NOFX's Fat Mike Plays His Favorite Bass Riffs
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- Опубликовано: 1 мар 2021
- #NOFX legend #FatMike joins Loudwire's #GearFactor to play his favorite bass riffs. NOFX's newest record, Single Album, is out now.
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#Loudwire #Riffs #Punk #Rock #Bass 
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My left ear enjoyed this
Yeah, did no one actually watch this or edit before posting?
Yeah, wtf I really like when I get to use both ears
talking on the left playing on the right lol
I thought my ears were dying like damn I'm going deaf even more
I had him talking in only the left, and playing in both. But it was thin and slightly tinny sounding.
I like a bass player who can't even play one of his own riffs that he wrote himself...reminds me of myself
Ya im the same.....
Some crazy shit my brain makes up that my fingers can't keep up
If you isolate Lemmy's and John Enthwistle's basselines from records and live performances, they are full of mistakes as well. It's proably a personality issue.
@@M1tjakaramazov Lemmy was probably just too drunk
@@M1tjakaramazov its pretty amazing. The band kind of covers for each other, and the energy in the room masks it. Everyone should experience live shows sometimes. I feel bad my daughters generation doesn't really get to do stuff like that much. Even if she was able to, finding others her age who are into it, is rare.
Me to but guitar 🤣.
I don’t remember how to play that
You wrote it
Still don’t remember
Sober Fat Mike is awesome to see, he seems happy and is playing more correct notes than I've ever seen before
LOL! Its great to see!
You lose a certain amount of charm though.
@Connor Davis Not just himself, but the music as well.
Sober? Lol no
I was wondering why he looks so good and healthy, Makes me so happy to see.
It's admirable seeing such a good player who is not afraid of making mistakes.
i like it when humans are human
Good?😂
Trust me he's made a lot of mistakes, and stands by most of them.
"our job as a bass player ; we make other people sounds better" -fat mike 2021
les claypool: "well actually..."
Not that fat mike is bad but if you wanna play punk bass you should learn matt freeman
@@kckillakrack9714 love me some matt freeman but hes more of a scale player. They are both really good bass players in different ways. Matt Freeman just plays scales as fast as possible usually and fat mike plays melodies with the bass.
@@Ogbassist182 Op ivy and rancid is pretty reggae thats why. Fat mike is good but his stuff is kinda simple. Another good one is the guy on face to face Scott schiflet. His brother was in no use for a name and now is on too fighters hes a guitarist really goid one too
@@kckillakrack9714 Simple doesn't mean bad though. Mike always serves the song and is always locked in with Sandin. That's the definition of a great bass player to me.
He's so enthusiastic, positive and not toxic here, can't believe it's him!
Well, he's not wasted, for one thing.
Back when NOFX started, I doubt most punk bands were concerned about being considered "nontoxic."
I heard that he went to rehab a while back and got completely clean.
@@SpongeBath_ShitPants alternates. One year fucked up, one year sober. Single Album was played on a shit ton of pills and blow. Thing with mike is, he likes drugs but doesn't let himself get addicted.
@@brianfrolo245 I'm guessing you are NOT responding to the comment preceding yours? LOL
"Sober 30 years, but if MIKE can pull it off...... slide me some pills and booze yo!"
:D
"I have a really good idea, let's pan his voice hard left and we'll pan the bass audio hard right. I'm sure people will love that."
bad video to watch with only one headphone
60s style!! I fuckn love it. YESS.
This comment helped me finally hear his bass not I've got to watch it all again lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dude, I thought my headphones broke. Ended up being helpful, because I had some brick dust in the jack from work. 🤣
Nofx - Stickin in my eye intro is one of my favorite bass lines to play. 20 years later I still play it when I pick up a bass. I’m not a bassist either haha.
That was one of the first things I ever learned to play on bass. I think it was actually the 3rd lol
Slightly less fat mike. Good
@Ivory_ Lagiacrus_YT he looks like he’s a member of ween now
Him being in good health is good and ween is cool too.
