Cakebug Tranch

You want literature? Here's some literature! The Rock Opera Tommy by The Who Illustrates the Psychodynamics of Conversion Hysteria by Jerome J. Tobacyk I know this doesn't answer your question about what Tommy's deal is, but it's a start in terms of unnecessary academic takes on something that hasn't been designed to be thought about to this extent. I'll keep digging!

I'm not 100% certain, but (name drop) I worked on a Shakespeare production with the guy who won the Tony for adapting 'Tommy' on Broadway, Des McAnuff, years ago, and he talked about how he worked very closely with Townshend to translate the piece to the stage, where you don't have the benefit of smash cuts, video montage, green screen depictions of Tommy running on top of a stingray, things like that. By definition, a rock opera shouldn't have dialogue at all, but should be sung through (otherwise it's musical theatre), but I think for transitions they used a narrator to smooth the way between scenes. When they credit Townshend and McAnuff as writers of the 'book', that also includes the task of adapting the lyrics, shaping the scenes, structuring the overall look of the piece, not necessarily writing dialogue or material between songs. That's my understanding of the production, but I could be way off.

Maybe Tom's all, You didn't hear it, you didn't see it. You won't say nothing to no one, ever in your life. You never heard it. Oh how absurd it all seems without any proof. You didn't hear it, you didn't see it. You never heard it, not a word of it. You won't say nothing to no one. Never tell a soul what you know is the Truth.

Holy shitballs, I only just this second realised that the Orange on a Toothpick from 'Axe Murderer' is also Averman from 'The Mighty Ducks'. Worlds collide.

On behalf of everyone posting in the 'Tommy' Musical Mondays thread, I would like to reiterate the need for this astonishing thing to be featured on HDTGM.

CUERVO

Interestingly enough, when Ann-Margret got close enough to sniff her Oscar for Tommy, the award was presented by Princess Di and Cuervo Jones!

Enough washes to cover THREE DAYS at least...

The fisherman on the right pulling in the net, just before Tommy runs into the surf (1.59), looks just like Sean Connery in either Zardoz or Highlander 2. I choose to believe it really is him.

I went on to google to find images of the scene at the end where all of the pinball machines are smashed and junked as the crowd goes into a frenzy at Tommy's camp, as I couldn't stop thinking of that thread here in the forum last year about pinball machines and the people who collect them. As I was looking, I found this amazing listicle, which is very useful in unpacking the significance of the pinball machine and why it's such a big deal in 'Tommy': http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g284/4328211-new/ Of particular interest to us is point #5, which won't let me copy and paste it because listicles are the worst. But I think it's interesting!

Unlike Cameron, I didn't have much of a relationship with the original concept album, and I never saw the stage play either, so this was my first real in to 'Tommy', which I knew nothing about aside from the song 'Pinball Wizard'. Whatever I was expecting... it was not this. The montage of how Tommy's parents met and wooed and loved and then how he died prior to Tommy's birth? Wow. Talk about asking the audience to do all the work and get exactly zero emotional connection with the father figure - perhaps intentionally knowing that Oliver Reed's just going to beat his brains out in a few minutes. One thing I'll say about most of this, is that everyone really commits. Ann-Margret, Tina Turner, Elton John, even his two awful babysitters, all leave it all there on the screen. Yeah, lots of scene-chewing, but it seemed appropriate. I had been forewarned about 'Fiddle About' so it was less creepy than I expected (when it was described I feared it was going to feature the sweet little boy playing Tommy as a child) but it's still horrible. The fact that Keith Moon shows up in the next scene to wreck his drum kit during the pinball scene (a TERRIFIC scene, I might say) really undercut how we're supposed to feel about this pervo. Setting fire to his newspaper but then asking him back to be The Who's Keith Moon? Eep. Loved Elton's stilt-boots. We are of course aware that Ann-Margret was nominated for an Oscar for this? And won a Golden Globe for it? And when have you seen Oliver Reed look happier than when he was guzzling those 'prop' beers?

I'm finding the pressure of having to pick in a couple of weeks very daunting. My short list is down to about 5 movies, and I'm not sure if I should go for what I think is awesome or what I know is ripe for scathing discussion or what has aged badly or what I'm just irrationally fond of. It's a good daunting though! I assume that we'll get a chance to pick again once we've cycled through once!

Raffi's from (and still lives in!* edit: he moved to BC last decade) Toronto, motherfuckaz! I was always concerned about the boy's neglect of his mother in Down By the Bay. Seriously, if you read it as a song about a boy not able to visit his mother's watermelon farm because he's unable to cope with her psychotic hallucinations about the crazy shit she's seeing Down By the Bay, it becomes a much sadder song. Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say "Did you ever you ever see a goose kissing a moose?" Down by the bay Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say "Did you ever see a whale With a polka dot tail?" Down by the bay Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say "Did you ever see a fly Wearing a tie?" Down by the bay Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say "Did you ever see a bear Combing his hear?" Down by the bay Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow Back to my home I dare not go For if I do My mother will say "Did you ever see a llama Eating pajamas?" Down by the bay

Cameron, I finally got a chance to ask my wife your question! Here's her answer, almost verbatim: "What kind of ukulele does he have? Is it a $40 piece of shit or a $300 concert ukulele, because that makes a difference?" (I said I don't know, likely not the second one) "I would play it the first way (third fret, A string), why make your life harder?" Her wisdom is the first way you're describing is the best way, but there are limitations depending on the instrument you have. The better the instrument (and strings) the easier it is to keep in tune. I realise this is not a very helpful note at all, but she is confirming that your first instinct is right about how to play the chord, and the 'total garbage' may be due to the instrument you have... Taylor Anne, I'm still in the process of seeing whether chords for your two songs are possible! Stay tuned (so to speak).

