MACON, Ga. — Lionel Quinn, bassist for local band Busted Hump, has no plans to reveal his ignorance of the term to his bandmates for fear of being ridiculed, sources confirm.
“I’ve heard the phrase a bunch of times, but somehow I never learned what ‘playing in the pocket’ actually means,” said Quinn. “I sort of get the idea, but how that translates to what I’m playing on bass is a total mystery to me. You may be saying, ‘Why don’t you just look it up?’ Trust me, I have, but it still makes no sense, and ChatGPT just said ‘Ask again later’ like a magic 8 ball when I asked it to summarize. Everyone seems to have a different definition. I’m just lucky no one’s called me out on it so far.”
Busted Hump’s drummer Phil Kendrick has nothing but praise for Quinn’s playing.
“Lionel and I make up the rhythm section of the band,” said Kendrick while twirling a drumstick. “He has this amazing ability to play in the pocket. The two of us just lock in and get right in that pocket together. Before shows I’ll sometimes say, ‘Let’s really play in the pocket tonight, okay?’ Or when we’re jamming I’ll yell, ‘We’re really in the pocket!’ He usually just smiles sheepishly because he’s too modest to accept compliments. There’s really no one else I’d rather be in the pocket with. I actually like to refer to Lionel and I as The Pocket Bros. That’s how in the pocket we are.”
Venerated session bassist Ernie Sweat says he’s heard a lot of strange musical terms over his long career that made no sense to him.
“I’ve been a studio musician for four decades and I’ve played with all the greats. You better believe I’ve heard all the wacko rock and roll slang and idioms under the sun,” said Sweat. “I’ve never had any clue what these fools are saying. I mean, sure, I know the difference between a lick and a riff I guess. But one time Ronnie Wood asked me to do a ‘banging swallop’ during the prechorus on some song. I just gave a thumbs up. Whatever I did must’ve been good enough because the check cleared after the session.”
At press time, Quinn was overheard responding with a meek, “Thanks, man,” after being complimented for playing “behind the beat” so well after a gig.
This article is satirical. The Hard Times is a punk/hardcore satire site. All content should be considered parody and entertainment purposes only.