Kinda fit Mike
@Ivory_ Lagiacrus_YT Nothing wrong with that! 😎
Fit Mike
Playing his instrument, that's where you'll find the real Fat Mike. Fragile, authentic and vulnerable. He can't hide behind it.
Very true.
Proof that you don’t need to be the best player in the world. You just need to make songs that are undeniably catchy and that’s exactly what NOFX is.
Hes a really good player tho
all jokes aside he's actually a decent bass player
He’s one of the best bass players in punk
Hey you've got the Band Maid logo!!!!!
@@stevebanning902 No one said he wasn't good, just not the best in the world.
After listening to the Decline 200+ times, watching Fat Mike struggle to play it is charming and classic. I'll have to dig out my CD.
I love that Mike mentioned Bomber from RKL showing him Blocked Out and Hangover. Bomber was the drummer of RKL, but he was amazing on bass and guitar as well. My band used to rehearse in the basement of a club called the Chatterbox where RKL and NOFX used to hang out a lot. And once when we were rehearsing Bomber came down and insisted on showing us some new songs he had written. He grabbed our bass players bass and tore through the song, jumped behind the drum kit, then grabbed my guitar and wailed out the guitar parts stomping on my wah pedal so hard that he broke it. I always look back on those days as a kind of golden age of the SF rock scene.
Wow that must have been awesome! I'm a little jealous myself, as a bass player lol
Thank you for this! Thank you
Crazy!!! LOL! I met Bomber in the early 90s I think, he was doing less RKL back then...I think it was a side project called "Slang" or something...I was friends with the drummer and would roadie for him sometimes. Bomber was nutty but cool!
@@ObsidianLife Yeah, I remember that period. Bomber had Slang, and if I'm remembering correctly, the record he originally intended to release under the name Slang was eventually released as an RKL album called Reactivate on Epitaph records. I think Epitaph just felt it would be smarter to release it under the already established name.
Great story haha thanks for sharing
I've never seen Fat Mike look so healthy
Quitting the drugs and booze did wonders for him. He seems much happier too.
@@SpongeBath_ShitPants I swear there have been a few times in the past where people have said he's given it up. I don't even know what to believe anymore.
@@isetmfriendsofire i’m pretty sure (take this with a grain of salt) he quit both for a while, but now he drinks again
Fit Mike.
I've always been fascinated with his picking style. Dominant upstrokes and hybrid picking, always fun to watch
I’m pretty sure it’s “Robust Micheal” now.
hah! Please make that be his new name. I'd crack up if that caught on! XD
😂😂😂
That is friggin’ hilarious 😂
Wow, he's looking a lot better since he's been not partying.
Getting sober is always a good choice.
Or not wearing a dress .
@@twomindz79 He';s got a skirt on still
@@twomindz79 wearing dresses is punk rock
He looks fantastic. Positive reinforcement! New album kicks my ass btw.
The Decline is such an underrated EP. The horns on it -- and the bass lines -- are just A+.
Underrated? Dude most people think it's a masterpiece
If You Haven't Already, Check Out The Newest Recording With BAZ's Orchestra Playing With Them
@@ronjames4151 agreed. It's the opus of punk rock.
@@missmaynard2310 Saw them play it at Jera On Air (festival in the Netherlands NOFX was headlining) a few years back! Goddamn that was amazing!
@@ronjames4151 100000000%
So glad he showed off how he plays "Idiots Are Taking Over." Easily one of my favorite bass riffs ever!
One of my favourite riffs... " Place a wager on your greed, a wager on your pride..."
Nice Mike.
I didn't realize how great Fat Mike is. Now I do.
Check out The Decline Live at Red Rocks. Such a difficult song to play and he was flawless.
Yeah this young fella may have a promising future.
@@MrBlahdiblahdi He's very street, very gang, very hispanic. He'll do just fine.
@@Dincorta yes u did. haha
I have a fever, and the only cure is more bassist interviews!
