“I’d be playing the synth, thinking, ‘Peter, do you see this? Sting is playing that part – and you don’t mind when Sting does it!’” Tony Levin explains the origins of his Funk Fingers appendages – and the friendly rivalry they sparked with Peter Gabriel

A compilation image of Tony Levin, Peter Gabriel and Sting performing onstage.

Legendary bassist Tony Levin has discussed the origin of the bizarre ‘Funk Fingers’ drumstick appendages that he famously uses to perform the tapped bass parts on Peter Gabriel’s Big Time.

Speaking to Rick Beato, Levin reveals that the track was recorded using a drum stick on the bass (performed by drummer Jerry Marotta), but fell to him to play live – something he was finding tricky to incorporate.