By elmacaco
Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:01 am
Digging in Chicago
Les Paul Interview
RL I remember you said the Stones were watching you one night.
LP Oh yeah, The Rolling Stones. That was in Chicago. I just come out of retirement and we're playing in Chicago. And here's four girls down there at the table. So I started making fun of them. I started picking on the audience. I bust a lot of balls! These four gals you know, they were making a fuss over them. Cuz you didn't see long hair and all that down at the Blue Ribbon Room at the Sherman Hotel. This was a jillion years ago. And they were just starting out. And then I found out that these weren't girls.. they were guys!
RL Well they all laughed when you dedicated a song to them.
LP Oh course they laughed because I'm beating up on the girls down in front. After the show Bill Wyman says, "Can I talk to you privately?" I said, "come on up to the room hon." (laughs) So I took him upstairs and that's where it started. He was one of many who asked my advice. A lot of people ask me for my advice. Many important people. I gave him my advice and I guess they've been grateful for it ever since. I told them where to bury their money!
RL Didn't they say they loved your guitars from the fifties? And you soon afterwards got ahold of Mr. Berlin about making the Les Paul guitar again.
LP Yes. And I remember I asked, "what is your reason for being in Chicago?" It's because they came to Chicago to find material to record. And they found it on Maxwell Street. OK? Which is a down and out neighborhood where they sold records for a nickle. That's where the Beatles could go to find them. That's where everybody could go. So this is where the Stones were.. and why they were there was to find material.
RL We used to do their "2120 So. Michican Ave" back then when it first came out. Great song about the record company in Chicago.
LP "Just Because" and "Deep Ellem Blues" I don't know which ones of them recorded what but many of them did. They were getting those and others. Very precious material.
Les Paul Interview
RL I remember you said the Stones were watching you one night.
LP Oh yeah, The Rolling Stones. That was in Chicago. I just come out of retirement and we're playing in Chicago. And here's four girls down there at the table. So I started making fun of them. I started picking on the audience. I bust a lot of balls! These four gals you know, they were making a fuss over them. Cuz you didn't see long hair and all that down at the Blue Ribbon Room at the Sherman Hotel. This was a jillion years ago. And they were just starting out. And then I found out that these weren't girls.. they were guys!
RL Well they all laughed when you dedicated a song to them.
LP Oh course they laughed because I'm beating up on the girls down in front. After the show Bill Wyman says, "Can I talk to you privately?" I said, "come on up to the room hon." (laughs) So I took him upstairs and that's where it started. He was one of many who asked my advice. A lot of people ask me for my advice. Many important people. I gave him my advice and I guess they've been grateful for it ever since. I told them where to bury their money!
RL Didn't they say they loved your guitars from the fifties? And you soon afterwards got ahold of Mr. Berlin about making the Les Paul guitar again.
LP Yes. And I remember I asked, "what is your reason for being in Chicago?" It's because they came to Chicago to find material to record. And they found it on Maxwell Street. OK? Which is a down and out neighborhood where they sold records for a nickle. That's where the Beatles could go to find them. That's where everybody could go. So this is where the Stones were.. and why they were there was to find material.
RL We used to do their "2120 So. Michican Ave" back then when it first came out. Great song about the record company in Chicago.
LP "Just Because" and "Deep Ellem Blues" I don't know which ones of them recorded what but many of them did. They were getting those and others. Very precious material.
