Lester

I was saddened to see that Les Paul died yesterday. The world has lost an important figure in the history of music, but I don't think anyone would say that he hadn't lived a full and amazingly productive life.

If you're not familiar with this fellow, I'd highly recommend that you read up a bit on his life. If you ever listen to music, I guarantee you hear something every single day that was invented, influenced, or inspired by this guy. Whether it's the ubiquitous and distinctive guitar that bears his name, or the recording techniques that revolutionized the music industry, something he created has touched your life, whether you realize it or not.

As the Righteous Brothers once said: "If there's a Rock n' Roll Heaven...", then Lester and Chester are probably jammin' there right now. Maybe even with Jimi or Django. (Not with Michael Jackson, though. I suspect he's, um, in a different place.)

As much as I enjoyed Les Paul's work with his wife (Mary Ford) and her vocal harmonies, I have to say that my favorite parts of the songs are Les's lightning guitar riffs. I really appreciate an artist whose raw talent makes vocals and lyrics superfluous.

And speaking of which, the song "Ground Control to Major Tom" was playing on the radio yesterday, and it made me think to ask a question that has bugged me ever since that song came out: Is "Tom" the dude's first name, or his last name? I don't suppose it matters -- after all, "Paul" is a perfectly cromulent first name, and I don't have a problem with Lester using it for a surname. But seriously, is the confused astronaut from "Space Oddity" named something like "Genghis Tom", or perhaps "Arnold Tom" -- or maybe even (gack) "Thomas Tom"? Or is Bowie referring to the guy in a familiar way, like "Captain Jack", "Lieutenant Dan", or "GI Joe"?

And while we're on the subject, why does it sound so pretentious to pronounce the word "capsule" as "cap-sewel"? Why not just say "cap-sl" like everybody else? (Well, everybody except the late Paul Harvey, that is.)

I won't lose any sleep over it, but I also wonder if there was a conclusion to that song. Is it supposed to imply that this Tom fellow is still floating around out there with the guys that HAL 9000 threw out the airlock? Or was there supposed to be a sequel song that told us of a daring rescue by "Colonel Bob" or something?

I have no idea, and truthfully, I don't really care. But if you happen to know the answer, you might want to let me know.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you take the first opportunity to pull out your old Les Paul records and spend a few moments in grateful rememberance of a true genius. Thanks, and have a great day!