A question for Pete Townshend...

re: Who Are You?

I took the tube back out of town

Back to the Rollin' Pin

I felt a little like a dying clown

With a streak of Rin Tin Tin

So, how exactly does that feel?

Straight off the bat, I’ve got to think that a dying clown would have some profound regrets about his or her career choice. (A clown, for god’s sake…one chance at life and this is what I came up with…). Overlay that with the bitter irony of an entertainer dying alone, on the tube, heart like a broken cup, greasepaint smeared, big floppy shoes stained with God knows what. All I ever wanted was to make the children laugh…

But, HEY! Wait a minute…what’s this feeling??? It’s a twinge of something…something different. Can’t be sure but…woof! WOOF! Whoa. Hey! I feel like…like…like a Teutonic Hero Dog! YES! "Achtung! Fellow riders of the London mass transit…It’s me, Rin Tin Tin! To the rescue!!... What’s with the drunk clown over there?"

I guess, Pete, maybe what you’re really saying is, you were feeling a little conflicted. I understand completely.

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 Who Are You? From The Kids Are Alright (’78)

“Dying clown” line at 1:44

“F-bomb” dropped at 2:04

Silly handclapping at 4:33

Keith Moon being a goofball throughout. His last studio performance. Damn.