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Reasons to Remain Deaf, Dumb, and Blind to Pete Townshend
I noted , with regret, how Pete Townshend, rock's first wise man, was left out of Rolling Stone's 40th anniversary interview package. Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune offers reasons to reject him three times and more: the absurd overuse of his epigram "meet the new boss/same as the old boss" in news headlines.
And yes, I've used it myself, though not, I think, in a headline. Suggestion for new Townshend line to try--I dare ya!--to turn into an abused cliche: "There comes a time in every little punk's life/When he has to write a song for his common-law wife" from "Mike Post Theme" on the Who's "it kinda grows on you" reunion LP Endless Wire.
|4.23.07 @ 12:56PM|#
Writing something that becomes a cliche during your lifetime should be grounds for honor, unless it's the Macarena.
Chris Monnier|4.23.07 @ 12:57PM|#
> I would prefer to overuse "Who the fuck are you?"
I remember when (probably 10 years ago) they used to let that slide
on the radio.
|4.23.07 @ 12:59PM|#
Chris Monnier,
They don't let that go anymore? ;(
I don't listen the radio for music so much now. I'm old.
BTW, who the fuck are you?
ed|4.23.07 @ 1:08PM|#
Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune offers reasons to reject
him three times and more: the absurd overuse of his
epigram
But that's the fault of lazy journalists and copywriters, isn't it?
Do we despise Gutenberg because so many bibles have been
printed?
|4.23.07 @ 1:21PM|#
Blech :P What a horrible legacy for the best couplet in Rock n'
Roll. It's inevitable I suppose. Here's a little cliche I authored
myself. I hope it catches on.
Nothing ruins a good thing like success.
VM|4.23.07 @ 1:30PM|#
"I don't listen the radio for music so much now. I'm old."
so sayeth the consistent listener to the Eric and Kathy show.
(who the fuck are they?)
[ducks]
|4.23.07 @ 1:31PM|#
I guess by this logic Reggie Miller should never get into the Basketball Hall of Fame because of the overuse fo the headline "Miller Time" every time he had a great game. It's not Townsend's fault that he wrote a really catchy phrase that people remember and over use.
mllh|4.23.07 @ 1:31PM|#
I'm old enough to know who Pete is. And I am old enough to know when Mick was sexy, not just scary. With such credentials, I declare that "Rolling Stone" is nothing more than an emergency supply of toilet paper. When I see a copy on the Crate&Barrel coffee tables of my younger (and otherwise straight-up) colleagues, I light up a smoke and give them a long lecture in what "counter-culture" really means, while they scramble to find something resembling an ashtray.
Equality 7-2521|4.23.07 @ 1:36PM|#
I suppose there's no way Endless Wire couldn't grow on you - its
crap from the first listen. Travesty it gets called a Who album
when really its Pete's same old mundane psycho-babel drivel sung by
Daltrey this time around.
"The Man in a Purple Dress" is solid, however.
Guy Montag|4.23.07 @ 2:01PM|#
Perhaps your writer-people could start over quoting lines from Happy Jack to make the Tribune staff happy?
Brian Sorgatz|4.23.07 @ 2:16PM|#
If you're tired of reminding people of that particular Who song, substitute a reference to George Orwell's Animal Farm, which tells essentially the same story if you think about it.
|4.23.07 @ 2:17PM|#
Finally, a thread where the Chicagoans are present!
How's that lake looking with that big fat Pujols shot floating in
it?! ;)
Now that was a great Sunday!
I remember when my older sister took me to see Tommy at the Fox
when I was younger. I remember thinking it was pretty cool - but
that was because most of my friends had never heard of it and I
felt like I was in on some "older sibling" coolness.
|4.23.07 @ 2:21PM|#
Come to think about it, what was Squeezebox about, anyhow? Some sort of subtle pro-polka statement? A song of hope to the oppressed Poles?
Jennifer|4.23.07 @ 2:26PM|#
I dare ya!--to turn into an abused cliche: "There comes a
time in every little punk's life/When he has to write a song for
his common-law wife"
God help my boyfriend if he enters that contest and wins.
Brian|4.23.07 @ 2:33PM|#
milh
When I see a copy on the Crate&Barrel coffee tables of my
younger (and otherwise straight-up) colleagues, I light up a smoke
and give them a long lecture in what "counter-culture" really
means,
And they invite you back to their house after that?
|4.23.07 @ 2:37PM|#
I'm with milh. Perhaps I'm lighting up so that I don't have to go to their Crate & Barrel hellhole anymore. If that doesn't work, I'll spew beer into his face, feel up her tit, and put the cigarette out on my forearm.
A Pound For A Brown|4.23.07 @ 2:38PM|#
"If you complain you disappear
Just like the lesbians and queers"
|4.23.07 @ 2:51PM|#
Saturday.
You know I thought it was odd that I didn't see you there. Oh, boy,
what a day! When Ron Bailey knocked over the punch bowl, I thought
it was all over, but then tros showed up with his magic
mushrooms...boy, howdy! I still don't know how I ended up with
Warren's socks in my pants.
|4.23.07 @ 2:52PM|#
highnumber,
Everything went very well. I don't have any vacation until May (it
comes all at once, then), which means no honeymoon just yet. We'll
do something one of these days.
