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Underground > Radio & Music >

The Who's Bassist Is Dead

22:35 / 27.06.02

For what it's worth, I'm sorry Johnny Suede/Suedehead. You're kinda the resident Who fan here and I hate being the bearer of bad tidings, but...
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/06/27/entwhistle.obit.reut/index.html:

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- John Entwistle, the bass player for veteran British rock band The Who, died in Las Vegas Thursday at age 57, just one day before the group was set to begin a North American tour in the city, the Clark County Coroner said.

Entwistle, a bearded, taciturn type affectionately known as "Ox," died at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, said coroner Ron Flud. An investigation was under way into the cause of death, he added.

The Who, known for such hits as "My Generation," "Pinball Wizard" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," were scheduled to begin their three-month tour in a small club at the hotel.

With Entwistle's death, The Who are down to just two original members, singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend. Original drummer Keith Moon died of an accidental pill overdose in 1978.

In addition to playing bass, Entwistle helped out on backing vocals. His songwriting contributions to The Who were sporadic, mostly limited to a few album tracks and B-sides. He released a half-dozen solo albums.

Entwistle, who was born in the London suburb of Chiswick on October 9, 1944, joined Daltrey in a forerunner of The Who in the early 1960s while working as a tax clerk. The band ultimately took shape in 1964 and made an immediate impression with its "Mod" stylings and its expensive habit of trashing all its stage equipment after each set.

23:42 / 27.06.02

The simple fact of his death is sad and a bit tragic, but to die in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino....that's terrible.

23:56 / 27.06.02

Farewell to The Ox.

03:26 / 28.06.02

He was the best. I'm pretty much speechless.

09:26 / 28.06.02

Alas.

He was one of my favourite bassists ever. 57 is too young to go, dammit!

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

10:08 / 28.06.02

Oh man.

Talk about unexpected. He really was one of the best.

To the Ox!

07:09 / 29.06.02

Excerpt from http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020628/music_nm/who__update_2__1:

UPDATE 2-The Who to resume tour without Entwistle (Fri Jun 28, 7:35 PM ET)
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The two surviving members of veteran rock band The Who will carry on with their North American tour despite the death of the group's bassist, John Entwistle, the group said Friday.

In a surprise announcement issued by their management, lead singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist-songwriter Pete Townshend said their tour would open on Monday at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles "as a tribute to John Entwistle and to the loss of an irreplaceable friend."

"The Entwistle family is in full support of the decision to continue and feel this is what John would have wanted," the statement added.

And from a different source:

28 June 2002: Tour to continue

Pete and Roger have decided that the tour will carry on, commencing with the Hollywood Bowl show on Monday. Bass player Pino Palladino has been drafted in for the shows. The Las Vegas and Irvine shows will be rescheduled for new dates.

A full statement from Pete and Roger will follow shortly.

Is it just me or does that seem really cold?

10:01 / 29.06.02

It's not just you.

15:30 / 01.07.02

About 3-4 years ago I had the pleasure of seeing John Entwistle play a solo gig at Trammps here in NYC. I was right at the front and just watching his fingers – the only part of his body that actually moved, for the most part – and hearing him play was incredible. I can't say the gig broke any new ground musically (except for the state-of-the-art equipment he was using), but he kicked ass, and the gig is definitely up there in my top 5 Most Rock'N'Roll Gigs Ever.

While waiting for the encore, there was a big buzz in the crowd as to whether or not Townshend (who was in NY at the time) was going to come on stage with John. Having had my share of whiskey, I loudly exclaimed, "Aw, FUCK Pete – We don't need him tonight anyway."

Right then, the lights go down, John comes onstage, looks right at me with a huge grin and kicks into "My Wife."

That's how I want to remember John Entwistle.

06:49 / 10.07.02

Oh, I was totally wrong. They're not doing this tour for the money--it's for "the little people"!
(insert Darby O'Gill joke here)

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/entertainmentstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=2049520:
LOS ANGELES - British rockers The Who have hired a substitute musician and will begin their United States tour tomorrow, just four days after the death of bass player John Entwistle.

Session musician Pino Palladino will fill in for their fallen comrade.

The group's guitarist/songwriter, Pete Townshend, said he had made only one request of the Welsh substitute - "that - at first - he play as loud as he can bear".

The Who made the 1976 Guinness Book of Records for playing the loudest concert.

Entwistle, 57, died of an apparent heart attack in his Las Vegas hotel room a day before the group were scheduled to open their tour in the city.

The Who surprised fans by saying that the tour would go ahead as a "tribute ... to an irreplaceable friend," starting tomorrow at the Hollywood Bowl. Townshend said he did not view the tour as a memorial.

"I simply believe we have a duty to go on, to ourselves, ticket buyers, staff, promoters, big and little people.

"I also want to help guide [singer] Roger Daltrey and the rest of the band, all of whom have been shaken by John's death."

08:53 / 12.07.02

Daltrey has to tour- unlike Townshend, he doesn't have fat royalties to fall back on, as he wasn't much of a writer and most of the Who albums were recorded under a deeply sucky deal.

So yeah, cold. But Palladino is up to the challenge, I'd reckon- great tone, technical ability, etc. He's not the Ox though.

12:44 / 12.07.02

Has anyone considered that they're touring because they like singing to screaming crowds?
Hell, if I was an aging rock star, and I had the means, I'd play as often as I felt comfortable.

20:01 / 12.07.02

To be fair, a band can't just drop a big tour like that – that's a lot of people potentially out of work: road crew, tour management staff, lighting & sound engineers, caterers, drivers...the odds of all those people getting booked on another tour that size on such short notice is close to nil.

But I wish Pete would have just said that, instead of getting all pretentious with talk of "big and little people". He of all people should know that on the road, everyone has an essential part to play and there is no "big" or "little"; one person goes AWOL or doesn't do their job and the gig's fucked.

Matthew Fluxington

20:22 / 12.07.02

Thank you for pointing that out, Ierne. I've read a lot of very unreasonable opinions on this matter, all of which just ignore that fact. I think it would've been more irresponsible for them to NOT go on tour than it is distasteful in light of Entwistle's death. I'm sure they had to think about it, weigh the pros and cons.

Also, I think Grant is right on - just because one grows older, it doesn't mean that the person somehow loses the love of performing that they had for the rest of their lives. Though the Who helped create the myth of rock n' roll being a young man's game ("I hope I die before I get old"), it's still a very unfair and narrow-minded to believe it.

05:12 / 14.07.02

'But I wish Pete would have just said that, instead of getting all pretentious with talk of "big and little people"'

True. But when does Pete Townshend say anything without sounding just a bit (or more than bit) loony? That's Pete, man. That's genius.

Yeah, that's right, I said "genius." That's what I said.

I agree with Ierne's point.

Also, I must point out that it once again fulfills the Ancient Prophecy: "Long Live Rock: Be it dead or alive."

10:54 / 14.07.02

But when does Pete Townshend say anything without sounding just a bit (or more than bit) loony? That's Pete, man. That's genius. – Yagg

It's true that Pete Townshend is one of the few people who really knows how to work the concept of pretentiousness – he's a master of the game.

(I say that with the love of a true fan.)