Tony Levin has appeared on hits by David Bowie, Seal and Peter Gabriel. But the bassist also has an experimental side, which fans have heard in his work with King Crimson. He has just finished a 64-date tour, featuring songs from King Crimson's pivotal 1980s period in a series of concerts called the "Beat Tour."
In this conversation, Levin shares the first words John Lennon said to him ("They tell me you're good; just don't play too many notes") and breaks down how he wrote iconic bass line for the likes of Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening" and Gabriel's "Sledgehammer."
"What I do as a bass player, when I come in, I just listen to that piece of music, and I kind of become a fan of it," Levin says. "You know, I just am there to bask myself in that piece of music."
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