he story of The Who began in a

modest place called Shepherds

Bush. That working-class area

of London produced the three

surviving founders of the
“British Invasion” band that went on
to become one of rock’s most influen-
tial and enduring: singer Roger
Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend
and bassist John Entwistle.

“I suppose our town was not very
dissimilar to, like, the Bronx," said
Daltrey in a 1998 interview. “I started
making my own guitar when I was 11
or 12 years old. I was into music then.

“We were not financially wealthy,
but we were incredibly rich.”

In the late ’505 and early ’605, the
three boys were in and out of each
others’ bands, but eventually wound
up in the Detours, later renamed the
High Numbers. Drummer Keith
Moon came along a bit later.

“The first time I met Keith,"
recalled Entwistle in 1999, “he was
like a little gingerbread man. He had,
you know, ginger hair on a brown
suit, a brown shirt with brown shoes
and one of those fake orange tans."

The clownish “Moonie” completed
the equation. His thrashing, unpre-
dictable drumming was the perfect
complement to Entwistle’s virtuosity.
Townshend's power chords and
Daltrey's strutting. microphone-
swinging, front-man 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 blew us away Because he
actually tied his drums to this pillar
on the side of the stage so he wouldn't
fall over when he played the solo! And
the drums were, like, heaving out,
sort of, at about 45 degrees. held
together by this big reel of rope."

The High Numbers were renamed
The Who in 1963 — just as England’s
music scene was heating up.

After The Beatles’ ignited the
British Invasion, there emerged a ver-
itable traffic jam of posturing British
lads with longish hair and dreams of
conquering America. So much so that
good looks andgood hooks were no
guarantee of success. ,

The Who broke through by break-
ing some equipment — smashing their.
guitarsanddrumsatanearlygigat
London’s muons Marquee club.

“We were one of a million bands."

“rocker" (a streettough punk).

But were The Who true mods, or
were they pushed into it by their
burgeoning management? -

“We were pushed into it," Daltrey
recalled. “I mean, we were more rock-
ers than mods. We were, you know,
rockers in 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 Sings My
Generation." The band’s youth, its
brashness and its reverence for R813
can all be clearly heard on
the spare. passionate
recording.

“We did ‘My
Generation’ in two
afternoons, I think,"

Daltrey said. “It would

have been about eight
hours of recording. It
was all done virtually
live, really"

THE CAREER of The
Who would take some
unexpected turns.

Like The Beatles The
Who made the transition

from mere pop stars to
players of significant music. Witness

the groundbreaking rock operas
“Tommy" (1969) and “Quadrophenia”
(1973), and The Who’ 8 anthem-heavy
1971 masterpiece ‘Who’ 5 Next ”

The Who also became one of the
great tour headliners of the ’70s. The
band’s barnstorming 1976 tour filled
stadiums with fans — and pot clouds
Did any waft the band's way?

“Oh, God, yeah.” Daltrey laughed.
“I mean, we’d come off stage stoned.

“We never used to need to smoke
any pot after the show. You'd be
inhaling it all the way through. It was
wonderful — far better than tobacco."

But the party atmosphere of the
’703 would claim one of The Who,

On Sept. 7 1978 afler attending
a party with old pals Paul and Linda
McCartney. Moon died of a drug over-
dose, changing The Who forever.

"Of course it was never the same.”

Daltrey admitted. “We knew that.
“Mainly because of the way John
and Pete play. They re individual
players What people didn’t realize
was, the style of Moon s drumming —
his drumsticks were, for want of an
analogy, like knitting needles The
percussive things he used to play
knitted John’s svery busy bass part
and Pete’s very rhythmic kind of
guitar playing together.
“We lost our clown. We lost that
part of it. And we lost the danger that

Moon brought to it.

“In saying that, I think (current
Who drummer) Zak Starkey (son of
Ringo Starr), musically. has given us
back what Moon gave us in the music
area Obviously, in the personality

area, no one can replace him.
But I think Zak Starkey
drums in very much the
same style as Moon. He's
always surprising. He’s
never dull."
The Who’s new double
CD, “The Who Live: The
Blues to the Bush"
(musicmaker. com)
brings the saga full
circle On it the band
plays Shepherds Bush.
And on the current
Who tour, Daltrey will
again be swingin’ that
mike. Which begs the
question: Has the singer
ever hit anyone with his microphone?

“Um, I’ve only ever hit anybody
once, and that was intentionally,”
Daltrey said. “That was somebody
who threw something at me. So I
threw something back.”

THE WHO

8 pm. tomorrow 0 PNC Bank Arts
Center 0 Exit 116, Garden State
Parkway, Holmdel o 5152-33550;
sold out o (732) 335-0400

Also: 7:30 pm. July 7 0 Block-
bushrlSony Music Entertainment
Centre 0 1 Harbour Blvd, Camden
0 3150-82850; only lawn seats are
still available a (856) 3654:“)

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