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Sunday, April 3, 2011

See Me....Feel Me...

     Ok…I knew he wasn’t an actor.  I knew he was a lead singer in a rock band called The Who.  He was the guy in that band my brother liked.  That information didn't help me in any way when we headed off to see the movie Tommy that afternoon.  It didn't prepare me, or spare me the reaction I  had when Roger Daltrey appeared on the screen and transformed from the 'deaf, dumb and blind' boy into a vision I can't even find the words for.

    So that's how it happened....the start of it all.  The dye had been cast and we were both in the vat.  Soaked.  I suppose it didn't matter who knew what about The Who or Roger Daltrey.   What mattered, was, that we both knew the one- dimensional version of "Tommy" we'd seen on the screen, wasn't going to be enough.  And we were absolutely committed to finding our way to him. 

    Information is power, and in our minds, this was a mission of significant proportion.  Neither of us intended to leave the movie theater and go home to our parents and back to our lives as we had known them.  We had questions....we needed answers.  And so it began.  Arming ourselves with as much media as we could find, the fact finding started.  Internet was not a part of that generation, but there was more than enough from fanzines, music mags, and, of course vinyl.  It didn't take long before both our rooms were wallpapered....much like any other teen building a shrine to their idol(s).

     Every few days,  another Who album found it's way into our hot little hands.  We huddled together in my room, closed the doors, and listened to the record on the turntable.   Memorizing all the lyrics, all the nuances, the difference of the way he sang a song on this album or that.  Turntables and lp's.  Fantastic.

     We listened closely to every word, every breath and every scream.  We could even hear  his spit hitting the microphone..... Everything was about Roger Daltrey....the guy in the adidas sneakers...just like Rogers, the English accent, just like Roger's.  Even the woman walking in front of us with the blond ringlets...just like Roger's!  Obsession....and we loved it every minute of it. 

     We were having the most amazing time... Tucked away in our little insulated world of Roger Daltrey, we were driving everyone around us crazy.  If it wasn't about Roger Daltrey, we weren't interested.  My parents were beginning to worry about me.....

14 comments:

  1. and so your first fan letters? or, candle light vigils? or, how many dinners did you miss with your families? (I ask because your parents were worried.) I see your hair flowing in a flash as the kitchen door slammed in a rush, leaving your families sitting there eating peas in silence looking at the clock. rock on!

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  2. I figured it out....follow, follow, follow...

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  3. You sound like women on a mission. I like girls with ambition. I say when you see something you want, go for it. Even if it is Roger Daltrey or WHOever else.

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  4. Your story sounds familiar to mine. My girlfriend and I were on a mission as well except ours began a few years earlier ;)

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  5. just wait..."Glow" doesn't even scratch the surface!

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  6. Everyone has stories, don't they?

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  7. TOMMY rejuvenated my love for my sweet babboo, and made me more determined to meet him!

    I'm currently working on a series of "adventures on the set of TOMMY" where Rog and I get cuddly after shooting various scenes.

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  8. Yes, I guess everyone has "their" story or stories. I have heard many over the years...So many people we know have urged us to tell our story... so here it is....stay tuned for the next installment...

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  9. Indeed I have my story...but my love/lust of Roger upon discovering him via Tommy led to a lifelong infatuation with PETE...but, of course I WAS a total Who freak after seeing Tommy on the silver screen. I bought the ORIGINAL which I had heard at age 7 and loved (but didn't get around to buying until 5 years later!).
    Never owned the soundtrack until I hit my 30s!

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  10. Ah....Suesjoy....then you, of all people must follow this story...turns along the path...can't say anymore now

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  11. Yes..Sue, keep tuned in...the story has it's twists and turning...keep me turning..

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  12. Would you believe I have never seen the movie Tommy?

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  13. Hello, thank you for inviting me. Happy to be with you all xxoo

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