Re: still the Who

[Sroundtable@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated Tue, 1 Oct 2002 10:25:19 PM Eastern Standard Time, TheWho-Digest-Owner@igtc.com writes:

> But, plain and
> simple, without John Entwistle, this is not and cannot be The Who ever
> again.  I liken this feeling to what some of the older fans have said
> about Moon, and that The Who died when he did.  I guess 
> these are similar
> feelings.

The Who is bigger than its component parts.  The Who is the performers AND the songs.  Pete and Roger bring the songs to life on stage, as they always did.  Moon was a huge part of this, and the Who's impact on the music world would not have been what it was without him.  However, I do not believe it is essential to have Moon, or Entwistle, for that matter, for them to still be the Who.  YBYB, ATD, and EF are still Who songs, despite Moon's absence.  If the Who's spirit is still there, then it can be the Who... just not the same Who.  If either Pete or Roger had passed on, I believe the spirit of the Who would have died with them.  Without the voice(s) or the creator, the spirit of a band can't survive, IMO.  If Pete and Roger say it is the Who, then it IS the Who.  They carry the spirit, and they decide when and if it is gone for them in the present.

mc