The Les Paul Interview
Part 2

DPP: Alright. We're so glad he did because we get a chance to hear ya. Did you have any idea when you met Mary Ford that you would make music together — or was that the reason why you met?

LP: No, I had not idea at all. She happened to be a Les Paul fanatic. Freak. She just absolutely thought that I was the greatest thing on Earth as a guitarist. She was terribly disappointed when she met me. And she said you're not THE Les Paul. So, when I played the guitar she said you ARE Les Paul. And, of course we had a great, great, great — great career together.

DPP: How did your recording of How High the Moon come about in your mind?

LP: First of all, How High the Moon was a national anthem for all jazz musicians, so if they got up on the stage, the first song they played was How High the Moon. So, it was the national anthem around the world. OK, but nobody had a hit on it. There's 85 recordings of How High the Moon, none of 'em were a hit until ours.

DPP: and what a hit it was —

LP: and when we made it, the reason we made it was because of Mary's sister. She says why don't you record How High the Moon?

We were just starting, Mary and I were starting and it's our first week. The week before, a tavern opened in Waukesha, Wisconsin and my guitar player didn't show up — and my bass player didn't show up. So I says, we're gonna have to do this alone; Mary, would you play the guitar? She knew a little guitar — but, boy oh boy, she got in there and she — well, she didn't know the lyrics so someone at the bar would write the lyrics out. And someone on a coaster would write the lyrics out and so we performed that night.

I looked over at my Dad and he said, “I know what you're thinkin' but it won't work. She's too fragile.”

“OK – and you're a roughneck.” I says, “it will work, Dad.”

We went to Milwaukee. I knocked on the door of a saloon and said we want to come in here for nothing. We don't want any money. And he says this place is a failure. I says, will you do it? He says I'll give you half — if you're comin' in for nothin' I got nothin' to lose.

We tried it and from there we went to Chicago, and when we went to Chicago, it was there that I found out that How High the Moon, on Monday, had a completely different action, reaction to the song on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Friday and Saturday the rendition was good. On Monday and Tuesday was good; Wednesday was not so good. Thursday — Maid's night out: NOT GOOD AT ALL!!! Friday, Saturday — DRUNKS are in there and Sunday, they gotta get up Monday morning.

So said I to Mary How High the Moon is the right song but I gotta find out exactly how to do it. So we had three renditions of How High the Moon and we played 'em in Rock Island, Illinois; we played 'em on the Wabash; we played 'em all over the country in little joints. Finally I said we're ready to record How High the Moon.

We recorded it in Jackson Heights —

DPP: Really?

LP: — on Northern Boulevard, in a basement —

DPP: in a basement! Oh, we're in a basement. This is fitting —

LP: I can't get out of this damn basement!

DPP: How did you conceive that recording from there? Did you use multitask on that or —

LP: No, I used

LP / KB: Sound-on-sound

LP: one machine. And we made it, took it to Capitol Records. They turned it down.

DPP: They turned it down?

LP: They turned it down! For one year — like the guitar — it took one year. Finally, he says, OK, we'll release it.

Within two weeks it was one of our biggest hit records and it just made that round building.

DPP: Well, you're damn right, man ! Just for those who aren't here with us, we're speaking at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City where you're playing, still, on Monday nights. Incredible!

Before I return to the next questions, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Iridium Jazz Club and their staff for their generous assistance. Here is Iridium's site information for those interested in Mr. Paul's future appearances, or any other performances that shall be held there: Iridium Jazz Club

DPP: Are you still recording and what do you think of the Digital process?

LP: I think the Digital technology is great. I think what they're doing it, they're — (pause) — they're doing what you could do with a tube and they're even simulating the coloration that you get out of a tube. They are very quickly making digital the way to go.

And they are able to do so many things with it. The hearing aids that I am wearing, OK. The problem they are having with hearing aids you have no idea; to reproduce music, how difficult it is. I've finally been working, working and working, years and years since I was hit: I happened to be accidentally hit in both ears — not at the same time — but, over a period of years, Ive been hit in the ear by someone who was glad to see me.

DPP: Oh geez.

LP: and each time, the ear was punctured; the ear was damaged. It got worse and worse and worse until, finally, I became very involved — as I am now — in a Les Paul Hearing Aid. It's probably gonna be the last thing I'm gonna do in inventing, I've come up with the digital technology to put in the ears that has improved, so it's one of them.

KB: I love that! I was going to ask you, you're a saleman as well as an inventor.

KB: You're a salesman! You sold those things! That's your skill. I mean, you're brilliant as an inventor but your skill is — don't you think you're a salesman?

LP — Thank you. I'm glad to hear that somebody believes in it.

