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Re: The Who, John Hiatt, and The Kinks



>Maybe so...but none of that means that *I* have to like the song or Hiatt.
>As far as that goes, I know Pete in a way thinks that smashing guitars (and
>rock itself, for that matter) is pretty dumb, and I know what he means, but
>that doesn't mean I have to listen quietly to slams against rock, Pete,
>gear smashing, or me for that matter, from any random geezer on the street.
>And Mr. Hiatt is more on the "random geezer" side of my ledger than
>otherwise.  His less-than-direct (aka "wimpy") response to Bruce K's direct
>question does nothing to improve his rating.

I'm sorry, but calling Hiatt a "random geezer in the street" shows just how
little you really know about the modern music industry.  Hiatt may not sell
billions of albums when he records his songs himself... But, starting with
his first song "Sure As I'm Sitting Here" by Three Dog Night, he has since
become possibly the single most covered songwriter of all time.  THe list of
"classic" and "hit" songs he has written throughout the years has assured
him a prominent place in the industry.  The list of artists who have
recorded his songs reads like a who's who of both rock and country... Bonnie
Raitt, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson,
Jeff Healy, and Randy Newman are just a few.  

Anyway, I'm not trying to convince you to like the guy... Don't if you don't
want to.  That's fine with me, it's no skin off my teeth.  That just means
one more Hiatt CD in a store for somebody else to purchase and enjoy.  Just
don't slag the guy off when you know absolutely nothing about him, his
history, or his intentions.  

>  I'm pretty sure I heard
>something more than just a reference to smashing a guitar in the
>song...something about "1964" (?) that seemed to point pretty directly to
>Pete.  However,  I'm always open to education on these matters.  Tell you
>what, if you care, send me the full lyrics (I'll have pity on the list and
>not say to post them) and we can discuss it further.

My job requires me to type all day long, so I don't think it's worth the
pain in my wrists to type in lyrics to a song that you are going to trash
and refuse to like no matter what... but, the line about 1963 has NOTHING to
do with Townshend.  

It all started in 1963
His momma wouldn't buy him 
The new red Harmony
He settled for a Sunburst with a crack
But he's stil trying to break his momma's back

Now, please don't try to tell me that Townshend got HIS first guitar in 1963.  

Alan McKendree said:
>I saw that show (on TV, I mean :-).  I remember noticing at the time that
>Pete's remarks might well be interpreted as being diplomatic and sincere
>without commenting on the quality of any particular song.  He never
>specifically said he liked PFG.

I didn't say that he said that on that particular program... but I do
remember reading it in a magazine at the time.  And the John Hiatt list has
recently been discussing this very topic (Perfectly Good Guitar and Pete
Townshend) extensively.

In truth, I can't imagine anybody liking Townshend and not Hiatt, for the
same reason I cannot fathom anyone liking Townshend and not Ray Davies.
Their styles are so similar... Both Hiatt and Townshend share similar senses
of humor.  But, Hiatt is better delivering the punchline.... Besides, he's
also probably the only songwriter EVER to rhyme amoeba (with Sheeba in
"Thing Called Love").

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