Re: EXTRA - Read All About it - Pete defends LEO!"

[JB2TheWho@aol.com]

Rob-

You made some good (and no doubt personally entirelly valid) points in your
reply to Leo regard the necessary coupling of true WHO fanaticism and a
certain of documentable insanity...

I have to agree with Leo on this one, and I have it on good authority....

I happened to attend the 1989 special "TOMMY" performance (the one which came
out on video -- I made it into two shots!) - and it was a typically wild WHO
gig, first TOMMY, then a break, then another good 1 to 1.5 hours with Roger
running in place the entire time while wearing a heavy leather jacket (tiny,
indoor venue)..

Anyway, right at the end, some interesting things happened. I know that not
all of them made it onto the video, some did, but some I know did not,
including the final encore ("SUMMERTIME BLUES"). Well, right in that final
section of the evening....PETE got down-rght "chatty" with us (the audience),
and what he had to say seemed to me to be remarkably well thought out and
more than that, heartfelt..

He talked about Keith, said something to the effect of 

"We tried to replace Keith Moon for a long time...but then relized that KEITH
just could NOT be replaced...but, you see, he's very much "A PRESENCE" here,
TONIGHT!"

Insteresting stuff..anyway, in support of Leo's line of thought, Pete
finished this  spontaneous vocal meditation with an interesting comment (and
as I consider it blasphemy to alter PETE's words, I would warn all that there
is a four letter one in the quote which follows....).

He was suddenly talking about something he was referring to a "show business"
but, as he was clearly referring to everyone there (and I was in the second
row center and got a pretty good look at his face as he was speaking), he was
referring more to life in general than show business in particular..At least,
that aspect of life that makes us into WHO fans, in much the manner described
by LEO...Anyway, PETE said (and I slightly paraphrase here..)

"You know.,..none of us would ever BE HERE" Pete gestured broadly to include
the fans.."None of us would be here, or want to be here, if we hadn't be
utterly FUCKED-UP at some time or another!"

That would seem to support Leo's point, and from the highest possible
authority. I wouldn't for a second take ANYTHING away from the validity of
your own experience, but I might perhaps suggest that your experience may not
have been all that different in nature, but that you handled it, and came to
view it, in different terms..We all ended up at the same place, anyway.

For what it's worth!

JB --2The WHO!