Real Music People

Legendary guitarist Les Paul played a performance for his hometown on Thursday night, to an awestruck sold out crowd. He’s 91, and he’s still able to rock. A Wisconsin native, Les came to Wausheka to raise money for an exhibit on his life. The evening raised over $100,000. Not bad for a night’s work. During his hour and a half concert, he joined his jazz trio in playing such tunes as “Tennessee Waltz,” “Lady Is a Tramp” and “Embraceable You” as the crowd paid rapt attention.

Am I the only one here that thought this guy was dead? All I know about him are his guitars, which are incredible and sought after by the best musicians. I am awestruck myself to realize he is still around and able to play after all these years. I am sure those in attendance realized what an extraordinary event they were witnessing.

Lilly Allen isn’t making any friends in America right now. On the heels of her recent remarks about how “backward” Americans are, Lilly has come up against sagging interest in her less than stellar debut album Alright, Still. She’s a British pop star with huge aspirations and an even huger thirst. Yeah, she said that stuff about Americans, but she didn’t mean it because she was drunk. Uh-huh. This is me believing her. Insert sarcastic rolling of the eyes. Partly in response to her comments, partly in response to her lack of talent, Lilly has been refunding tickets all along her American tour. Lilly recently wrote on her MySpace page, “I am tired, but more than that I don’t think I have been giving my best performances recently.” Yep she’s tired of it, tired enough to pack it in and go home. She looks tired, doesn’t she? Maybe it’s all the booze. Good riddance, I say. Go on home and whine about how America hates you. Maybe it will inspire some good music for a change.