John Entwistle of The Who dead at age 57

[pldennison]

Yahoo! News story (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&ncid=762&e=1&u=/nm/20020627/en_nm/people_entwistle_dc_1)

I'm speechless. He's one of the greatest bass players in the history of modern music, and the unsung hero of the Who. He will be sorely missed.

[Moirai]

That truly sucks.

My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans. My brother will be especially sorry to hear this.

[sleestak]

I was just about to post the same thing.

Damned shame. He was a great bass player.

Slee

[dead0man]

That sucks.
He will bet truely missed.
Borris the Spider no more.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

:(

[Gatopescado]

Wasn't it him that said "The Who will play Vegas over my dead body!"?

[HoldenCaulfield]

:(

[Morbo]

Who's Next?



I'm sorry

[syncrolecyne]

Originally posted by Dooku
Who's Next?



I'm sorry

Who's a total ass?


:wally

I'm really sad...

[HoldenCaulfield]

I was just thinking about how great their performance of "A Quick One (While He's Away)" was at the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus before I left for school this morning.

Here's to an Eternity of Maximum R&B!

[neofishboy]

John Entwistle was my first bass hero when I started playing....

He was always my favorite...more than Stanley, Victor, or Jaco...more than Geddy or Les...

That's all I got.....


:(

[The Asbestos Mango]

Why did he have to come here to die?

Why couldn't he die somewhere respectable, like London or Benares?

Why here?

Why, period.

Hell, I just dusted off my bass last weekend and started playing again, now this happens.

[Morbo]

Originally posted by cuate


Who's a total ass?


:wally

I'm really sad...

That's how I deal with news like this. And didn't I already apologize?

[Manchurian Candidate]

Humor, Zilkov - always with humor...

[/Manchurian Candidate]

[Celyn]

Very sad! That lyric about "Hope I die before I get old" seems a bit too prophetic now. :(

[minty green]

Bought tickets to the Dallas show just last weekend. Damn.

[Labdad]

What a bummer! Anyone who saw the Who in their heyday knows what an incredible musician John was. You'd look at the stage and he'd be over there on the left side almost in the shadows while Pete, Roger and Keith tried to outdo each other with stage antics. Then you'd think, "How can three guys make so much music?" and realize a bunch of it was coming from John.

"My Wife" is one of the cleverest Who songs ever - and they had a ton of clever songs.

Going downstairs now to lift a glass in the Ox's memory.

[Lamia]

RIP John, a fine bassist and a gentleman.

[pesch]

Watching him play showed how cool you can be just by standing still and flicking yer fingers.

He was awesome to watch.

I feel sorry for Pete and Roger. They've been playing together for over four decades now. About as long as I've lived.

[Big Kahuna Burger]

I feel your pain, minty green, my big 18th birthday gift was 2 days in New York with 3 of my friends complete with a Who concert. Now I won't get to see Entwhistle, and it's not sure if I'll even see Daltry and Townsend. Why did I have to be born in 1984?

[syncrolecyne]

Originally posted by Dooku


That's how I deal with news like this. And didn't I already apologize?

[Manchurian Candidate]

Humor, Zilkov - always with humor...

[/Manchurian Candidate]

OK ok ok, I just hate flippancy about death (I despise the death pool threads for instance)...besides I just didn't see the humor at the time.

You're no longer a total ass, just a half ass? Feel better? :(

[riserius1]

Does this mean we'll finally stop getting ersatz Who reunions?
(IMHO the Who died along with Keith Moon, and everything since then has been the remaining three trying to milk it for all it's worth).

Chris W.

PS Nobody rocked like the OX!!!!!!

[astorian]

Too bad. Entwhistle was a superb bassist, and supplied much of the Who's humor.

My favorite moment in "The Kids Are Alright" was Entwhistle skeet shooting with his gold records!

[Cap'n Crude]

Adding my statement of sorrow over his death, as well as condolences to his friends, family, and the world of music. Entwistle was my favorite bassist, and seemed to be a swell guy in general. No rock-star ego, just pure talent.

[typhoon]

Best French horn in rock. Gonna miss the fellow, definitely.

[Uekte]

Originally posted by Dooku
Who's Next?



I'm sorry

Leave it to Dooku to act like a fucking asshole. I don't guess you'll be banned for acting like a fucking jerk in the wrong fourm, eh?

Fuck you, fuckface!

[Boo Boo Foo]

Interestingly, Pete Townshend [sp?] credits John Entwistle with being the first musician of 'note' to use Marshall amplifiers. This one act on John's part enabled him to be so much louder that Pete himself chose to buy some Marshall amplifiers to keep up.

Ironically, Pete Townshend then became the first 'guitarist' of note to use Marshall amplifiers, and thus a legend was born because The Who went from being part of the British invasion to being the inventors of the modern menacing guitar based "Wall of Sound".

When Jimi Hendrix went to London in 1966, he so fell in love with Pete Townshend's "guitar sound" he too went on to use Marshall amps and the brand became synonymous with the famous "hard rock" guitar sound, but in a final irony, Marshall bass guitar amps never really took off and I'm pretty sure J.E. ended up using Ampegs.

Of course, we had to wait for Spinal Tap in 1985 to finally get a Marshall which went up to 11 'because it's one louder than 10'.

Safe travels Monsieur Entwistle. Say hello to Keith Moon for us.

[kingpengvin]

To those who get angry at others flipancy at death, you have to take a breath,and relax. Everyone deals with death in different ways.

