Just found out that another legend has passed away. Not as many people will be as familiar with Les Paul as they were with Michael Jackson, which is understandable. But basically, in a nutshell, when it comes to the electric guitar, Les Paul is the king.
Les Paul developed one of the first solid-bodied electric guitars, which is said to have contributed to the birth of rock. He also invented the eight-track tape recorder, and developed multi-track recording and overdubbing – techniques used regularly by every recording musician. Almost every guitarist you see these days plays a Gibson Les Paul, most notably Slash from Guns N Roses, who used that guitar to perform the famous Sweet Child o’ Mine opening solo.
As a guitarist, I’m pretty bummed by this. Although I don’t actually own a Les Paul Gibson guitar myself, to have such an iconic member of rock music history die is saddening. He was one of those names, one of those people, who we all just assumed would somehow live forever.
But, I suppose, thanks to his contribution to rock music, he probably will.
RIP Les Paul, 1915-2009
To find out more, check this BBC article.
I don’t even know what to say. I’m shocked.
I have never been a fan of Michael Jackson’s music, or of he himself (I’ve been one of those who has heard more bad things than good, the things to do with his child molesting etc) but hearing within an hour that he has been taken into hospital, is in a coma, and has died, well… it’s just a complete shock. I’m freaked out.
No one, and I mean no one, will ever have NOT heard of Michael Jackson’s music. He was an icon, no matter how he had happened to live his life. I remember being on a school trip last year and having the coach driver play us one of Michael Jackson’s CDs, and even though none of us liked the stuff, we all knew what song it was, and who sung it. We all sang along to Billie Jean, and to Thriller. Some people’s first ever album was one of his (idea from Mark Hoppus, heh) and almost everyone’s favourite, to this day, is the album Thriller. Apparently it’s the biggest selling album of all time, or something.
Yes, there have been allogations of him having molested children, and of course I have been with everyone in telling the jokes, and simply dislking him for that reason. But even so this is a sad day – we have lost another icon, and the very thought is unsettling. Like my mum said, having someone famous die makes you rethink your life and your mortality, and right now I am extremely freaked from the thought of it. I haven’t known a world without Michael Jackson. I’m shocked.
RIP.
