Re: Moon the Loon -- LIVES!

[JB2TheWho@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-05-30 21:20:35 EDT, rthomson@ptc.com (Rich Thomson)
writes:

<< atical) would go see the film every
 time, sitting in the 2nd or 3rd row.  When Pete smashes Tommy Smothers
 guitar in the opening scene, we would be shouting  THE .... KIDS ...
 ARE .... ALRIGHT!!!!! at the top of our lungs as the words flashed up
 on the screen.   >>

I just wanted to add that I thought that the description provided by Rich
Thompson (cited briefly, above) was not only among the best I have read, but
also highly remeniscient of my own experiences. It also brought two of those
small WHO-details/antedotes/memories to mind.

First -- Reading Rich's great description of taking over the front rows of
the theatre (on a weekly basis) in honor of TKAA reminded me a lot of one of
my personal fav's in terms of WHO-MANIA! I am referring to that superb scene
in the film version of "QUAD" when the MODS "crash" some upper middle class
party, and make their "take-over" complete by disgarding, with
needle-scratching volume, the rather boring slow tune droning in the
background right in mid-chrous and quickly replacing it with "MY
GENERATTTTTIIIOONNNN". Before they're more than a minute into the tune, the
MODS have the party in total and right proper mania as they sing along with
the refrain, slightly altering the lyric as they do so to go as follows....

(Instead of "My don't you all...Fade away...")

"WHY DON'T YOU ALL F#@K OFF?!!"

Second thought - Rich described quite well the scene taken from the original
Smother's Brother's show in the course of which Pete destroys one of the
brother's acoustic guitars. I would only add, for color, a quick one about
what followed and, more to the point, what had preceeded it....

Right after Pete removed the guitar from around the host's nect, then smashed
it, without missing a beat, the Smother's brother on camera shouted to the
one off-camera (and I may be mixing up the brothers here)...

"Ah...Dick..Could you come out here...AND BRING YOUR BASS!" (The other
brother played one of those older, large classical type bass instruments).

Best part of all, was what preceeded that bit of glorious anarchy (in the
USA)! The ever ingenious Keith MOON was determined to do his bit to add a
little extra "punch" to the band's rendition, on the TV show that evening, of
"Myyyy Gennneration". So, knowing that the song was bound to end in a classic
WHO instrument-smashing ending, Keith figurewd he'd get things going right
proper (and surprise the other guys in the band at the same time) by
concealing a small charge of blasting power inside his drum kit, and then
just as the song was reaching it's end, detonate the charge (just to get
everyone in the proper mood).

Being a most serious-minded and intelligent gent, Keith actually sought out
some technical advice on what sort of blasting power to use, how to get it,
and MOST IMPORTANTLY, how much power to "blow-up". (This advice was finally
obtained, only after Keith's dedicated efforts, including his parting with a
number of parmacuetical items to a stage hand).

Just before show time, the stage hand gave Keith the small quantity of
blasting powder he had obtained for him, then carefully measured out A VERY
SMALL, SINGLE teaspoon (a may be off on the exact measurement, but it was a
minute quantity), warning Keith in the strongest possible terms not to use "a
single grain more" of the blasting powder, then leaving Keith with the
.remaining, unused powder for use on future occasions.

Keith then applied the same philosphy to the blasting power as he was fond of
applying to his consumption of all sorts of illegal items....If ONE is GOOD,
then TEN has to be ten times BETTER. So just before showtime, Keith altered
the carefully measured "bomb", by adding a large, additional quantity of
"powder".

The result was pure KEITH! There was a tremendous blast, PETE reportedly had
an eardrum shattered, Roger's hair was singed, bits of metal shapnel went
flying all over the set (from the cymbals) and, waiting in the wings as the
next act, (and this is PURE -- WHO!) Bette Davis fainted into the arms of
Mickey Rooney!

(If you have a close look at the collage whick occupies the final minute ot
two of the film, TKAA, you can sew one very clear, 5-second or so long, bit
of film showing the blast in all it's glory -- you can't miss it if you know
to look for it).

And then, of course, that's what make KEITH, ..well, KEITH, and that's a hunk
of what made us all, I suppose, the fanatical WHO fans that we all so
gloriously are!

Regards,


JB2-TheWHO!