Pete Diary 6/3

[L. Bird]

>3 June 2006
Saturday Night's All Right -

A few people who know how to get email to me have reached out offering help. 
I didn't mean to cry wolf - I have been so upbeat for so long. I am still 
upbeat, and looking forward to the shows. Nick Goderson who I wrote about 
yesterday is in fact well on his way to recovery, and yesterday I met with 
my financial team and we put some measures in place that will ensure the 
company runs smoothly while he gets well. This is something I should have 
done sooner. I was an hour late for rehearsal as a result.

The second day of rehearsal was better for me, I was very tired on day one. 
A last minute family commitment for Roger has meant he pulled out of today's 
rehearsal so we cancelled - maybe he got a weather forecast (this has been 
the most stunning day in the South of England).

My partner Rachel and I are both having to struggle through complex business 
problems and personal stuff too - friends who are falling by the wayside 
that we cannot help (because we are busy), really tricky staff problems and 
a building sense of awe, frustration and excitement as the tour approaches. 
I don't usually get so wound up about performing, but this is the first time 
for 24 years that I've produced a record just prior to the tour and I'm 
reminded how chaotic it can make the whole business feel. So many events all 
coming together at almost the same moment.

Both Rachel and I walk into the coming year with new music - she has an EP 
of five wonderful songs (one we wrote together) coming out mid June, and the 
Who have their own EP-single coming out around the same time. This is always 
a tense moment: will people like it? Will it get radio or TV? Will the 
reviews be OK or snide? Should we give a f**k? But it's great to have new 
music to sell on CD, carry, talk about, play live and offer for download.

I have had a very cool idea for how to launch our new record using the web. 
If we can pull it off it will entirely change the way the music industry 
operates. As I said in my article in the Music Week Who tribute a few weeks 
ago - it is a cunning plan. If you are a Russian or Chinese internet music 
seller, or a bootlegger, and you are refusing to pay a share of what you 
charge your customers to the artists who made the music - my cunning plan 
will ruin your year.