Les Paul, 90 Year Old Shredder!

[Bengal65]

I don't know if this has been posted yet. I found a link to an upcoming PBS special on Les Paul. The link has a 10 minute trailer of the film.

It really warms my heart to see this man still playing and over coming the challenges of arthritis. He has been and always be an amazing player. I have to get to NYC to see him soon! He is coming out with a new album with Jeff Beck. He still works constantly! I need to find when this is coming or has already aired? Anybody know?

http://axecollectorblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/les-paul-man-who-started-it-all.html

[roodyrocker]

Les Paul is an absolutely amazing guy, even at age 91!

Rudy

https://www.wickedrocks.com

[atomic charvel guy]

i saw him in the basement of Fat Tuesdays, the room holds about 28 people
and you have to get there early to get in at all, so after losing our shirts at the track that day, I went with my friend Seth and we got there early and already shithoused from the track. We had a front table and out he comes with a bass player and another guitarist. My friend and I are taking turns running to the bathroom to do you know what, and i don't mean number one or number two. All of a sudden this trio erupts into the coolest music in the world.they did everything, How High the moon, Over the Rainbow, etc. and he blew us away. This was circa '91, i went home to New York for a visit. The funny part was I was so bambasted that I didn't even notice who was sitting next to me. So after the first two tunes, Les Paul speaks into the mic and says "well, looks like we have some famous people in the crowd tonite" and I'm convinced he's looking at me, my hair was of course super long at the time(and I still have most of it!!!)and I'm convinced he's looking at me maybe mistaking me for someone. he then says "so whatta ya say, you wanna come up and jam with us?" and I stand up in a drunken stupor and say I'm sorry Les but I don't think I could hang with you guys with all those wild key changes, and he laughs and says "well that's a damn shame it would have been fun, but I was actually talking to Billy right there-lol" i look to my IMMEDIATE left, a foot away from me and there's Billy Gibbons-lol I start cracking up, so did Billy, and the rest of the club, and I took a bow anyway to the delight of all. Billy then yelled out "I'm with him Les, I'm not going anywhere near you guys, you're too good" and the tiny crowd was like c'mon Billy, and he wanted no part of the amazing music that was going down on that tiny little stage in the basement of that Restaurant. The man can play, and so can his band, if you ever get a chance to see him play, don't fukkin' blow it by not going because you don't like that kind of music. It's one of the best performances I've ever seen. Who doesn't notice Billy Gibbons sitting next to them?-lol
Fun night to say the least.

[roodyrocker]

Thats a great story! The man is just pure genius and I love hearing his stories about how neither age nor arthritis or anything else is going to stop him from playing! That IS attitude.
Oh yeah, he also literally invented electric guitar, most recording techniques, and on and on

Rudy

http://www.wickedrocks.com/

[JC_Denton]

i saw him in the basement of Fat Tuesdays, the room holds about 28 people
and you have to get there early to get in at all, so after losing our shirts at the track that day, I went with my friend Seth and we got there early and already shithoused from the track. We had a front table and out he comes with a bass player and another guitarist. My friend and I are taking turns running to the bathroom to do you know what, and i don't mean number one or number two. All of a sudden this trio erupts into the coolest music in the world.they did everything, How High the moon, Over the Rainbow, etc. and he blew us away. This was circa '91, i went home to New York for a visit. The funny part was I was so bambasted that I didn't even notice who was sitting next to me. So after the first two tunes, Les Paul speaks into the mic and says "well, looks like we have some famous people in the crowd tonite" and I'm convinced he's looking at me, my hair was of course super long at the time(and I still have most of it!!!)and I'm convinced he's looking at me maybe mistaking me for someone. he then says "so whatta ya say, you wanna come up and jam with us?" and I stand up in a drunken stupor and say I'm sorry Les but I don't think I could hang with you guys with all those wild key changes, and he laughs and says "well that's a damn shame it would have been fun, but I was actually talking to Billy right there-lol" i look to my IMMEDIATE left, a foot away from me and there's Billy Gibbons-lol I start cracking up, so did Billy, and the rest of the club, and I took a bow anyway to the delight of all. Billy then yelled out "I'm with him Les, I'm not going anywhere near you guys, you're too good" and the tiny crowd was like c'mon Billy, and he wanted no part of the amazing music that was going down on that tiny little stage in the basement of that Restaurant. The man can play, and so can his band, if you ever get a chance to see him play, don't fukkin' blow it by not going because you don't like that kind of music. It's one of the best performances I've ever seen. Who doesn't notice Billy Gibbons sitting next to them?-lol
Fun night to say the least.

Cool story man , it would be cool if you met Billy sometime and remind him that, i am sure you both would get another laugh

[Endrik]

ehhee, actually they did

[danastas]

That is one of the best stories I've ever heard. I only had one thing like that happen in my life, and it was a run in with Samuel Beckett at a bar.

[charvelguy]

Thats hilarious. Thanks for another day maker Tommy..
Les Paul is a warrior. I hope when it his time he passes with his guitar and a smile on his face, in the mean time he's still going to make music.

[Norton]

Thats hilarious. Thanks for another day maker Tommy..
Les Paul is a warrior. I hope when it his time he passes with his guitar and a smile on his face, in the mean time he's still going to make music.

You're not gonna wait much for this

[Bengal65]

That's a great story. Simply amazing! I'd love to see Les. He does some really cool techniques. Check out some of his comic routines from the old days. He just cracks me up.

[Boomdoggy]

That is one of the funniest stories ever.I wish you had that on tape.:ROTF:

PS- LP is amazing.I remember his HBO special in the 80's.He played with Eddie.
Here is a question.I remember more players from that special that nobody else seems to remember.Here are the ones I remember
1)Les and Eddie
2)Neil Schon-smokin blues
3)Steve Miller
4)Iommi and Lita
5)Gilmour
6)The best was Johnny Winter.He did about 3 songs and was unreal.He got a huge standing ovation.
There were more that I am forgetting,but I think there must have been 2 shows.I have not talked to 1 person that remembers Johnny on that show,but I could swear that it was the same one.I know it was all on HBO.Does anybody remember that?

[atomic charvel guy]

I forgot about this thread, Endrik is right, i did run into him at mazzotti's , which was a rocker bar about a half block in from the pier in huntington beach, and the owner, lenny, one of my best pals was fairly deep rooted inthe music scene. He helped get the bullet boys signed, and marq the singer and I became good friends and used to go play tennis in newport and dust some yuppie ass on the court-lol. Anyway, Billy showed up at Mazzotti's one blind saturday night and there he was, yes the man I could not see 19 inches away from me, billy Gibbons and I said remember me? we both ducked out of playing with Les paul, and he started cracking up, he said you're a lunatic, and i said let's become one with the new frozen jaegermeister shot machine, and the rest is history.
Do yourself a favor, go see Les Paul if you at all possibly can. The chords they hit and the fingerings are absolutely ridiculous, and he sings while he plays hich makes it even more ridiculous.

[DC_rhoads82]

awesome story, man. You can only laugh when something ridiculous like that happens.

[atomic charvel guy]

Leave it to el headacheo here, I was dumber than a sack of hammers that night. It was fun, humblimg, inspiring, and a rip all in one. You wouldn't believe how good his rythym guitarist was. From another planet.

[MetalMedal II]

Here's the PBS link for the bio on Les:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/paul_l_stub.html