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Re: RadioheadPretentiousProgressiveSemanticPrick
>To all Prog Rock fans who think I was slamming your tunes by suggesting
>that Prog is pretentious --
I wasn't offended.
>1 : an allegation of doubtful value : PRETEXT
>2 : a claim or an effort to establish a claim
>3 : a claim or right to attention or honor because of merit
>4 : an aspiration or intention that may or may not reach fulfillment has
>serious literary pretensions
>
>"Tommy" may be the most pretentious piece of work in rock ever, and one of
>my favorites. You gotta reach high to accomplish anything.
Here's what Pete had to say about it, just recently:
We've had the usual patronising reviews. I've lost count of the times
journalists have said that I'm brilliant but pretentious. What the fuck is
an artist supposed to be but pretentious?
The machinery of art is impossible to explain to someone who possesses no
natural gifts (by that I mean talents they haven't actually worked for and
cannot pretend they deserve). So I won't try and explain it. Let me just say
that being Townshend is not an act. I couldn't act it if I tried.
However, pretention could indeed creep into my life-plan if I allowed it.
But, credit where it's due, the only times I am aware of using pretention is
when it was necessary. And strangely it always worked - particularly with
Tommy. 'Rock Operas aside' is often the opening for reviews of the current
Who singles-oriented live shows. In other words, let's forget the rock
operas.....
Hey, let's not. Even the first rash of sharp Who singles were a rock opera
of a kind. (Is this me getting pretentious?). I was fresh out of art school
when I started writing for The Who, and the main lesson I'd learned at
college was to watch people, reflect them, listen to them and learn from
them. I also learned quite a few things that it has taken decades to
harness: the need to keep one's creative centre away from one's audience. In
my case, even from one's 'band'! That it is not to say that one needs to be
mythical, or mysterious - some kind of distant star. One simply needs to be
autonomous. Self-contained.
I don't need to be reminded where I came from. I genuinely do have real
humility about the grace with which my early work was received in the UK in
64/65/66 then finally in the USA in 67. Band and fans alike allowed me to
take the stage, and to write songs. The assumption new artists make these
days that they must, or should, or can easily, perform and write is a
nonsense. Some people can do both, some people cannot.
So when I'm tired like this I obviously feel the need to remind myself why.
I don't think it's because I'm travelling or jumping up and down (a little
bit) on stage. I am putting more into all this than I really want to. I am
out of control. I have no power over the part of me that proclaims himself
to be Townshend as Picasso proclaimed himself. I don't think The Who, the
songs, the fans, history or even charity deserve what I give. But I give it
any way. Can't help myself.
Watch me in the coming months. Watch me in the coming year. I plan to be
very, very pretentious indeed.
:)
keets
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