Yep.
A former bass student.
Sort of a long and funny story:
There was a little kid in the neighborhood I grew up in. He had two mean older twin sisters. Came and hung out where me and my band practiced. He decided he wanted to play bass, and so his mom and dad bought him one for his 12th birthday. I gave him some lessons for a few years, kind of mentored him playing in a band or two (how to keep drummers and guitarists in line etc). The fact he was a BIG kid helped with moving gear, mine included. He moved out and away when he was 16 and I lost touch.
Three years later, I was practicing with another band, we had a particularly beautiful lead singer who was Jewish and a psych grad from UC Berkeley. Suddenly there’s this LOUD knowck on the door, and a 6’7 or so guy busts in, “DANNY” he shouts. 18” arms grab me in a bear hug... It takes a second to figure out it was this kid. Massive arms covered with tats, including a few swastikas.
“DUDE! how have you been, just got back in town! went to a cross burning last week, it was so cool” - turns to band members -”oh hi! nice to meet ya” and then on to his day gig which supposedly involved collecting debts (I would have paid, I tell you!!) with the occasional bonus of getting to ‘beat up a Mexican or a N*****”
Needless to say, my band members were giving me a look that words do not describe....
Funny now, 25 years later or so....
Funny about bass players ;’}
We hired one who was a very energetic guy. I thought he was going to work out well. Very outgoing, very funny, he added a lot to the band. Rehearsals were all very encouraging but in performance he was flaky.
He had a very pretty blond wife who made the appearance of being completely manipulated by him. And two little towheaded kids who were similarly intimidated by him and quiet as church mice.
We signed to an out~of~town gig that meant a very full day of travel, packing in & out, and two performances. By the end of it we were all beat. We stopped at a restaurant for a bite before the long trip home.
In the restaurant everything was cool...until it wasn’t. Mr. Bassman suddenly and without warning became abusive to everyone around him - the restaurant staff, his wife and kids and finally me when I intervened.
I asked him to cool his jets and he acted like he was going to swing on me. I advised him that it would be a long ride home with a broken jaw so he should choose carefully. He had a tantrum and broke some dishes and glasses but didn’t go after anyone.
When we got back to town I fired him - over the protestations of the other bandmates. It turned out that he was bipolar and off his meds. It was when he was self-medicating that he became attracted to the neo-nazi movement. He talked the talk but I doubt that he walked the walk.