Bass, Japan, and Videogame Music with Bubby Lewis (Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Stevie Wonder)
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton (Scoobert Doobert)
Guest: Bubby Lewis
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Topics discussed
Host note
Bubby Lewis connects West Coast session gravity to a life now centered in Tokyo: church-kid origins, a Tom Kennedy solo that sold his parents on bass, and years of "swimming in it" around great musicians rather than treating school as the whole path.
The Snoop tour thread is especially vivid: what started as playing the record note-for-note evolved into alternate lines, swing feels, and harmonic left turns only a bassist can steer. We also get Japan-specific love, fan culture, pandemic-era connections with local players, every train station's jingle, and a whole segment on videogame composers whose melodies live in millions of heads while they walk unnoticed through Nakano.
Selected moments
- Shared love of Japan 0:50 Host and guest orbit, bass lesson, then Tokyo life as the through-line.
- Swimming in it 6:02 Real-life musician networks vs. classroom learning, night and day.
- Snoop tour evolution 25:07 From literal record bass lines to alternate notes and swing sections live.
- Bass takes you to jazz 26:37 One note change, slash chords, same harmony, different world.
- Why Tokyo: Ninja Turtles 28:50 Master Splinter, ninjas, and a Japan fascination since age four or five.
- Fans in Japan appreciate music 37:25 Support culture contrast vs. working hard in your own backyard at home.
- Videogame composer heroes 47:52 Final Fantasy melodies everyone knows, composers invisible on the street.
- Train-station jingles 50:45 Tamagawa, Harajuku, and the sonic identity of each stop.
Selected excerpts
From the very first moment I performed with Snoop to now, it's evolved so much — it went from literally playing the bass line exactly like the record to alternate notes and sections where we pretend we're swinging a little bit.
If you choose a different note, now all of a sudden I'm playing a slash chord — I'm playing the same chords, but now it's jazz. The bass player can take you into incredible places.
I was four or five years old watching Ninja Turtles. I heard Master Splinter talking about Japan — ninjas, the Foot Clan — and that was it.
The fans here in Japan really appreciate music — all music. Where we come from, you often have to work really hard to get people in your backyard to support.
All of my heroes are composing these video games. If this dude who did Final Fantasy IX walked around Nakano, nobody would look his way — but most people have played those melodies.
FAQ
Does Bubby Lewis discuss Japan on Love Music More?
Yes, he lives in Tokyo and talks about moving there (a lifelong pull from childhood anime and Ninja Turtles), Japanese fan culture, local musicians, train-station jingles, and how videogame composers are revered differently than in the U.S.
What does Bubby Lewis say about playing with Snoop Dogg?
He describes how his live bass parts evolved from copying the record exactly to reinterpretations, alternate notes, swing feels, and harmonic choices that transform songs night to night on tour.
Curated notes only — no public transcript. Listen on the links above.