Aug 14 2009
Les Paul - True Musical Genius
The death of Les Paul was barely noticed on Thursday, August 13, 2009. It was briefly reported on networks. That’s it. Nothing more. There is no circus surrounding the death, nor life, of this rare true musical genius. While we continue to hear about Michael Jackson each and every day the media will pretty much ignore all Les Paul accomplished. He was a genius in every sense of the word and makes others look like Mickey Mouse in comparison.
He, as far as I know, did not die from a drug overdose, was not a freak and was never one to grab the spotlight. He was never charged with any felonies, child molestations or dangling a child from a balcony. He did not pretend to be something he was not. He never professed himself as king of anything. As usual our society shines the light on the bad boys as pointed out in numerous previous blogs. We overlook true quiet genius. Les Paul revolutionized music and has influenced every musician since the 1940’s. There truly will never be another like him.
Just as we ignore the genius of George Washington Carver and praise the life of MLK, Jr., we will ignore Les Paul and squeeze every drop of Michael Jackson we possible can get from the media. How sad! Long after MJ’s Moonwalk is no more than a blurb on some old rerun, the influence of Les Paul will continue.
Thank you Les Paul.
Amen, heard about it today and pulled out my gibson lp special just for shits and giggles…