Saturday, May 23rd, 1970

Record Mirror has an interview with John where he discusses the current recordings.

If anyone has this issue I'd love to get a better scan/photo!

 

Transcript: (unverified)

HE ONLY STANDS STILL ON STAGE

JOHN ENTWISTLE TALKS TO LON GODDARD

FRUSTRATION against tradition is a battle so slight, yet so intense that neither side ever takes the edge. John Entwistle could be termed the brightest outside of the Who, yet on the outside he supports his paternal musical interests with age and warcoat of brass, education, Jah on red eyes, bass for the Who, but French horn, tuba, trombone, trumpet plus instruments like piano, guitar and drums for himself.

He writes and arranges many original numbers containing heavy brass lines, but there really isn’t room within the Who for such diversions.

“The group really doesn’t care about brass,” he sighed, “but then they isn’t a way to perform it anyway, since we couldn’t use it without [ ] one of the amplifiers I write were used there would be no way of performing them on stage and paying for the best thing about the track is its flavour. We have even equipment and means, but I really mean it theatrically, but I really mean it only a couple of tracks on the three of the ‘Tommy’ tracks.

“He wrote out a present arranging a new LP, but for release until they get back from their States visit in June. John has only tracks at present and there are three more to do. The LP has had them about it as Tommy [ ].

“They are all separate tracks this time. Tommy took two years because we couldn’t begin putting what without a rest. We want to work on changing the act, because although a lot of people want to hear Tommy yet, we don’t want to bore them by carrying on with it too long. The music will always be heavy, for now, a loud group. That another reason why I’d never consider putting an orchestra behind us at some intricate arrangements of the whole people behind, but I think some of the people and plays a lot of loud horns, and Keith just plays his own solo cymbals. It would drown out an orchestra.”

The Who have managed to endure a lot longer than many bands both sides and below this status. They show an example of how to stay together so the music is never affected by splits, replacements and argument.

“We used to have a lot of arguments. They’d always get moved off the original subject and we’d start doing with each other in team against the rest. In the early days when we didn’t think we’d ever make it in the States, we were considering breaking up each time that happened, we’d allow ourselves another year or so. Then another year or so. Then another year and so on. Now it’s much more relaxed and in other ways. We don’t see each other socially, so everything is refreshed when we arrive at rehearsal, a practice or a gig. A lot of groups suffer during their first year together, especially on trips to America. If they are thrown together, stuck in hotel rooms together, crowded vans and cars, they begin to irritate each other and quite often they break up without even having a chance to survive. Luckily, we had been together about three years before going, so we were able to cope 2 times better, when I got to the States, just to try not [ ].

“I saw the bad side coming off from all the high pressure. I’ve become rather good at cutting myself off from bad elements. I go out to clubs three times, but it takes some doing to get into a frame of mind for that.”

Outside the Who, John continues in the sphere of music that is his personal pet. In a nine foot square room, fully sound-proofed, he has myriad records, microphones, amplifiers, gadgets and a complete wardrobe of instruments from French horn down. He has spent most of all orchestrated songs he’s written and recorded by doing each instrument part over the last. He’s preparing for the future. Although he cannot foresee the end of the Who, he wants a record career good and LP’s possibly based his own solo and LP’s away and is set to such a [ ] but I lay idle in one bucket. If you’ve played in two orchestras, know all those instruments and been writing music since you were seven, you don’t stand still except on stage, where John is fixed rigid while Pete, Keith and Roger go professionally berserk.