What I think of the Who.

["J. Goodwilling" <jgood@anet-stl.com>]

I'm currently 37 years old. My love affair with the WHO started when I saw
the movie 'The Kids are All Right" in college back in 1980.  I fell in love
with this band. I went out the next day and bought three albums. Thinking I
would never get a chance to see them Live, I found out that they were
coming to my home town. At that time I would have sacrificed anything to
see them live, even if it was just one time. I had to see them in person. 
A friend of mine called and told me he could get 16th row floor tickets. I
couldn't believe it. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.   Whenever I was going
through a tough time in school or had social problems, I would crank the
Who, and I would feel like life was worth living again. Of all the Rock
bands I have liked, no single group's music and personality has touched me
more personally than the Who. 

On their newest tour, I got my chance to thank one of their members
personally, John Entwistle.  He was displaying his artwork at a small local
gallery in my home town.  I was allowed to bring my video camera inside. I
captured something really neat. A gentlemen bought a print of his "Who By
Numbers" artwork..  He asked John if he would "connect the dots" on
himself. He preceded to do so and replied in his British accent, I always
wanted to do that. I got to shake his hand and thank him and his great band
for everything. This all happened one day before the concert. For those of
you who have witnessed that gem called Quadrophenia, you can see how my
weekend was made complete.

What makes the Who so special to me is that they are so REAL. They seem to
care about their music and their fans. They are real people, not stuck up,
overplayed and overpaid jerks.  They go out and play like it's their last
gig. They play their hearts out.  They always have. My wife got turned onto
them just like me. I showed her the film on video tape. She got the Who Flu
too. And like me, she got a chance to see them shortly after seeing the
film. I was so happy for her that they put on one hell of a show. It was so
wonderful to see Pete play electric guitar. To see him really wail. I had
seen them three times and this was the first time he went out and played
the guitar like he did in the past. His brother Simon, is great too. God,
he looked like Pete in 1970. It was eerie. Long Live the Who and many more
years to come.  They will always have a special reserved spot in my heart
and their music will always hold a special meaning and feeling.