My inspiration as a musician: At first it was trying my utmost to become a good enough player to one day be in Ritchie Blackmore's band, learning everything he ever recorded (one could say I got my wish, playing with YJM, who started out emulating Ritchie down to a T; I have a picture of them looking like father and son), learning as best I could how to play like Glover/Hughes.

Later I would be very influenced by Bob Daisley's work with Ozzy, although I of course learned his Rainbow stuff as well.

The first time I heard Billy Sheehan I was completely blown away, not as much by his tricks as the sound and the role of the bass in his music. Later I got to know him a little when his band Talas opened for YJM, and was slightly disappointed with some aspects of his playing, finding it a bit like cheating- which didn't keep me from doing a little of it myself, seeing that it impresses people.

However, I don't really consider those aspects of my playing that I "derived" from Billy as the core identity of what I am about as a bass player. Basically I think of myself as a punk rocker, the way I play being distorted "carpets" sort of like a keyboard blended with weird licks or melodies sort of like the way Daisley, Geezer Butler, or even Entwhistle play.

My inspiration as a composer: Vocalists. Jeff Scott Soto, Terence Trent D'arby, Ronnie Dio and Paul Rodgers being my absolute favorites, but second to them Freddie Mercury, Sam Cooke and others.
I try to write songs I would like to hear them sing...or I just write songs that are melodic and instrumental vehicles.
Sometimes I've been guilty of emulating, or in the case of some songs on the Human Clay albums downright stealing from, my favorite artists.

But I always strive for some sort of maximum mix of musical value and communicational value- and have always left judgment to others of the result, cause I myself pretty much hate everything I've done. And the few things I like seems to be the least popular with others...