THE SHRED THREAD

Really? Not sure what is wrong with your fingers. My air guitar sounds exactly like Loomis.
 
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Animusic is brilliant stuff. I remember seeing their first video about 15 years ago and was blown away by the way they animate to the music. Since then it's only gotten better. My Dad loves instrumental music and he watched the first one only once before purchasing their DVDs.
 
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Yeah I agree. It seems like these days people don't even need permission to start up those funding sites so it's surprising someone hasn't done it.
 
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I just watched Jason Becker : Not Dead Yet.
It's a hell of a story, he's a hell of a talent and watching him write music now is amazing. I wonder if he would have been metal for life given where he started and what he's doing now if ALS hadn't struck.
 
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I haven't seen it but I really want to. I think he would have dabbled in everything. But I don't think he would have ever left metal permanently. He was just born to shred.
 
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I found it on Youtube.
I get the impression he wasn't just born to shred. His dad taught him the basics, then Clapton records taught him the rest, (basically). He was no doubt brilliant from an early age and a lot of the footage showed him ripping it up at school and the like but he also spent quite a bit of time playing different styles. The way I took in the story he was almost forced to send his demo to the studio when Marty's manager put out a request for 10 guitarists that could play on Marty's upcoming album. Obviously they didn't put a gun to his head but he didn't seem to do it off his own back either. In the end it played out in his favour and he not only got chosen for Marty's album but he was the only one chosen and from there he got his own contract, went solo until Diamond Dave picked him up and they recorded A Little Aint Enough and he got sick. But it seemed to me that his stardom was pretty much reliant on being pushed to get that demo tape in. It also seems to me that if he'd gotten that one massive DLR tour in he'd be known but a shitload more people.
 
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Yeah I think they were talking about the first symptoms hitting and him thinking it was just a pinched nerve, to the diagnosis within about a month, to walking with a cane a month later to not being able to pick up a guitar only weeks later. The only thing that hasn't gone quickly is the thing the predicted and that was death. But if positive thinking has anything to do with longevity there is a reason he's lasted as long as he has. The doco was done in 2012 and even then his mother said she basically works to keep up the insurance but she's scared to think about what will happen when her and his dad are too old to look after him. 7 years on I can't imagine it's got easier for them.
 
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It is kind of weird how that works I wouldn't mind betting that if he'd gotten in that one tour with DLR he'd be getting a shit load more recognition. In 2012 there was a concert for Jason, although I don't think they called it a benefit concert so I don't know if there was money raised. The thing I do wonder though is if Jason would accept money from others.

Obviously videos can be edited and someone can be portrayed differently to what they want to be, especially someone in Jason's state but he comes across as so positive and not in need of help that maybe he's requested no more help than he's getting. After all he can still make music even if it's not him actually playing. Seeing him create a simple tune in the doco you can see how his demeanour changes when he hears it back and wants two notes deleted, sure it's not what he was once capable of but he seems to have accepted his lot in life and therefore accepted that he can still create the music he wants to.
 
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Yeah that's a good point. But also adding to that reasoning I would think that because he is so good that he want to take the load off his parents as much as possible if he could.
If I was Marty I would have a donation box at every show for Jason.
 
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It almost comes across as they didn't want the load taken off. Kind of like he's their responsibility and they will not let too many others step in. Obviously they get medical help and they have accepted personal therapists, one of which became his girl friend, but they seem to come off as wanting to do it all themselves.
 
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