It sounds like you have the most bassist of human desire.
Also more cowbell
Same but I need medicine
You got COVID?
Sameee
I like how he took the time to identify which Bad Religion song he learned, and then proceeded the bass line from every Bad Religion song.
People sleep on how great a bassist Fat Mike is. Reminds me to start on the upstroke sometimes...Long live NOFX.
I like the sober fat Mike so much better. Hope he keeps it up
Agreed! Unfortunately it's not the same for Billy Joe...
Bruh billie is sober, he has been since iHeart Radio
@@thiccbasscovers Nah he isn't, he was drinking on the entire longshot tour.
@@pollyanna147 can confirm. Met him and had drinks with him in December of 2019
@@PedroFigs I think Billie has better control over it compared to before because he doesn’t seem to be in the same state he was back in 2012
Seriously underrated bass player. I’ve always loved his style and his subtle runs and lines. He can really play but doesn’t shove it in your face.
When he is sober, he looks so nice and different. his expression is just different, and it is great! living legend. Glad to have their old cassette albums.
Mikes a really underrated bassist, so many great riffs!
yeah the one with the circular picking looks really hard to play, I don't think I can even count out the rhythm that fast let alone play it and the way he double some notes in a row is my kryptonite for some reason
@jesus h gunn thank you so much! Very appreciated!
I love when non-musicians make a compliment on musicianship. He wouldn't make the top 100 bass players.
@@stevethecross2727 you referring to yourself?
No, he just sucks…
Matt Freeman next please!
Yes please!
Yes
Oh man that would be awesome
Matt is the MAN!!
Joe raposo would be even better
Dude is looking pretty healthy
Slim mike
He went to rehab!
He was definitely not sober at the show in Edmonton which was my first time seeing them. It was the night Trump won the election so there’s that lol. Killer musician he definitely looks way happier here.
He's Midsize Mike now.
@@fridgeonion hes been clean for 3 months
That "Kids in a K hole" riff is the punk equivalent to Bleed by Meshuggah
Never been a NOFX fan but went to high school in the Central Coast of CA with a TON of NOFX fans from ‘95-‘99. Much respect to Fat Mike, he’s got the chops. I didn’t know he was that good.
Fatty is genuinely a monster on the bass. Always has such cool and unique basslines and a crazy tone.
As a longtime singing bass player myself, this guy is one of my heros.
2:48 Wrathchild by Iron Maiden has got to be one of the most recognizable bass intros ever! I loved every bit of it in GH Rock the 80s.
Early Maiden was so obviously punk influenced, no matter how much they (except for Paul Di’Anno) deny it.
He looks happy and healthy AF. How not to love this guy! He has been so influential for a lot of people including myself
Is it me or does Fat Mike seem more mellowed out as he's getting older? I really kinda love it.
I agree - he used to be kinda….scary. I liked this one .!
It’s kinda nice to see that even professional musicians can have a difficult time nailing their own riffs on the first try.
Hahahaha yep man
musicians like mike are a different breed, you've got people who put 1000x the effort in to nail a few songs by tabs, and you've got dudes like mike who barely practise and still have chops/ can recall from a 30 year-spanning discography almost straight away.
that's not to say the hypothetical tab guy couldn't get "better" from a technicality standpoint, but skill and musical intelligence are two different things. if you have the type of brain that thrives on pattern-seeking, with the right imagination you can interpret and compose music like it's second nature. BUT music shouldn't be a meritocracy and some of the most inspired sounds have come from people with hands made of lead.
I've written songs that I can hardly play on the 10th try lol.
Or absolutely pathetic 😂
Nah it’s straight up pathetic
Fat Mike is one of my biggest influences on my life and music. I’m not a bassist but I do appreciate his tone and style. He just seems like a nice person who you would grave a drink with and talk about life for hours on end.
I appreciate seeing Mike mess up and keep trying till he gets it right. It shows that even guys who have been playing for 30+ years still have to keep practicing. The dedication to your craft as a musician really is a lifestyle. I'm a guitar player but Mike has always been one of my favorite bassists.
