Family man? I have a hard time with that. My wife says my whole point in life is The Who. I have the gall to deny it, but deep down I know she's right. I'd hate to be married to someone like myself, and if my wife was anything like me I'd resent it very much. Following The Who is too easy! You don't have to be soft around the edges; you don't have to be the perfect gentleman, or a well spoken kindly soul. All you have to be is greedy, selfish and an expert on poise. See, I'm a walking-talking-traveling celebration of myself. To me, The Who is like a drug. The thing about being addicted to a particular drug is that there is always another new one on the market - but there'll only ever be one Who.
I often think that in years to come when it's all over I'll probably have dinner with Pete, and we'll talk about some of the fans: "How's she doing? What became of him?" He'll show me his old studio just to rekindle my memory, and then I'll take my leave to head for the Crown. Nobody there will believe I've just left my life-long friend on his knees on the studio floor working his way through 800 feet of synchronized tape, just like Bobby Pridden at Newcastle.
© Irish Jack Lyons
