But you know, you’re right. Magic Bus, a humble song in many ways, is truly magical. I always loved the little story in the lyrics, the sly Bo Diddley beat, and that Beat Club video with Moon the Loon clowning around with claves. Pete shouldn’t have sold it to the yuppie van man. You’re right.

Pete can be so smart and so idealistic, and then invent some lame rationale for why he’s selling out–can’t help lovin’ the guy, but PETE!

Doesn’t matter much, though, with a cool rebus and a cool Beat Club video. ;-) Danke danke danke danke danke.

In some ways, I don;t care if Pete loathed Magic Bus, for me, when I hear it, it takes me back to the magical period when I discovered the Who. So it is my oen past crniging when I hear it coming out of a TV promoting some Yuppie van with the “Bus”. The Who have not sold out any more or less than anyone else. I don;t fault them. I just have my own contextiual disconnect when I hear what I took as rebelious music coming out of an elevator speaker as Muzak, or hawking merchandise.

And I could not agree more about Bargain…. likely one of all time best tunes.

What;s next, Behind Blue Eye for contact lenses? Can You See The Real Me for Paxil?

And really it was all about the rebus, indeed. Everything else is just stuff.

cheers—-

The Who were always a strange mix of the gimmicky and the sublime. An album like “Sell Out’ has both qualities in large and conflicting proportions. They were so deeply in debt at the time that they WOULD have sold out to Coke (or whatever) if they’d had takers. And “Magic Bus,” while a very cool song, is for me one of their gimmicky songs. Pete doesn’t rate it very highly, either. (Not that I don’t disagree with Pete from time to time about his evaluations, but that’s another story.) I enjoy “Magic Bus” a lot, but I don’t take it seriously, I guess, so if Pete’s going to sell out that’s not one that hurts.

The ones that hurt are the ones that I do take seriously and I know he takes seriously too. The one I still get sick over is “Bargain.” Pete called it a prayer, and then years later he sold it. I still love the guy, but What Is Up With That?

Very cool rebus, by the way, I am really flattered! Rock on.