"I hope I die before I get old." This is the line that must surely haunt Pete Townshend a half century after he wrote it. Back then he was speaking for 'his generation', the burgeoning mod generation of young, nihilistic pill popping kids who lived fast and partied hard.
The Who were an intellectual band in the same way as The Beatles in that they were a part of far more than just the music scene. The Who were a 'Pop Art Band'; Townshend had been an art-school student like Lennon and brought his artistic sensibilities to The Who in his song writing. The stuttered "Why don't you all f-f-f-fade away" articulates frustration, "Don't try to dig what we all say", you wouldn't understand scream the disaffected youth of the Western world. 'They' (the establishment) don't listen. 'My Generation is a conspirational record and you, the listener, are in on it, with the band, on the inside looking out.
No comments:
Post a Comment