1996-12 Musician
sideman: Graham Maby
By Michael Gelfand, Musician, December 1996
Archived from: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Musician/1990/1996/Musician-1996-12.pdf
Résumé: Freedy Johnston, Marshall Crenshaw, Chris Stamey, Shania Twain, Graham Parker
Do people still expect you to play like you did on the early Joe Jackson records, with that up-front tone and aggressively melodic style?
Sometimes people call me and say, "Yeah, get that pick out. I want you to sound like you did on 'Look Sharp' back in 1978." That's okay, but I get tired of hearing it because I feel like I've it because I feel like I've moved on a little bit since then. I'm not the wild-haired punk that I may have wild-haired punk that I may have appeared to have been back then. I've got a few more tricks in me bag got a few more tricks in me bag these days, and it's nice when people recognize that. I really like it when people call me because they like their own conception of the way I play. It's flattering, especially when you consider that you could be brought in there just as a bass player.
Have you done any sessions that didn't work out?
Only once. [Producer] Richard Gotterer got me in this session with David Wilcox, and between Gotterer, the engineer, and Wilcox, I couldn't win. I'd come up with an idea, and one of them would say "Yeah" while the others would say, "Uh, I don't know." It went on like that for several hours. Things got so bad that I actually got them to run me off a tape, which I actually got brought home and worked on overnight. I came back the next day and the same thing happened. That's when I said, "Maybe I'm not the right guy for this track." I gather they got Will Lee in there.
Do you ever want to lead your own band?
Not really. Part of that has to do with deciding whether to be the guy in control, but as time has gone by I've been glad I made that sort of unwitting decision to remain out of the limelight. For one, the guy who gets the glory gets one shot, or maybe two if they're lucky, but I keep getting a shot. Somehow it's easier than keeping a solo career going. But the rewards are commensurate.
When you're performing with a group - They Might Be Giants, for instance - do you ever feel like you'd enjoy working with them full-time?
Sure, it crosses my mind. The Giants are great people. They really push me to contribute, they let me be myself, and I have lots of laughs with them. On top of it all, they don't pay poorly. But honestly, there hasn't been one situation that fills all the bills, and I don't know if there ever can be.
So you're happy being a sideman.
Definitely. One of the beautiful things about it is that I can live a normal life. I can take my kids to school, and while the people there know that I play music and that I'm on TV sometimes, I'm not a celebrity. It never presents me with the problems that I see people like Joe going through. Even after all these years, he still doesn't want to deal with all the recognition. I've always appreciated that I cant get up and play in front of thousands of people, and then the next day I can go to the supermarket with my kids.
You never get recognized in public?
About once every five years someone will recognize me. Once I was taking a piss in the men's room at some movie in Secaucus, and this guy comes in, stares at me, and says, "'Scuse me, but you're Graham Maby, right?" Yeah, you laugh, but it's so infrequent that I remember every time it's happened.