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Entertainment
Tribute to Hall of Fame inductees
Writer finds The Who worthy of nomination
by Gary L. Nolan
Collegian Staff Writer
In the ever-changing world of
classic rock, no group more
exemplifies the spirit of rock and
roll than The Who. Their recent
nomination for Hall of Fame
status proves a deserving gift
from all the listeners who have
grown up with The Who's
powerful music.
Pete Townshend, John
Entwistle and Roger Daltrey all
began as a group called the
Detours in 1962. They performed
on the local club circuit with
then drummer Dougie Sandom.
One night at the Royal Oldfield
Hotel in England, a cocky, young
kid announced that he could play
drums better than the Detours'
drummer. He then proceeded to
prove it, in the process
demolishing a drumkit. Keith
Moon was in, and The Who was
bom.
The Who developed quite the
reputation as a live band, likely
due to the mayhem caused by
instruments being destroyed. This
practice started rather innocently.
Townshend accidentally broke the
neck of his guitar on a very low
ceiling, he then smashed it into
pieces. Moon quickly joined in
by kicking over his drumkit.
This later became the typical
ending of a Who performance. It
also proved to help the group
avoid encores.
The Who’s first demo was the
now classic "I Can't Explain"
written by Townshend, who
contributes about ninety percent
of The Who's material. England's
youth later joined together in
support -ji the smash single "My
Generation," a perfect anthem for
an angry youth, exemplified in
the line "I hope I die before I get
old."
Internal differences in the band
later became a problem due to
personality clashes, led by the
many zany antics and practical
jokes by Keith Moon. The group
also experienced financial
difficulties, even with many club
The band's live
reputation thrived
on the mayhem
caused by the
destruction of
instruments
bookings and several songs on
the chart This was caused almost
entirely by the large amount of
money spent on equipment later
to be demolished on stage.
The Who continued to be a
singles band until the release of
the revolutionary rock opera
Tommy in 1969. This production
about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy
lent art to their singles repertoire.
The Who later played at
Woodstock, a performance that
confirmed their future success in
the United States. It also lent a
canvas to show off The Who's
talent.
In 1971 the group released
Who's Next, unquestionably the
band's greatest work. It is notable
because for the first time in the
band's history they were able to
capture the live energy that they
had, and project it in the studio.
The release contained "Goin'
Mobile," "Won't Get Fooled
Again," and the anthem "Baba
O’Riley." The record also
contained Entwistlc's premiere
work "My Wife."
The Who continued to release
many more albums, now firmly
established on the playlists of the
AOR radio stations. Their last
original release was It's Hard in
1982.
The band recently confirmed
many rumors and reformed for a
twenty-fifth anniversary tour. The
Who, looking much older and
sponsored by Miller Beer, played
stadium shows all over the world
to the audiences of two
generations. Townshend, now in
bis forties and suffering from
hearing loss, thwarted critics by
delivering outstanding
performances, complete with his
trademark windmills and stage
antics.
The Who charted with 19 hits
in both the U.K. and America.
They proved through power and
energy, both live and in the
studio, that they truly are rock
classics deserving of this Hall of
Fame nomination.
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The Collegian Wednesday, February 14,1990
Liner Notes
Stones win RS reader's poll
by Robb Frederick
Entertainment Editor
Happy Valentine’s Day. And
for all you lovers out there
trying to improve certain
physical aspects of your
relationships, take heed - Food
& Wine magazine reports that
20 percent of 900 people
surveyed say they like food
more than sex.
• Rolling Stone magazine
has announced the winners of
the magazine's 1989 reader's
poll. This year's top prize of
Best Artist, as well as awards
for Tour of the Year and Best
Comeback, goes to the Rolling
Stones.
• The cinema world is abuzz
over the elaborate production of
Dick Tracy, which will star
Warren Beatty. The film will
include cameos by A 1 Pacino
and Dustin Hoffman, and will
place Madonna, who has
contributed three songs to the
film's soundtrack, in the female
lead. At this rale, the only
superhero without a feature film
in the next decade will be
Ultraman.
• Rocker Billy Idol has been
hospitalized after a motorcycle
accident he was involved in last
Tuesday. Idol is listed in "fair"
condition with a broken arm and
a severely fractured leg. Plans
for his upcoming tour have been
canceled, and he may have to
abandon plans to act in Oliver
Stone’s next film, which will
the career of Jim Morrison and
The Doors.
• Speaking of Slone's new
project, actor Crispin Glover
( River's Edge) has won the role
of late artist Andy Warhol.
• Now for some more
exciting New Kids on the Block
news. The National Enquirer
reports New Kid Donnie
punched a teenaged fan in the
face after leaving an L.A. eatery,
breaking the youth's nose.
Maybe Donnie was still a bit
upset about scoring poorly in
USA Today's recent New Kids
Popularity Poll.
• Tom Hanks has been castcd
as the lead in the film adaptation
of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the
Vanities." The movie, which
documents a successful
businessman's fall from grace,
will also star Melanie Griffith
and Bruce Willis.
• Three members of the
group Dokkcn have won an
injunction barring band founder
Don Dokkcn from using the
band's name in his solo career.
• Filming for Aliens 111 will
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