Along with being an acclaimed actor, Jason Momoa has been known to play bass. He’s even been afforded the opportunity to rock oiut with legends like Slash and Les Claypool. But the actor’s true love for bass guitar was realized thanks to one band: Tool.
Momoa opened up about his musical abilities in a recent interview with Guitar World, where he named bands like Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Primus, Black Sabbath, and Red Hot Chili Peppers as his teenage influences. “Tool, too. I listen to pretty much all of it.”
One Tool song in particular, though, can be attributed to his specific interest in bass:
“We were on the set of Aquaman. I always have instruments on the set, so my son was playing drums and my daughter was playing guitar. It was my assistant’s birthday, and she really loves Tool, so I borrowed a bass from my buddy and we all played ‘Sober’ for her. Right then, my passion for bass really exploded. The moment I put it on, I could just feel the connection – and it was all over. […] I always knew I wanted to play bass. After that I wanted to play standup, so I bought one and now it’s a passion for me, with how it makes me feel and how it sounds. I studied and studied and studied bass, and I was like ‘My God, I wish I would have done this when I was young.’ I wish that I had that opportunity –but I’m making up for lost time”
Elsewhere in the interview, Momoa said that he was never able to afford a proper bass guitar as a child, which is why he’s just now exploring his love for the instrument. “I grew up really, really poor, and my mom worked frickin’ four jobs,” he said. “I didn’t have any money, so I never could get a guitar or a bass. I come from a very small town in Iowa where there was no-one playing bass like that or listening to music like that.”