“For Pink Floyd songs, David is happiest when I play an old Fender with a pick”: Session legend Guy Pratt on the Jazz Bass he bought from John Entwistle and how he conjured a “massive octave-pedal freakout” with Madonna

Having worked with a veritable list of musical legends – most of whom feature in his 2007 book My Bass And Other Animals, if he were stranded on a desert island with any of his previous employers, living or dead, who would bassist Guy Pratt choose to be stuck with? Surprisingly, his choice is immediate.

“Number one, David Gilmour – because he’s the most consummate musician l've ever met,” Pratt told Bass Player. “Number two would be Robert Palmer, because of everything about him: he lived his life on his own terms and he was the only person l've met who could say, ‘Listen to this Ozzy Osbourne track, it's amazing,’ and you would have to sit back and agree that he was absolutely right.”

With so much studio work behind him and a highly impressive list of credits, Pratt is the ideal man to ask about how he comes up with basslines in the studio.

“On a session you have to have ideas and come up with things immediately. So often you can be driving home from a session and you start thinking, ‘What if l'd played such and such?’ But that's a part of the job.”

Pratt, whose session resumé is among the most impressive in modern rock – he's worked with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bryan Ferry, the Smiths, Tom Jones, Iggy Pop, Elton John, and many others – has also performed a comedy act in which he recounts anecdotes from his life as low-ender to the stars.

“I was trying to write a book about my experiences as a bass player, and it occurred to me that no-one had ever done a show from the hired hand's point of view. I had all this material, which is basically my life, so I thought if I didn't have a go at doing something comedic I'd never forgive myself.”

If he finds himself short on ideas, does he go back and listen to stuff that influences him, or does he just hope that something will develop the next day? “Yeah, that's basically it! Something usually pops out of the ether.”

How do you approach Pink Floyd and Roxy Music’s classic bass parts?

“With Floyd songs, I could reinterpret the bass parts in my own way if I wanted to, but I'm more interested in playing them so they sound right. David is happiest when I just play an old Fender Precision, but Precisions have no front end. That's why I have to play them with a pick.

“With Roxy Music, I mainly use Betsy, my 1964 Fender Jazz, because Bryan Ferry absolutely loves her. She's famous – she's pictured in The Bass Book as one of the reference Jazz Basses. I use a Music Man StingRay for Love Is the Drug, because I can get a really cutting top-end without using a pick.”

You've played on huge hits, including Madonna's Like a Prayer, and Michael Jackson's Earth Song. What was it like working on them?

“Like a Prayer was amazing – Madonna had tons of input. It was great to get away with such an insane performance: the whole middle and end section of the song is basically bass. It's a massive octave-pedal freakout, like a punk Pino Palladino. I used Spectors with Madonna, but nowadays I find them a bit hi-fi.

“Earth Song was another octave-pedal thing. I basically stole the bassline from Bad because I figured Michael would like it, but wouldn't know why!”

You've performed in many styles. Who were your primary influences on bass?

“As a kid I listened to John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and the Beatles, and Andy Fraser of Free. Andy was very funky, and he used to do high chordal stuff, which – considering he played a Gibson – was extraordinary.

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“I also loved John Entwistle's playing; the Who was the whole reason I got into rock ’n’ roll. I bought Betsy off him. Was I asked to join the band after he died? No, but apparently I was the next phone call.

“Also, James Jamerson is God, no doubt about it. So is Bernard Edwards; I worked with him on Robert Palmer's Riptide album when I was only 21. In fact, Bernard hired me; the credit on the album reads, ‘Bass: Bernard Edwards and Guy Pratt.’ That is my proudest credit.”