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| The band, with Leslie in the middle |
Leslie West, the larger-than-life creator of the rock band Mountain who rose to super-stardom in the 1960s and 70s, died yesterday at the age of 75. More to the point for me, he was just eight months older than I. (Older than me sounds better. That's correct grammar for you: if it sounds wrong it's right.)
I loved Leslie West (nee Weinstein, who knew?). Actually I loved his music, ever since I saw him perform live at the Woodstock festival, and then at smaller venues like New York's Fillmore East. Best known for the song "Mississippi Queen," still heard today as background music in commercials and on oldies radio stations, his guitar playing and singing captured the mood of his young fans perfectly, especially with a little pot to heighten the experience. He was fun onstage too, with a joking personality.
So I was saddened to read his obituary and learn of his on-again, off-again troubles with drug addiction. And weighing almost 300 pounds did not serve him well: he contracted diabetes and had his lower leg amputated when he was 66, a fact I never knew. His death was also a result of his weight, dying of cardiac arrest in his sleep.
As Queen would say,"Another one bites the dust." Never to be replaced.
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