A Conversation with Les Paul (continued)

PM: You've been playing a weekly gig in New York since the mid-1980s. What do you enjoy most about that?

LP: First of all, I enjoy the group I have. They're excellent. Then it's about making the people in the audience leave the club happy, and give them more than they came in to hear. If I can do that, it's great therapy for me, because what would I do other than get out of bed and go to the bathroom? I meet the people, talk to the people, and it's a great chance to stay active and make new friends. Also, it makes me continue to learn. We bring up a lot of guests from the audience. Someone comes up, whether he's six years old or whether he's in his prime, and our job is to make him a star. Our job is to make sure that we're the frame around the picture. All we want to do is help this fellow the best we can. If they're good, that's a privilege. We learn from them. It's great for me. It's something that's more important than taking a pill.

PM: You've had some problems in recent years with arthritis. How are you doing?

LP: I've had to learn to play without all my fingers. It's a challenge. But I tell you, there's hardly a thing, except for chords, that I can't do. If it's single string stuff, I've found a way of getting around it, whether I hammer or slide or pull-off. Two years ago, I couldn't play an octave. Now, it's duck soup. It's amazing what you can do if you're determined.

PM: You're a very inspiring fellow, Les.

LP: Thank you. I think it's the right way to go. Wait, I shouldn't put it that way. [laughs] The right way to think.

	print (pdf)
	listen to clips
	lespaulonline.com
	iridiumjazzclub.com
	gibson.com
	see photos by david ridge *
	puremusic home

[Note from the designers: Almost all of these photos of Les were found here & there online, no photo credit given, photographer unknown. (If one of these shots was taken by you, our apologies; please drop us a line and we'll credit you properly.) The exception is the picture on page 4 from Les Paul's 90th birthday celebration, taken by David Ridge. You can see more of his work here, and enjoy a wonderful selection of his nature photos at visionlightgallery.com. But if you haven't been getting out a lot lately, a word of caution: these images will make you question whether it's wise to be spending so much time chained to your desk or locked in the studio.]