The student voice of Ohio State University
The Who sell out
Ryan Merrill
Issue date: 9/28/06
It's better to burn out than fade away, Neil Young sang in 1979 on his Rust Never Sleeps album.
A year earlier, after a night of partying with former-Beatle Paul McCartney, The Who's drummer Keith Moon died of an overdose of pills. According to an investigation by police, Moon supposedly took 32 Chlormethiazole pills, a medication that was supposed to reduce his drinking habit and sober him up. That worked.
Moon coincidentally died the same week as the release of The Who's platinum album, "Who Are You." After his death, the remaining members - Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey - released two boring albums, "Face Dances" and "It's Hard." The Who's new album, "Endless Wire," is slated for release at the end of October.
Moon lived a life of destruction, both to his body and his surrounding environment. There's a rumor that after fighting with his wife, Moon drove his Rolls Royce into a pond on his property. Supposedly, he swam out of the car and emerged from the pond laughing.
Formed in England in 1964, The Who challenged the popular songs of the time and instead created songs that were brief, unapologetic and rebellious. "The Godfathers of Punk," set fire to their instruments, blew up their drums and often left the stage with wounds that spilt blood both on-stage and themselves.
Entwistle died in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the eve of The Who's 2002 tour.
The remaining members, Daltrey and Townshend, are in the middle of their 2006 tour.
Townshend, never one not to whore out The Who's legacy, and the doe-eyed Daltrey, continue to pimp themselves as The Who and continue to sell-out arenas across the country. Granted, Townshend was the driving force of creativity behind the band, but his shameless selling out during the past 10 years has destroyed whatever credibility he once had.
The now-shell-of-a-band sells their song's copyrights to various cop-dramas on TV. As the opening credits roll on the original CSI set in Las Vegas, I have a feeling Moon would need multiple Quaaludes and uppers to even consider hearing his drumming in a song that glorifies the fuzz.
Some bands, however, know when to retire and how to not tarnish their legacy.
After the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, the band broke up and stopped touring. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant would later reform as Page and Plant and play shows with Led Zeppelin songs and original songs. Unlike The Who, Zeppelin has yet to tarnish their history by playing without Bonham - a quintessential and, as some might argue, the most talented member of the band.
The Who touring without Moon and Entwistle is the same as McCartney and Ringo Star re-forming The Beatles without John Lennon or George Harrison, Blind Melon without Shannon Hoon, Sublime without Brad Knowles or The Grateful Dead without Jerry. Oh wait. Nevermind.
When people pay to see acts such as The Who and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who are both missing pivotal members, the fans ultimately suffer. What made these bands once great was their continuity as a band. Moon will go down as one of the best drummers in rock history. Both on-stage and off, Moon was a bright light who burned out too soon.
As Townshend and Daltrey continue to tour I'm sure the ghosts Keith Moon and Robert Entwistle - both probably hopped up on whatever trippy drugs they deal in Heaven - look down and echo the title of their former band's 1967 album, "The Who Sell Out."
Maybe Townsend was right, it might be better to die before we get old.
Ryan Merrill is the editor of The Lantern and senior in English and journalism. He can be reached for comment at merrill.34@osu.edu
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