Re: Secret december gigs/Young Vic part 2 ?

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

>"Now I'm thinking it should be right on the edge of annoying as far as 
>lyrical content goes...(edit)...So, a new Who album ought to be calculated 
>to be slightly annoying to as many age and ethinic groups as possible.  All 
>very ironically, of course."
>
>However, I don't think it would be difficult to come up with
>an annoying angle for any new stuff. - The mere existence of a continuing 
>Who is annoying to many, since rock is a young person's genre. If they rock 
>simple and hard, they are trying to act young. If they rock complicated and 
>soft, they are betraying their roots, sounding bombastic, pretentious, 
>overblown, blah blah, woof woof.

Well, we know we're going to hear that, anyway.

I liked what I heard last year.  It sounded like a synthesis of all they've 
done before--which is what they should sound like.  I would like to hear 
that they continue to annoy people, though.  :)


>I guess I'm saying that they couldn't do anything *but* annoy.  They are 
>The Who, after all.  There genius, chemistry and phenomenal talent are 
>enough to annoy.

That is so, but if it turns out to be a low key album subject and 
lyric-wise, then it will be easier for critics to put it down.  If it turns 
out to be scalding, then they can't dismiss it nearly so easily.  This is a 
point of strategy, BTW.  I don't know if TED actually think about strategy, 
or just do what they feel, but they tend to be annoy folks because they do 
very striking and unexpected things.

The reason that Texas TKAA sticks in my mind is the nasty quality of the 
opening improv.  Something set Pete off that night, and he went after the 
kids.  Roger's challenge in CN comes off edgy, too--half loving and half 
ready to fight it out to the finish.  Assuming that a new album follows up 
on the ideas of last summer, it would be a mistake to make it all 
sentimental chaff about loving your kids and wishing them well after you're 
gone.  Any good story needs conflict.  This is the reason TOMMY and QUAD are 
so successful.  They're full of traumatic and ugly conflict.


keets

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