Re: Broader Audience

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

> > I think all 3 of the pieces you mention are plausible.  I think that 
>going to Broadway would not necessarily broaden their audience, but 
>exchange the current audience for another small one.
>
>Let's not forget it will completely erode their Rock credibility.

I persist in thinking that there shouldn't be any barriers for TED.  They 
should be able to move between the different worlds at will.

Yeah, I know rock music is supposed to be about anger, but I'm not worried 
about TED there.  It's intrinsic in The Who personalities.  All of them have 
a dark side--but certainly they don't want to get stuck doing anger the rest 
of their lives.

TED are nothing if not adaptive.  They morph constantly, and that's what 
makes them a viable band in 2001.  I think they could do some things for 
Broadway (or movies or orchestras) without sacrificing their position as 
rock heavyweights.  But Disney's not their thing.  If they do something for 
Broadway (or movies or orchestras), then it's likely to be something TED is 
interested in, and adapted in a way that suits them.  I don't think they'll 
be corrupted by the experience, either.

Here's an interesting question.  What kinds of TED projects outside the 
standard rock album and tour would fans here like to see?


> > PsychoD & White City:  Did they reach an audience?
>
>Does it matter? We aren't going to get into the "popularity as a standard 
>of quality" argument, because then we'd both have to agree that Limp Bizkit 
>is better than The Who.

I don't know that Pete's cynicism reached as great an audience as his 
idealism did, but it does seems that Pete is a little more cheerful now then 
he was back in the early nineties.  Especially with The Who behind him, he's 
likely to reach a wider audience.


>I think there is a part of him who does, and a part of him which would feel 
>the same way I do about all of that...which is: it's meaningless. I can't 
>think of a single Grammy-winning album which is better than WC or Psycho;

It's that left brain, right brain thing again.  I do think Pete was right 
back in the day when he said the audience doesn't appreciate quality.  
Popular culture tends to the lowest common denominator, because that's what 
sells best.  Popular artists who dare to be complex are few and far between, 
and I'm glad Pete has had The Who (and various managers) to support what he 
does.  His ideas will always need a little bit of packaging to make them 
work for different folks on different levels, but the alternative is 
obscurity.  As long as it's reasonable, let's go for the packaging.


keets
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