Re: WGFA, Who Cult, The Real We

[JB2TheWho@aol.com]

Leo--

Whoever you are ---

Once again I find myself both in agreement and quite dazzled by your
comprehension and articulation of some of the deeper aspects of what
TOWNSHEND was all about...So, KUDOS to you once again...

I refer to your message, a paragraph of which I cite below:

In a message dated 97-06-07 09:53:43 EDT, Leo.O'Sullivan@globalone.net (Leo
O'Sullivan) writes:

<< 
 When I said I thought it wasn't "about" active revolution, I meant it
 wasn't advocating active revolution, but I also believe Pete's lines are
 not simply about avoiding "violent" revolutions and their leaders.  I've
 always seen the lyrics as almost tongue in cheek and therefore slightly
 satirical in its view of revolutions.  "When we're fighting in the
 street, with our children at our feet"??  When was the last time you saw
 a band of revolutionaries babysitting their kids while simultaneously
 holding off the military in a street battle.  I think he's playing with
 the images to get his point across, but I've always thought his point
 was that we should steer clear of all world changing revolutionaries,
 violent or otherwise.  I think he was lumping the hawks, doves,
 rightwingers, hippies, yippies and every other group advocating a
 certain agenda into the same pot.  I think the song, as you pointed out
 before, was a playing out of Dylan's line, "Don't follow leaders";
 leaders of any kind.
  >>

By the way, the full Dylan quote is...

"Don't follow leaders,
And watch them, Parking Meters!"

(From SUBTERREANEAN HOMESICK BLUES...)

The same song, BTW, which had the now famous line..(which would seem to be
relevant to what you (LEO) are saying...

"You don't need a weatherman,
to know which way the wind blows..."

Of course, the line became famous because after the breakup of the radical
SFDS revolutionary group in the late 1960's, the hardest core element (you
know, Toss a bomb here, a bomb there, everywhere a bomb, bomb, bomb...)
resurfaced and dubbed themselves at first "THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND" and then
later, simply "THE WEATHERMEN", in both cases attempting to allude to that
line in the Dylan song...

Which is ironice because that strikes me as EXACTLY the WRONG interpretation
of both the Dylan song as well as WGFA that you so eloquently described....

Another small point that bolsters your view, IMHO, is the marvellous
"greeting" that PETE TOWNSHEND extended to ABBIE HOFFMAN when the erstwhile
revolutionary dared to "SIEZE/SHARE" the stage with the WHO in the middle of
TOMMY at WOODSTOCK..Perhaps the best case of coming up with an alternative
and violent use for his guitar in Pete's entire career!

This just struck me in reading you note, which I cited above: What do you
think of this hypothesis....

It's no secret what PETE thought of the relative fame and "creative" standing
affoprded Mick "jet set" Jagger vis a vis the truly revolutionary, in the
total social/artistic sense/ PETE TOWNSHEND/WHO...I should probably check the
copyright dates before suggesting this, but has it ever occurred to you that
WGFA might very well have been a typically TOWNSHEND "off-hand" put down of
Mr.'s Jaghger and Co, considering the fact that their CLOSING ANTHEM at the
time was the rather absurb "STREET FIGHTING MAN" (At least, after ATLAMONT,
one could call it absurb). WGFA is, of course, so much more complex a song as
to be otherwise incomparable...but considering PETE's celebrated views on the
relative fame/success/and dues paid to obtain the same of the STONE vis a vis
the WHO, it wouldn't surprise me if WGFA was, among many other things of
course, a subtle but well deserved slap at Mick and his psuedo-revolutionary
pretensions?

Just a thought..wondered if it was a unique one..

Regards,

JB----2TheWHO!