EddyD and the SexBombs Part Two: a Bob Petterson (Jelly Bean Beaudine) interview

"Bob Then": Bob Petterson on the left, by bev davies, playing with Buddy Selfish before the Cramps, May 21, 1982 at the Commodore 

"Bob Now," Dec. 31, 2020, at Lanalou's with the Frank Frink 5 - screenshot from a vid I shot

Bob Petterson - AKA Jelly Bean Beaudine, Bobby Beaudine - has a verrry long history as a bassist in Vancouver, dating back at least to the early 1980's; he was posting on Facebook the other day, on Lux Interior's birthday, in fact, about having been lucky enough to have been in a band - Buddy Selfish and his Saviours, with Ian Tiles of the Pointed Sticks on lead vocals - when they opened for the Cramps back in 1982 at the Commodore, and I never got closer to seeing Buddy Selfish than the gig this summer in New West with Mike Van Eyes - which Bob wasn't at - but there are easily half a dozen other bands I've seen Bob in over the years - certainly the Frank Frink 5 and EddyD and the SexBombs, but there are doubtlessly many more. I've always enjoyed chatting with him; he's a charming fellow, a snappy dresser - I think of him as  "the man in Vancouver most likely to own, or at least covet, a Nudie suit" - and a constantly engaging and enjoyable bassist. I was interested in hearing more about that Cramps show, and just wrote a big piece with Eddy Dutchman apropos of the Saturday Food Bank Benefit at LanaLou's... so why not get some stories from Bob? 

This is a quick, straightforward email interview, without EddyD to orchestrate it into something that sounds like a conversation (it's hilarious and kinda great that he did that - made it real easy on me, actually!). Anyho, I'm going to revert to my usual formatting - italics indicate my questions, while non-italics indicate Bob. Enjoy, and maybe see y'all Saturday at LanaLou's? 

Allan: So how many bands have you been in, over the years? How many are you in now? 

Bob: More bands over the years than I have fingers and toes. All sorts of genres and configurations. I’m down to maybe a handful now if we’re counting bands like the Frank Frink 5 who only play once a year nowadays. Currently Sinead X Sanders’ backing band, Mike Van Eyes, the Frinks, EddyD and The Sex Bombs, of course. A couple of new projects just starting up and still too new and raw to talk about right now. Always open to one-offs and sessions. For example, played on a couple tracks of the just released new SuckerTrap EP [new project of Pinto Stilleto]. 

Bob with Randy Rampage, photo by Vincent Kuan

You posted on Facebook that you opened for the Cramps at the Commodore? What band were you in, and what was that like? Did you get to meet Lux? 

The Cramps at the Commodore, 1982? That would have been with Buddy Selfish & His Saviours. It was a transcendental experience, still one of the highlights of my so-called “career” and yes, we did get to meet, converse, hang with Lux and Ivy. I cannot reveal all…|

I was startled by your facefur in the "Lemon Squeeze" video - how much growth was that? Have you shaved since? [Bob with beard at top, over Shelley's head!]

Ah, the facefur in the "Lemon Squeeze" video… COVID/ quarantine related absolutely. I’ve always played around with facial hair over the years. Sideburns/chops, goatees, soul patches, full beard etc… might have done it all except for the “Abe Lincoln”. The "Lemon Squeeze" video was “Covid Beard” #2. Maybe 6 months growth there. I’m the clean shaven evil twin bro again right now. 

(Bearded Bob by Tony Lee)

Do you contribute to the writing for EddyD? Do you come up with your own bass parts?

I wouldn’t say I actually contribute to the songwriting in the strictest sense but I do have the full freedom to come up with my own bass parts and the band likes it when I add a little bit of spice to the mix maybe. A bit of a funky, bluesy, soul inflected, r&b groove where it might not be expected. That sort of music from the 1960s and 70s (all the “Ms”: Memphis, Motown, Muscle Shoals) is where I’m most rooted as a bass player although I did also grow up loving 70s hard rock (Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Steve Marriott and Humble Pie etc… ) and singer-songwriter stuff.

Bob by Vincent Kuan

What do you play, basswise?