Jennifer,
It was Saturday. I should've taken a laptop and liveblogged the
event :) Or sent out invitations to all the H&R regulars.
Though there were some people fishing next to our gazebo. . . .
Jennifer|4.23.07 @ 2:55PM|#
It was Saturday. I should've taken a laptop and liveblogged
the event :) Or sent out invitations to all the H&R regulars.
Though there were some people fishing next to our gazebo. . .
.
Congratulations! But I hope the existence of a Mrs. Pro Libertate
doesn't mean you'll be posting less in the future.
|4.23.07 @ 3:01PM|#
Jennifer,
It won't, though Daughter of Libertate could affect things when she
finally arrives. Maybe not, though. Mrs. Libertate has three kids
(from an alien abduction), so I'm getting used to the
distractions.
highnumber,
Don't forget the fisticuffs between Ron and joe.
|4.23.07 @ 3:07PM|#
jimmydageek,
Indeed. I fooled her with my sorcerer's ways.
Since you're a local boy, I can tell you that we held the event at
the Rusty Pelican. Pretty nice, all around. They have a gazebo on
the bay, which was a nice touch.
|4.23.07 @ 3:10PM|#
I don't remember any fisticuffs, but during those slow dances you couldn't separate John & joe without a crow bar. I am looking forward to their nuptials in June. VM thinks they're moving too fast, but I say their courtship started long before they met face to face.
|4.23.07 @ 3:13PM|#
highnumber,
Yeah, I'm not surprised that you missed the fight, because you were
off doing HFCS shots with Dave W. and thoreau at the time.
|4.23.07 @ 3:40PM|#
And, by the way, having seen The Who in concert a few weeks ago,
Townshend (and Daltry, for that matter) were pretty unbelievable.
Compared to the Rolling Stones, who have deteriorated significantly
since their prime, the Who really still have it going, and 100
percent ought to have been included in the Rolling Stone
issue.
Also, this October 2006 NY Times article on Townshend and Daltrey
is very interesting:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/arts/music/29ligh.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5070&en=c11ec388c42b0c67&ex=1177473600
Daltrey has a lot of socialistic tendencies (e.g. a hatred of
technology and the internet) which Townshend rightly has to
combat.
|4.23.07 @ 3:40PM|#
Did you try one of Ron Bailey's miracle fruit and HFCS cocktails? Everybody who tried one *had* to sing "Sweeter than Wine." If anything's banned, ban the karaoke.
|4.23.07 @ 3:40PM|#
Ah, nice choice of venue, PL. I have a friend that works in one
of the buildings across from it on Rocky Point Dr.
My Vegas wedding next year will be replete with HFCS drinks to
satisfy even the most discerning connoisseurs. BYONCD (BYO Noam
Chomsky Doll).
Mike Laursen|4.23.07 @ 3:43PM|#
what was Squeezebox about, anyhow?
Well, you could say it was about poles.
|4.23.07 @ 3:48PM|#
jimmydageek,
Why not? VM brought his, which saved him from having to pick
grouper or chicken for his date.
Mike Laursen,
No kidding, the whole song went right over my head for
years until one time in college when I heard the song on
the radio and yelled, "Wait a second! That song isn't about an
accordion!" Naturally, everyone else got it sometime during
preschool.
|4.23.07 @ 4:00PM|#
It's amazing that they left out Pete and the Who. Idiots. Pete's the only rock star I've ever admired.
|4.23.07 @ 4:18PM|#
Ha! Warren only made one comment on this thread. Ha!
(mediageek, you're still right.)
|4.23.07 @ 4:29PM|#
But I hope the existence of a Mrs. Pro Libertate doesn't
mean you'll be posting less in the future.
Hell, if he's like most the married people I know (and I'm not one
so this is purely from my observation, not experience) it will mean
more posting not less. And, no, I don't mean just because
it will serve as an escape from being nagged about taking out the
trash or leaving the seat up.
Searching for a mate and all that demands can take a lot of time! I
mean there are all those things like staying fit, keeping up your
cultural knowledge (music, movies, etc. so you can pretend to be
interested in the same things as she), reading and otherwise
staying connected to the world (so you can at least fake being
well-read and well-rounded), keeping up with the latest styles (so
you can dress at least reasonably well), finding decent places to
meet women (or men, of course), working up the courage to approach
them / recovering from being shot down, and then finally spending
time actually dating them (which requires at least a little
creativity).
Once you're done with all that crap and can let yourself slide you
ought to have plenty of time for what you really like to do (be it
gaming all day, or watching sports, or drinking beer with the
buddies, or becoming an even bigger regular on H&R!).
Oh, and just (sorta) kidding PL - congrats!
|4.23.07 @ 4:39PM|#
Oh and just to be clear - the bulk of that was pertaining to guys and marriage in general. I certainly wasn't trying to imply that you are not genuinely well-read or anything like that, and of course I have no clue about your sense of style! ;)
Jennifer|4.23.07 @ 4:57PM|#
That's just what I told Jennifer.
