Is it true that you are a witch? Do you worship the Devil?

It might be most accurate to say that I'm a Pagan. I don't think of myself as a witch and most of my beliefs are my own. I'm fond of telling people that I'm Wicastan. And it's sort of true. I went my own way a long time ago.

By the way, my name, Wicasta, has nothing to do with Wicca. It's a Sioux word. Before you ask, no, I'm not Sioux. The name was given to me by an ex-girlfriend, who was Sioux.

Have you had any formal musical training, or are you entirely self-taught?

A cousin once showed me how to play a few songs on bass. But when I played them well he stopped showing me stuff. Beyond that, I've had no training. I always wanted to learn to read music and pick up music theory, but it just never happened.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I never had a choice in the matter, really. I've been spinning tall tales since I was in elementary school. I figured I'd best stick with what I'm good at. Besides, you can grow old and ugly and still have a career as a writer. Who wants to see a fat, old rock star?

How do you get your Strat sound?

I use an Alembic F-2B preamp for my basic Strat tone. From there it can be processed in any number ways. So I guess the answer to that question would depend upon which Strat sound you're talking about.

What kind of strings do you use?

I use Rotosound strings on almost everything. The only exception is my fretless bass (on which I use Elixer Polyweb to cut down on damage to the fretboard). I think Rotosounds have a better tone than anything else out there.

Do you consider yourself a guitar player or a bass player?

I'll always think of myself as a bass player. I started playing guitar because I had to. Not because I wanted to be Jimmy Page. I always wanted to be John Paul Jones. But I never found my guitar hero counterpart.

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