Pete's NY diary

["Jeff House" <whocasa@hotmail.com>]

http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/pr_display.cfm?id=264&zone=diary

18 October 2001
New York


It feels different here. I don't want to harp on it too much, but usually 
this city is a place that lavishes energy on you. Today, it feels more like 
the average large city in Europe. It has the same feeling as Berlin, or 
Munich, or London, or Paris. It is a large, thriving and busy city, but 
although it has not lost its soul, it is not squandering its energy the way 
it used to.

I miss that, obviously, because when I come here I come here to work, and 
usually it is a very easy place to work. This time, it feels a little bit 
harder.

The Who rehearsed last night in New York, Roger was late flying in and 
missed that warm up. We have two more full run-throughs today, but are 
playing just four songs, around 25 minutes. we want to give our best. There 
are 18 artists on the bill, and many of them will have less than 5 minutes 
to make their mark, and offer their energies. For The Who there is no point 
trying to do anything at all in five minutes, the magic takes longer than 
that. If it is that special magic that's needed, and not just our presence, 
then we will need the time.

Coming here has made me angry. Angry with those dark-hearted people who feel 
the need to drag down this great source of human energy and love to their 
mundane and dusty level. If they hate what the USA says and does, then they 
hate our chosen spiritual path. We are not perfect, we know that. But we 
know that this country, this way of life, democracy with all its faults, is 
the only way we can take responsibility and grow spiritually, emotionally, 
intelligently and as humanitarians today. We know no other way. Their way 
can never be our way. Let me illustrate that with one example of many.

The one fact that Fundamental Muslims carry in their extreme faith that 
leaves me in complete incomprehension as to what they actually feel every 
day of their life, is that they have banned music.

To them, as someone who literally lives for music, I do not exist. To me, 
they are the 'Great Satan'. Take music from life and it becomes death. Not 
some glorious metaphorical death that transmogrifies into some warped notion 
of 'the Other Side', Heaven, Hell or what have you. It is a literal death. 
For when I die, if I don't hear music, I would prefer to go on living. And 
that, in my private spiritual process, would be hell.