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By MARK VOGER
On the Go Writer

he story of The Who began in

a modest place called Shep-

herds Bush. That working-

class area of London pro-
duced the three surviving founders
of the “British Invasion” band that
went on to become one of rock’s
most influential and enduring:
singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete
Townshend and bassist John En-
twistle.

“I suppose our town was not very
dissimilar to, like, the Bronx,” said

THE WHO Daltrey in a
8 m. 1998 interview.
p “I started mak«
tomorrow ing my own
guitar when I
PNC BankArts was 11 to 12
Center years old. I
Exit 116, 3:2?” mus”
Garden State “We were
Parkway, not financially
Holmdel $231326}??? bi? KATHYVOGLESONG/SpeclaltoOntheGo
Sold out credibly rich.” “We lost our clown,” says Roger Daltry of the 1978 death of
(732) , I“ the late Keith Moon. “It was never the same.”
505 and early ........................
3350400 ‘605, the three
young men After The Beatles ignited the “We did ‘My Generation 1n twu
Also 730p.m. were in and British Invasion, there emerged at afternoons I think." DaltIey said
Ju|y7 out of each 0th~ traffic jam of posturing British lads “It would have been about eigh
ers‘ bands. but with longish hair and dreams of hours 0frecord1ng.1twas 2111111111
Blockbuster- eventually conquering America. So much so allylive,really."
SonyMusiC wound up in that good looks and good hooks Like The Beatles. The Who mad
Entertainment the Detours, were no guarantee 0f SUCCESS- the transition from mere pop star
Centre later renamed The Who broke through by to players Ofsign'lficant m11~1c 11 1
the High Num- breakmg some equmment — ness the gtoundbreaking 101k
Camden bers. Drummer smashing their guitars and drums eras Tommy 11959) and Q11 111
Keith Moon at an early g1g at London‘s famous phenia" (19731 and the :11 .. ,
$28 50 came along a Marquee club. heavy 1971 masterpiece ""11"-
bjtlamg “We were one of 3 1111111011 Next"
(8561..The first bandsf said Daltrey. "How do we The V1110 became one 011111: :1,
365.1300 time 1 met get noticed? It was just one ofthose headliners 0f the 705 T111 1
Keith." 1*" lucky th1ngs that happened, A barnstorming1976tou1'f111e1‘1 t 1‘
called Ent- lucky break e to co1n a phrase — urns with fans # and pm 11 1:11;

wistle 111 1999.
"he was like a little g1ngerbread
man, He had. you know. ginger
hair on a brown suit. a brown shirt
with brown shoes and one of those
fake orange tans."

His thrashing. unpredictable
playing was the perfect comple-
ment to Entwistle’s virtuosity.
Townshend's power chords and
Daltrey's strutting. microphone-
swinging. frontman style.

"He did kind of blow us away.“
Entwistle said of the band‘s first
impression of Moon. “Actually. the
first gig that we did (with Moon)
was someone‘s wedding. believe it
or not. That was the first time he
actually blew us away. Because he
actually tied his drums to this p11-
lar on the side of the stage so he
wouldn‘t fall over when he played
the solo! And the drums were like.
hearing out, sort of. at about 45 de-
grees. held together by this big reel
of rope!"

The High Numbers were re-

named-The Who In 1963. just as the

music smne was beating up. . .

which got us noticed"

The other plus for the fledgling
Who was its distinction as the
"mod" band. In those days in
"swinging England." one was ei’
ther a mod (8 fashion-consc1ous
raver) or a "rocker" (a street-tough
punk1

Were The Who true mods. or
were they pushed into it by their
burgeoning management? "We
were pushed into 11." Daltrey re-
called. “I mean. we were more rock-
ers than mods. We were. you know.
rockers 1n mods clothing. Our eyes
had to be opened to the potential.
But once we got into it. we became
mods. yeah. We certainly did."

The band’s first single. 1965's "I
Can‘t Explain." might have floun-
dered but for The Who's guitar-
smashing performance on “Ready
Steady Go" (England‘s answer to
"American Bandstand"). That same
year the band produced its debut
album. ”The Who Sing My
Generation." The band's youth. its
brashness and its reverence for
R&B can all be heardelearly on me

spare. passionate recording .

Did am waft the band's 11211“

011. God. yeah. D111:
laughed. "I mean. we‘d t'r1111~
stage stoned. We never used :11 111-,
to smoke any pot after the
You'd be inhaling it all the
through."

But the partV atmospheie 111111
705 would claim one of The “'11
On Sept 7 1978 after attendm;
party with old pals Paul and 111111
McCartney Moon died of a 11111
oxerdose changing The Who 19
ever. “Oh‘ of course it was new
the same.“ Daltrey said. "We kne
that.

“We lost our clown. We lost 1111
part of it. And we lost the dang-
that Moon brought to it.

“In saying that, I think (cui't‘el
Who drummer) Zak Starkey (5011 '
Ringo Starr). musically. has 31‘”
us back what Moon gave us in II
music area. Obviously in the pe
sonality area no one can 16913'
him But I think Zak $12111“.
drums in veiy much the sameSIV
as Moon. He’s always surprlsn
He‘s never dullfi .