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One Entwistle interview in the Los Angeles Times



Available on line at:
http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/20000816/t000076953.html

The Kids Are Grown Up 
The Who Hits Irvine on Its Tour, but Bassist Entwistle Says DOn't Expect
a Path of Destruction 
By RANDY LEWIS, Times Staff Writer
     In the bad old days of rock hedonism, a hotel maid would have
approached any room occupied by a member of the Who only with armed
backup. 
     But when a housekeeper's knock last weekend took the venerable
British band's bassist, John Entwistle, away from a phone interview
briefly, he politely turned her away, explaining that there was nothing
in his West Hollywood hotel room in need of "Hoovering"--what we Yanks
call vacuuming. 
     Yes, the Who on tour in 2000 is in many ways a far different story
than it was 25 or 35 years ago. 
     The big constant is the music, especially on the new "Greatest
Hits" tour, which opened Monday at the Hollywood Bowl and continues
tonight at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. (Review, F?). 
     The fact that the Who--consisting now of founding members Pete
Townshend, Roger Daltrey and Entwistle, along with touring drummer Zak
Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) and keyboardist John Bundrick--is still
performing at all is partly the result of technology that didn't exist
in its halcyon days, when the Who created such rock standards as "My
Generation," "Magic Bus," "I Can See for Miles," "Pinball Wizard" and
"Won't Get Fooled Again." 
     As recently as four years ago, in fact, Entwistle had said there
was "no chance in hell of a reunion" of the celebrated group that
produced the most famous rock opera of all, "Tommy." But later that year
came the tour on which the group performed its 1974 rock opera
"Quadrophenia," and now this outing that spans the Who's long, albeit
off-and-on, career. 
     So what happened? 
     "I think Pete's thinking sort of changed," Entwistle, 55, says. "In
one of the interviews we did together, he said, 'Now I can scale my
equipment down to make it quieter and get the same sound.' We're using
smaller amps and getting the same huge sound. Obviously it's a lot
quieter, but we use the P.A. system a lot, too." That makes it possible
to have less volume onstage, near the musicians, but more going out to
the fans. 
     Townshend, of course, is one of the most famous victims of
high-decibel rock, and at times had said he'd never play the electric
guitar again because of the damage his hearing suffered from years of
cranking the volume to 11. 
     Entwistle's hearing has deteriorated as well. "The muscles close to
my ears are dead" is how he put it in one interview. 
     Besides the ability to ease back a bit on the volume is another
impetus for this year's tour. 
     "We found a couple of times at the end of the 'Quadrophenia' shows,
when we played a bunch of our hits in the encore, we were really
enjoying ourselves," Entwistle says. "Pete got back into playing
electric [guitar], and we found we really enjoyed playing with each
other again." 
     The group has taken some hits for ticket prices that run as high as
$150, but Daltrey and Entwistle say it's merely part of the trend of
escalating concert ticket prices. They also point out that the Who's
most expensive ticket is less than half that charged on the most recent
tour by the other great surviving '60s British rock group, the Rolling
Stones. 
* * *
     For Entwistle, this trip to the States isn't only for revisiting
the Who's past. He'll also be stopping at several art galleries for
exhibitions of some of the drawings he's been doing for the last couple
of decades. 
     His most recognizable work is the one he did for the cover of
1975's "Who by Numbers" album. That effort reawakened an early interest
in art that was shunted aside when the Who's career started to take off
during the mid-'60s British Invasion. 
     Now he devotes time to improving his art skills "whenever I'm not
going fishing in Mexico or working with the Who. I've got several
cottages on my estate, and I'll set one up, shut myself off and
scribble." 
     "Everybody wants to be a better musician, or a better
artist--you're never quite satisfied with where you are. I have the same
attitude with drawing as with bass playing: I want to keep finding out
new things and improving. I hate standing still." 
     He has drawn caricatures of his Who bandmates and other famous
rockers. He gave copies to Townshend and Daltrey and thinks they must
have liked them because "they didn't give them back to me." 
     He's represented in the U.S. by Walnut Street Gallery Ltd. of Fort
Collins, Colo., and he'll be having an exhibition in Denver in
conjunction with the Who's Aug. 24 concert there. No Southern California
showings are scheduled. 
     "It's a departure for me," Entwistle says. "It's weird going from a
Who show and then becoming an artist, where I have to act kind of
wind-swept and interesting." 
     Because of the long breaks between Who albums and tours
historically, Entwistle also has maintained a solo career, which began
with his 1971 album "Smash Your Head Against the Wall" and has continued
most recently with "Left for Live," a 1999 album documenting his
quasi-disastrous U.S. solo tour the previous year. 
     "It was a bit of an ordeal," he says. "We had agent problems in the
middle of it--they didn't come through with a lot of the dates they'd
promised. So because there were a lot of holes to fill, we got the idea
to play in tiny little places just to keep playing, so we wouldn't get
cold. That kind of thing costs money, but it was worth it." 
     The album includes Entwistle's versions of such Who staples as "The
Real Me," "Shakin' All Over" and "Young Man Blues," along with such
Entwistle compositions as "905," "Had Enough" and "Too Late the Hero,"
plus several he wrote with his John Entwistle Band collaborator Steve
Luongo. 
     The solo efforts aren't simply to keep him from twiddling his
thumbs between Who projects. 
     "I needed to play my own music," says Entwistle, who also wrote Who
favorites including, "My Wife" from "Who's Next" and "Boris the Spider"
from "Happy Jack." 
     "The Who only play one or two of my songs [per concert or album].
I've discovered a lot of people out there want to hear me, and there are
a lot of Entwistle solo fans who don't even like the Who. I'm playing
for them for that reason," he says, adding with a chuckle, "I'm
certainly not playing [solo shows] for the money." 
     * The Who, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 8808 Irvine Center Drive,
Irvine. 8 tonight. $31.50-$146.50. (949) 855-6111. Also Thursday, San
Diego Sports Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $25 to $150. (619)
224-4171.

        -Brian in Atlanta
         The Who This Month!
         http://members.home.net/cadyb/who.htm