music-makers and world-changers

[chelidon]

You might have to register at the Washington Post to read this article, I'm not sure:

'The Log' Puts Paul in Ranks of Top Inventors

On Saturday, Les Paul, less than a month shy of his 90th birthday, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, in Akron, Ohio, as the creator of the solid-body electric guitar, arguably the most important musical innovation of the past half-century, a device as common today in the nightclubs of Nairobi and Manila as in Bethesda on prom night.

There are a lot of people who have been called, "legendary," but Les Paul is one who truly deserves the title. Besides being an excellent musician (five Grammys), he pretty much single-handedly invented the concept of the solid-body electric guitar in the 1920s and 30s. I only have one electric guitar myself, a '71 Gibson Les Paul Custom (cherry sunburst, natch), almost entirely true to Les Paul's design. I expect to pass it onto my son someday, with my only modification being the addition of a set of MIDI pickups. You can't surpass perfection.

Comments

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

Les Paul is definitely Da Man. And Chester & Lester is still a perennial favorite of mine.

Off Topic

[tzel.livejournal.com]

I just took this quiz and thought it was really funny. Yep, I'm all Pagan. Of course, I found at least three questions where I knew which answer they wanted me to pick but part or all of it was incorrect. (of course, maybe Diana *is* a Celtic goddess and someone just forgot to tell me.)

Pagan Extraordinaire You are 83% Paganism Expert!

You know Paganism like the back of your hand! Maybe you even attended a few rituals, or organized some of your own. You understand how special this religion is, and keep it close to your heart. You know that it's the most ancient religion in the world, and you want to get back to your roots. Merry meet again!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 72% on Pagan Expert

Link: The Paganism Test written by sitakali on Ok Cupid

Re: Off Topic

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

The "Celtic" Diana is a hoot. Oi. And sure yer a pagan, just a Catholic one ;> I think it was Margot Adler who found that a large majority of neopagans she surveyed were either ex-Jews or ex-Catholics. Makes sense -- both religions have a strong component of veneration for history, elaborate ritual, and a powerful tradition (though often supressed in mainstream expression) of mystery and mysticism. And, might I add, a history of borrowing back and forth from pagan religions. Yule, Easter, St. Brigid, virgin birth of the infant god, death and resurrection on the 3rd day, etc etc, you know the history, I'm sure. A couple of the most experienced teachers I know in the Reclaiming branch of paganism were ex-Catholics, who, as a personal challenge on their path, had to come to grips with their religious heritage and go back to Mass for at least a year. Afterwards, both of them said they'd really never realized just how close paganism and Catholicism really are. One of the Reclaiming summer intensives ("Witchcamps") last year picked as a theme the story of Jesus and Mary Magdelene (not just because of Da Vinci Code, but I'm sure it didn't hurt). So, welcome to the club, you Pagan Extraordinaire! ;>