Les Paul
Les Paul in NYC, October 2008
This past October, on Columbus Day, I had the chance to see Les Paul play at the Iridium Club in New York. It was an inspiration to see Les at 93 years old, playing and working the crowd with energy and good humor—and chops. He still has the touch. I’ve been a fan of the man, and the guitar he invented, for a long time. His innovations in multitrack recording made it possible for guys like me to layer sound on top of sound, building up thick and complex tracks in the comfort of our own bedrooms. Incidentally, I understand that Les himself recorded many of his masterpieces in hotel rooms while on the road, not in “proper” studios.
How does this relate to my search for simplicity? Two things—first, I was playing a Gibson Les Paul for years, led by players like Les, Robert Fripp, Neil Young, and many others. So that guitar was tied to my history as a player. Second, the very innovations that allowed Les to build up such complex sounds (like his Les Paulverizer magic box) was part of his road to simplicity. Multitrack recording allowed him to lay down tracks either alone or with Mary Ford and produce finished tunes without a backing band. Thus, his process was simplified from having to arrange for backing players to join him in a studio, to sitting down alone with his gear whenever and wherever the mood struck him.
So we see that the road to simplicity sometimes leads us through a certain amount of complexity first. More on this thought later.