Jason Momoa, the movie star who everyone knows thanks to Game Of Thrones and Aquaman, plays bass every single day. Who knew, right? Well, you read about it here first. He often talks about his admiration for a long list of heavyweight bass players – so, in a world first, we sit down with Momoa and present him with a list of questions from those very bassists. Along the way he reveals his journey into the low end, his admiration for a certain Mr. Claypool – and his profound fear of something that we bassists do all the time...
Interview: Joel McIver Photography: Getty, Alamy, Damian Bray
When the music and cinema worlds collide, the results are often questionable. We can all name a long list of musicians who act and actors who play music, and the occasional gem aside, the crossover doesn’t usually work. Keanu Reeves tried it, Steve Martin tried it, Jared Leto tried it – and while they all gave it their best shot, there’s often something about the actor/musician interface that doesn’t feel quite right.
When I interview the actor Jason Momoa, a meeting arranged by our mutual friends at Fender, there’s none of that slightly weird overlap. Momoa’s name – or at least, his face – is known to most people because he enjoyed a cinematic hit in 2018 as Aquaman, the DC Comics character, and before that as a warrior called Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game Of Thrones. His film career is doing just fine, thanks, and for that reason he isn’t trying to build a second career as a musician. He doesn’t have an album to promote, or any other musical agenda to push, which is what’s so refreshing about this interview. The man simply loves bass, using it as an outlet for creativity, honing his mental and physical focus with the instrument, and – as we all do – finding within the low notes a state of flow that takes him away from the everyday world.
What’s more, Momoa is exactly like the rest of us when it comes to his bass heroes. Mention Les Claypool or Robert Trujillo to him and he’s instantly excited, revealing the Primus and Metallica-loving fanboy behind the imposing 41-year-old. It’s an education to witness this transformation, considering that Aquaman took over a billion dollars in box-office revenue and that Momoa is presumably not that easy to impress. If you need evidence, ask him about the music he was into as a teenager – and watch him go.
“Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Primus, Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers,” he tells us. “I really, really love John Frusciante and Flea, they’re really huge in my life.