Death can be very scary for most and the only reaction some have is to laugh at it. It's either that or grab the sides of your head and scream yourself hoarse.


That being said
I will miss Mr Entwistle, easily my favorite member of the Who, Favorite songs My Wife, 905 and, of course Boris the Spider.

He will be missed.

[Frank #2]

He truly was an amazing bassist. I never got the chance to see The Who perform, but I did see John's solo band play. It was in a small bar-stage kinda place, real intimate. I was just blown away seeing John Entwistle up close and playing amazing stuff. Yet as always, he's cool and calm on the outside. I noticed he also played with all 4 of his fingers (not counting the thumb). Very interesting to watch.

Here's to you John.

[Walloon]

Originally posted by EJsGirl
That truly sucks.


It is a little odd comparing someone's death (bad, tragic) with fellatio (good, enjoyable).

[Coriolanus]

Most of the time," explains drummer Steve Luongo, "I look out from behind my kit and see my friend playing bass-but every so often I'll glance his way and think to myself, Holy cow! That's the bass player from the Who!" This dichotomy sums up the career of John Entwistle. On one hand, he's a bonafide member of rock & roll royalty, a pioneering bass virtuoso in one of the genre's most legendary bands. On the other, he's a soft-spoken, down-to-earth chap who makes regular appearances at NAMM-show jam sessions and who has toured with such less-than-legendary bands as Luongo's Rat Race Choir. All because, more than anything else, he loves to play.

Let's just say I damn well know I can make any band sound like the Who! [Laughs.]
John Entwistle

http://archive.bassplayer.com/artists/entwistl.shtml

Homer: Come on, what happened to the angry, defiant Who of, "My
Generation," "Won't Get Fooled Again," and "Mama's Got a
Squeeze Box?"
John: We know our songs, Homer.

The Simpsons, 'A Tale of two Springfields' featuring The Who.

[JRDelirious]

:( This was quite the unpleasant surprise.

Here we had someone who did not need to call attention to himself with anything but his talent. Glad I was around to hear it -- thank you, Ox.

Let me get the stereo cued up, the neighbors are going to be complainin' tonight...

[Moirai]

I damn near made my brother cry yesterday when I told him (he'd been painting my house all day and hadn't heard). He was going to down and get tickets for the Irvine show today.

One of the more underrated musicians in the world. I mean, who the hell else could keep up with Keith?!?

John once said that most of his playing was improvisation. he had a bunch of things he knew he could play up in his head, and he would just put them together on the spot.

Whoa.

[Dr. Rieux]

Damn.
The Who was my favorite band when I was a teenager, back in the 70s, and John was one of my heroes.
Nobody played bass quite like he did, and no one else could have written the strange, quirky songs that he wrote.
Farewell, Ox--and say hi to Moonie for us.
:( :(

[Opengrave]

I was saddened to hear this as well as The Who was one of the first bands I ever 'got into'. I think the second album I ever owned The Who's Live at Leeds. I was always amazed at how much sound Entwistle actually produced and how incredibly fast his runs were all the while looking like he wasn't even breaking a sweat. The guy was intelligent and quite funny in stark contrast to the self destructive nature of many rock stars. He had a sound that was like no other. I always upheld that if you put Entwistle and John Bonham in a room a nuclear explosion couldn't damage the room because the wall of sound would repel the pressure waves.

I'm squarely a non-musical person when it comes to playing music but I get to do a bit of amateur sound board work at my church and I always seem to gravitate to just that sound for the bass (trust me the little blue haired ladies in the front row just love the wall of sound.:)

Almost all my life I've wanted to play an instrument and the flashy 'lead' guitar never interested me, I wanted to play bass so I could stand in the corner and destroy the building's foundation without anyone really noticing. He was a huge influence on many bass players and on certainly on what I think about how music should be played.

Joey
Dee Dee
now John

It's been a sad few months...

[riserius1]

Y'know, my earlier comment about there finally being no more ersatz Who reunions was, admittedly, a flippant comment. It made light of what is a tragic loss for all of rock fandom.

Yet, Townshend and Daltrey are going to TOUR ANYWAY!?!?!?

And not rescheduling until after a decent mourning time has passed, but basically cancelling only two dates of the tour!

Anybody who has any doubts that Daltrey and Townshend are all about the money at this point...

Chris W

"Money,money,money mad,money money mad, there goes mingy Stingy,there goes mingy Stingy"
--J. Entwhistle, "Silas Stingy"

[Opengrave]

Originally posted by riserius1
Anybody who has any doubts that Daltrey and Townshend are all about the money at this point...Not completely disagreeing but from what I understand about the concert business if they don't do they concerts they will have to pay several million dollars to promoters, etc... As in cash outflow as opposed to not having a cash inflow. I suppose if you signed a contract to do something that could make you money and charged you penalties for not doing it you might follow through as well...

FWIW Entwistle's family agreed they the tour should go on and gave their blessing saying it would be what John would have wanted.

[Tim R. Mortiss]

Hey, I don't think flippant comments about death are disrespectful. If anything, they celebrate a full life with humor and memories and appreciation. Of course, others are free to disagree.

That being said, the Who are now sans a drummer and a bass player. Let's see, what do the Beatles have left? Why, a drummer and a bass player! I see a merger/reunion on the horizon!

Meaning no disrespect, just homage......Timmy

[Lorenzo]

Sadness.

The world has lost another great one.

[vanilla]

He's up there jammin with Joey and Dee Dee