Who Live At Leeds: A Quick One.

[Nanker Phelge]

Yeah it is - just found it this morning when i put 'Keith Moon Girl Guide' in the google image search!

 

[danny la rouge]

It's called fiction. Songs are stories. It is permissable to tell any tale within the context of a story.

I've already made a similar point: I gave as an example people who might say Roots is racist and shouldn't be shown because it depicts racism. I've also said Tommy dealing with child abuse is perfectly legitimate. And yes, I know stories have nasty characters. I'm not arguing for everything to be blanded out. (Although I'd be very happy if Jethro Tull were erased from existence).

I can watch This Is England; I can watch American History X. And so on. That isn't the point I'm making.

Whether or not you like the subject of the story is irrelevant.

I don't agree with that; I'd say it was relevant to the reader/listener whether they liked the subject, and more precisely whether they liked how it was handled.

However, that's besides the point. I'm specifically discussing the live version because (as I've said several times now) of the on stage banter; this gives a different perspective. Daltry's exposition, and the stage whisper comments from Moon, mean that aspects of the plot of the 'mini opera' are no longer something they can been seen as neutral retellers of.

I never said it was funny - I said I saw it in context, and I accept it for what it was - 2 bored, rich, drunk twats doing something they thought was funny.

I'm not accusing you of finding it funny; I was giving my own opinion of it. Yes, I see it in context too. And the context is they were being dicks.

It was slightly before my time (I was around, but too young), however in my time, I remember Sid Vicious's similar antics. I was and am a fan of the Sex Pistols, but I didn't think Sid going through the Jewish Quarter in a swastika T shirt was edgy, clever, or rebellious; I thought at the time, as I do now, that he was being a stupid fucking prick.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

Erm?

 

[Nanker Phelge]

I'm specifically discussing the live version because (as I've said several times now) of the on stage banter; this gives a different perspective. Daltry's exposition, and the stage whisper comments from Moon, mean that aspects of the plot of the 'mini opera' are no longer something they can been seen as neutral retellers of.

As mentioned earlier, The Who were prone to being a bit loutish and obnoxious and crude as a live act, and this was in support of their songs generally - they were a lads band at the end of the day.

I listened to the live version this morning as a result of us discussing it, and I didn't feel it was over the top - it's a bunch of blokes pissing about, which was certainly a side of The Who as a band, but not every side.

Fiddle about sounds salacious, but is actually a horrid and harrowing element of the whole Tommy story, yet Keith Moon still portrayed Uncle Ernie as a characture and not a monster - maybe they just felt more comfortable making a laugh out of it?

Also, a quick one and Rael were forerunners to Tommy, which is a record about abuse - perhaps he (Townshend) was trying to find ways to get this point or his story out there and make it heard. The laddish element may be a front to hide his true thoughts/feeling, to which Tommy may have got closer.

This is all speculation, but if Townshend has spent 40yrs trying to express his feelings of being abused (allegedly), it may have been delivered in many ways, from writing I'm a Boy to researching a book and so on.

Perhaps...

 

[danny la rouge]

Fiddle about sounds salacious, but is actually a horrid and harrowing element of the whole Tommy story, yet Keith Moon still portrayed Uncle Ernie as a characture and not a monster - maybe they just felt more comfortable making a laugh out of it?

I've never had a problem with Tommy or Fiddle About. But you make a fair point about the character played as a caricature.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

Yeah, I need to learn to spell as well

I spent a good minute trying to work out how to spell caricature!?

 

[danny la rouge]

I spent a good minute trying to work out how to spell caricature!?

Don't worry, I see reading this thread I've got two different spellings of "queasy"! (I'm pretty sure the first one is wrong, though).

 

[Meltingpot]

American schoolgirls tend to be a bit older, a cheerleader can be anything from 14 - 19 over there.

Not that I think Aerosmith were checking the ID of all the groupies they fucked

How about "Deuces Are Wild?" Great track from a musical point of view but I'm not sure about the lyrics.

(Actually on second thoughts it doesn't actually give the girl's age).

 

[Kaka Tim]

Hmmm .. my version of live at leeds didn't have 'A quick one' on it, and the live version of 'A quick one' on 'the kids are alright' doesn't mention girl guides - just 'Ivor the dirty old engine driver'. Sounds like spontaneous arsing about from a time when people were less sensitive about the whole paedo thing (as evidenced from some of the far more dodgey examples given. Can't really see its a big deal TBH.

Speaking of nonce tunes, Richard Thompsons 'Tear Stained Letter' is a lament for someone who gets drunk and 'ends up sleeping with some girl guide' - a lyric that always jarrred with me.

And those Roy Harper lyrics are horrible. hes definetely off the baby sitting list. And so's pete townshend. Actually so is any other 60's rock star.