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