RE: The Who Mailing List Digest V4 #170

["Eames, Fred" <Fred.Eames@mail.house.gov>]

The description of Psychoderelict is generally accurate, with the
following two modifications.

Ray doesn't appear to know at the end of the story that the young girl
was Ruth, he outright claims that he knew it was her all along.  This is
in the dialogue just before "You Can't Fake It."  

Second, the song "Stop Trying to Make Me Real" is autobiographical
(about Ray), not about Ruth.  The implied "you" that would precede "stop
trying" is equally applicable to Rastis, Ruth, the imaginary young
female fan, and to the audience generally.  The point is that the artist
is a human being (and a private one at that), and the audience can glean
his essence through a performance, but they can't capture it.  He is not
a companion, only temporary entertainment and perhaps enlightenment.
Don't try to destroy the real Ray High (Townshend) by making the
superstar Ray High supplant him.

This is a theme that recurs in Townshend's work.  He got frustrated with
"Jump, Pete, jump!"

Also, the fact that "Make Me Real" is sequenced well prior to Ray's
claim that he "knew all along" buttresses the claim.  It seems to show
he was aware that Ruth and Rastis were trying to make him jump.