nearly bought it today, but looks like its going to be in the HMV sale all the way through Xmas period. Definitely want to read it, they were one of the first bands I got into. I had most of at least the 60s stuff in my early teens back in my moddy boy days. Well until some a-hole nicked a lot of it.
― Stevolende, Friday, 26 October 2012 18:31 (eleven years ago) link
Listened to most of the 19-hour audiobook -- read by Pete himself -- on a recent 13-hour drive. Really fun. He chuckles at a few things, is consistently engaged/engaging, and his run-in/rapprochement with Roland Kirk is hilarious.
wait as in rahsaan?
― set the controls for the heart of the congos (thomp), Friday, 26 October 2012 18:35 (eleven years ago) link
The very same. He opened for the Who in 1969, and thanked Pete for "giving us blind folks our own opera". He recognized Townshend, by voice, as someone who had good-naturedly heckled Kirk a year earlier in London (Townshend was/is a huge Kirk fan, though).
― 5-Hour Enmity (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 26 October 2012 18:54 (eleven years ago) link
well huh
― set the controls for the heart of the congos (thomp), Friday, 26 October 2012 19:14 (eleven years ago) link
Got this for Christmas, was a good read. Very engaging, if repetetive--it is a book about one person's behavior after all.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
i am not a particular fan of the who but my father-in-law got this for me and i thought it was pretty awful. combo of generic rock bio tendencies with townshend just being an unlikeable pretentious guy.
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 20:00 (eleven years ago) link
I agree it would be a pretty pointless read if you're not a fan.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 20:13 (eleven years ago) link
I have been trying to like it more, but Townshend does a lot of self-flagellating and I find myself wishing for more delight
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 23:20 (eleven years ago) link
Well he does seem to get more giddy whenever boats and expensive mixing consoles come into the picture.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 23:30 (eleven years ago) link
haha
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 3 January 2013 00:34 (eleven years ago) link
Pete's always been kind of a gleeful curmudgeon though, I can't imagine a *non* self-flagellating Townsend. that'd be kinda weird?
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 3 January 2013 00:35 (eleven years ago) link
Weirdly didn't mention Who Came First at all...otoh did imply that he invented the idea of the internet
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 4 January 2013 17:54 (eleven years ago) link
I thought the Who Came First omission was odd at first, but it was really just his usual demos compiled into an album at Decca's suggestion (he'd been selling some of the same demos on private-press devotional Meher Baba LPs, which Decca took to be bootlegs). The process of making that record was, for the most part, the process of making the demos for Lifehouse, so in a sense it was already covered in the book.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 4 January 2013 18:18 (eleven years ago) link
OK that makes sense, guess I gathered that but didn't know it was at the label's prompting. One thing is for sure is that Pete makes some ace demos. The Lifehouse chronicles stuff sounds so good.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 4 January 2013 20:36 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, his demos sound amazing. I can't think of another artist -- certainly none of Pete's contemporaries -- who could release an album of demos that no one would suspect are demos.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 4 January 2013 20:51 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah its kind of insane to hear the Tommy demos and it's pretty much the entire finished album.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 5 January 2013 00:50 (eleven years ago) link
yeah but when you have the rhythm section he had, nothing sounds like a finished record til you've got them on it
― some dude, Saturday, 5 January 2013 00:53 (eleven years ago) link
After reading the book, I watched Classic Records: Who's Next on netflix--it was great, in the way that whole series is, for all the isolated elements of the songs. Entwistle was just amazing on everything he played.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 5 January 2013 00:58 (eleven years ago) link
love that episode
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 5 January 2013 01:01 (eleven years ago) link
made me want to go back and listen to the whole thing again right away
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 5 January 2013 01:02 (eleven years ago) link
I kind of wish Roger would write a bio, just for balance. My guess is it would be good-natured, mildly funny, and about 120 pages long.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 5 January 2013 01:04 (eleven years ago) link
I love the little aside about Roger always prattling on about various conspiracy theories....LOL
― Iago Galdston, Saturday, 5 January 2013 01:14 (eleven years ago) link
Dunno about the book but I find I can't watch Townshend talking about almost anything on TV in the same way I can't with Geldof...he just sounds like such a tosser
― Master of Treacle, Saturday, 5 January 2013 05:13 (eleven years ago) link
like everything has says needs to be digested slowly and accurately for those at the back of the class..just fuck off
― Master of Treacle, Saturday, 5 January 2013 05:15 (eleven years ago) link
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, January 4, 2013 7:50 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
The version of "Tommy's Holiday Camp" that ended up on the finished album is actually Townshend's demo.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Saturday, 5 January 2013 15:13 (eleven years ago) link