Huh? What about? Am I missing some joke?
I'm probably missing some joke. Sucks being so short everything
goes right over your damned head.
|4.23.07 @ 5:04PM|#
Jennifer,
I didn't address it to you, but it was a reply to your
question:
highnumber | April 23, 2007, 2:51pm | #
Saturday.
You know I thought it was odd that I didn't see you there. Oh, boy, what a day! When Ron Bailey knocked over the punch bowl, I thought it was all over, but then tros showed up with his magic mushrooms...boy, howdy! I still don't know how I ended up with Warren's socks in my pants.
|4.23.07 @ 5:07PM|#
Brian,
Actually, I'm illiterate. But I plan to learn to read, now that I
have more free time.
My wife has children from a previous marriage, and we're
"expecting", so my actual free time may be circumscribed. However,
you may be correct in the general case :)
highnumber,
Jennifer was too busy basking in the glow of her Hit & Run
accolades to accept my wedding invitation. Even gaius marius
managed to make it.
|4.23.07 @ 5:17PM|#
I had always pictured gaius marius as a very short man. Like he won't capitalize anything so he will look taller by comparison. I had no idea that gaius marius and Charles Barkley were one and the same.
|4.23.07 @ 5:20PM|#
That was a big surprise. Who knew that he could play so well on the paint and read Virgil in the original Latin? Auburn must be a better school than I had originally thought.
|4.23.07 @ 5:21PM|#
Where's VM for this surreal discussion, anyway? He'll be so upset that he missed it.
Jennifer|4.23.07 @ 6:18PM|#
Jennifer was too busy basking in the glow of her Hit &
Run accolades to accept my wedding invitation.
Oh, that invitation. The one I never received.
Speaking of basking, my radio interview went pretty well today
(although I stumbled over my words a couple of times, and made an
embarrassingly bad grammatical error). Ron Hardin posted a link to
a copy of it in the comments section on my blog. And my voice only
sounded like I'd inhaled half a tankful of helium, which
means I'm improving.
Grotius|4.23.07 @ 6:45PM|#
Highnumber,
Nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah
Mooseman!
|4.23.07 @ 7:46PM|#
Really?
My taste in movies is very picky. Not highbrow (Two of my favorite
movies I've seen in the last year or so are Team America
and Idiocracy and I love Robert Rodriguez films -
especially Spy Kids.), but I don't like most movies.
Consequently, I watch very few. Zoolander has yet to make
the Netflix queue. Word on the street is either ya love it or ya
hate it.
Grotius|4.23.07 @ 9:23PM|#
highnumber,
I saw it a few weeks after 9/11 and it really kicked me out of my
somber mood. So it is as much about that it is about the movie
itself.
|4.24.07 @ 8:57AM|#
Jennifer,
It's a link to a crazy person's lawsuit. "Proteus" is supposed to
be some sort of psychic communications network. If you've never
read the opinion, I highly recommend it. It's short and very
funny.
Just for the record, before anyone gets miffed, highnumber and I
are discussing the actions of H&R commenters at my wedding in a
alternative universe. You know, the one where Spock has a
beard.
Guy Montag|4.24.07 @ 9:56AM|#
Actually, I'm illiterate. But I plan to learn to read, now
that I have more free time.
It can open a whole new world. Just hope that the boss and the wife
are not a big pain or you might find yourself on the run after
dispatching them.
|4.24.07 @ 9:57AM|#
highnumber,
I told you to lay off the HFCS. Now you're forgetting
stuff again. At the bachelor party, we used thoreau's intertemporal
phase modulator (with built in "laser") to travel between
universes. That visit to the one with Libertopia was particularly
interesting.
Jennifer|4.24.07 @ 10:33AM|#
highnumber and I are discussing the actions of H&R
commenters at my wedding in a alternative universe
I'm not jumping out of the cake at your bachelor party.
|4.24.07 @ 10:53AM|#
Uh, oh. You better have a talk with alternate universe Jennifer
then.
Feel fortunate--highnumber had John and joe in some sort of illicit
relationship supra. You were nonmaligned, as far as I can
recall.
|4.24.07 @ 11:52AM|#
ProL,
Actually, at Bizarro World bachelor parties the stripper pukes cake
all over the bachelor.
Bizarro World bachelor parties are not fun.
|4.24.07 @ 12:23PM|#
Oh, yeah. That wasn't a stripper who puked on you. It was Mr
Steven Crane.
He was mostly nude, though.
|4.25.07 @ 2:13AM|#
Although this thread has wandered far, I would like to respond
to this post:
> I would prefer to overuse "Who the fuck are you?"
I remember when (probably 10 years ago) they used to let that slide
on the radio.
I remember back in the early 1980s, the Babys had a song called
"Midnight Rendezvous." And right at the very end of the song, right
before it faded out completely, if you were attentive you could
hear the singer saying:
"All I really wanna do
"Oh, I really wanna fuck you"
And hearing that on the radio always seemed like the coolest, most
subversive thing.
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