Re: Andnow for something "completely different.."

[Beau McCrury <Beau.McCrury@ucop.edu>]

>Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 11:47:47 -0700
>To: JB2TheWho@aol.com, TheWho@igtc.com
>From: Beau McCrury <Beau.McCrury@ucop.edu>
>Subject: Re: Andnow for something "completely different.."
>Bcc: TAM
>
>Hi,
>Thanx very much for your note.  I find all your comments very interesting and
>insightful.  Let me throw a few comments in your note by way of response.
>At 09:30 AM 7/4/97 -0400, JB2TheWho@aol.com wrote:
>>Beau,
>>
>>I thought you made two superb points in your last note (excerpt cited below).
>
>Gee thanx:)
>>
>
>
>However, if you really want to mess with you own
>>head vis a vis THE WHO and PETE's genius, do exactly the process described
>>above, decide firmly upon a meaning, and then go back and listen to PETE's
>>original "Demo" and get totally messed up and confused all over again - But
>>it also gives you yet another insight into the unique genius of PETE
>>TOWNSHEND.
>
>That's a very interesting idea.  I'll have to try that.  But it seems to 
>illustrate a phenomenon of the artistic process.  It evolves.  That artistic
>license is given out and used not only by Pete but by other members of the
>group.  I could very easily see Pete submitting a song to The Who and them
>fiddling around with it further, or as Keith once said 'we who'd it'.  Also
>I think that the artistic process doesn't have to stop with recordings.  I
>feel that the artistic process can continue with the listener.  For example,
>listening to a symphony with the lights out, your mind starts to wonder and
>potentially can create very wonderful ideas.  One of the reasons that I find
>the music of The Who so personal is that I have taken it into my own creative
>space and well, I Beau'd it.  And I think that's one of the reasons the Digest
>is so valuable because we all get to see what The Who mean to others and what
>we have all done to it.
>
>>(I am assuming that you are famaliar with the "demos"?? 
>
>Yes I am.  I have them both.  Thanx for revitalizing my interest in them 
>with your letter here.  I'm looking forward to giving them another listen,
>and with new insight, thanx!
>>
>>(You can also get an even rarer sense of the genius of Roger Daltrey, or at
>>least, what THE WHO would be missing without him (A LOT!!). PETE's my hero
>>but he's not the most macho guy in the world and some of his love songs,
>>especially the early ones like "I can't explain" sound like George Bush OFF
>>of steroids --Pure Cane Syrup!! Then Roger gets ahold of it and the end
>>result is a ultra-cool sort of "snarl" instead of a wimpy "Oh..I'm so
>>lovestuck...gee..I can't even explain.." sort of deal. (Now what me get the
>>S$#T flamed out of myself
>>as people jump to the notion that I'd be dumb enough to compare PETE and
>>ROG..can't be done..and PETE's without a doubt one of the great artistic
>>geniuses of our century, perhaps our age.....but listening to the demos is a
>>real RUSH).
>>
>Well I can't agree with you more.  I think Roger is very underrated.  We on
>the list seem to give so much attention to Pete but never enough IMO to Roger.
>I think Roger is one of the best song interpreters in the business. 
>And by far he certainly is my favorite rock singer.
>
>
>>Finally, I couldn't agree with you more in your second coment about the
>>beauty of PETE lyrics --- there are some astonishing lyrics on that last
>>(well, close to) WHO LP which get overlooked far too frequently -- check out
>>"I'll Never Know War" which has one delicious line...(OK I'll paraphrase and
>>get the date wrong, but check out the wonderful line about the end of the
>>Nazis, playing off of the word "defeated....(then..next line).........and
>>ALBERT SPEER was deleted." Somehow, I can't imagine Mick Jagger or Bowie or
>>anyone (cept Dylan, of course), coming up with a line that tight!
>
>Oh god yes!  I think the poetry of it all is absolutely amazing!  And I've got
>to get those liner notes out again, I didn't realise the lyric was 'Albert 
>Speer was deleted.'  Well thanx again!
>
>Well take care.  Hope to talk to you again soon.
>
>Beau 'getting that wax out of my ears' McCrury
>