Leslie West Reflects on Early Influences and a Defining Musical Awakening
In a revealing interview segment titled “Took Some LSD & The Curtain Opened”, the late Leslie West, guitarist and co-founder of Mountain, offers a candid and deeply personal account of the formative moments that shaped his life and musicianship. Part confession, part reflection, the interview traces a path from childhood upheaval to a life-changing musical realization that would ultimately define his approach to the guitar.
West begins by describing a difficult home environment. His father left when he was in the fifth grade, an absence that quietly framed much of his early emotional world. Yet music and entertainment offered an escape. Through family connections, he was introduced at a young age to the world of show business. A childhood trip to a New York theater, originally meant to see comedian Jackie Gleason, unexpectedly became a turning point. When the announcement was made that Elvis Presley would appear as the evening’s guest, West found himself witnessing a cultural force at close range. Seeing Presley perform ignited something immediate and irreversible. In that moment, he knew he wanted to play the guitar.
At first, West’s musical vocabulary was modest, built on simple folk standards rather than blues traditions. He openly admits that he had no early connection to the Mississippi Delta or traditional blues roots. His musical identity, he says, came from Forest Hills, Queens, and his earliest ambitions were shaped by British rock bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. With his first group, The Vagrants, West was learning by imitation rather than heritage.
The interview reaches its most striking moment when West recounts an experience that would permanently alter his discipline and outlook. Encouraged by his brother to see Cream perform at the Village Theater, West agreed to go, though not before taking LSD. When the curtain rose and the band began to play, the effect was immediate and brutal in its honesty. Hearing Cream live, West realized just how far he and his band still had to go. “We really did suck,” he admits without hesitation.
Rather than discouraging him, the realization became a catalyst. That night marked the beginning of a new commitment to practice, precision, and musical seriousness. West credits that moment as the reason he began to play with the power, control, and intensity that would later define his sound.
Far from glamorizing excess, the interview frames the experience as a moment of clarity rather than escapism. It captures Leslie West’s trademark bluntness and humor, while revealing the humility behind his legendary tone. In just a few minutes, the segment offers a rare glimpse into how honesty, influence, and self-awareness combined to forge one of rock’s most distinctive guitar voices.