Can’t believe he’s not mentioning the beginning of “Sticking in my eye”, best bass ever!!!! But I guess that is not strictly a riff, more kinda chord’s progression
he kinda hates the song tbf, doesn't even sing it live
It also is the bass line from Epiphany by Bad Religion which is why he probably didn't mention it haha
@@iamjoehill Epiphany was on their Process of Belief album, which was like 2002 if I recall. Sticking in my Eye was early 90s
@@timothyhansen8967 the man is right!!
Agreed, but that riff is nearly impossible, since you gotta start by breaking the bass backwards.
Was so refreshing to see a musician who has to try a couple of times to get it right. Makes you feel less shit about yourself
"Play softly and carry a thin pick." Damn good advice.
Those sliding diad riffs are so juicy, and he delivers everything with so much energy and commitment. Great playing.
Great bass player, great skill with a pick. Unique bass tone on the "So long and thanks for all the shoes" album - never heard anything like that elsewhere.
@@JonnyBartsch 96 iirc
Super trebly tone on that album -- and not just in the bass. But it's so crisp sounding.
It was the first NOFX album I bought, and has stayed my favorite album ever since. Was really hoping for Dad’s bad news to be in this video. Just such a cool riff.
All those albums produced by Ryan Green have a really lightweight sound with hardly any bottom end, but it works great for the music in there.
The Decline Solo is the best bass riff I have heard in punk rock! Fat Mike is a legend!
fat mike is actually a better bass player than I thought when you hear just him playing.
Actually he’s not
@@muke392 based on your opinion? Or are you more accomplished.
A lot of these punk dudes are a lot better than you'd think at a first glance actually.
I've been playing for 15 years and Mike is a solid bassist
That was cool. Ive always loved NOFX. Discovered them in the 90s. I miss the 90s Pittsburgh punk scene. Fun times.
YINZ GOIN DAHNTAHNNA WACHA STILLERS?
He is a very laid-back and cool guy!
He is until you meet Cokie the Clown
Until you get on stage and he doc martin stomps you
Yeah I bet you hang out with him all the time. So you would know.
@@rbeforme lol ok
@@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland to be fair he had a beer with the guy a few days later
It’s refreshing to see an established musician struggle with his own material...I do the same lol.
Fat mike is a really good bass player! NOFX Was definitely the band all my friends talked about in high school!
Wasn’t aware of him! What a bass player.....great dexterity and very fast!
a national treasure this man, wether you like it or not
Stickin in my eye is my Favorite NOFX bass riff
Fun to play to
I taught myself how to play the decline on bass when I was about 16...the riff he played from it is my favorite thing to play on bass to this day.
Saw NOFX play for the first time back in early 1998 (in Quebec city) when I was 13 years old. Hi-Standard and Reset were opening for them. The singer/guitarist for Reset went on to become Simple Plan's singer. Last saw NOFX in 2018, 20 years later. Can't wait to see them play again.
Thought he was going to say "punk rock saved my life" was the hardest riff. Mike is fine wine, getting better with age
it might be but it's not him playing this one
Never clicked a link faster. I heard him talk about this in an interview the other day and immediately checked youtube for it.
Bro....THANK YOU for leaving the mistakes in! I needed the reminder that none of us are perfect...you rock, man!
3:43 that triplet thing is really cool because some of the notes are swung and cascade differently than others.
I love that he knows he invented that. He has probably been told that a lot because it's true.
I love the joy you can see in Mike's face when he's playing those first riffs he learned. Like the memories just flood right back to the beginnings
Fat mike is a living legend
One of my faves. And that beautiful precision bass.
He is way better than a lot of ppl realize. Most punk rock bass players are better than average. They play so insanely fast.
What a legend, I have played guitar for 9 years and uke for 8 years and just started playing bass with James Jamerson being the dude I emulate the most.... wow, this is totally different!
teenboys play guitar,
gentleman play bass
What if you play both?
