After explaining to a friend, somewhat ashamed, that I barely knew any of The Who's stuff, (and after enduring the incredulous remarks that one gets when he admits he doesn't know much about The Who) I went on youtube and watched a clip of the legendary rock band playing live on a 60's talk show. My friend sent me the link to this infamous live performance, where overzealous pyrotechnics are rumored to have gone off in guitarist/crazy man Pete Townshend's ear, subsequently making him hear a constant ringing for 3 straight weeks. Now, I don't know if this is true, but I do know that their live performance captivated me more than the anthemic 'My Generation' (slap yourself if you thought of Limp Bizkit while reading that). They went nucking futs man! Pete completely obliterated his guitar, cabinet, amp, speakers the whole shebang, and I couldn't look away. It was then I realized for myself, why these guys are pretty special.
We give technology a lot of crap these days, but without the... general usefulness/uselessness (I can't decide) of being able to watch just about anything on youtube, I don't think I would've been so hard hit with the revelation of just how awesome The Who are. Notoriously famous for being a live act that was hard to top, it was only fitting that my first experience (where I actually wanted to sit through and listen to a whole song of theirs) was of them in their element - the stage in front of a live audience. I think it was fate that the next song I looked up was 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. Almost 10 minutes of sheer Rock n Roll, there's simply no other way to describe it. From vocalist Roger Daltrey's commanding stage presence and rugged vocals and ring leader-esque swinging of the microphone, to Pete Townshend's almost assuredly drug induced hippy hops across the stage, whilst not forgetting bassist John Entwistle's motionless grooving bass playing and Keith Moon's pounding and pulsing drums, watching any of The Who's live clips is bound to bring the viewer to a state of awestruck giddiness that is so rare these days.
I'm off to listen/watch more of The Who. Check this video, if you haven't seen it, you'll be blown away, guaranteed.
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