Sergio Mottura: Back with a Vengeance

Interview by Peter Stamm for Musicians Monthly Magazine - 1/10/2001

Time Square, New York City. It feels and look like the center of the world, and by many accounts it really is so.  I'm meeting with Sergio in an Italian restaurant on 47^th Street, off Times Square. I interviewed Sergio 5 years ago for Musicians Monthly Magazine and I've been following his doings ever since.

Sergio Mottura, the so-called "Man Behind The Bass" is a bit of a mystery for many.

Sergio can be intimidating with his deep and focused look and his height (he's 6' 2''), but he's a lot of fun and a very friendly guy.

Throughout the years, Sergio has gained a legion of fans, followers and students worldwide. Mainly focused on teaching and studio work these days, Sergio took a long deserved break in the year 2000.

The success of Bass Pro Tips, one of the most popular bass methods ever written, started in 1992 and nine years later this collection is stronger than ever. Sergio's credits extend from recordings and live shows to videos, CDs and professional teaching.

Sergio is what you might call a purist. He doesn't believe in trends, record companies or magazines. He promised me to disclose all in this interview over good food and wine.

What have you been up to?

Well, I took a much-needed year off. After 10 years of non-stop playing and teaching, I felt I had to do it. I got to a point where I lost all of my energy. Something wasn't right. I wasn't feeling like myself anymore.

Did you feel like you didn’t want to play anymore?

No, no. That will never happen. I felt exhausted. I needed to go to Argentina and see my family, you know. Take some time off with my wife and put things under perspective. It really worked out very well. I feel like a new man now.

I feel a little bit honored because of this interview. Why don't you want to do any interviews with major magazines? What went wrong?

A bit honored? You should be static! (Laughs) Major magazines really disgust me. They are always looking for a trend and they feature these losers on the cover who cannot play two notes. As far as I'm concerned, I don't need the publicity. I never did and I never will. These people think they can make or break your career. But, guess what? I proved them wrong. There are very few reporters I respect and you are one of them.

Thanks, we go back a long way.

Yes, we do.

What about book publishers?

Exactly the same thing. Let me tell you what happened when I met with ###### (attorneys at this publishing house requested its name to be removed from our site), and keep in mind that these guys are the biggest music publishing house in the world. I got a call from one of the publishers there and we decided to meet at his office. I kindly accepted the offer, got on a plane and went to Florida. They were very nice until they made an offer to publish my books. The percentage they offer was so ridiculous that I started laughing and I immediately made a counter offer. They didn't accepted it and I basically walked out of the office, got on a limo, went to the airport and came back to New York. These assholes had some nerve to put something like that on the table. These books contained years and years of study and sacrifice. I will never, ever sell out like that. Even if I sell a book per month. I don't care. It's their lost.

At this point I'm afraid to ask. What is your relationship with record companies?

This food is not going to set well (Laughs). Record companies are a different kind of animal. There's no way that you can earn a decent living signing a record deal with a major label unless you sell lots of records. If you don't get on the charts, the label will take you for all you have. There's a misconception about record deals. Musicians think that you are set once you get a deal. Unfortunately, that's not true. Also, there's no way to tell what's going on as far as worldwide sells are concerned. Everything is very shady.

Is Bass Pro Tips still popular?

Bass Pro Tips is my Icon. These books have been great to me. I put a lot into them and I got a lot out of them. A student of mine suggested that I should do a comparison with publishing houses about sales. There's a rumor out there that Bass Pro Tips is the best selling bass method ever. They may be right. I'm very pleased with the results and now you can get the books on DVDs. You just pop them in your computer and voila, you can navigate through all the lessons. I think it's awesome.

Do you have any more lessons coming out?

I'm working on some ideas and regrouping the tremendous amount of material that I have in my studio. It's quite unbelievable. I have file cabinets of music and lessons I have written throughout the years. I'm organizing the stuff and I will put something really good together.

I have never seen it myself, but I know that you have an excellent home studio.

Yes, I do. I have everything I need to record and produced an album there. It's a very good setup. Top of the line.

Costly I bet.

Very.

Are you planning on recording another album? Mental Symphony was very successful.

Mental Symphony is still my favorite album. It has it all. Solos, songs, instrumental cuts. Everything. I will work on a new album probably next year. As a matter of fact, I was invited to record in Argentina with some buddies of mine.

Are you going to do it?

I don't know yet. We'll see.

Are you bitter that you don't get more recognition?

Not at all. Think of all the thousands of bass players and musicians who know my name and my music, and all the students that have benefited from buying my methods or taken private lessons. The recognition is there. It's not and it will never be mainstream. But, it's definitely there.

What do your fans think about your web site?

They love it. There's so much on it that they are thrilled with it. I have all my books, news, subscriptions and free sample lessons. I know that some players go there every single day.

How's your personal life?

Well, I don't like to talk about my personal affairs. I can tell you that I have a great wife and a wonderful family and friends. That's all.

Is the virtuoso trend coming back?

I don't know and I don't really care. I don't go with trends. The difference between myself and other players is that I was always there. I never left the scene. I never jumped boats. A musician who goes with trends is destined to disappear. Look at Yngwie or Iron Maiden. Those guys are back because they never left.

What's your favorite album for the year 2000?

Mental Symphony! (Laughs) I don't have a favorite. To tell you the truth, I didn't buy lots of albums last year.

Are you still playing Fender Precision?

Of course. A precision was my first bass and I will never change. I tried every bass you can image but when it comes to tone, fretboard design and style, Fender cannot be topped.

What was your last show?

My last show was at Baby Jupiter's in the East Village, New York City. I played with Londin Maye. A very good friend of mine and a fabulous singer. It was a great show.

Would you consider joining an established band?

At this point in my career I believe that it wouldn't be such a good idea. I have my own ideas and cannot deal with silly attitudes from musicians, especially singers.

What's wrong with singers?

Singers are very insecure and they have to be the center of attention all the time. That generates a very uncomfortable situation for all other musicians. I went through that so many times that I couldn't begin to tell you.

What's the biggest mistake that a beginner musician can make?

The biggest mistake is not to be informed. Learn as much as possible as a musician, and learn as much as possible about the business. The myths, like the record deal we discussed before are easy to figure out, but most musicians do not want to hear about them. They rather fail miserably than know what's coming. It's very stupid and can easily be avoided.

Can you give us some practice tips?

Practice is almost a spiritual thing. If you do it right you'll improve a lot. If you do it wrong you'll probably get bored. There are no rules and you cannot get around it. You must practice. The only thing is to have good material that you can learn from and a good teacher, if possible.

Before you go, leave us with your thoughts for the year 2001.

I think this will be a very productive year. You will see some very original new material from me. I also want to thank every single person that ever bought one of my books and CDs. They are the reason why I'm still around. I invite all of my fans to go to bassprotips.com and follow the latest news. That's the best way to stay in touch.