DPP: I definitely believe in it —

LP: It's the toughest thing to go to someone; to try to get someone making money off the hearing aid, it — it's just for speech. You can hear louder, you can get, in many cases, it's a vast improvement, BUT IT'S NOT MUSIC. It doesn't handle music and it does not give you a reproduction of music. You got a Stradivarius in your player but it comes back like something you get at Sears and Roebuck in 1902. It's not too complimentary.

What I'm doing is making it so that, when you play and when you hear music in your ears, it's correct, you know, and that's gonna be a great step forward. And, of course, I don't what anything — I don't want a dime. All I want is to invent it so that others can hear better.

DPP: Well that's a blessed thing. (It's sort of like having and encounter with Thomas Edison, you know.)

KB: In fact, I wanted to ask, do you putter — do you make things? You just find yourself inventing things at home?

LP: Yeah.

KB: All the time, right?

LP: Yeah.

KB: What are some things?

LP: I do that. That seems to be the way I started out in my career was always curious and always recognizing the pitfalls of something and try to make 'em better, knowing you're never going to get them perfect, but you can improve on it.

So every Monday we try to play better, we try to do things better — do the same thing at home! Everything we do, we keep ourselves busy. There's too many ideas that can be done in one day. So, with me, it's not difficult to get up and then go to work. And I believe that the greatest therapy a person can have, at 92, is that he can't wait to get up to accomplish more, and I think that keeps you younger than the guy who is too tired to go to the bathroom.

DPP: That's right, man! Well I gotta say thank you to you, Maestro.

LP: You're very welcome.

DPP: What an honor to meet one of my heroes who you are, to me, definitely and I wanted to thank you so much for doing this, you know. Again, thank you, Mr. Paul

LP: No, No, No

DPP: What an honor and I'm sure my readers will—

LP: Call me Les

DPP: OK, Les!

Les Paul and Mary Ford at work

...at which point, I turned my tape recorder off since the interview had concluded. Kathy Baruffi began to pose some additional questions to Les Paul, so I turned the recorder back on. With the exception of only a few missed points, printed with permission from Ms. Baruffi for your reading pleasure, here now, the CODA to our interview with the great Les Paul:

KB: What does the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame have of yours?

LP: Well, a lot of things. They have the shows —

KB: The Listerine Shows?

LP: yes, and the first guitar.

KB: The Sears Roebuck Guitar?

LP: YEAH!

KB: The $ 2.95 guitar?

LP: Right!

KB: Fantastic.

LP: Yeah, yeah — and I got more for 'em that's gonna go there. They don't know about it.

DPP: Well, get 'em some of your hearing aids, too.

LP: That's right.

DPP: 'cause, eventually, the rock n' rollers are gonna need 'em.

(while Les Paul laughs) KB: Hey, that's a good idea.

DPP: and here's the man that did ‘em, you know!

KB: Have you been surprised to see your guitar, what people have done to them? Have they put decals on them, or painted them pink? What do they look like?

LP: Well, to me, as long as they're playin' the guitar and they love it as much as I do, I think it's great 'cause I know what it means to me. I have noticed something, for years — it goes way back to when I was very young and that is that when you're down, you feel depressed, when you find it's a tough day, when things aren't goin' right — you can go to your friend, that guitar, and just take that guitar and hug it, hold it — is the best mistress, the best bartender, the best psychiatrist in the world — is to have that guitar. There are so many ways that they are playing to today. Everybody who walks on that stage, Tommy Manuel's here one minute, Jeff Beck another —

DPP: Got six kids out there showed up with their guitars tonight.

LP: WE NEED ‘EM TONIGHT! Couple of my players —

DPP: They might hop up on stage if you say come on up to play —

LP: I'LL HAVE 'EM!

DPP: Do you have any idea as to how many millions of people have been influenced because of your playing guitar? Any idea at all?

KB: But you know it's big.

LP: I, I, I know —

KB: You're a modest man.

LP: I know that there's many articles out there, say very nice things, but I remain; I live a very modest life. I never let it go to my head, that none of this, OK, is any big deal.

DPP: WELL, we know people with a little bit different mental concept than that.

LP: Well, I just think that everybody does that, but maybe they don't.

DPP: and some of them should.

LP: My highest recommendation is to keep working.

DPP: Well, I think whatever you have to say is a recommendation we should listen to.

LP: I don't know. At 92, there's not much time left but I want to get this one!

KB: You wear it well and you have a productive life!

DPP: We hope it's another 92 years.

LP: Thank you

On stage at the Iridium, still performing to packed audiences at age 92.

THE LEGEND CONTINUES !