No clever subject - Legacy and Cobain

["Jeff House" <whocasa@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I tried to think up a play on legacy using 'middle leg' for my subject line,
but I just couldn't come up with anything.

Schrade said:  "The '89 tour showed Who fans that The Who couldn't go out as
a 5-piece
band & play their music anymore.  It showed Who fans that Pete's hearing was
irreparably damaged.  It showed Who fans that the band had lost all of their
ferociousness.  It showed Who fans that what made Who shows enjoyable &
threatening was irretrievably gone.  And by the time 1999/2000 rolled
around, most had already lost faith.  Won't get fooled again, etc."

There's a great deal of truth in this.  It seems that this is a view of the
supply side of the Who equation.  The very idea of the '89 format made me
turn tail and run.  I probably would have had a lousy time if I had bothered
to go.  It see this like many fan's reaction to the 2002 U.S. shows.  John's
death made many hardcore fans walk into the arena with their arms folded,
unable to open their minds up to the possibility of enjoyment.  I know,
because I did it myself
:-(

"I'm sure you know what a legacy is, Jeff."

Of course I know what you guys mean.  I'm just being a dick and trying to
change the subject.

"To me, in the Who's case, it's how the band & it's output, live & studio,
is perceived by a
majority of the Rock-consuming public.  Their triumphs & failures.  Hits &
misses.  And the thing that irks me is that their failures seem to be
overshadowing their triumphs."

Again, it looks like you are mostly lamenting the fact that the bad PR hurts
demand for Who tunes.  Per Jon's thoughtful response, I do wonder if this
kind of thinking has led to the creative paralysis that has plagued Pete
within the Who brand.

It seems to me that there were times when he thought forward, and didn't
give a damn about protecting the reputation of the stuff they had done in
the past.  He was seeking success, rather than trying to avoid failure.

Was he thinking of the legacy of their past work when he went from.....
...the punky Max RnB sound to Tommy' studio polish?
...Live at Leeds to Lifehouse and all those synthesizers?
...Who's Next's hook-laden, radio-friendly tunes to Quad's big dramatic
concepts and classical motif?
...Quad's drama to WBN's very personal tone?

I don't think so.  I think the best work came to Pete when he was able to
let go of the past and live in the present and the future.

Schrade also said:  "But it's an ongoing battle.  The remastered MY
GENERATION album is getting some real nice, positive reviews.  Maybe that'll
help negate Kurt Cobain's nasty comment."

I think that anyone who would give much credence to Cobain's diary is going
to be pretty closed-minded toward The Who anyway.  These are the thoughts of
a man headed toward self-destruction and the destruction of those around
him.  Personally, I think he is an anti-hero.  His legacy is that he was too
much of a coward to hang around and raise the child that he brought into the
world.   He's the ultimate loser.  I can't think of enough nasty things to
say about his final act.  It does seem that there are those who glorify his
suffering for art, his angst, his 'integrity', his victim mentalitly, etc.
I find that distasteful.  I don't find much to admire about Cobain.  He was
a talented guy, but a sorry excuse for a man in my book.

Jeff