Re: Smashing Guitars

["John G. Niedzwicki" <73044.12@compuserve.com>]

Jose Ortiz wrote:

<<I am not Sigmund Freud, but I believe I found the inner motive in  
Pete's mind for smashing guitars. Why smashing guitars? That's a  
weird behaviour, is it?
Well, my interpretation is as follows. I think Pete found  
(subconsciously?) a way of performing a total offering to the  
audiences by mimicking the breaking of the glass after that special  
toss...>>

Interesting thoughts. Who shows at the height of their live performance career
(69-73 or so) were extremely emotionally charged events.   The smashing of a
guitar always seemed to me to be a means to unequivocally communicate in a very
physical manner that the show was OVER.  Having been fortunate enought to have
attended several smashings, I found it a "fulfilling" experience.

I remember discussing this issue once with someone (who had never seen The Who)
who was berating Townshend's wastefulness.  All I could say was "You just don't
understand."

J.