in the streets. Is that true?
I just got nominated to do the King of Oak, so thatmeans that if I walk in a bar, everybody has to say, “Hail King Robustus 34.”
What is that?
Robustus is the king; I have no clue what Robustusmeans.
Is there aceremony? Are you getting a crown?
Yeah I got a crown and all that stuff.
That’s very NewOrleans.
You can’t be a king without a crown.
Where is thecrown now?
Right now it’s on the table in the living room.
What are yougoing to do as king?
I have to go talk to other kings and find out what I’mexpected to do.
In addition tothe kingship, are there any other awards from your career that you areparticularly proud of?
The two Lifetime Achievement awards. One I knew I wasgetting, the other one came as a complete surprise, the Grammy one. I had noidea that they even knew who we were.
Were you happyto have that type of recognition because The Meters were unsung heroes for areally long time...
That’s true and that’s what made it more like, “Why?”In the Grammys, people had never recognized our music. I was told that the song“Cissy Strut” had gotten an award several years earlier, but I had never heardabout it. [Laughs]
Do you haveanything you’re working on in the near future?
I’m hoping that I can complete the two records thatI’m pretty close to finishing and start the third project that I want to do.It’s going to be an acoustic bass and a female singer and myself, notnecessarily doing a Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell, but a duet thing. I’m writingthe music and I’m asking the ladies to write the lyrics.
Do you have anyparticular singers in mind?
Yeah, Mila Borles, a singer-songwriter, Susan Counsel, Erica Falls who sang with Galacticfor a while and has a solo project out now, and my granddaughter. And thenthere are two other ladies that I’m supposed to be setting up an auditioninterview with. They were suggested to me, but I don’t know them. I was told Ineed to check those ladies out. I can’t mention who they are.
Would that allbe originals?
Yeah, I’m going to write all original bass lines andthe girls would write lyrics to fit those bass lines.
When you’reworking with a musician or a singer can you tell almost immediately if it’sgoing to work or not? If you’re jamming with someone, can you tell within thefirst few notes?
Not within the first few notes, but you can just hearwhen you need to tell somebody that it’s time to leave.
How do you tellsomeone it’s time to leave?
“Time to leave!” [Laughs]
With all ofthis new technology, are you still using techniques you used back in the ‘70s?
The trick I use today is just knowing how muchinformation to put on. I use my ears more than I use the technology, because Ibelieve that’s still important. When I was growing up, it was about what youheard, not what you saw.
When you heardthose first Meters tracks, did you know it was magic on tape?
We had no idea [Laughs].