But as a guitarist mainly, I have a similar saying... Clean playing separates the men from the boys. Every man can play with high gain, but not every man can play clean and sound good.
Also James Jamerson is one of my favorite bassists ever. Every one of those guys (and gals) at motown were phenomenal players. So much soul.
Don’t know if you’re a fan of the band, but if you’re into Jamerson and rock music check out some of the early STP records. Even if you don’t like the music, the basslines are clearly Motown inspired but in a rock context. Was a big influence on me
@@mrnelsonius5631 Are you talking about Stone Temple Pilots? If so, I'm a huge fan of theirs. Been to quite a few of their concerts back in the day, almost always front row. Scott Weiland was insanely good on stage in those days. And as for the music, yeah the DeLeo brothers are so talented. I never really noticed the similarities to Motown, but now that you mentioned it. I'll definitely be paying more attention now. I used to cover a few of their songs on guitar, especially acoustic sets. But never on bass. Hopefully that's the band you're referring to?
@@LeviBulger yep talking about them :). Listen to the bass in Interstate Love Song for example. It’s straight up Motown licks. I toured opening for them years ago and they are amazing people. Lots of conversations with Robert about old soul and R+B records
Mike's a great bassist
No, he's a good bassist. Big difference. Educate yourself and find out.
@@eldoabrahamson no, hes great. I'm not uneducated.
@@eldoabrahamson Some of his bass lines are exceptionally hard to play. Educate yourself and find out.
@@eldoabrahamson actually that’s not something you can educate yourself on, because it’s a subjective matter of personal taste. Educate yourself and find out, rather than interpreting your own opinions as fact.
@@eldoabrahamson you're so closeminded, no friends huh?
Mike is such an underrated bass player. His riffs in the decline alone are legendary. Such a unique sound and style.
he's good and everybody knows it. no underated at all
I love that smile @0:52. He felt the zen zone
Even with no one else around him he's still playing with NO FX
Man rkl goes so hard riches to rags is IMO the best skate punk album ever
AGREED!!
Yes!!
Fat Mike referred to them as the only band that had both a pimp and a prostitute as members. But I don't know enough about the band to know which particular members he was referring to.
Yeah, and he got RKL's drummer Dave Raun as a original member for Me First And Gimme Gimmes his supergroup which only has massive hits.
RKL is my all time favorite band, the whole top of my left arm is a beenie tattoo but, and i mean no disrespect, riches to rags is their worst album... Rock & roll nightmare is the pinnacle of that skate punk style, hands down best punk album ever, dave raun still wishes he could play bomers drum parts correctly, and without a lame ass double bass pedal...
I never realized all the upstrokes before. He starts everything on an upstroke. I’ve been listening to these guys for so long and I just now saw it. In my defense I only play guitar and haven’t put an ounce of anything into the bass but I should have know that one sooner.
took me a while but now i see where the sound comes from - soft nylon picks and playing closer to the neck. could have gotten it from live videos but this one really shows where the sound come from
Please interview Fatty every week about bass and songwriting. I would pay for that.
He’s starting to look like a slim Louie Anderson.
Oh damn..
Louie Anderson was actually funny.
absolute crucifixion
Mike looks like Jack Black
@@mikemavz7279
fuck that louie anderson is still awesome..baskets is great
I'm a guitar player but I'm also a NOFX fan... I have to say I enjoyed watching this a lot and I didn't know FatMike was so freaking amazing at playing bass. Some of these lines are not easy at ALL.
Seeing Fat Mike struggle on that Decline riff makes me feel better that I still can't play it 20 years later! Lol!
yeah i love it, its nice to see legit pros struggle with their own stuff.. sometimes I wonder if I am making too technical music that can be a struggle to do live, but after this, ima keep doing it.
I could watch him play idiots taking over all day
Me too! That's a magical riff!
Do Jay Bentley next! Such a great bass player who doesn't get nearly enough recognition.
