Who Says

By Zach Dunkin

Ever since the Who literally exploded upon the rock music scene 18 years ago, group leader Pete Townshend has represented the voice of frustrated youth.

The 37-year-old outspoken lead guitarist and songwriter is one of the few heroes of rock who has somehow defied the aging process to remain "one of us" for today's youth.

More incredible is Townshend's reluctance to act the role of a youth leader. "I am not a leader," he once said. "Neither yours nor anyone else's. I am a rock musician, a mirror. You see yourself when you see the Who."

For two generations the Who, who will play in Market Square Arena Wednesday in a concert beginning at 8 p.m., has reflected the anger and frustration of youth, the foundation of rock 'n' roll. "Ours is a group with built-in hate," Townshend has said.

In one of the group's first hits, "My Generation," there is the line that goes: "Hope I die before I get old." The average age of the band is 36, more than twice the age of the second generation it represents.

"I wrote the lines to 'My Generation' without thinking," Townshend explained to Rolling Stone magazine. "For years I've had to live by them, waiting for the day when someone says,