LESLIE WEST Talks About His Leg-Amputation Surgery On 'The Howard Stern Show'

June 23, 2011

Legendary MOUNTAIN guitarist Leslie West who underwent emergency surgery in Biloxi, Mississippi to amputate a portion of leg called in to "The Howard Stern Show" yesterday morning (Wednesday, June 22) to discuss his ordeal. You can now listen to the chat on YouTube at this location.

West, who had battled obesity over the years, was due to perform with MOUNTAIN at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. West has suffered from diabetes for decades, and when his leg began to swell on Saturday (June 18),he was rushed to the emergency room and agreed with the decision to go through an amputation in order to save his life. Surgery was a success, and the procedure removed his limb up to the knee.

West is expected to fully recover, and faces extensive rehabilitation. According to a message from his publicist, "the family has requested that the public and media respect his privacy while he comes to terms with this life changing transition."

MOUNTAIN featuring West and drummer Corky Laing has wrapped production on the upcoming new album, "The Usual Suspects", which is due out sometime this year. When The Pulse Of Radio last caught up with West, he shed some light on MOUNTAIN's reformation back in the mid-'80s. "I love playing, y'know, and Corky and I finally worked out all of our differences and so on and so forth, and we got it down pretty good," he said. "I know what I expect of him, and he knows what to expect from me. I know the musical end, the sound I wanted us to sound like, which was much like what we sounded like before but it's a little bit more heavy."

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