Legend. NOFX was the soundtrack to my high-school years.
RKL was absolutely one of a few punk bands whose bass playing really struck me as technically proficient. Zero Boys also had talent in that department.
Not really a punk band but kinda a post punk band, Bow Wow Wow also had superb basslines. The RKL basslines kind of reminded me of that
Mecht mensch definitely had a lot of sick basslines
RKL borderlined metal at times.
"Play softly, carry a thin, pink pick." -Fat Mike
Underrated for sure. I dig the tone on NoFX songs. He can move those fangers around the fretboard
This was fun to watch. I miss the days when I was discovering music and NOFX was new to me....
So much energy in that second riff. Yet, so simple.
I didn't realize he was actually a good bass player. I'm impressed.
Really?
Then you must not listen to NOFX. Hmmmmmmm.
He always has been. All the guys in nofx are great players and songwriters.
Is he?
yeah always thought he was super lazy, maybe its just his writing though
This is the oldest looking 21 year-old dude I’ve ever seen
@@Casher.
The joke
-----
Your head
Wait is he 21?
Hello fellow Kids, Punk is Dad
@@borgir9817 just turned 22
Always authentic Mr Fat Mike always a pleasure.
How could anyone not like Fat Mike. Seems like such a cool dude, just chill and relatable.
Fuck yeah, love that he still mentions Bomer from RKL. Those guys were way ahead of their time, and don't get enough love. Always happy to see RKL remembered.
Dude! The bass intro for 'Something Sticking in Eye'. It's fucking Epic, and brings back a lot of great memories from the era. Top 5 best NOFX songs! The 10 years of fucking up VHS tape!
RKL is the best. "Scab on my Brain" is basically everything that NOFX was trying to be on Ribbed, and Ribbed is my fave NOFX album.
Malachi crunch is my favorite bassline to play on that album
@@punklyrics1 Great tune, I love playing Food, Sex, and Ewe. That walking bass line is rad.
Dude totally, finally someone that agrees with me that Ribbed is an awesome record. I think they playing is great on it, I love the drum sound on that album.
yeah, long time ago they said they wanted to sound like RKL and bad religion. Ribbed is awesome
"Try to play that with your fingers" then Les Claypool picks up the bass and plays the same riff with his fingers and improvises a solo with his free fingers
Watching this was eye opening because it shows that Mike is an upward pickslanter. He alternate picks when ascending the strings and economy picks (upstroke sweeps) when descending strings. He also starts a lot of riffs on an upstroke in order to make that happen.
Just in case people are wondering, the Adolescents song he plays is No Friends. It's on their debut album.
The Decline is arguably the most ambitious punk song ever written.
could you elaborate, interested as to in what sense you mean this. check out girl band's music, it's fuckin intense
@@Hamletshandle It's an 18 minute long punk song with multiple riff changes and breakdowns/bridges, and it doesn't follow the typical punk verse/chorus format. If you haven't heard it, I highly suggest it.
@@stlchucko Will do mate. Check out Paul by Girl Band and even their KEXP
Dickies' "Paranoid" bass cover was an early go-to when I was learning to play.
6:10 Metal!
6:16 Rock n' roll!
its so weird that his first strokes are up strokes... i bet that opens up all sorts of doors
Definitely tried it after watching this. It’s difficult. Haha.
Is that why there’s so much rattling on the lower strings?
I think that's just the pick... Re upstrokes, K. Cobain did that a fair bit.. The art of music did a a piece on it (the 7 levels of teen spirit).🎸🎵
Listen to the new podcast, he talks about that
@@nacholibre8412 you got a link?
He’s not that fat.
All jokes aside his tone is probably some of the best I’ve ever heard.
Sings kinda flat tho....
@@jamesfurz7406 fat
@@jamesfurz7406 but that's how he hits them
@@mrbtapir yea, it's a play on the lyric from "Theme From A NOFX Album"
That Jim Dunlop story is gold
The triplicate is sick; in addition, the other lines are amazing too. 😎