the Man WHO Wrote the SOUNDTRACK of OUR LIVES

["Helen" <elbo@xxxxxxxxx>]

We shouldn`t judge or sentence Pete. Yes he`s lost the way he was dear to so
many people. Things have a manner of changing unexpectedly and when you`re
least prepared to accept it. And attraction of symbols is a thing that comes
and goes. Yes for all who knew Pete Townshend before this thing happenned
won`t be able to ignore it and look at him with the same eyes... but I`m
more than sure that the Who will inspire and influence the younger
generation, only a few of them but still, this will happen. Because
rock`n`roll of which Pete is a faithful servant has this power that will not
subside either under the pressure of fashion or time, or whatever. Even if
Pete stops, even if he never works with Roger again, even if they both
retire, even if the unpleasant situation Pete`s now facing has a bad outcome
(hopefully however it will NOT, just on the opposite, everything will end as
well as possible in the circumstances), somehow someday somebody new will
find a way to see the way :) Well what I`m trying to say is that the sad
thing is that things still change no matter if want them this way or not,
and the good thing is that the Who is still to be discovered by some. The
ARTIST may be gone or imprisoned or forgotten better still, but if his art
is true art which the art of Pete Townshend and of the Who undoubtfully is,
the ART goes on forever, renewed by new perception and understanding.
Someone on this list (I think it was Joe Levinsky) once asked me how could
Pete be separated from his art. Simple as that. All the great artists (I
mean, world famous painters, musicians, writers, poets,  composers) in
history had their crimes and sins and transgretions, many of them very much
like what Pete Townshend is accused of today (BY MISTAKE, as WE ALL
BELIEVE), and somebody (probabaly too by an awful mistake) will be accused
of it tomorrow, some other symbol of a generation... But when you`re looking
at a painting in the museum, it inspires you because it has the power todo
so, and you don`t think about the background of the painter... It`s the
genius that moves you and influences you, not the human nature of the
artist.
And hm... it`s funny... some say God`s in them, some say Pete Townshend is
in them... kinda blasphemy of the greatness of... Man, a workmanship of God,
as each of us is, me, and Pete Townshend, and Jim, and Jo, and Jon, and Joe,
and everybody on this list and up on the stage and everywhere else in the
world.You guys (forgive me if yar reading this and not liking it!and IF
you`re reading you sertainly aren`t :)  have a serious problem with
idolizing a man, the man who wrote the soundtrack of our lives, the man
who`s important to us... but what happens in fact is that we try to somehow
shape the charachter of someone whom we idolize. In plain words, we want him
to be good, so we believe he`s good, and forget that he really does have a
real charachter of his own that most likely has a lot of features we will
not like. Hey but we know Pete Townshend for his music, and not for the way
he treated his wife or what color shoelaces he wore. We know him because
he`s a MUSICIAN, and judging him is not something we should do. And again
he`s famous for his music and not for being suspected in downloading kiddie
porn - or is that what made him famous? Or shall we still let him be the man
who wrote Tommy, Quad, the man who wrote LOVE REIGN O`ER ME, in whose music
there`s deep phylosophy and rude humor, as well as sarcasm and irony and
deep love and deep passion and lust and what not? Yes he undoubtfully was
wrong and did himself and his family much harm even though most likely he
really was doing that research, but he doesn`t have any responsibility
before his fans, and if we claim him to have it, we deprive him of the right
to privacy. Who of you would want to be responsible for his actions before
millions of people all over the world, who of you would want to be said
about by thousands of people: "Joe Lewinsky (Scott Schrade, Keets, Jim
Sigel, Helen, Johanna, mc...) is in me, a part of my life, a true part of
me?" No matter what Pete Townshend has ever done or will do, this doesn`t
make you either a better or a worse human being, for it doesn`t really
matter if Pete gets higher or falls on his face in the mud, you don`t follow
him in either direction *allthough you think you must*.You`re free, you`re
free, you`re your own not Pete`s, he never asked you. He never said he
wanted to be the foundation of your life, it`s main theme, it`s only
purpose, the only one who could light yer way...
Well... okay I`m stoppin`, but for that one moment, *stand inside his
shoes*, and you`ll understand how he must be feeling. Don`t be hard on him,
let him just be Pete Townshend, and if you love him, just love him the way
he is.
- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Sigel" <drjimmy_mrjim@hotmail.com>
To: "The Who List" <thewho@igtc.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 1:42 AM
Subject: The Dark Times


