San Francisco Guardian on Pete

[Brian Cady <brianinatlanta2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

On line at:
http://www.sfbayguardian.com/37/17/x_sonic_reducer.html

Won't get fiddled with again

EVERYONE'S DOING IT for the kids, and everyone's rap
sheet seems to be getting that much longer these days.
Gary Glitter, a.k.a. Paul Gadd, was hunted by cops and
ejected from Cambodia this month after being convicted
in Britain years ago of downloading child pornography.
Oh, we all had a good guffaw about that: the man had
maybe one good song in him, a ludicrous coif  on his
head and chest  and a very sleazy aura. But the
groans were audible when we heard Pete Townshend was
arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of
children, then released, without being charged. 

Later, Townshend vehemently denied being a pedophile
and issued a statement saying he used a credit card to
enter and view a child porn Web site to do research
for an autobiography that will include his own
suspected childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a
family friend. 

Yeah, we all remember Uncle Ernie and "Fiddle About"
in Tommy. Our moans of dismay were a little like those
when we heard about John Entwistle's autopsy results.
We were just a bit disappointed. Townshend isn't dead,
but it's a crying shame when you think about his
honesty regarding his sexuality and his support of
young people through his music. And why are we so
willing to crucify someone like Glitter in the court
of public opinion  feeling better about ourselves
since he's been found guilty  yet so eager to cut
Townshend much slack? Maybe more rides on our
perception of his integrity. (Though, I guess now more
than ever we all probably hope we die before we get
old  or at least before our potential transgressions
catch up with us.) It's bittersweet to read his recent
online diaries and find him discussing collaborating
on "pieces" with Roger Daltry again. "I hesitate to
say 'songs' in case people think I have ceased to be
pretentious...," he writes. "I believe it is a tough
time to write new music. Even younger musicians I
speak to feel burdened by what has gone before." 


=====
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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