But if you've got what it takes, then what comes out is something very big and bold and original. In August of 1988, we opened two shows for him at the Pier in New York, and I got to really listen to him up close. You could tell he was always striving to find that magical point. He was good at reaching for the magic and finding it. Sweat-drenched, with his eyes closed, grabbing some incredible note.
Someone has to be totally absorbed to play like that.
To play that intensely sort of wreaks havoc on the body - it's sort of a painful ecstasy. I guess I'll remember that most of all. Lonnie Mack I first heard Stevie at a little club around the corner from Antone's. He was just a really good player. He had his own thing, but you could hear bits and pieces of other things.