John Campbell told Bass Guitar Magazine about his secret playing and about his passion:
“I look at bass players who blow my mind. I look up to them, although I’m not sure I can aspire to reach to some of those heights.
“There’s a local guy, Mike Bishop, who was one of the original GWAR bass players. Early on, he was just this local Richmond guy and a phenomenal bass player who I looked up to.
“And Faith No More’s bass player Billy Gould, holy crap! He’s got to be one of my favorites ever. Those are bigger shoes than I could ever hope to fill.
“I’m not a learned player in any way, shape or form. I just drink beer and play heavy metal. [Laughs] What I have noticed is that when I sit down, I take a hard look at myself and what we’re playing.
“We have to play this stuff cleanly, efficiently and quickly. It’s a long way to get from the basics but I think I’ve nailed them pretty well.”
Asked about “the secret to his playing,” John replied:
“Your pinkie finger – you’ve got to use your pinkie!
“You can play in a punk rock band using one finger, but if you want to be a good, intricate player who can play complicated things, dude, the pinkie is 25% of what you’ve got going on, and you’ve got to use it.
“That’s really how you should be playing. I have to play like that in Lamb of God or I’m never going to keep up. It’s that important, man!”
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!