Paul saw weekly shows as 'therapy'

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The late U.S. musician Les Paul said in a Rolling Stone interview prior to his death that his dedication to performing live was a form of personal "therapy."

Rolling Stone reported online Friday that despite being in his 90s, Paul was dedicated to embracing the live performance atmosphere and spending time with friends, both new and old.

"I think it's therapy," Paul told the magazine in an interview nine months ago. "I think that it's the love of the instrument and the fact that rather than to grow old watching TV, or just layin' around the house trying to get from the bedroom to the bathroom, that it's better to be amongst your friends, make new friends and to play with a younger generation of people."

Paul, who created the solid-body electric guitar that became rock 'n' roll's standard and also devised multitrack recording techniques, died Thursday at the age of 94 of complications from severe pneumonia in White Plains, N.Y.

The musician, who was born Lester William Polfuss, had been performing since the 1930s as both a solo and group performer.