Tommy Got His Gun

Jumpsuit contender No. 1 - Pete Townshend. I feel like I need to include him if only to establish some ground rules for jumpsuits. I consider this outfit more "coveralls" than jumpsuit. This is a painter's getup. Working man practicality. The best rock 'n roll jumpsuit is not practical it flamboyant and form fitting. Sorry Pete!

But while we're with you, I think I should mention Live at Leeds. I get chills every single time during Eyesight to the Blind and when I hear that one warble during It's a boy, Mrs. Walker, it's a boy. I love this album and listened to it this morning to get into the right frame of mind. Unfortunately, in the great iPod migration of 2009, I seem to have lost all of disc one of the Deluxe edition. I'll have to reload.

My favorite memory of The Who involves my sister and a childhood watching way too many 4 o'clock movies. My dad was off work with a broken back for a few years and when I got home from school we watched Bill Kennedy at the Movies and Rita Bell's 4 O'Clock Movie. Godzilla week, Trilogy of Terror, Planet of the Apes week, Soylent Green and all sorts of D-list films. My dad drank Busch beer and I drank chocolate milk and wished I Dream of Jeannie was on instead. At some point, I must have seen the movie adaptation of Johnny Got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo. I don't know where else this image would have been planted in my head.

Years later (I'm guessing I was maybe 12? 13?) I asked my sister: "Hey Deb ... how could Tommy play pinball with no arms and no legs?" Even as I said it, it was clear to me those unconnected links in my head were really, really wrong.

Weird childhood notions lead to several minutes of great fun and devising our own Rock Opera though. The only part I remember now is jumping around on one leg while flapping our arms like chickens and singing "Talking 'bout my Amputation."

People try to push us d-down!
Just because we hop around.

No Politically Correct Crown for me and no Jumpsuit Crown for Pete Townshend. I will hand the Pinball Crown to The Who for a great Live album though.