Re: Where To Begin

>        When Pete Townshend wrote the lyrics to "Dr. Jimmy", he was
>building up a character for the story of Quadrophenia.  I'm sure a man who
>has a wife and two daughters would not encourage rape and other violence
>against women.

Stacey:

I think you've nailed it here. Also it should be noted that to a young,
frustrated male teen who is constantly rejected by women (more common in the
`60s than it is today), rape might seem a legitimate form of revenge...for a
moment. Not that it would ever be acted upon, but the thoughts certainly arise.
Society has changed quite a bit since the early `60s, and people are now
more aware of rape (maybe too aware, given what can constitute "sexual
harrasment" these days, but anyway) these days. Also, women are no longer
"waiting to be asked" as they more likely to do back then.
Like you, I think Townshend was building up a moment in time with that
imagery. One of the reasons why we all like The Who's work so much is Pete's
ability to project an image into our minds, and this particular line (as
well as: "You say she's a virgin/Well, I'm gonna be the first in...")
illustrates that. You can tell exactly where Jimmy is, mentally, at that moment.
It also shouldn't be forgotten that Jimmy is drunk when he sings this.
Rape is a crime of violence, not sex. It's about power and control, not
lust. Jimmy's statement has elements of both...that is, he's out for sex as
well as revenge on the women who rejected him. 



                   Cheers                   ML


"For three generations, Pepsi has trying to make people to believe it's `The
Pepsi Generation.' This is the first one dumb enough to believe it."
                                                                    Unknown