- Backstage – (Origins Of A Name-Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- Backstage – Kiss And The Psycho Circus Debacle
- Backstage (Blondie – Heart Of Glass)
- Backstage (The Doors – A Secret Weapon)
- Backstage (Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot)
- Backstage (Queen – Show Must Go On)
- Backstage (The Who – Who Are You)
- Backstage (The Guess Who – The B-Side That Became A Hit)
- Backstage (Black Sabbath – The Song That Changed An Album)
- Backstage (Van Halen – The Reunion That Never Happened)
- Backstage (Motley Crue – Changing The Name?)
- Backstage (Overkill – End Of An Era 90 to 95)
- Backstage (Lindsey Buckingham – ..And The Rumors Are Flying)
- Backstage (White Lion – There Is Life, Even After A Broken Heart)
Welcome Backstage. I’m your host, Damian DeadLove. Tonights band is Britain’s own, The Who. I’m a huge fan of their work, it was later in life that I really got into them. They were part of the British Invasion, along with, The Beatles, and The Stones.
The Who are: Roger Daltrey – Vocals, Pete Townshend – Guitar, Vocals, John Entwistle – Bass, and Keith Moon – Drums. They formed in 1964, with this lineup. They essentially coined the phrase, “Rock Opera”. With double albums like, “Tommy”, and “Quadrophenia” leading the way. Also these were concept albums, meaning all the songs intertwined to tell a story.
Not that they didn’t have hits, they had plenty of those including, “My Generation, Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again, I Can’t Explain, The Seeker, and Pinball Wizard” to name a few. Pete Townshend was their primary songwriter.
Pete, once said, “Their recording process went kinda like this. Him and John would start the song, Keith would come in playing a drum solo, and Roger would put vocals over the top. And if everything went to plan they’d be ending the song right as Keith was finishing his drum solo”. I dig that a lot.
But the song we’re here to talk about is “Who Are You”, off the album of the same name. It was released in 1978, and would be the last with, Keith on drums. The album was kinda overshadowed by the passing of, Moon a few months later. Ending the reign of the original lineup.
Keith, was a wild man on and off stage. With many of his antics making headlines, like blowing up his drum set after a song on a T.V. show, while other band members joined in by destroying their instruments as well. He threw a television out a hotel window while it was still plugged into the wall, only to top that by driving a Lincoln Continental into a hotel pool. He must of had a thing for pools because the television also landed in one.
Where were we? Oh, yes the song. “Who Are You”, is one of the only tunes that had the f-bomb in it, and still was played on the radio without editing it out. No bleeps.. It’s played in it’s entirety. At least 2 times in the song, Daltrey, screams out the phrase, “Who the fuck are you.” And once he says, “Well who the fuck are you”.
Well that’s our show for tonight. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Remember music is the soundtrack of our lives. Peace, Love, and Lennon.
Damian DeadLove
Wild.. that band could not see the sense of being controlled. I enjoyed this, Damian. They left the F bombs in, huh. Nice
Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, Fia. So glad you enjoyed the story my friend. That they did. Appreciate you.
Damian
A few years ago, in 2019, when I’d just started writing, I queued in the rain outside Waterstone’s in Piccadilly, in London’s West End, for the chance to buy “The Age of Anxiety” and have it signed in person by the legendary, one and only, Pete Townshend! That moment will last a lifetime!
That is such a cool story my friend. I mean he’s responsible for the image and attitude of the band. He wrote a lot of the music as well. Thanks for sharing, so glad you connected with the story. Appreciate you.
Damian
Great fucking band. These guys took no shit and did it there way. Live at Leeds is one of the best live recordings I have ever heard. Great piece of writing Damian.
Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, Keith. So glad you connected with the story my friend. They were a great band. I agree, great album indeed. Appreciate you.
Damian
I remember when the album came out. And I recall how ironic it was that Keith sat in a chair with the written words: Not to be taken away.
I still think Quadrophenia is one of the best concept albums ever put out beside Dark Side of the Moon.
I heard Mama Cass Elliot died in the same hotel room as Keith. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but Keith was destined to live a short life anyway with the pace and wild antics he was known for.
I enjoyed this post. Good one Damian.
Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, Tim. So glad you enjoyed the write my friend. Quadrophenia, was a brilliant album. I’m not sure on the Mama Cass story, though it does sound familiar. Keith, wasn’t meant to live long for sure. He was a partier for sure, and a wild man on top of that. lol. Appreciate you.
Damian
Why does it seem like the greats die early? Like their burned so hot their inner fire was too much for the body to survive. You picked my favorite song too. Way back when MTV was real music videos, I swear there was an animation of a TV landing in a pool. I might be imagining it though. If it was really a memory though, must have been a nod to him, huh? Another great episode, my friend!
Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, Willow. So glad you enjoyed the story my friend. My theory about the greats going so young, varies from person to person. In Keith’s case, I think he lived and partied hard. Most rock stars do, then some take it to a level most wouldn’t dare. As far as TV landing in the pool, I believe there was something like that on MTV, probably a nod to Keith. Speaking of MTV, what was the first video that ever aired on the network? A little trivia. lol. Appreciate you.
Damian
I think it was Video Killed the Radio Star. I literally was watching from the day it went live for several years…long story
You are correct, Willow. The Buggles was the band. That set the tone, and over time it seemed true. Appreciate you.
Damian