HEADLINE: TOMMY SPEAKS! Second lead: Turns out most of what he has to say is about being a clumsy Jesus allegory.

Pretty tough for me to argue with anything you've said here - all logical, all well reasoned. At the time of watching I had no real issue with the ending even if it felt like the greatest of leaps to go from 'moderately successful gig where we burned our bridges at the school' to 'let's emigrate without a clue'. I liked the youthful hope, the naivety that an idea like that could actually work. As someone who emigrated as a young adult without much thought about what that would mean I can identify with it, absolutely. I also appreciate that the filmmaker isn't making this into some kind of 'true love prevails' story, and suggesting that it'll all turn out well in the end. I really did love the movie - taking a minute to think it over again today my memory has been that of all of the brilliant strengths of the film - the relationship between Conor and Eamon, the band recruitment, even the salvation of Barry and the self-immolating takedown of the Christian Brother - the root to the whole thing was 'i want to impress that girl.' Raphina says late in the film that the older boyfriend only told her all this stuff about modelling and took her into town on their way to London in order to get her into bed, but surely that's part of the reason Conor starts the band in the first place too? Looks before he leaps in terms of saying he has a band, lies to her incessantly, then makes it all work? I'm arguing here against a film I loved: maybe I should stop before I start trying to pick holes in it. I think i need a second viewing, to wash 'Tommy' out of my brain.

No, I fully see what you mean, Taylor Anne, about the romance. She was set up as this ideal figure throughout but without much substance, and clearly Connor was given the opportunity to see more in her than we were, because aside from being stunningly beautiful, she never got much of a chance to be the girl he described. Neither of them seemed 15-16 years old (a few of the bandmates did but not the leads) in terms of their decision-making or means of processing adversity, and while I found myself falling plenty in love with Connor as he performed with the band, the A+B=C formula that the 'unattainable girl loves geeky guy because he has a guitar' trope is in service of didn't make this a stronger film. The decision to cross the Irish sea in essentially a rowboat meant I honestly thought for a second that the film would end with their funerals. At the very least, the only things of value they brought on the trip (her headshots, his demos) would be ruined in that journey! The romantic gesture of the crossing, of them running away together, was the inevitable crowd-pleasing ending, but aside from inspiring Brendan, it only set up an almost certainly terrible future for them both. I know this is missing the point of the happy-sad ending, but the more I think about it the more it bugs me. She leads him on a bit, keeps seeing the other fella, is given little agency aside from being beautiful, and then the grand romantic gesture for this kid who's devoted his entire musical career to the idea of her is to show up for the last minute of the last song and run off in a boat. Hm. I much, much preferred the ending of 'Once', where you think she's running downstairs to kiss Glen Hansard as he's realised he wants to be with her and you realise he's still on his way to London and instead bought her a piano. Beautifully handled. I furiously hated the Broadway musical for all the liberties they took with that story to turn it into yet another pedestrian romance. I know I am very much isolated in this opinion, but I loved the movie too much. With all this said, I thoroughly loved 'Sing Street', the music particularly (even though they got really good REALLY fast...) and much of the storytelling. Your critique is not misplaced, Taylor Anne.

EDIT: I just read down a bit and see everyone's point re romance and muse and etc. But still. I loved every minute. Especially love firsttimelongtime's take on it.

I have plenty of different answers for this, but this seems to be a prime contender (others include anything from Cats, Chess, or Phantom of the Opera and also, for some reason, George Harrison's I've Got My Mind Set On You): My parents are responsible: cassettes on long car trips.

We watched Sing Street instead!

I managed 25 minutes on my first sitting and then my wife breezed through and told me what was coming up for Tommy and his uncle and if I was interested in watching the rest she'd watch something else downstairs. So, I paused rather than abandon her and I'll return to it later. It's pretty... um... something... so far? Oliver Reed singing. Oh boy. I'll watch the rest soon, promise!

He's always been a really good guy, although since he became famous he's become a lot less available. I was in London this summer and saw his musical adaptation of 'Groundhog Day' but couldn't manage to get hold of him to catch up. It's fine, he's very busy and successful, and I'm sure every schmuck who ever had anything to do with him at home wants a piece of him. I remember very clearly, though, him telling me years ago over breakfast on a visit to Toronto that he'd been contacted to write a musical version of 'Matilda', and he was tinkering with some ideas. He hummed me the first bars of the show, which are still in the musical. It was nice to be around during the early days of that process. I also fondly remember being in a fiercely competitive five-man hackiesack circle which included Tim during a 2002 production of 'Twelfth Night' back in Australia. Hack with a man for an entire summer, you are bonded.

With all these other pro-Donatello posters emerging, I'm wishing I wasn't hedging my bets so much when I confessed my fondness for the nerdiest turtle. As Fister said, I liked Mikey when the original cartoon was on, but then again I was 11. Sorry Cameron, I just can't see the point of Leo. He's such a buzzkill. And my seven year old likes Raph because he's a jerk. (Raph, not Cormac)