I probably have more basses than I reasonably need and you’ll mostly see me playing live with a Fender Jaguar (I have four of those) or Fender Precision (I have two of those). I do have others: In that "Lemon Squeeze" video I’m playing an Eastwood reissue of a 1968 Vox Saturn IV; in the "Boom Boom" video it’s an Epiphone Rumblekat (love THAT bass); and in the past year's EddyD and the SexBombs livestream show I brought out a cheapo Danelectro 1963 re-issue just mostly for matching with the overall look of the stage setting for the broadcast (you can see it on YouTube). Nice to have the luxury of being able to do that.

Bob Petterson with Richard Duguay, shot by David Nagy

Who are your favourite bassists?

Favourite bassists? Oh, there’s so many that I fear leaving some out if I try to do a proper list. Let’s just say that my favourite bassist of all time is the Memphis studio and Booker T. & The MGs legend, Donald “Duck” Dunn. Can’t pinpoint any one single thing that makes it so but I have always strived to emulate his approach to playing, attitude and demeanor... or what I imagined it to be. I did have the opportunity to meet him in 2000 when he was touring in Neil Young’s band and you know they always say you shouldn’t meet your heroes because they’ll disappoint you. But not the case here. Super guy. 100% genuine. True southern gentleman. You know he’s had some experiences in a very, very long career but not jaded. Meeting him made me happy that I kind of looked at him as a “role model”, you might say, for so long. Could have done a lot worse. 

Other guys and gals? I always did and still love those classic 60s and 70s Fender players and bass tones so James Jamerson, of course, Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne, David Hood, Tommy Cogbill, John Paul Jones, Carl Radle, Jerry Scheff etc.. others might include Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Bee Spears (Willie Nelson’s band), Willie Dixon, Jerry Jemmott, Bootsy. And, I denied it for years and years but Sir Paul (McCartney) is clearly a very big influence. See, didn’t I say it would be hard to keep the list short?  

Bob Petterson by Bob Hanham

When people ask you to describe what EddyD. and the SexBombs do, what do you say? 

I like to say that EddyD and the SexBombs are “crispy, crunchy, cheesy, chewy with a chocolatey cream filling”

Have you worked with Tony in other bands (or ANY of the SexBombs?)

Tony & I, along with Canada’s rockabilly legend Jimmy Roy, have done a few live shows as the Wretched Sinners backing up local country/bluegrass sweetheart Sparky Spurr and Preston & Fletcher (i.e. Shelley & Scott from the Sex Bombs) have called on me from time to time to fill in for their regular bassist, Dave Reimer when he has not been available. Tony & I have also played together, sometimes with Scott & Shelley and sometimes not, in a variety of one-offs, tribute nights and special events here and there...

Do you all have to buy your own costumes, or does the band have a budget? 

Band budget for stage wear? No. The individual Sex Bombs look after their own wardrobe needs mostly and usually requires very little in the way of shopping. It’s mostly that this is just who we are… I wouldn’t say I’ll exactly be sparkly for this upcoming Food Bank benefit but for the second set I’ll be wearing the same thing I wore in the “Boom Boom” video: a red suede collarless jacket that Tony has described as looking like 1980s Michael Jackson collides with a Russian Cossack in a grommet factory… OK, I made up the grommet factory part.

What is your favourite SexBombs song and why?

Favourite Sex Bombs song? Again, hard to pick just one child. They’re all special in their own way. Keeping it to a handful in no particular order: the “For The Love of Gawd/ Wheeling & Dealing” medley because it’s swampy /bluesy. That one goes back to the original Faustian mini-rock opera at the very first live gig; "Round & Round" has a nice dreamy Anglo-pop feel and sound and multiple layered vocal parts (everybody sings on it); Scott & Shelley’s “Kiss of Death” a Bond movie theme in search of the movie with the same title. It’s ready made. If anyone knows how to get the track into the hands of the Bond movie producers we would be ever so grateful; Also love their “Lemon Squeeze” which I like to call a “Faux-sa Nova” and I normally never get to play things with that feel; and last but not least “So Slow” from the Yikes! CD, Stonesy/Stoogesy guitar riffs and a fun one to sing along on. It speaks to me!

Thank you, Bob! For more information on the Saturday food bank benefit, go here! As Eddy explains in my previous post - bring cash, not food!