Who Draws?

John Entwistle, that's who. And he displays his art in a local gallery while his famous band plays a gig at Riverport

By Chris Dickinson

Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic

When The Who takes the Riverport stage Saturday night, bassist John Entwistle will lay down the rumbling riffs that helped make the venerable British outfit one of the indisputable legends of rock.

But Entwistle isn't just a virtuoso on the fret-board. For the last 25 years, the English rocker has spent his down time creating artwork.

He'll be on hand Friday night at the JoAnn Perse Gallery for the St. Louis premiere exhibition of his work, which includes six limited edition serigraphs and over 20 original pen-and-ink drawings.

Among the artwork featured will be the serigraph of Entwistle's best-known work 1 the connect-the-dots drawing of The Who, "The Who by Numbers," which graced the cover of the band's 1975 album of the same name.

Art is a far quieter pursuit for the man who used to help the late drummer Keith Moon throw TV sets out of hotel room windows.

"It's completely different," says Entwistle, calling recently from his home in England. "When I'm drawing, I shut myself off in the dining room, off from the rest of the world."

Entwistle first got the drawing bug as a lad in England, describing himself as the "art teacher's pet." But he was also enamored with music, playing the piano, trumpet and French horn at an early age, and also playing with young chum Pete Townshend.

When he left school at 16, he had to make a choice between art and music. After working in office jobs for several years at his stepfather's insistence, he became a professional musician. He also eventually went on to make history as a member of The Who.

It was the 1975 cover of "The Who by Numbers" that steered Entwistle back to a serious pursuit of art.

"It was the first real chance to get back into it," he says. "That really got me back into drawing again. It was very relaxing. Eventually, I built up enough drawings to do an art show, so we decided to put the drawings on the market."

As for The Who's Riverport date, the band will give a multi-media performance of the album "Quadrophenia."

For a band that came to the fore in the '60s, The Who's longevity flies in the face of today's disposable music scene.

"Now there are so many bands," says Entwistle. "You get famous for a year and you're gone. The bands don't seem to have time to find their own music; they find someone else's."

Today's music scene is a far cry from the glory days of rock, when titans literally walked the earth. How does Entwistle explain The Who's ability to survive and thrive?

"The Rolling Stones went in a certain direction, The Who went theirs," he says. "There weren't 200 bands going in the same direction."

As for the current tour, Entwistle says a few things have changed since The Who's wilder heyday. "Checking into hotels is still the same," he laughs, "but we don't smash them up anymore."

The Who Where: Riverport Amphitheatre When: 8 p.m. Saturday How Much: $25-$45 More Info: 7969-1800

John Entwistle at the JoAnn Perse Gallery

Where: 25 N. Central Ave., Clayton When: Entwistle appears at opening reception 7-9 p.m. Friday; show open to the public Friday and Saturday How Much: Free More Info: 721-6766

John Entwistle's best-known piece 1 the connect-the-dots album cover for "The Who by Numbers" 1 will be among the featured work at the JoAnn Perse Gallery.