Re: forget DicknBush, what are the Who's politics?

[Alan McKendree <amck@thenetdr.com>]

>Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2000 00:49:36 -0700
>From: "Cory Anderson" <coryndenise@earthlink.net>
>
>Can anyone think
>of  instances where the Who, or it's members, involved themselves in the
>political arena?

They played the Fete des Humanite (sp?) in France, which was connected with
the Communist party there.  A famous B&W photo of Pete, airborne, holding
his guitar over his head, taken from the rear of the stage and looking past
him over the audience, was taken at that show.


>Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2000 09:14:08 GMT
>From: "L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>
>
>They are very loyal (and apparently patriotic)
>Britons as they remained in the country during the heavily socialist (and
>high tax) era before Thatcher.

All their continued residence meant is that they didn't consider the tax
onerous enough to warrant moving.  John has said, in so many words, "Sod
Labour".  (The whole interview is at http://www.thewho.net/hyper in the
articles section.)


>Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2000 05:43:45 -0400
>From: Jeff House <jjthandmeh@juno.com>
>
>Pete whacking Abbie Hoffman at Woodstock is the
>most obvious demonstration of Pete's opinion that they are about music,
>not yankee politics.

I don't think it was that considered.  Pete was already pissed at being
crowded on his own stage, having given a photographer a boot earlier.
Anyone stepping onstage with any kind of message, political or not, at that
point would have earned a guitar whack.  It wasn't music over politics, it
was "us, The Who" over "anyone stupid enough to get in our way".

Cheers,

Alan
"That's unbelievable, if that's true."
   --Howard Stern, 5/25/00