Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers sadly died over the weekend, aged just 48. Members of the group and many in the rock world have paid tribute to the founding member of the nu-metal outfit. But now respect has been paid by a modern bass icon you wouldn’t necessarily assume would be down with Fred Durst’s crew: Thundercat.
In a lengthy interview with Rolling Stone, the musician, born Stephen Bruner has been talking about what Limp Bizkit’s music meant to him and how Rivers’ playing influenced him personally.
“(Rivers’) work in Limp Bizkit is very defining to a number of generations, and for me personally,” he told the magazine. “I am a kid that grew up listening to Limp Bizkit.”
Thundercat said that he first heard Rivers’ playing on Nookie, the lead single from their 1999 album Significant Other. “It reminded me of Sly by Herbie Hancock. For me, that’s where it registered. And I’m pretty sure if you ask Wes, and if you asked Sam… They probably loved Herbie Hancock.
"The lines for me… there’s gaps in sound and time that when they show up it’s like, ‘Oh man, that feels like this.’ So, there’s a special place in my heart for Sam.”
He said he felt that Rivers - like most great bassists - was the anchor in his group: “Said roles as bassist and drummer: we’re very locomotive parts of music. When you think about it in terms of engines, you could have a V12 and you can cover a lot of ground really quickly with a big engine like that. The better your engine’s running, the better the car is. That’s what that represents.”
"And again, Sam held it down. That’s proof that you couldn’t deny his contribution to the music, because he played the role of a bass player very musically. It would be like water, formless, and then crash, and then shape mountains. It takes a different type of musician to be able to do that, no matter what anybody says.”
He continued: “You can’t discredit it. You can’t overlook it. And this his death is a reminder of how great he was. And it’s unfortunate that sometimes you only see it in that.”
“The music is there for all of us,” Thundercat concluded. “Wes Borland would be out here, kicking ass. He was like Sonic the Hedgehog. And Sam, he held it down, he’s just a legend.
"He had a distinct sound. You knew who he was. I’m very blessed to have experienced Sam’s music and his creativity while he was here."
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