Re: The new tunes. Afterglow.

["Kevin O'Neal" <kevinandt@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From: "Scott Schrade"
>Subject: >
 >Once again, they have created
>something which so easily becomes the soundtrack to *my* life.
>
>It hit me hard.  Maybe it was the Jager.  Maybe it was the dark,
>mysteriousness of the evening I was moving through - with Jupiter,
>Saturn, & hugely bright Venus traversing the clear night sky.
>
>And I'll be goddamned damned if I didn't get a little choked up.

Maybe it wasn't any of that.
Maybe it's something just so much deeper.

"Once again, they have created something which so easily becomes the
soundtrack to *my* life."

Maybe you just hit the nail right on the head, brother Schrade.

Forget all the "will it be successful", "it's not rocking enough", "there
will not be mass appeal", "there *will* be mass appeal", "maybe there will
be mass appeal?"  "They're too slow." "They sound like Roger's album."
"They're 80-is."

It's funny, I'm not thinking along any of these lines, or even close to
them.
I'm dwelling on the immediate emotional response that I've felt.
It's been strong.
And, from reading, I'm apparently not the only one.

"Once again, they have created something which so easily becomes the
soundtrack to *my* life."

I've been having very heavy emotional responses to RGLB.  It drives to the
center of me.  It squeezes those feelings that have been long ago filed
under "Do not open."  Filed under "Painful memories."
It is not afraid to go there, spend some time, ask some questions,
then.....leave and return to how things are now, and rejoice at the triumph.
My son comes in every time I play the song.  This last time he asked to be
held, and then rocked to the sound.  It was touching him.  I looked at him,
felt the pain of past memories that I've long ago tried to escape, looked
back at him and saw how far I've come, and then bloody lost it.

"Once again, they have created something which so easily becomes the
soundtrack to *my* life."

How can this be?
How is it that Pete Townshend can evoke so much emotion?
How does he know?
Or is it, that he simply has the courage to go there.  He's never afraid.

It becomes the soundtrack of our lives, because we are living the same life.
Some have said that Pete says "fuck you" to his fans.  That Pete doesn't
care about his fans.
If anyone is stupid enough to believe this, then fine.
A person doesn't lay it on the line like that without caring.
We're living the same life.  Not the superficial life of day to day
activity, but the life inside each of us.  The emotional struggles, personal
thoughts, visions, views, aspirations, etc.

This band, this group of people led by Pete, know.  They understand those
that take the time to try and understand, to feel.  We are the same, us and
them.

"Once again, they have created something which so easily becomes the
soundtrack to *my* life."

All of our lives.
It becomes the soundtrack of our lives, so easily, because it's also the
soundtrack of their lives.
And, they have the balls to stand up in front of the world and lead the way.
They're not afraid.

This song has a very Quad-like feel to it.  It's on the same mission.

>Daltrey's voice became mine once again.  My fists clenched &
>I felt the power.  Sweet holy fuck, I felt that that wonderful power
>& I wanted to throw my fist in the air & scream!

There was a time in my life that was quite dark, very painful.
When I first became a Who fan, it was for very selfish and instant
gratification reasons.
Those weren't strong enough to keep me a fan.
I wandered.
At my darkest hour, I needed help.
I turned back to The Who.
The words and mission of The Who helped.  They gave me courage.  They
allowed me to lift my head and move away and forward.
I became a fan again, but a much deeper fan.
Those reasons were enough to make me a fan for life.
And now.....now.....now The Who has the guts to look back, to look back at
the pain.
To ask questions,.
To consider.

And then....

to turn around and appreciate where you are now.

It's painful, to be sure.
But, at the end, all I can say is "thanks."

Hey, if there's a better explanation, I'm all ears.  ;-)

>I eagerly await more.

Ohhhhh, yeah.

Kevin (with another, "just press send" post) in VT