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kind of took my mum aside and said, your little boy, make sure he keeps doing music

because he comes out of himself. He comes into his own. Because I was a shy child
and music just seemed to kind of do something for me. So, to be honest, right as far
back as my earliest memories, music was very important to me.

BiTS: And when did you start to learn to play the
harmonica? Was that your first instrument?

LW: No. I started out as a drummer. I had drum

kit lessons at school, but to be honest, the
responsibility of being a drummer was too much
for me. I mean, I never played kit in bands. I did

play snare drum in some samba, like Brazilian
samba bands and parades and stuff, but I think
being a drummer is such a responsibility. I think

being in charge of the rhythm, and you're really
the glue of the band or the heart of the band, and
that was too much for me [chuckles]. So that was

kind of during my teenage years, and then I was
18, really, when I first picked up the harmonica,
but in contrast to the drums, it didn't come

naturally. It just seemed like this is the
instrument for me. I mean, musicians often say
that cheesy thing of you don't pick your

instrument, it picks you. But in a sense, it's true in that you have to find the instrument
that speaks most easily with your hands or with your body. So yeah, it just seemed
to make sense.

BiTS: And what about the harmonica? Round about the time that you were, I think,
learning to play, I guess it was Larry Adler and the Morton Fraser Harmonica 5.

LW: Well, yeah. I mean, the only harmonica players I really had heard of when I took

up the harmonica were Bob Dylan and Neil Young and maybe Bruce Springsteen
because I was kind of familiar with that kind of roots and folk music of the 60s, folk
revival and all of that. And so it was really that very folky sound and I didn't realise

at the time, but years later, being part of the harmonica community and knowing lots
of other harmonica players, that I mean, Dylan especially is kind of a much-maligned
harp player really. I mean, bless him, I'll defend him. You know, I'll happily defend

what he's done for spreading the instrument, but you know, technically, not the
greatest player. You know, he's got so many people started on the instrument and he

was one of my inspirations before I discovered the amazing blues players at that time,
blues was just this other thing that I wasn't that aware of.

BiTS: When did you start to listen to blues and try to perhaps emulate some of the

players?