Illinois Entertainer December 2015 | Page 40

the record. What do you consider fast? Something like “Mississippi Queen” that's uptempo? IE: Yeah, or a song like “Blood Of The Sun.” Or “Broken Promises.” Or “Going Down.” They are about as fast as I go on this record. Sometimes songs run away from you if they are too fast…. IE: And you play them even faster when performing… IE: Is there another album in the works; other projects? LW: Yes there sure is. I worked on an album by a guitar player named Eli Cook for Cleopatra Records. I did a cut on his album, and we will be the opening act on some shows for me. He is a really good blues player. I also wrote a book with him, and that was before I lost my leg. Now, I have another book I am working on with many more of my own road stories. Losing the leg was a story and a half, believe me. LW: When it’s above the knee it’s a whole different ball game. They were trying to bust up the blood clots that were going on in the leg, and they put me in an induced coma for four days. I was in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was supposed to be the last show for Mountain at the Hard Rock. My wife was there and I was in a coma for 4 days while they were trying to break up this blood clot, and the doctor had told her to go back to the hotel and get some sleep. No sooner she gets back to the hotel and the phone rings and they tell her to get right back to the hospital. They had to take me off Proprophal to wake me up to tell me they were going to take the leg off or else I was going to die. Why they had to do it above the knee was because they told us it was guaranteed they would have to do another surgery and another surgery and another surgery. So, that is why it was above the knee. I really haven’t had any problems except with the prosthetic. I can’t keep my balance with that. Trying to play the guitar while standing and not worry about falling was something I couldn’t do. They made me do that in rehab. They made me bring a guitar in and they put me between the parallel bars. They wanted to see how well I could stand and play without falling. They put me between the parallel bars because that way I had something to grab onto. I only lasted 30 seconds! So, now, I play sitting down. You might think I am lazy or whatever, but at least I know I am not going to fall. I don’t have to worry about any of that while I am playing. IE: Speaking of that situation, wasn’t there a chance they could have taken the leg below your knee so you could have gotten a prosthetic and carried on without the wheelchair? IE: You have the effects pedals on a table now next you, right? LW: Yes, while I have 4 pedals on the floor that I can hit with my left foot, and the rest are on a table next to me. That is the best way LW: Next question. Don’t get me started, man. And I don’t plan on talking to Corky for another forty years. I don’t know what he is trying to do, but he can’t use the name Mountain because I own the name. I don’t know what he is doing and I really don’t care. It has nothing to do with me, I just hope people don’t show up expecting to see me, because it would be very tricky to try and advertise it like I would be there. 12