misquotes

["Kevin Winn" <kwinn@chrome.com>]

>>It's hard to imagine anyone being able to screw up direct quotes from PT,
>>but his comments were totally misplaced in context.  I was incensed!......
>>KLW

>Not me - I've seen Pete's quotes taken so far out of context that it
>nearly ruined his public image. The perfect example is when USA Today
>printed one line out of a 4 year old interview - and they acted like he was
>coming out of the closet. In fact, I'm convinced that he wrote Psychoderelict
>in response to his negative dealings with the press. In the Feb.1994 Playboy
>interview with Pete, he clears himself of all those charges.  He's not a
>homosexual, but if you didn't know better, the press would lead you to
>believe differently. It just goes to show what the press will do to sell
>another paper.....
>-the mayor

I stand corrected... I've since thought of several instances where PT had
comments chopped up and tossed into the air before the final edition was
printed.  I think it's the tendency of the general press to ignore most of
what people say until some key word jumps out at them (like "violence" or
"homosexual") at which time they listen just long enough to grab something
they can twist into an "exclusive" quote, then prop it up in front of the 1st
Amendment and call it "investigative journalism."

Come to think of it, most of the times I've heard PT misquoted have been in
pieces from the large publishers like Time, NewsWeek, USAToday, etc.

On the other hand, I've read several interviews in Playboy that have been
excellent, including PT and Frank Zappa, where thet have been given the chance
to debunk many of the weird notions that have been floating around for years.

Every few years, it seems, PT and the Who enjoy a resurgence of popular
acclaim, and it's during these times that the hacks come out and completely
screw up on a guy who is (and has been for years) quite possibly the BEST
interview in rock music.


OK,
KLW