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John Entwistle bio in All Starr Program
Hi everybody!!!!!!
I had the extreme pleasure of catching our old pal John Entwistle perform
with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band this past Tuesday night 7/18 at New
Jersey's Garden State Arts Center. I thought it was a great show; it's always
fun at a Ringo show (besides being a WHOhead, I'm also heavily into the
Beatles), and seeing the Ox on this tour was especially cool!! I must say,
however, that John did not seem too thrilled to be there. He looked especially
uncomfortable when Ringo would address the audience between songs. I guess
he's used to performing concept works in which there are no breaks between
songs!! Also, John's bass set-up was about 1/2 the size it usually is. It's a
wonder the guy could hear himself!! He DID play VERY well, however. And
surprise of surprises: when he sang HIS two songs for the night, "Boris The
Spider" and "My Wife", he actually hit MOST of the vocal notes (except for the
high "B" during "My Wife"). My complaint with John live is that he plays SO
LOUD usually that he can't hear himself when he sings off-key. Maybe the
overall decrease in stage volume will help him sing better.
I thought I'd share the John Entwistle "bio", as printed in the glossy $15
tour program. Aside from containing a sneak peek into John's future offerings
to his public (namely US), the pointed humor of the bio's verbiage says that
it wasn't a public relations person who wrote this bio: it was the Quiet One
himself!!!! Read on:
JOHN ENTWISTLE'S BIO (as originally printed in the 1995 Ringo tour program):
" John's musical career started when his mother forced him to play the piano
at the age of six. He learned to read music almost before he could read words.
He is still confused between the two. By the age of eleven, he decided to play
the trumpet. Unfortunately, the school orchestra, already overloaded with
trumpet players, gave him a French Horn instead. Soon jazz was dead and "Long
Live Rock". John then chose to play a louder instrument. He chose the bass
because it was longer than the guitar; a much larger phallic symbol. Editor's
Note: It is a widely unknown fact that John both played and arranged all the
brass on "The WHO's" recorded material. (It was much cheaper that way!) After
meeting Peter Townshend and Roger Daltrey at school, they formed the embryo of
"The WHO", which at the time they named the Detours. After a few "detours"
they found a new drummer in Keith Moon and a new name, "The WHO". After a
string of 10 Top Ten singles in England, they decided to conquer America.
After seven long profitless American tours, they were $500,000 in debt with a
truck load of trashed equpiment. Then along came "Tommy", "Live at Leeds",
"Who's Next", "Quadrophenia" and a whole string of compilation albums which
were massive successes. Films of their concept albums were made: "Tommy",
"Quadrophenia" and "The Kids Are Alright". After a string of moderately
successful solo albums by John and the other members of the band, the tragic
death of Keith Moon changed forever the destiny of "The WHO". After a series
of live tours and two albums with Keith's replacement, Kenny Jones, "The WHO"
floundered, twitched a few times, and finally croaked. Until, in 1989 the
dusty lid of 'The WHO's" coffin creaked open to produce the hugely successful
"Back From The Dead Goodbye Again Tour". John is currently sitting firmly with
his ass on the coffin lid, although occasionally, when he gets off to go to
the bathroom, another "WHO" album is released. He is now pursuing new careers
as both artist and writer. Lithographs of his 'The WHO By Numbers" cover, as
well as various other cartoons of famous "rock stars" are soon to be released
for sale to the art loving public. He is also scribbling furoiusly, trying to
finish the first of a trilogy of novels recounting his humorous adventures
with 'The WHO". He has recently just finished remixing a selection of tracks
from his five solo albums - to be released soon."
As if the prospect of new John Entwistle releases on the horizon doesn't get
your salivary glands going, read this excerpt from Zak Starkey's bio:
"Since his last outing with Ringo and his All-Starr Band in 1992, Zak has
toured extensively with Eagle Joe Walsh and thundered across North America on
Roger Daltrey's 1994 "A Celebration: The Music Of Pete Townshend And The WHO"
tour (which also featured a 60-piece orchestra). Most recently Zak has been in
London recording studios working on tracks for the forthcoming Classical WHO
CD with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and performing live on the London
club scene with his new band, Animal Soup."
This just about confirms the fact that there WILL INDEED be a Classical WHO CD
released soon, probably next year. And, to tell you the truth, people, with
all the impending WHO-related releases, I would not at all be surprised if we
see some live WHO activity. I know that all of you are probably saying "Yeah
sure!!! Marty's talking out of his ass again!!!" But if the Classical CD is
good,.......who knows? EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!
BTW, as I'm writing this mesage, I'm on the phone ordering the import version
of the re-released and updated Dave Marsh WHO bio, "Before I Get Old".
Yowsa!!
Talk to you later (don't wanna hear it again tonight),
Marty Secero