Another sign of aging, they say, is going to more funerals than weddings, looking at the obituaries before the sports page. Well, glad to say, I’m not quite there yet but the people up ahead of me are getting closer. Today saw the passage from this plane of existence of Who bassist John Entwhistle, just one day before the first concert of the group’s US tour, at age 57 of an (alleged) heart attack in his sleep and Billboard editor-in-chief Timothy White, age 50, from a heart attack in his office.
I’ll never forget the original sound of Entwhistle’s pounding bass, especially in the early years of the group before fame went to Pete Townsend’s head, where John played more like a lead instrumentalist than just another rhythm picker. How about his vocals on “Boris the Spider”? And the few songs he ever wrote, like “Boris” and “My Wife” showed he had some real potential. For a long time, the driving sound, John’s plaintive vocals, and the near panic of the the lyrics made “My Wife” my favorite who tune. Later on, “Baba O’Riley” surpassed it for me but I still jump up and down playing air guitar the few times they play the song on the radio.
White was less well known to the general public but as an aspiring rock journalist back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, his writing (along with that of Cameron Crowe and Dave Marsh) made a real impression on me. I saw that you could be a fan of the music and let your love of the music show through but keep your articles professional and readable. Lester Bangs may have been more influential and possibly more acclaimed but he generally crossed the line (between fan and journalist) too many times. White left behind a wife and 10-year-old twin sons and my condolences go out to them.
BillSaysThis 