Remembering Keith Emerson

Or, see if you can find a copy of "Pictures Of An Exhibitionist" by Keith Emerson himself. An excellent read!

Keith suffered from Focal Dystonia, which caused him to lose control and dexterity in the 4th and 5th fingers of his right hand. And this happened a few years after he had surgery to relieve pressure on the Ulnar nerve at the elbow. I read that he was afraid of disappointing his fans on his scheduled tour of Japan after reading some negative comments on Facebook. I don't have an account, so I'm not sure what was said or written there. Greg Lake mentioned that Keith had suffered from depression as well.

I wish he had talked to someone about his fears instead of taking his own life.

Apparently, Keith had good rapport with John Lydon. Wish Lydon could’ve talked him down or was able to. I’ve said before that Keith looked to me like he might’ve been a wee bit too hard on his fingers and by extension his hands and maybe even the rest of his body when he played. He could never be accused of phoning it in, that’s for sure. I just wish he might’ve played in a gentler style as time went on. Surely it would’ve been brilliant and the loyal listeners would’ve followed him there. All speculation.