RIP Les Paul

Lester William Polsfuss, AKA Les Paul, passed away yesterday. This is the sort of death that makes the passing of time noticeable.

Les Paul had invented the guitar that made Rock & Roll possible. He also pioneered multi-track recording that made recorded music able to go places live music could not. Considering these feats were accomplished before "Rock Around The Clock" hit the airwaves, and so many of the early rockers have left us, it truly shows how much time has passed since then.

I always wanted to see Les Paul live, when he was at Fat Tuesdays, then at Iridium, but I neve quite managed to get ther.Now I will never be able to.

Grab life while you can. Do what you want to do. If the fact that Les Paul's constant curiosity about the possibilities of electrified music drove him to invent instruments and techniques that allowed for breakthroughs in the entire world of music does not inspire you to do so, the fact that I never got to see this man perform live once in his 94 years, the last several decades of which he spent performing weekluy right here in my hometown, should.