> Hey all, hope you're all well.  Been away and/or lurking for sometime now.
> Life has been good, despite some of the usual hurdles, but the State of
The
> Who, particularly Mr. Townshend has really put a wild mindfuck on your
humble
> narrator.  But first, kudos and congrats to everyone who did what they
could
> to show support for Pete.  Especially Lela, Johanna, Jon, et al.  Nice
work;
> it felt good knowing that something could and was being done at a time
when I
> personally felt rather helpless and powerless to do anything about it.  I
> don't think Pete is a pedophile.  A knucklehead yes, but a creep who gets
his
> evil jollies out of child porn?  I just can't believe it.  Maybe WON'T
believe
> it, but somewhere deep down I think it's impossible.
>
> This is a hard time on a billion different levels for us, The Faithful.
Scott
> Schrade's current state is a perfect example of what it's like to be a
> disciple of Pete Townshend nowadays - anger, despair, humiliation,
confusion,
> etc, etc, but hope (I hope), as well.  It's tough right now, real tough;
I'm
> still sort of reeling from it.  A whirlwind of feeling and thought and
> uncertainty within my own mind has been echoed by just about everyone here
at
> one point or another, and I've gotten a sort of healing from reading
> everyone's posts.  Well, most everyone's - the current trend in
> paranoid-liberal grandstanding is old and tired.  But like that other bad
> time, less than a year ago when the Ox checked out, The Who list has been
> helpful and healing.
>
> I don't know if it's been touched on here, but what's hit me deepest has
been
> shock of this entire odyssey down to my central core.  It's very hard to
put
> into words, but to put it plainly, the man who has written the soundtrack
of
> my life; the man who has been one of the few true inspirations to me, has
been
> accused of arguably the most unforgivable of crimes.  A crime in which,
> whether he's guilty or innocent, he's finished as the man we knew him to
be.
> The man who's inspired and touched each one of us here in one way or
another,
> gone.  I believe Pete's account of his actions and I will stand by him, as
it
> appears now.  But what if the police find more?  What if his computer
> incriminates him and proves what our deepest fears regarding him warn?  I
> think this is the depth of my personal agony over this nightmare.
>
> Aside from very few others throughout my lifetime, Pete Townshend has
perhaps
> had the strongest influence on my life.  Like many of us, Pete's art has
been
> a way of life to us.  He's a part of us, it doesn't matter that we may
have
> never have met him.  He's in us.  He and his art are a part of me.  Which
is
> where the terrible dilemma enters the picture.  If he's guilty of such an
> awful thing and, paradoxically, a true part of me, then what does that say
> about me?  Could it be a part of my character to let such a horrible
creature
> be such a huge influence on my psyche?  By default then, what does it say
> about me if my "hero" is a pedophile?  The answer of course, it says
nothing
> about me, but it's still quite a heavy issue to be confronted with and
damn
> that big nosed moron for putting himself and us into this mess.  These are
the
> dark times.
>
> But there's a sweet irony to this problem.  As I've said and I know many
can
> relate, The Who, Pete, has touched us so deeply that it's become a part of
us.
> Speaking for myself, I'm pretty happy with the success rate of my
instincts so
> far in my life.  I didn't choose to become a disciple of Pete, I knew it
by
> instinct.  So I'm sticking with them now and feeling pretty confident that
> Pete will not get charged or convicted, simply because he is not a sicko
freak
> pedophile.  There will be more to come in this matter as we know and the
> jury's still out.  Someone said a few days ago, that just "knowing" Pete
is
> innocent isn't enough.  For me right now, it's more than enough.  Hey, I
like
> to think I'm a pretty good guy, hell it's even been said of me once or
twice.
> So if I am a good guy, I like to think I've had some good influences.
Pete
> Townshend has been a huge influence on me.  The cynic might say that I've
been
> duped or "fooled again" by Pete, but I don't think so.  I've got pretty
good
> instincts.